They were brilliant! It was so sad when John Clarke died. He was so clever and quick witted and could get a person's mannerisms so well. He was from New Zealand originally, and Australia adopted him as their own. I can't imagine the hole it left in the lives of those who were close to him. Clark and Dawes together was always a good laugh and they had a large body of work over the years. Have fun discovering them!
Thanks so much for reviving these gems from the past… at least we can find a reason to laugh again after all the woke and disturbing globalist nonsense peddled … wonder what John would say about the push to eat insects
Before our 2000 Olympic games they did a series on the preparations and the actors were all part of "the Australian Olympic Committee" which is brilliant and somehow managed to foresee the problems which were actually encountered it is cutting edge stuff, never missed an episode.💕👍👍👍
I watched that! The skit about the track being too short, into the seats, was brilliant,,, and then it was! Or the John Howard actor playing PM John Howard saying 'sorry' to the aboriginals,,, I laughed my arse off 🤣🤣
It was brilliant. The 100 metres track too short - and Gina Reilly's singing. Hilarious. They were doing these 5 minute weekly take offs of mind numbing news items, to end a programme on news items, in discussion, each week. Was it the 7:30 report? This chap should check iut Roy and H.G. doing the Olympics, too. The Welcome Boys moves in the floor gymnastics. Lol
The genius of Clarke & Dawe was the John Clarke never tried to do an impression of who he was portraying, just delivering his hilarious lines in his normal voice and accent. Somehow that made it even funnier. As others have pointed out, this was in reference to a real incident in 1991 with the tanker Kirki (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirki_(tanker)). There's plenty of other Clarke & Dawe clips on RU-vid to react to. He is very sadly missed 😢
spot on Dominic! Matt, there are dozens & dozens of these Clarke & Dawe pieces. All brilliant. As Dominic said above, there was never any attempt to do impressions of the pollies he was satirising. Clarke's loss is still deeply felt.
John Clarke was a comic genius and fierce intellectual. It was a terribly sad day in Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the world when he died. I felt so much sadness for his family and his close friend Bryan Dawe when I heard the news. He will be missed but never forgotten, legend.
The daughter of a friend was doing a thesis on comedy. She approached Clarke and Dawe to interview them and they both agreed. Both did an interview of approximately 3/4 of an hour. Both men were very helpful and kind, and the daughter had a most enjoyable experience with them.
I was first introduced to John Clarke by my dad in the early 80's when he was known as Fred Dagg. He subsequently moved to Australia and he just got better and better. You really do need to see more of John Clarke. I'm not one to mourn celebrities but I was gutted when he passed away.
Clarke was also an avid bird watcher (the feathered variety). He was in his element here in Australia (so many gorgeous creatures reside here) he loved our birds. He actually died whilst on a bird watching trip out in Western Victoria. He was a great man, intelligent, gentle and so funny. I miss him to. Was a sad day for me when the news came through about his premature death. ❤
As a city councillor I attended a function in the Australian Parliament House, about 2010, where Brian performed a stand up comic session critiquing the politics of the day. He spoke for over 40 minutes straight, the entire audience was in stitches. A brilliant take down of the politicians of the day
"A Very Smooth Presentation" is my favourite. It came out at the time our two major parties were arguing over Fibre to the Premise vs Fibre to the Node.
Absolutely brilliant satire, the loss of John Clarke was so sad, his take on the Sydney Olympic Games is hilarious and many others as well, I don't think it matters which one of theirs you watch as they are all good.
It still gets me how these guys could keep a straight face through all of their skits, especially when everyone around them was cracking up. 😂 Comedic brilliance at it’s best. There will never be another Clarke & Dawe.
It wasn’t a “show” as such…just a weekly segment on a current affairs show. They were absolutely unmissable on a Thursday night. He never changed his mannerisms or appearance for the different people he acted as, you had to pay attention to who he was introduced as at the start of you wanted to fully appreciate the satire.
Miss them so much . The whole household came to stand still every Friday evening at 7.25 pm waiting for their 5 minute sketch . Devastated when John Clarke died . We still miss them .
