TV puppet Agro opens up about disastrous ARIA Award incident
TV puppet Agro, on the comeback trail with Dr Chris Brown in a new Uber Eats campaign, has opened up about a disastrous collab with Peking Duk at the 2019 ARIA Awards.
Confidential
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TV puppet Agro has opened up about his disastrous co-presenting role with Peking Duk at the 2019 ARIA Awards.
“Wasn’t that strange?” Agro told Confidential.
“I had no idea who I was working with, and then they gave me a bit of a serve. Behind the scenes, they were wonderful. But something happened between being backstage and being on-stage.”
In a horribly inexplicable mismatch, electronic music duo Peking Duk — Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles — co-presented two awards with Agro, a risque TV puppet whose show was on air from 1989 to 1997.
On stage, Hyde said, ‘How is Agro still allowed on TV in 2019?’ and later, complained, ‘I can’t believe Agro’s still up here, that’s pretty f---ed.’” The duo also bagged Agro about his old-timey humour.
Agro said the cringeworthy incident wasn’t scripted, but he enjoyed meeting Amyl and the Sniffers and the Teskey Brothers.
Meanwhile, Agro has teamed up TV vet and I’m A Celebrity ... Get Me Out Of Here co-host Dr Chris Brown for the latest Uber Eats “Tonight I’ll Be Eating” promotion.
The collaboration with Brown might lead to Agro appearing on I’m A Celebrity, which is being filmed in northern NSW for its 2021 season.
“I’d never met (Brown) before, and I thought I’d be working with a wooden vet,” Agro said. “He’s professional, he’s good looking, and he has a personality and a jaw to match.”
Brown, a TV vet and I’m A Celebrity co-hpst alongside Julia Morris, will enter the show's new site for the 2021 season, in northern NSW, in January.
Agro co-hosted the popular children’s show Agro’s Cartoon Connection with Ann-Maree Biggar and Teresa Livingstone from 1989 to 1997.
The puppet, operated by comedian Jamie Dunn, used adult and mocking humour, often aimed at his co-hosts.
Past Uber Eats campaigns have featured Kim Kardashian, Magda Szubanski, Serena Williams and Nick Kyrgios.
“I spent 27 years in a bag, then suddenly someone unzips me and asks: ‘What are you having for dinner tonight? It’s unbelievable,” Agro said.
“To get out of the bag and realise I’m in the company of Kim Haberdashian and the netball player from Kath And Kim; this is the spontaneous publicity I need to kickstart my career again."
While Agro says he’s “very keen” to go into the bush the I’m A Celebrity co-hosts Brown and Julia Morris, it is believed discussions are underway to make it happen.
“It’s not in the jungle, so it will be more like I’m in Gosford ... Get Me Out Of Here. And the eating challenges will be fine because I’ve got no throat,” Agro said.
And the face-your-fears tasks?
“Snakes scare the old man under the desk who does me, but as he always says, ‘Where there’s a till, there’s a way.’”
Brown said: “After the year we’ve all had, this feels like the friendship I never knew I needed.
‘It’s hard to believe Agro’s been in the television wilderness for 20 years. Although going by the state of his fur, there’s every chance it was the actual wilderness. But it’s nice to have him back. His charisma and quick wit has really been missed.”
As he embarks on a new chapter, Agro paid tribute to his former sidekick Biggar, who was the target of most of his on-air barbs.
“I worked with Anne Maree, and the memory I have is, every time she nodded her head, it rattled,” Agro joked. “But she’s still the best I ever worked with. I took all the credit, but she was the funny one.”
Asked what audiences can expect from the rebooted Agro, he replied: “Same jokes, same comedy, a little dated, but still very evil.”
The Uber Eats promotion includes zingers from Brown about Agro’s lifeless legs, then a return serve from the puppet about the TV vet’s jaw.
“I’ve mellowed a lot in the last few years,” Agro said. “I’ve got big plans for next year and I’m looking forward to sharing them soon.”
A Network 10 spokesperson said: “While we can neither confirm nor deny if our furry friend Agro will be the jungle puppet master, our hand will be revealed on Sunday, January 3.”
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