June 25, 2025 • 6 mins
Play School Live is coming to Canberra, and Rod and Gabi caught up with beloved presenter Alex Papps to talk about his TV career, the magic of Play School, and what really goes on behind the scenes as a presenter on the iconic show.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Play School live in concert Once Upon a Time twenty
twenty five, live from the Canberra High School. I remember
taking my then baby daughter ten years ago and the
great Alex Paps was presenting it then and has been
on our TV screens for the last twenty years, part
(00:21):
of Australian TV Royalty. Alex PAPSI you're happy being described
as Australian TV Royalty at this stage of your career.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, I think you're being Look I'm flattered, but I
think you're being overly generous. I'll take it. I'll take
it to today. I'd wait to start the morning.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, I tell you this is going to back me up.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I've actually got a little bit of footage here from
an old VHS recording of you in nineteen eighty seven
with other Australian TV Royalty. This is a TV show
called The Factory with Andrew Daddo.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
See if you remember any of this, Alex.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Good morning. This is effectually I'm Alex and I'm Andrew.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Now, Alex, you've been in sunny Sydney holiday, haven't.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
You not a hot?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I have just started working on a new television.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Series in Sydney.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Is it where you got your head gout, Yeah, looks
wonderful and new.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Look do you remember?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I mean, look, well two things to raise there. As
soon as I heard that little, the little sting of
the theme, I instantly had butterflies and a rush of
adrenaline because that was that always told me that we
were moments for going live to air and then and
then hearing my such an awkward adolescent, that's all like,
(01:37):
And I'm not talking about Andrew he was. I always
thought Andrew was really cool. I kind of aspired to
Andrew Daddo's level of.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Cool, Andrew's hair.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
That headmen that said, Alex, you've kept or yours, but
you had a tremendous amount as a young bloke.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
What was it like? I mean live TV.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
We've just seen so much live TV, even as recently
as last night with the back page.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I was sorry to see that go as well.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Live TV is so rare now for you as a
young bloke. You're right, with all those teenage insecurities.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
What was that like? I imagine exciting and terrifying at once.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Look, it was wonderful. I look certainly in those very
early days of learning the ropes, it was, Yeah, it
was quite you know, quite a bit of adrenaline going
on there, massive learning curve, but ultimately it was very,
very exciting. The Factory was unique in that any of
the musical acts that we had had to play live,
(02:34):
and it became a bit of a badge of honor.
Anyone who came on the Factory actually played live, as
opposed to you know, mining and lip syncing. So it
was quite a it was quite a production, and there
was a great atmosphere on set, you know, particularly when
we had you know, live bands come in and play.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Like real entry level kind of job like this. Anymore,
fourteens who want to be in TV or radio or media,
they seem to have all kind of disappeared over the
last ten years. It's pretty sucky, hey, that we don't
have those kind of opportunities unless you're creating your own
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Well I think, yeah, I think I think that's what's
happened now, is that the entry level is now breaking
through on you know, social media or YouTube or whatever.
And certainly, you know, there are many examples of people
who who do that. But yeah, well we think about.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You know, all the things that you've been on the
Flying Doctors and of course, you know, winning low years
on Home and Away and those sorts of things.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I wonder where Play School sits for you.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
As far as the honor of hosting a show that
brought all of us, yourself included up back in the day.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, it continues to be a huge honor. I think.
I'm I can confidently speak for all of us who
are current presenters and former presenters. It's an enormous privilege,
and it's not lost on any of us of how
beloved the show is and how valued it is as
an important tool in the landscape of you know, early
(04:05):
childhood development as far as you know TV goes. So
it features very highly for me and I still kind
of pinch myself that I'm a part of it. I
feel very very fortunate.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
It's such a phenomenal show that's gone on for such
a long time. I was taught by Benita at Well
when I was doing a TV presenting course a fair
few years ago. Benita was one of our teachers, which
is amazing, and she was telling us some behind the
scenes things about Play School because back in the day,
it was one take and that was it. That's all
you got, and to entertain themselves, they had some little
(04:38):
in jokes, especially John, he.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Was John Hamberra's school.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Do you still have like little in jokes just to
make the set a little bit more fun?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Look, the set is always fun, like it really is,
and there's on the more serious side, there's a lot
for the presenters to juggle in their head as far
as you know props and lyc you know, song lyrics
and whilst maintaining a very personable, serene presence, you know,
you know, on camera looking down the barrel. But it's yeah,
(05:10):
it's it's great fun. It's always always great fun.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I love the greatest part of Australian history trivia or
one of in my opinion, your characters. Your character Frank
from Home and Away. Your girlfriend Rue is Justine Clark.
Justin was on the show with us a few weeks ago,
and Justine you You and Justine from time to time
will actually co host episodes of play School. When you
talk about having chemistry and I guess a really unique
(05:35):
relationship behind the scenes, can you believe I mean I'm
not gonna add all the years up, but can you
believe that you're still working together?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Well, I can tell you how many years it is.
It's in Sorry twenty twenty seven, we will have known
each other and been friends for forty years. There you go,
and so we when we I did my first episode
of play School with Justine back in we've filmed it
in two thousand and five, that was such a lovely
(06:06):
moment in our friendship, a very sort of full circle moment.
And yeah, we feel very lucky to still be friends
and to get these opportunities to you know, to work together.
