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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Entertainment
Andrew Stafford

Countdown at 50: the powerful, messy and sexy music show that changed Australia

Countdown Myf Warhurst Madonna Australia ABBA Elton John Iggy Pop Daryl Braithwaite Leo Sayer Mark Callaghan
Iggy Pop performs on Countdown in 1979
Iggy Pop on Countdown in 1979; during his performance of I’m Bored, he hurled the microphone stand across the studio. ABC TV will celebrate the anniversary of the music show by screening Countdown 50 Years On. Photograph: ABC

At 6.30pm on this day in 1974, Countdown made its television debut. Perhaps it didn’t change Australia overnight – that really happened on 1 March 1975, when Skyhooks heralded the dawn of colour transmission in Australia with a special midnight broadcast – but it’s safe to say music television would never be the same again.

This weekend and next, the ABC will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program’s appearance on our screens. Hosted by Myf Warhurst and Tony Armstrong, Countdown 50 Years On features a long list of luminaries past and present paying tribute, from 70s mainstays Daryl Braithwaite, Marcia Hines and Leo Sayer to the likes of Regurgitator, Katy Steele and Kate Miller-Heidke.

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