All Aussie Adventures
Encyclopedia
All Aussie Adventures is an Australia
n mockumentary
television series that parodied
the travel-adventure genre. Glenn Robbins
plays Russell Coight, a survival and wildlife expert who charts his disastrous travels through Australia, spreading misinformation and causing accidents. The series ran on the Ten Network from 5 August 2001 to 29 September 2002. There was also a 14 November 2004 telemovie, Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge, which featured minor (fictional) celebrities joining Coight in the outback.
, The Bush Tucker Man, Malcolm Douglas, Harry Butler
and Alby Mangels
. In these programs the host travels the wilderness meeting local people and providing insight into the flora and fauna of the country.
The narration (typically provided by the host) often verges on hyperbole
.
Perhaps the kindest description of Russell Coight is "accident
-prone" - if something can go wrong for him, it will. Coight is a naturally outgoing man and comfortable in front of the camera, so is never shy in revealing private aspects of his personality (he even showers in front of the camera). Over the series the audience discovers various hints to his character, such as a glimpse of his card for the local Adult Video store.
Russell Coight identifies himself as an 'outback man', who strongly endorses the ways of the outback, as opposed to the ways of urban life. When Russell finds numerous tourists stuck on the outback road, he hastily refers to them as "city slicker
s" before he tries to help them, albeit unsuccessfully. He also perceives these "city slickers" as being overly affluent, and who waste their money on "high-tech gadgets" and five-star hotels, along with comparing such things to his own outback lifestyle, which includes making his own chair and bathing in a freshwater billabong
.
His sister Meredith — who is never seen
— is credited for everything from being a crocodile tamer to a stunt coordinator. In one episode, "Daintree
", she is heard singing dreamily a somewhat dubious song, "Daintree", from her album "Daintree", on the Daintree label.
Following the success of the first series, comedian and talk show host Rove McManus
interviewed Russell Coight, who provided information on his (fictional) background.
"Wallaby Jack", a similar character from The Late Show
, is a precursor to Coight. Tom Gleisner
, a writer for both series, points this out in The Late Show DVD
audio commentary
.
Coight regularly suffers from flatulence
, especially when he is sitting in a quiet idyllic pool, whereupon bubbles inevitably rise to the surface. When bending over, he will occasionally pass wind.
Coight is fond of saving indigenous wildlife and preserving historical Australian sites. However due to Coight's clumsiness he often unintentionally destroys the animal or location.
Coight often attempts to make jokes with his friends during the programs. Unfortunately, most of these fall flat.
In one episode an Aborigine
is educating Coight on finding "bush tucker". Coight attempts to tell the joke about being on a "seafood diet...I see food and I eat it", achieving absolutely no reaction. The guest is as clueless as Coight, rejecting all Coight's ideas on "bush tucker", and telling Coight that the outback is full of wild bananas, out of season at the time.
Coight also claims to be one of the greatest birdcallers in the business with over 100 different bird calls in his repertoire (most of which sound identical). According to Coight "once you get your finger in the right position and your tongue doing the same..... the rest is easy".
When Coight meets a new character the program will cut to a closeup shot of their "handshake
". As a gag, this is clearly a shot taken at a different time with different people. When Coight shakes hands with an indigenous Australian, the closeup will show two white hands. When he shakes hands with a white Australian, the closeup will show a black and a white hand. This serves to highlight the artificial and constructed nature of this sort of television series banter.
Scenery footage is often re-used in the different episodes. Footage obviously shot in Victoria
will be shown when Coight is supposedly far into the Northern Territory
.
set from Roadshow Entertainment. The telemovie is also available on DVD.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
television series that parodied
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
the travel-adventure genre. Glenn Robbins
Glenn Robbins
Glenn Maxwell Robbins is an Australian comedian, writer and actor.Robbins attended Strathmore Secondary College and graduated in 1975...
plays Russell Coight, a survival and wildlife expert who charts his disastrous travels through Australia, spreading misinformation and causing accidents. The series ran on the Ten Network from 5 August 2001 to 29 September 2002. There was also a 14 November 2004 telemovie, Russell Coight's Celebrity Challenge, which featured minor (fictional) celebrities joining Coight in the outback.
Genre
The series parodies the adventure genre, which included the travels of the Leyland BrothersLeyland Brothers
Mike and Mal Leyland , also known as The Leyland Brothers, were Australian explorers and documentary film-makers, best known for their popular television show, Ask the Leyland Brothers...
, The Bush Tucker Man, Malcolm Douglas, Harry Butler
Harry Butler
William Henry "Harry" Butler CBE is an Australian naturalist and environmental consultant. He is a populariser of science and natural history for both child and adult audiences and, as conservation consultant to the Barrow Island oilfield and many other projects, has played a major role in...
and Alby Mangels
Alby Mangels
Albertus Zwier "Alby" Mangels is a Dutch-born Australian adventurer and documentary film-maker widely remembered for his "World Safari" adventure travel films .-Early life:...
. In these programs the host travels the wilderness meeting local people and providing insight into the flora and fauna of the country.
The narration (typically provided by the host) often verges on hyperbole
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
.
Format
Episodes of All Aussie Adventures generally follow a similar format. Coight greets the audience and explains his latest reason for outback travel - often to help out a "mate". He ends each introduction with the tagline "So let's get started on another All Aussie Adventure".Russell Coight
The series is presented as if Russell Coight were a real person, eschewing screen credit for his portrayer Glenn Robbins. The only mention of Robbins is at the end of the credits, when he is thanked "for his directorial assistance".Perhaps the kindest description of Russell Coight is "accident
Accident
An accident or mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack of intention or necessity. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its...
