Tony Barber: I fought for women on Sale of the Century
In the eighties Tony Barber was a nationally recognised TV titan as host of the country’s most popular quiz show Sale Of The Century. But what viewers didn’t know is that behind the scenes Barber, now 79, was subtly campaigning to give his female co-stars a more prominent role on screen.
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In the eighties Tony Barber was a nationally recognised TV titan as host of the country’s most popular quiz show Sale Of The Century.
But what viewers didn’t know is that behind the scenes Barber, now 79, was subtly campaigning to give his female co-stars a more prominent role on screen — in direct contrast to the culture of the time, often criticised as sexist now.
Sale, as it was fondly known, was compulsory weeknight viewing with families sitting together to yell out the answers while Barber’s glamorous assistants showcased cars, speedboats, holidays and lounge suites up for grabs as prizes.
As part of the formula, the likes of Delvene Delaney and Alyce Platt were primarily eye candy for viewers and Barber, who also had a stint hosting Wheel of Fortune, has revealed he was keen to shake that up.
“We were all looking for ideas all the time because we’re on five days a week 50 weeks of the year — we needed new ideas,” he told The Saturday Telegraph.
“And back in the day I suggested ‘Why don’t we get Delvene or later Alyce later on to ask one round of questions or bring them in?’
“They’d say ‘No, no, we’re not doing that — that’s the hostess role. She’s your backstop, your capable assistant’. The host had to be an authority figure in a way and it was widely accepted by men — and most women — that men were the authority figures.”
Ironically, at the same time Barber had to fend off suggestions he was having affairs with his offsiders.
“The funny thing is everybody thought or imagined I always had the beautiful hostess or the glamorous model,” he recalled.
“So they were always saying ‘You must have a fantastic time, which one are you …’ and honestly it couldn’t have been more innocent.
“I was a happily married man, two daughters — I was a cleanskin.”
Now living a comfortable retirement in Flinders, Victoria close to both beach and golf club those days are a fond memory.
But even though he’s nearing 80 with seven children and 19 grandchildren, there is one show he would come back to host.
“Jeopardy,” he said, referring to classic US game show where the answers are given first and contestants have to supply the questions.
“I love that format. That would bring me back. I’d lose weight — I’d have a chin tuck for that.”
Originally published as Tony Barber: I fought for women on Sale of the Century
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