John Clarke Cameron Oz from New Zealand in the 70s. We were lucky to have him for as along as we did. He died too young. Glad you loved the humour in this skit. He and Bryan Dawe did dozens and dozens of them.
I watched Clarke and Dawe as a kid almost every night as my parents were fierce ABC viewers in the evening. As a kid, we’d giggle along, even if we didn’t understand exactly what was being talked about. But as I got older and more interested in politics, these two became my favourite political commentators. I miss them. I did get a box DVD set of all Clarke and Dawe episodes about 8 years back and it is very treasured. RIP John. We miss him so much.
These short Clarke and Dawe vignettes would screen at the end of a well-respected current affairs program, just on Friday nights from memory (but oooh my memory is bad). Something we really looked forward to at the end of the week.
Great show. Tried to never miss it. Anything John Clarke did was gold but when he teamed up with Dawes it went next level. John Clarke one of the worlds funniest Kiwi’s Some of the scenes from “The Games” are worth checking out too
They never had their own show as such (not for many years). They did a 3-5 minute slot every Thursday night on the 7.30 Report on ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corp), right at the end of the show. The 7.30 Report was THE serious current affairs show on Australian TV from the late 1990s onward, it ran 4 nights per week from MOnday to Thursday. So each week their segment was a satirical look at the big news story for the week. It was must watch just to catch their little segment.
Try European Debt Crisis or Wants A Go On The Bike. John Clarke also did a character in New Zealand called Fred Dagg and an Australian show called The Games satirising the planning of the Sydney Olympics, which some believe may have "inspired" a suspiciously similar British program ahead of the London Olympics. The bit about the 100 metres track is a classic.
They were incredible. So smart and quick and clever and restrained and yet utterly hilarious because they were so close to the truth. Just pushed things that little bit. Absolute comedy legends
That whole 'The Front Fell Off' thing was so good it has become a well known Internet Meme internationally. Lines from it are regularly quoted all over the place in response to various incidents.
Everything they did was just so spot on. There’s quite a bit of it on RU-vid. I watched it all again last year. A lot of it feels as though it was made yesterday because it’s still so applicable.
Clarke and Dawe are geniuses. Everyone one of their videos is great. What makes it extra aussie hunor for me is that even when they are playing real politicians they never do an impression just do the same voice and mannerisms is great
They did this every week. Whatever the big news story was that week, that was the subject of the skit. No make up, no wigs, no costumes, no B.S. It was hilariously cheeky and we all looked forward to it with gusto. There's a whole youtube channel with these skits, and they are usually just as funny as this one.
Clarke and Dawe were the 5 minute satire end of the week piece on 7:30 Report 7:30. Never tried to do an impression. They never needed to. John would capture the essence of the person in the words. Anything with them is worth watching With John's sad death they were replaced by Mark Humphries. Also brilliant. Watch hos Meghan Markle Helpline, Dr Who Helpline and Greta Thunberg Helpline to start Also Sammy J.
They had 5 minutes at the end of the week on a serious current affairs show on the ABC where they discussed one of the weeks big stories. On AGC Radio Dawes also did a character named Sir Murray Rivers. A conservative politician from an upper class family who had no understanding of working people. ( Australia's longest river is named the Murray).
this was a true news story. That's what the specialised in. They had a 5 minute spot on a show called 'A Current Affair' on a Friday at the end of the show. Many Aussies waited for this every week. It was usually to make politicians and the Prime Minister look stupid.
I'm a 50 year old Australian. Thanks for bringing this back. It's beautiful comedy 😅 This subtle satire comedy is rare these days. 😅 Philomena Cunk is the closest to this that I can think of and she's great 😅😅
This was a true story about the Greek oil tanker Kirki and the front fell off it off the coast Western Australia in 1991 causing a huge oil spill. Senator Bob Collins was the minister for Transport and Communications at the time.
The Oz equivalent of Monty Python Show was Aunty Jack.. The theme song I still sing to myself, occasionally. Best episode was the conversion day from black and white tv to colour - and Aunty Jack was having NONE OF IT. You'd better watch it, or SHE'LL RIP YA BLOODY ARMS OFF! And then the brilliant MOTHER AND SON. Best episode, The Funeral, with the oranges. Gary McDonald and Ruth Cracknell.
