Bert Newton: Twelve surprising facts from the Wiggles to LSD

Australia’s TV king was full of surprises — from his invite to appear on a sexy soap, a stint with the Wiggles and the time he was on LSD.

Bert Newton had an incredible and sometimes surprising career.

Bert Newton led an incredible, varied and at times surprising career. Here are 12 things you may not have known about him.

1. THE LOGIES KING

When Bert left Channel 9 in 1985 they offered him the chance to host the Logies for 10 years, regardless of where they were going to be telecast.

“I couldn’t say yes, because who knows where you’re going to be 10 years from now? But that was a huge compliment,” Bert said of the unique offer.

2. BROWNLOW TAXI DRIVER

An avid Fitzroy fan Bert drove 1969 Brownlow Medal winner Kevin Murray to Channel 7 to be interviewed by Mike Williamson after he was announced as the victor in that year’s count and then he took him on to Channel 9 to appear on Graham Kennedy’s show.

At that time footballers did not attend the count, but rather listened to the outcome on radio.

Murray was at a dinner at the Bookmakers’ Club in Queen St when he was told he had won.

3. TV STALWART

Bert appeared on 2000 episodes of In Melbourne Tonight between 1959 and 1970.

Bert Newton was named the greatest living Australian TV personality in 2006.

4. RACING LOVER

Bert headed a syndicate in the late 1980s that made a bid of $900,000 to buy champion racehorse Vo Rogue. The offer was declined.

5. REALITY TV INTRUDER

Bert and his wife Patti were intruders on an episode of Big Brother in 2013. They joined one of the housemates for afternoon tea before departing the reality show house.

6. BERT’S LSD TRIP

During his recovery from a nervous breakdown in 1964, Bert was injected with the drug LSD.

“Under LSD, everything about me in the room grew into strange proportions. A ray of light which had peeked through my window turned into a blazing sun,” Newton wrote of his experience on the drug in his 1977 autobiography.

“The doctor’s sympathetic words took on the effect of an abusive voice roaring at me from an echo chamber. Every colour in the rainbow flashed at me like lightning. There was fear and terror.

“The doctor held my hand with kindness yet it distorted into a vice-like grip; his reassurances becoming threats. The only thing that I could request, and request I did, very forcibly, was to get me out of it.”

Newton and Graham Kennedy.

7. FAAAAARK

Although it caused outrage and huge drama, Graham Kennedy’s infamous “Faaaaark, faaaaark” crow call on Channel 9 in 1975 was not the first time that he had done the call – which sounded like the f-word.

“Graham and I had done that very same crow call on TV way back in 1962 without receiving one complaint,” Newton revealed in his autobiography.

8. EDDIE THE WIG

Bert had a number of wigs including one called Eddie, named after Eddie McGuire. “He was on everything else, why not my head,” he said.

9. THE GREATEST

In 2006, to mark 50 years of television in Australia, Channel 9 presented a special called 50 Years 50 Stars. It counted down the top 50 greatest living Australian TV personalities at that time. Bert was No.1.

Newton and Eddie McGuire, who he named a wig after.

10. A WIGGLY GOOD TIME

Bert appeared on a Wiggles Christmas special, Go Santa Go, playing Santa Claus. Patti played Mrs Claus.

11. SINGING STAR

Bert and Patti released an album The Bert and Patti Family Album in 1977.

12. SEXY SOAP OFFER

Bert turned down a role to be a regular cast member on the sexy soap The Box in 1974. He was offered a role of a TV compere but declined.