Rove, also titled Rove Live, is an Australian television variety show that featured live music performances and interviews with local and international celebrity guests. The program premiered on the Nine Network on 22 September 1999, before moving to Network Ten which aired the program from 2000 until November 2009. The show was hosted by comedian Rove McManus through his production company Roving Enterprises, and featured an ensemble cast who presented various segments throughout the course of the show. The show won the Logie Award for "Most Popular Light Entertainment Program" five times (2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009).
History
Origins: The Loft Live Rove McManus began his television career hosting the RMITV-produced The Loft Live on C31 Melbourne, a community-access television station. It was a straightforward tonight show, with a comic monologue from the host, pre-recorded skits and guest interviews. The show had unusually high production values for a community access show.
1999: Rove (Nine Network) The Nine Network developed the show into a commercial production. In 1999, the show, named Rove, ran in a late-night timeslot for 10 episodes. The show featured McManus and three co-hosts he referred to as 'the kids on the couch': Peter Helliar, Corinne Grant and Dave Callan. However, Nine decided not to renew the program and the cast moved to Network Ten the following year.
Move to Network Ten
2000–2006: Rove Live
The new show, very similar to the Nine production, was named Rove Live. The show was sometimes known as Rove [Live] or Rove (Live), owing to the use of (square) brackets around the word 'Live' in some of the show's graphics.
Dave Callan left the show after one year, to pursue standup comedy and radio opportunities. Corinne Grant left the show at the end of 2005, to concentrate on The Glass House and other interests. Carrie Bickmore joined the cast in 2006, presenting a parody news segment. Meshel Laurie joined the cast for only one year.
In November 2006, Rove Live was suspended until further notice due to the death of McManus's wife Belinda Emmett. Rove wrote a personal message on the Rove Live website, saying that it "is a very difficult period for all of us and some time away is the best thing for me right now".
2007–2009: Rove The show reverted to the title of Rove in 2007. Production moved from the Global Television facility in Nunawading to the old Seven Network studios in South Melbourne. It now occupied the premium timeslot of 8:30pm on Sunday nights.
Peter Helliar returned to McManus's side. Bickmore's role in the show increased. Following the cancellation of the show The Glass House, Dave Hughes joined Rove. The comedy duo Hamish & Andy, who had previously collaborated with Roving Enterprises with their television show Real Stories, began appearing every second week. Their associate Ryan Shelton also began presenting a segment each week.
Each year, the show's set changes in some way from the previous. In a previous year, the set was changed to be less like a traditional late-night talk show and more like a variety show. In 2007, the show's set was reconfigured back into a more traditional late-night talk show again, even going so far as having a view of the Melbourne cityscape in the background.
In July 2007, a special show was filmed at Times Square in New York. Rove, Helliar and Adam Hills attended, and a live Australian audience was present. In late July a second special was filmed in Los Angeles at the Bob Barker Studio.
Hayden Guppy now also co-host of Video Hits also became a cast member, who shows TV viewers what the cast does during ad breaks.
In 2008, Myf Warhurst, who co-hosted a breakfast radio show with Peter Helliar on Triple M, joined the cast as an infrequent addition whenever a regular cast member was unavailable. Again in 2008, Elmo returned as a guest.
In 2009 the program moved premises to ABC studios in Elsternwick which housed a new set. Dave Hughes, Hamish Blake and Andy Lee began only appearing on a fortnightly basis. Between May and July 2009, actor Brian Wenzel had a weekly skit at the end of the show.
After 12 July, the show went off-air to let the team take a mid-year break due to the show starting in February (earlier than 2007 and 2008). It was also announced that this episode would be Bickmore's and Hughesy's final episode as regular cast members, due to them both leaving to focus on their new show, The 7pm Project, which premiered on 20 July 2009, and is also produced by Roving Enterprises.
Series finale Various news reports appeared in the lead-up to the scheduled season finale for the 2009 season of Rove that it would be the final season. The Herald Sun originally reported that McManus had confirmed that his show would not return until later in 2010. Despite not appearing on a list of shows at Ten's 2010 launch event, it was rumoured that Rove would return in 2010 with a new format, similar to Hey Hey It's Saturday, which rated over two million viewers for its two reunion shows. McManus made a comment to the Herald Sun and stated: "This show is my love and my passion and it's always what I've wanted to do." McManus then continued to say "If everything else fell down, as long as I still get to do this thing I love then I’m happy. We have that connection with the audience at the moment and that's where my enthusiasm is coming from."
However, rumours appeared the day before the 2009 finale of Rove in that "staff on his TV show were told this week to look for alternative work next year." Ten's publicity department denied these claims by stating: "We have checked with Roving (Enterprises) and no such discussion was had. As for what changes may or may not be made with Rove for 2010, this will be announced on the show this Sunday, stay tuned." McManus was spotted earlier dining with Merrick Watts and Peter Helliar in Sydney, prompting talk that he might return to radio in 2010.
