Wheel of Fortune (Australia)
| Wheel of Fortune | |
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Wheel of Fortune logo
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| Genre | Game show |
| Created by | Merv Griffin |
| Based on | Wheel of Fortune |
| Presented by |
Ernie Sigley (1981–84) John Burgess (1984–96) Tony Barber (1996) Rob Elliott (1997–2003) Steve Oemcke (2004–05) Larry Emdur (2006) Tim Campbell (2008) |
| Starring |
Adriana Xenides (1981–96, 1997–9) Kerrie Friend (1996–97) Sophie Falkiner (1999–2005) Laura Csortan (2006) Kelly Landry (2008) |
| Narrated by | Steve Curtis (1981–82) John Dean (1983–85) John Deeks (1986–95, 1997–2006) David Day (Early 1996) Ron E. Sparks (Late 1996) Simon Diaz (2008) |
| Theme music composer | Jack Grimsley |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 26 |
| No. of episodes | 5,118 |
| Production | |
| Location(s) |
ADS-7 Adelaide, South Australia (1981–87) SAS-7 Adelaide, South Australia (1988–96) Epping, Sydney, New South Wales (1996–2004) Pyrmont, Sydney, New South Wales (Late 2005–6) Richmond, Melbourne, Victoria (2008) |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) |
Grundy Television (1981–2006) FremantleMedia Australia (2008) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
Seven Network (1981–2006) Nine Network (2008) |
| Picture format |
576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original release | 21 July 1981 – 27 June 2008 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune (2008, broadcast on the Nine Network) |
| Related shows | Wheel of Fortune (U.S. game show) |
Wheel of Fortune is an Australian television game show produced by Grundy Television. The program aired on the Seven Network from 1981 to 2004 and January to July 2006 and is mostly based on the same general format as the original American version of the program. After Wheel of Fortune ended, the format was revived by the Nine Network in 2008 as Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune, until it was cancelled in June 2008 due to low ratings and following arguments from long-time host John Burgess concerning why he did not like the revamped format.
An earlier unrelated show also titled Wheel of Fortune had been broadcast on the Nine Network. That version had been developed by Reg Grundy as a radio game show before it transferred to television in 1959. In 2010, hostess Adriana Xenides died after a long battle with illness; she had been listed in the Guinness World Records as the longest-serving hostess of a television game show.
In 1981, the Reg Grundy Organisation purchased the rights to Merv Griffin's American game show Wheel of Fortune and created a faithful reproduction of the American series, as they had done with many other game shows. The new show began airing on the Seven Network on 21 July 1981, and was produced at the studios of ADS-7 in Adelaide. The show's production moved to SAS-7 when ADS and SAS swapped network affiliations and channel frequencies at the end of 1987.
In 1996, as part of an attempted major revamp with the remaining of the show's famous theme music and sounds, the program relocated from Adelaide to Seven flagship ATN-7 in Sydney. Along with a new set, new music, faster game format and modified rules, John Burgess was sacked from his twelve-year stint as host and replaced by Tony Barber. By the time that Burgess' final episode went to air it had become common knowledge that the show had relocated and that changes would occur. However, Burgess' final words referred only to the show's relocation, thus suggesting that he was at the time oblivious to his sacking.
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