Holmes represented a radical shift in short-form television current affairs in New Zealand.
Holmes reporter Cameron Bennett writes about how the show came about.
From its explosive opening episode in 1989, Holmes rapidly became appointment viewing nationwide and the go-to show for anyone from the Prime Minister to local heroes.
It marked a significant departure from the way TVNZ had approached its flagship information shows up until then.
News executives gambled on the mercurial, highly-talented radio broadcaster Paul Holmes to front a new, early-evening magazine format to follow the evening news, modelled on Channel 9’s ‘A Current Affair’: Three segments including hard-hitting news exclusives, interviews with key newsmakers and human interest stories.
The reporting team, featuring some of the biggest names in television news and current affairs at the time, was hand-picked by Producer Paul Cutler.
But it was Paul Holmes himself who set the tone with his remarkable repertoire of skills – from aggressively confronting politicians to empathetic connection with ordinary NZers and a refined, idiosyncratic sense of humour.
The show started as it meant to continue – with a bang.
The now-legendary exclusive studio interview with America’s Cup veteran Dennis Connor resulted in a walk-out mid-interview and a storm of outrage and viewer interest the likes of which has rarely – if ever – been experienced on NZ television.
Bennett, Paul Cutler reflect on explosive first interview
In an interview with 1News, both Bennett and former Executive Producer of Holmes, Paul Cutler, reflected on that explosive first interview.
Cutler called it a “class act”.
“Paul was a class act. There was the anticipation that it was going to be a combative interview in a way that hadn’t been really done on TVNZ before.
“Because it was controversial and because Dennis Connor himself was a feisty, highly competitive, by his own admission, capable sailor, anything could have happened. So we prepared for anything happening.”
The 1988 America’s Cup was a total mismatch. Connor had skippered a catamaran against New Zealand’s big boat.
He was accused of disrespect by deliberately sailing slowly and swearing at the Kiwi boat designer Bruce Farr.
“I’m sailing a cat, someone else is sailing a dog,” he famously said.
Following the 1989 competition, the cup was awarded to New Zealand after a judge found the mismatch was not in the spirit of friendly competition – a decision later reversed.
Cutler recalled how a ‘long lunch’ Connor and Bennett had attended, suggested to producers that he could “misbehave” in the interview.
“[Bennett] came up and said to me, ‘Connor’s had a long lunch’. And I instinctively knew that when the Bruce Farr confrontation took place, he had also been celebrating with his crew.
“And I was therefore put on notice. So, I walked up to the cameraman and said to them, ‘Do you mind if you guys just hang around in case something happens?’
“And of course, that became a bone of contention afterwards. But that was just good old journalist instinct. So, there was a bit of that, and we were aware that he could misbehave after he’d had a few drinks.”
Cutler said quick thinking from producers caught Connor as he attempted to escape the interview while a clip of the Farr confrentation was played.
“The director we had, top director, like most of the staff on the program, wisely cut back to Conor, and he looked at the monitor.
“You could almost see him side-swiping the monitor and seeing that he was back on camera. So he eased back into his chair. So that was a really interesting part. He thought he might be able to just sidle off while the clip was on screen.”
Bennett recalled the aftermath of that first bombshell interview.
“We got a lot of criticism, as you know, a storm of criticism from commentators, from columnists, from people within our own building as well.
“They felt it was gutter journalism.
“We had a news management that was 100% supportive of it and proved to be absolutely correct, and it was the making of a whole new approach to short-form current affairs in New Zealand.”
By Cameron Bennett and 1News reporters