The rumour of the show ending later revealed to be true, as, during the finale on 15 November 2009, McManus confirmed that the show would be ending with the 2009 finale. He said: "It's purely my decision. It's not one I've made lightly or flippantly. The timing was right to stop, stand back and see what happens next."
The final show finished at 11:11pm with a montage of clips from the 2009 season and a performance by Powderfinger. Rove's last words was a variation of his signature sign-off: "I'm Rove McManus. Say bye to your mum for me."
Cast
Main cast Rove McManus (1999–2009) Hamish Blake (2007–2009) Andy Lee (2007–2009) Peter Helliar (1999–2009) Ryan Shelton (2007–2009) Corinne Grant (1999–2005) Carrie Bickmore (2006–2009) Dave Callan (1999–2000) Meshel Laurie (2006) Judith Lucy (2009) Dave Hughes (2007–2009) Ron Steward (2006) Kristie Warner (2009)
Secondary cast Jess Harris (2009) Nick Maxwell (2008–2009) Liam Pattison (2008) Tom Piotrowski (2008) Hayden Guppy (2008–2009) Myf Warhurst (2008–2009) Brian Wenzel (2009)
Format The show starts with Rove performing a comedic monologue about a variety of news events that have occurred during the previous week. He then introduces Peter Helliar and the other cast members present on the couch that week.
PeteSpace, a parody of social-networking website MySpace, consists of Helliar presenting a selection of celebrities, news-makers and online video clips that make up his top events of the week.
Kristy at the news desk, presented by Kristy Warner, was a parody news report, similar to the long-running Weekend Update segment of the American sketch show, Saturday Night Live (replaced Carrie at the news desk from 17 August 2009 onwards).
Judith Lucy presented by Judith Lucy. Lucy delivers a satirical and comedic commentary on a personal or newsworthy topic (Replaced Hughsey! from 17 August 2009 onwards).
Throughout each show, Rove will interview several celebrity guests. Each interview ends with a segment titled Public Probe where he will ask his guests five different questions that have been posted to the website by the general public. At the end of the interview, Rove would usually spruik the product or event that guest was promoting, and the words The Plug will appear on the screen.
Throughout the course of the show, a variety of other segments are shown, presented by members of the Rove cast:
Kevin Rudd PM was a small dramatic-comedy mini-series about the Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. The series involves video news clips of Rudd that are spliced together.
Two other segments are occasionally shown, not necessarily every week.
Hamish & Andy Comedians Hamish Blake and Andy Lee presented a pre-recorded report, frequently on location overseas. Ryan Shelton also presented a segment known as Philosophisationing with Ryan Shelton.
The final segment of the show was What Have We Learnt?, in which each cast member, and usually each guest, give a humourus example of what they have learned during the week. Peter Helliar always answers last and ends with "and you can read all about it in my new book..."
The show will usually end with a live performance from a band in the studio, and McManus will end the show by saying his trademark line "Say hi to your mum for me!" Starting in 2005 the band performs before the closing credits. In previous years the credits would roll while the band performed. In 2006, Rove had a house band, which may have been the same band as the main act, or an Australian band of much smaller stature than the main act. They would play live music when returning from ad breaks.
Former show elements 20 bucks in 20 seconds was a titled segment at the end of an interview with a guest where Rove would ask questions for twenty seconds. Once the time was up, Rove would always ask the question: "Who would you turn gay for?" (if the guest was openly gay, the question would be changed to "Who would you turn straight for?"). A popular solution to this question was to respond "I'd turn gay for you, Rove". In a particular episode featuring known prankster and member of The Chaser team, Chas Licciardello, Licciardello expressed his annoyance that everyone answered "I'd turn gay for you, Rove" but that nobody ever followed up on it. He then leapt on Rove and French kissed him, before licking Rove on the face. This segment was again replaced by Final Five in 2009, and halfway through the 2009 series, it changed once again and became the "Public Probe", where Rove would ask the guest 5 questions submitted online from the public. All That Glitters: Rove, along with regular presenters and guest artists perform a scripted radio play with the help of a Foley artist live on the show. Amazing Talents: Viewers with 'amazing' (or just plain bizarre) 'talents' are brought to the studio and given a few minutes to display their skills. This could be balancing lawn furniture, or nailing a fork into each nostril. This is comparable to the "Stupid Human Tricks" segment on the Late Show with David Letterman. Carrie at the Newsdesk was a parody news report, similar to the long-running Weekend Update segment of the American sketch show, Saturday Night Live. The segment had been presented by a variety of personalities in Bickmore's absence. While on maternity leave in 2007, Bickmore was replaced by Jane Hall and Meshel Laurie. In 2008, Bert Newton and Myf Warhurst have presented the segment when Bickmore was ill. Final Five where he will ask his guests five different questions and often include their opinion on something that has happened during the week in popular culture (such as asking Alan Cumming what he thought of Matthew Newton's bum in Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities). The last question was always a visual question where Rove will show the interviewee an unusual image and ask them to say what they think about the image.