The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 54

THE GUIDE ettvor'i News ANDREW CONWAY i Ah Presenter Changing Rooms. Wednesday on Nine at 8.30pm. ft Das "IT in; someone had leaked the unedited footage of the Robert Bogucki desert rescue to the ABC's Media Watch, exposing the depths to which ACA stooped to secure its Nine insiders say a witch-hunt of epic proportions is under way to source the leak there were even dark murmurings of rival stablemates 60 Minutes or Sunday sticking the knife into ACA but the task may prove impossible. ABC sources insist the footage arrived at the Media Watch office in an unmarked brown paper bag (love that). The revealing footage also had the Nine logo watermark, which means it was leaked after it had been sent to Sydney and retransmitted to Nine's State capital networks.

Any number of Nine insiders could have done the deed! The big question is, who? "Mum, Play School's on" Jay Laga'aia is set to become a guest presenter on the ABC's much-loved children's show. one ABC studio wag. Could be worth watching just to see if he gets through the program alive. It airs at 9.30pm. The final week How often do you change your room? At the moment a lot I'm renovating.

Would you let any of your friends loose ki your house? Yes, my best friend Dziu, who I've known since I was five. I don't know what she would do, as she has an outrageous sense of humour, but I'm sure she would try to shock me. Who would you Eke to change rooms wih? Dani. I'd do my best to shock her back. Are you ever surprised by people's reactions to their new room? All the time.

I'll reveal the room and think they couldn't possibly like it but they absolutely love it Alternatively, I think a room looks amazing, like a bedroom we did recendy, and the woman hated it so much she was in tears. Funniest reaction youVe witnessed? There have been so many funny reactions. One man was so happy with the result that he grabbed me and kissed me. Has the show created any neighbourhood feuds? I have heard that a few friends are not on speaking terms any more. Do you ever get sick of the smefl of fresh paint? I think I've been around it so long I just don't notice it anymore.

One colour you would never paint your waSs? Fluorescent green. Would you let anyone from the show near a room in your home? Definitely. But I can't mention any -names as I don't want to get off side with any of the designers. Best thing about renovation? The result Worst thing about renovation? Living among the chaos. do-t-yoursdf always the way to go? It is certainly more satisfying, but it's a good idea to leave the tricky things to the experts.

Best renovation tip? The three Ps planning, persistence and patience. Any advice for the renovation-chaSenged? some solid advice from people who know and make sure they do know. Sarah Thornton iCV NE of the ABC's best-loved 1 1 I 1 children's shows, Pfay I 1 School, is to be given a ill major spring-clean for the new millennium. Along with a new set and opening titles, the ABC has signed five top-name TV stars to join the existing cast of presenters. In a move that's certain to attract arew audience of mothers, not to mention children, the ABC has signed Nine's resident Water Rats hunk Jay Laga'aia and veteran smoothie Andrew McFariane, as well as Good News Week's Rhys Muldoon, Justine Clarice (All Saints) and stage and TV actor Leah Vandenberg as guest presenters.

While many of the show's trademark features such as the clock, windows, stories and fluffy toys will remain, the new cast, set and tides will give the 33-year-old show a timely makeover. "We want to keep it fresh, full of fun and relevant for its preschool audience," said Claire Henderson, the ABC's commissioning editor of children's TV. "We want Play School on ABC TV for another 33 years." The changes will be introduced gradually over the next few months. A trough act CHANNEL 9 and Southern Star have reached agreement on a second series of Pig's Breakfast. The children's drama, which airs three times a week, has proved a hit with Nine's younger audience and will head into a new 26-episode production season between March and July next year.

The second series will be shot at Nine's GTV studios in Melbourne with most of the first-series cast -including Annie Jones, Lynda Gibson, Geoff Paine, as well as youngsters Eve Morey and Nicholas Russell -back for another session of alien-inspired mayhem. Spot the leak WITH all the shenanigans at Nine last week, it's no surprise that the atmosphere is a little tense in the Packer bunker. While Richard Carieton was the laughing stock of the TV industry over his gourmet travel rations (was that classic 60 Minutes last night, or there was more serious business to attend to over at A Current Affair. Sources say executive producer David Hurley was ropable that seconds of offending footage from the entire 12-episode series but will sit by the phone regardless. "Some people will want to register a complaint," he said.

"I just don't want calls asking me to explain anal sex Sex and the City debuts at 9.30pm. A marked man? THE studio crew for tomorrow's edition of the ABC's Foreign Correspondent will be keeping a close eye on fill-in host Mark Corcoran, who's keeping the presenter's seat warm for Jennifer Byrne for a week. The roving reporter is something of a magnet for trouble, having contracted a serious illness in Washington DC, been bitten on the nose by a spider in India, and had the ground pulled from under him in two earthquakes. One was in Nepal, the other more recendy, in Turkey (he was in a Turkish bathhouse filing an FC Postcard at least that's his story when the earth literally moved under him). "We'll all be treading very carefully around him," quipped next 25 years working side by side on the monumental Bryan Brown project The Snowy: The Vision, to air on Sunday, October 10, at 8.30pm, will be followed by The Snowy: The People a week later, in which a handful of former workers an engineer, teacher, miner, first-aid officer labourer, policeman and "'official hostess" recall their heroic efforts.

WHILE Nine is staying tight-lipped about its new Rove KlcManus chat -show, other details are leaking out Network Ten says Good News Week panellist Conine Grant will make her final appearance this month before joining Nine as a key player in the McManus series. Nine insists the "ink isn't dry" on contracts and can't talk about the series, but sources say the show is imminent will feature music, chat and stand-up comedy, and most likely screen in a midweek timeslot It's definitely not a replacement for the failed Mick MoUoy Saturday night show. This is big AFTER several years holed up in sketch comedy is making a welcome return to Sydney with a new series for thecomedychannel. The cable TV channel will debut a six-part series of half-hour episodes starring four of Sydney's-leading comedians, Kitty Flanagan, Anthony Mir, Gary Eck and Peter "Atonal" Saleh. The 50 Foot Show is described as an "irreverent urban which means it will send up just about eveiything that's near and dear.

No-one at thecomedychannel could explain the thinking behind the tide, so we'll have to wait until the series debuts in November when all, no doubt, will be as clear as mud. The series follows a successful pilot that aired on thecomedychannel last year. It's the channel's third series produced in Sydney, following on the heels of Mouthing Off and Short and Curly. Phone sex CHANNEL 9 launches its controversial new sitcom Sex and the City tonight and management is bracing itself for a chorus of complaint from the moral minority. In an unusual move, the network's chief classification officer, Richard Lyle who has given the show an MA rating -will sit with Nine receptionists from the start of screening to monitor the level of calls and personally handle any complaints.

He's done it once before when the network screened Four Weddings and a Funeral (remember the flurry of from Hugh Grant in the opening scene) and received about 25 complaints. Lyle isn't concerned about the new comedy he's cut only about 10 COMMEMORATE the 50th anniversary of the Snowy Mountains Hydro- electric Scheme next month, SBS Television has produced a major documentary on the massive engineering feat and the people who toiled on it. Narrated by byxn Crown -X back on TV after his latest, jf critically acclaimed movie, Two I Hands the first episode charts I the recruitment of 60,000 workers from 30 countries who spent the 1999 for "nt, a ane THE GUIDE EtSor Kym Nicoll Phone 9282 2822 Fax 9282 2481 emaiguiclesrnh.fairfax.com.au Advertsmg Thomas Miller Phone 9282 2239 Fax 9282 1748 Cover photograph by Jennifer Soo. Styling by Nicole Morgan. Casio TV 880, $229, inquiries 9370 9100.

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