Reg Grundy was a visionary and a truly decent bloke

REG Grundy was a visionary of Australian TV, someone who helped build the industry. But, to those who knew him he was also a truly decent bloke, writes Stefan Dennis.

Reg Grundy who also made a name as a wildlife photographer.

REG Grundy was a founding father of Australian television, a risk-taking businessman and a pioneer of light entertainment. But above all else, he was a thoroughly decent bloke.

There are many people in this industry, myself included, who owe their careers to Reg. Some of the younger generations of actors and crew may not even realise the debt they owe to him. With Hector Crawford, Reg helped shape television into what it is today. For a time on commercial television, all the top shows came out of those two men’s production houses.

Reg started out in light entertainment creating shows like Wheel of Fortune and ThePrice is Right, which my first wife was a hostess on.

My career has been intrinsically linked in some way with Grundy’s for as long as I can remember. I cut my teeth as an actor on two of Reg’s early dramas, Young Doctors and Prisoner. People may laugh now at the wobbly sets and the poor production values of Prisoner but it was a groundbreaking show. It came out on the back of Number 96 and The Box. It was gritty. And, with an almost entirely female cast, it was different from anything that had been done before. It had a huge fan base overseas and in particular the UK, where they even did a very successful musical version on the West End.

Prisoner was one of Reg’s early dramas.

Reg Grundy on his Wheel of Fortune show.

It’s because of Prisoner that we now have Wentworth. And I wouldn’t be at all surprised if US hit, Orange is the New Black, also takes inspiration from Prisoner.

After working on those shows for Reg, I landed the role that would change my life: Paul Robinson on Neighbours.

I remember meeting Reg properly for the first time on the set of Neighbours. Even though he was the boss, he’d sometimes pop down to see what was happening. He didn’t just sit in a corner office, he liked to be part of it. Everyone knew who he was, that he was the boss, and was suitably respectful but he didn’t make a big thing about it.

He was just a really decent bloke. He was so passionate about his business and a genuine guy at the same time.

I think that is why I have been so affected by his death. Sure, he built a business empire but he was almost like a father figure to the cast and crew on his shows.

I knew he had been sick for a long time. And he was 92. It wasn’t as though it was unexpected — but even the expected can be a shock.

I haven’t seen Reg in a long time. In fact, one of the last times was at the Logies when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Some people have joked that his death was just an excuse to get out of going to the Logies again.

It was a testament to him that he came back in 1993 to receive his Hall of Fame award. Certainly there is no one more deserving of that accolade than Reg and proof of that was the fact that he received a standing ovation the moment he stepped on the stage. But he made his home in Bermuda and it was a long way to travel for someone who was battling ill-health. He was clearly unwell and at the Logies had to be supported on the stage by his wife, Joy Chambers. Joy played my aunt, Rosemary, on Neighbours. To this day, her character is mentioned on screen.

I loved working with Joy and theirs is one of television’s great love stories. They met on one of his shows in the 1960s and they were so devoted to each other.

I feel so sad to think about what she must be going through because she hasn’t just lost a husband, she’s lost her best friend.

For the rest of us, we have lost one of the great men of the industry. It is a really sad day for us all.

Stefan Dennis is an actor best known for playing Paul Robinson in Neighbours