-prone" - if something can go wrong for him, it will. Coight is a naturally outgoing man and comfortable in front of the camera, so is never shy in revealing private aspects of his personality (he even showers in front of the camera). Over the series the audience discovers various hints to his character, such as a glimpse of his card for the local Adult Video store.
Russell Coight identifies himself as an 'outback man', who strongly endorses the ways of the outback, as opposed to the ways of urban life. When Russell finds numerous tourists stuck on the outback road, he hastily refers to them as "city slicker
City Slicker
City slicker is an idiomatic expression for someone accustomed to a city or urban lifestyle and unsuited to life in the country. The term was typically used as a term of derision by rural Americans who regarded them with amusement...
s" before he tries to help them, albeit unsuccessfully. He also perceives these "city slickers" as being overly affluent, and who waste their money on "high-tech gadgets" and five-star hotels, along with comparing such things to his own outback lifestyle, which includes making his own chair and bathing in a freshwater billabong
Billabong
Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end...
.
His sister Meredith — who is never seen
Unseen character
In fiction, an unseen character is a character that is never directly observed by the audience but is only described by other characters. They are a common device in drama and have been called "triumphs of theatrical invention". They are continuing characters — characters who are currently in...
— is credited for everything from being a crocodile tamer to a stunt coordinator. In one episode, "Daintree
Daintree Rainforest
The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest on the north east coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Mossman and Cairns. At around 1200 square kilometres the Daintree is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent...
", she is heard singing dreamily a somewhat dubious song, "Daintree", from her album "Daintree", on the Daintree label.
Following the success of the first series, comedian and talk show host Rove McManus
Rove McManus
John Henry Michael "Rove" McManus is an Australian comedian, television presenter, producer and media personality. He was the host of the self-titled variety show Rove, and is the owner of the production company Roving Enterprises...
interviewed Russell Coight, who provided information on his (fictional) background.
"Wallaby Jack", a similar character from The Late Show
The Late Show (Australian TV series)
The Late Show was a popular Australian comedy show, which ran for two seasons on ABC from 18 July 1992 to 30 October 1993.-Cast:The Late Show has its roots in the 1980s comedy group, The D-Generation...
, is a precursor to Coight. Tom Gleisner
Tom Gleisner
Tom Gleisner is an Australian director, producer, writer, comedian, occasional actor and author. He was educated at Xavier College in Melbourne, Australia.-Television, radio and film:...
, a writer for both series, points this out in The Late Show DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
.
Common gags
Much of the humour of "All Aussie Adventures" is contained in the sight gags. Tents collapse, camp fires rage out of control and Coight trips and falls painfully.Coight regularly suffers from flatulence
Flatulence
Flatulence is the expulsion through the rectum of a mixture of gases that are byproducts of the digestion process of mammals and other animals. The medical term for the mixture of gases is flatus, informally known as a fart, or simply gas...
, especially when he is sitting in a quiet idyllic pool, whereupon bubbles inevitably rise to the surface. When bending over, he will occasionally pass wind.
Coight is fond of saving indigenous wildlife and preserving historical Australian sites. However due to Coight's clumsiness he often unintentionally destroys the animal or location.
Coight often attempts to make jokes with his friends during the programs. Unfortunately, most of these fall flat.
In one episode an Aborigine
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
is educating Coight on finding "bush tucker". Coight attempts to tell the joke about being on a "seafood diet...I see food and I eat it", achieving absolutely no reaction. The guest is as clueless as Coight, rejecting all Coight's ideas on "bush tucker", and telling Coight that the outback is full of wild bananas, out of season at the time.
Coight also claims to be one of the greatest birdcallers in the business with over 100 different bird calls in his repertoire (most of which sound identical). According to Coight "once you get your finger in the right position and your tongue doing the same..... the rest is easy".
Stock footage
Another source of humour is the frequent use of stock footage in incongruous situations. The most well-known example of this is the "handshaking shot".When Coight meets a new character the program will cut to a closeup shot of their "handshake
Handshake
A handshake is a short ritual in which two people grasp one of each other's like hands, in most cases accompanied by a brief up and down movement of the grasped hands.-History:...
". As a gag, this is clearly a shot taken at a different time with different people. When Coight shakes hands with an indigenous Australian, the closeup will show two white hands. When he shakes hands with a white Australian, the closeup will show a black and a white hand. This serves to highlight the artificial and constructed nature of this sort of television series banter.
Scenery footage is often re-used in the different episodes. Footage obviously shot in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
will be shown when Coight is supposedly far into the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
.
Season 1
- Red Centre: Part 1 (5 August, 2001)
- Red Centre: Part 2 (12 August, 2001)
- Daintree (19 August, 2001)
- High Country: Part 1 (26 August, 2001)
- High Country: Part 2 (2 September, 2001)
- Cooktown (9 September, 2001)
Season 2
- Muster (18 August, 2002)
- Tourists: Part 1 (25 August, 2002)
- Tourists: Part 2 (1 September, 2002)
- Explorer: Part 1 (8 September, 2002)
- Explorer: Part 2 (15 September, 2002)
- Rare Roo (22 September, 2002)
- Rogue Croc (29 September, 2002)
DVD releases
Both series 1 and 2 are available as a two-disc DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set from Roadshow Entertainment. The telemovie is also available on DVD.