I know it's a movie, but John Clarke is brilliant in "Crackerjack". His Elvis impersonation needs to be seen. An excellent cast, great story & script. Brian Dawe is also a very talented artist. Also: King Billy Cokebottle - Mud Crab. The Rheem Tape (on RU-vid) is also worth a listen.
"The Games" was a very good series prior to the Sydney games. They predicted a lot of stuff that may have happened or not. Their 'Russian' translator who is really speaking a very broad Scottish accent is quite funny too.
You are so right, about the attacking political speak and the attention span of kids today! I asked a teen boy next to me on the bus did he watch any of the Kings Coronation, he replied "I did, the horses went crazy"! 🤔🤨😏
Probably can't find episodes - but Clarke and Dawe (with Gina Riley and Ian Bell) made a couple of series of a show called "The Games" that mocked the organisation of the Sydney Olympics.
What gets me the most is, besides the spot on politicians’ speak, that they’re talking about “the front” that “fell off”, as if there weren’t words such as “bow” or “break, rip, tear”. The front just fell off. 🤷♀️ 😂
the funny part is it is based on a TRUE STORY. . . . which happened many yeas ago. The very sad thing is, John Clarke had a heart attack and DIED! Clarke and Dawe were shown every week on TV. Clarke used to call himself FRED DAGG on New Zealand TV. . . . . before moving to Australia.
Great watching John Clarke at his best, John was my uncle. Originally from New Zealand he had a comedic alter ego called Fred Dagg you might want to check out. 😝
Great reaction video dude. Clarke and Dawe, to comedy geniuses on the same level as the Late Great Benny Hill. And I agree, most of the Yutes nowadays WOULDN'T wouldn't have either the attention-span OR the intelligence to understand this. You should check out all their videos. Just my own personal opinion anyway. R.I.P. Mr John Clarke, and thanks for your time.
Ah, John Clarke, or Fred Dagg as he's fondly remembered here in the country that is "even further down under." First thing I remember him from is the 'Country Calendar' episode that introduced him to the wider NZ public - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AeUzrsjwF4I.html - the 'observational comedy' thing (where we got to see, and laugh, at ourselves) was an unfamiliar concept back in 1974 and the country as a whole embraced it with great enthusiasm. Whenever you hear a Kiwi say "She'll be right" or "That'll be the 'phone" (which you will), think of Fred.
John Clarke was fantastic. I would suggest you also check out Shaun McAulliffe who used to practise law, turned his sharp mind to comedy and did a LOT of things. You should watch him before you then foray into one of his characters, Milo O'Shea, who is a punchdrunk ex boxer. You might also enjoy Tom Gleeson's Hard Quiz.
I moved to Australia from Scotland in 2000 and they an intro to political satire here and were absolutely brilliant. Was totally gutted when John Clarke died. Here is a more recent vid in the euro debt crisis. Shows their in depth satire. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-V4QpG5QXGB0.html
There should be a lot more clips all are gems. It was only 5 minute sketches. As already said, check out 'The Games', a great satire on the road to the Sydney 2000 Olympics. john Clarke was a great friend of Sam Neill from their early years and they did do one film together.
Clarke and Dawe did not do a show in their own right but did this material as a skit towards the end of two current affairs shows on a Thursday evening IIRC. Initially it was on A Current Affair on Channel 9 and then moved to The 7:30 Report which became 7:30 on the ABC. It ran until John Clarke's death. John Clarke portrayed a politician or celebrity but was adamant NOT to do an impersonation of the person so as not to have people obsess how well or badly the impersonation was done. John Clarke and Bryan Dawe along with Gina Riley and Nicholas Bell did a two season mockumentary called The Games about the organisation (or more correctly, disorganisation) of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. You can find the odd clip from the series on RU-vid.
You must watch the series that Frances Hurt refers to. Pretty sure it was called The Games. As Frances said, it is brilliant. If you like John Clarke, you will love The Games.
I forgot how much i loved these two - so if you didn't pick up on it, John would satirise a genuine politician of the day (Senator Collins in this case) whilst Brian did the interview. They later also did some long form shows later on, one regarding the Sydney Olympics comes to mind
