Leeza Gibbons and Nic Nolan sparke up the night

On RNZ’s Morning Report today, a story on the absence of New Zealand film awards this year was followed by an interview with Australian corrsespondent Phil Kafcaloudes.

In the pursuit of a sweet segue, Geoff Robinson began like this: “You’ve got a big film and television industry over there – the Goftas, isn’t it, you call yours?”

Kafcaloudes: “Ah, dunno. Haven’t heard that one. Maybe you’re thinking of, I dunno, Serbia or somewhere.”

But Robinson was not thinking of Serbia. The veteran broadcaster was presumably attempting to offload on behalf of the nation all responsibility for the old Guild of Film and TV Arts awards, staged in New Zealand for a number of years from 1986.

Probably he was especially hoping to jettison the memory of the ineffably brilliant/disastrous Listener-sponsored Gofta Awards in 1987, co-hosted by Leeza Gibbons.

Relive the night, in all its silvery glory, at NZ On Screen.