TV icon Sandy Roberts still haunted by X-rated on-air blooper

Nearly 40 years on from one of his most memorable on-air moments, Sandy Roberts still hasn’t lived down his Miss Australia gaffe.

It’s been 38 years but there’s not a second of hesitation when Sandy Roberts gets asked about a moment he’d much rather forget.

The legend of Australian sports broadcasting could commentate paint drying and still keep people interested he was that good behind a microphone. Unfortunately, a resume boasting experience at eight Summer Olympics, three Winter Olympics, hundreds of AFL games and the seamless transition across a range of other sports including golf, tennis and racing won’t erase the memory of one slip of the tongue in 1983.

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Roberts, who worked at Channel 7 for more than 30 years after joining the network following the 1980 Moscow Games, was hosting coverage of the races at the Mt Gambier Cup in South Australia.

Everything was going fine until an off-the-cuff interaction with 1981 Miss Australia winner Leanne Dick — as he explained on the latest episode of sportscaster Mark Howard’s podcast The Howie Games.

“You know what it was. I wish it would go away but it won’t. It’s 38-years-old,” Roberts laughed after being asked by Howard’s daughter about his biggest on-air “stuff-up”.

He went on to explain how each year Mt Gambier would invite a celebrity guest to its biggest racing day on the calendar, often the winner of a prestigious beauty pageant, and in 1983 that guest happened to be Dick.

Roberts is an Australian TV legend.

Roberts pre-recorded an interview with her that went smoothly then fronted the cameras in the mounting yard around all the horses preparing to run.

The iconic TV star introduced his interview with Dick, which went to air but just before the hurdle race things took a turn.

“When you’re hosting in a mounting yard it’s tough because your lead could go at any time, or your mic,” Roberts told Howard.

“All of a sudden there was a bit of movement and I noticed a vet had come out. Anyway, a horse had thrown a plate so they informed us in my earpiece, the director (said), ‘We’ll go to a break and assess the situation’. No dramas.

“We went to a break and they were still mucking around with the horse and the producer said, ‘Just grab another interview would you and fill the minutes’.”

Roberts looked around but there was nobody nearby — except for Dick, who he’d already spoken to. But with just seconds to go before returning to air, and with no other options, he had to go back for round two.

“This is what I said: ‘Welcome back to picturesque Glenburnie racecourse here in Mt Gambier. Still with us is Miss Australia, Leanne C**k … err, Dick’. My life changed forever then.

“It didn’t take long (for the gaffe to spread around the world). American Funniest Home Videos, British Funniest Home Videos (picked it up).”

Roberts was a veteran of eight Summer Olympics.

He also spent decades calling footy.

Howard reminded Roberts of another classic blooper from his decades of broadcasting that cracked plenty of people up. Presenting the news one night, he got a little mixed up when telling viewers daylight saving time was about to kick in.

“Before I say goodnight don’t forget put the clocks back and watches back one hour, before you go to bed tonight,” Roberts said at the time. “In fact, don’t put them back one hour, put them forward one hour. That’s how confused I am about daylight savings.”

Laughing about it with Howard, Roberts remembered the floor manager communicating just in time to set things straight.

“You could see my eyes dart over to him — ‘Not back, forward!’” Roberts said.