But yeah, we're very much looking forward to coming to Canberra.
I haven't been to Canberra for a while to work,
so it'll be lovely to come and visit. I even
enjoy how chill it is. I feel like I'm in
(06:27):
Europe somewhere.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
That's the spirit.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
You're a gentleman for giving us so much of your time,
So travel safe. I know you've got Queensland later on
today or coming this week, and then you'll do a
loop the loop and land back down here. We can't
wait to see you again. Congratulations on what's one of
the great Australian TV careers, and we'll catch up when
you land in the Capitol.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
That's very kind of you, and thanks, thanks for your time.
It's a pleasure to be on
Play School live in concert Once Upon a Time twenty
twenty five, live from the Canberra High School. I remember
taking my then baby daughter ten years ago and the
great Alex Paps was presenting it then and has been
on our TV screens for the last twenty years, part
(00:21):
of Australian TV Royalty. Alex PAPSI you're happy being described
as Australian TV Royalty at this stage of your career.
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Well, I think you're being Look I'm flattered, but I
think you're being overly generous. I'll take it. I'll take
it to today. I'd wait to start the morning.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, I tell you this is going to back me up.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
I've actually got a little bit of footage here from
an old VHS recording of you in nineteen eighty seven
with other Australian TV Royalty. This is a TV show
called The Factory with Andrew Daddo.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
See if you remember any of this, Alex.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Good morning. This is effectually I'm Alex and I'm Andrew.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Now, Alex, you've been in sunny Sydney holiday, haven't.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
You not a hot?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
I have just started working on a new television.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Series in Sydney.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Is it where you got your head gout, Yeah, looks
wonderful and new.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
Look do you remember?
Speaker 2 (01:13):
I mean, look, well two things to raise there. As
soon as I heard that little, the little sting of
the theme, I instantly had butterflies and a rush of
adrenaline because that was that always told me that we
were moments for going live to air and then and
then hearing my such an awkward adolescent, that's all like,
(01:37):
And I'm not talking about Andrew he was. I always
thought Andrew was really cool. I kind of aspired to
Andrew Daddo's level of.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Cool, Andrew's hair.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
That headmen that said, Alex, you've kept or yours, but
you had a tremendous amount as a young bloke.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
What was it like? I mean live TV.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
We've just seen so much live TV, even as recently
as last night with the back page.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
I was sorry to see that go as well.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Live TV is so rare now for you as a
young bloke. You're right, with all those teenage insecurities.
Speaker 3 (02:08):
What was that like? I imagine exciting and terrifying at once.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
Look, it was wonderful. I look certainly in those very
early days of learning the ropes, it was, Yeah, it
was quite you know, quite a bit of adrenaline going
on there, massive learning curve, but ultimately it was very,
very exciting. The Factory was unique in that any of
the musical acts that we had had to play live,
(02:34):
and it became a bit of a badge of honor.
Anyone who came on the Factory actually played live, as
opposed to you know, mining and lip syncing. So it
was quite a it was quite a production, and there
was a great atmosphere on set, you know, particularly when
we had you know, live bands come in and play.
Speaker 4 (02:52):
Like real entry level kind of job like this. Anymore,
fourteens who want to be in TV or radio or media,
they seem to have all kind of disappeared over the
last ten years. It's pretty sucky, hey, that we don't
have those kind of opportunities unless you're creating your own
YouTube channel.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
Well I think, yeah, I think I think that's what's
happened now, is that the entry level is now breaking
through on you know, social media or YouTube or whatever.
And certainly, you know, there are many examples of people
who who do that. But yeah, well we think about.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
You know, all the things that you've been on the
Flying Doctors and of course, you know, winning low years
on Home and Away and those sorts of things.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
I wonder where Play School sits for you.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
As far as the honor of hosting a show that
brought all of us, yourself included up back in the day.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Well, it continues to be a huge honor. I think.
I'm I can confidently speak for all of us who
are current presenters and former presenters. It's an enormous privilege,
and it's not lost on any of us of how
beloved the show is and how valued it is as
an important tool in the landscape of you know, early
(04:05):
childhood development as far as you know TV goes. So
it features very highly for me and I still kind
of pinch myself that I'm a part of it. I
feel very very fortunate.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
It's such a phenomenal show that's gone on for such
a long time. I was taught by Benita at Well
when I was doing a TV presenting course a fair
few years ago. Benita was one of our teachers, which
is amazing, and she was telling us some behind the
scenes things about Play School because back in the day,
it was one take and that was it. That's all
you got, and to entertain themselves, they had some little
(04:38):
in jokes, especially John, he.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Was John Hamberra's school.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Do you still have like little in jokes just to
make the set a little bit more fun?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
Look, the set is always fun, like it really is,
and there's on the more serious side, there's a lot
for the presenters to juggle in their head as far
as you know props and lyc you know, song lyrics
and whilst maintaining a very personable, serene presence, you know,
you know, on camera looking down the barrel. But it's yeah,
(05:10):
it's it's great fun. It's always always great fun.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
I love the greatest part of Australian history trivia or
one of in my opinion, your characters. Your character Frank
from Home and Away. Your girlfriend Rue is Justine Clark.
Justin was on the show with us a few weeks ago,
and Justine you You and Justine from time to time
will actually co host episodes of play School. When you
talk about having chemistry and I guess a really unique
(05:35):
relationship behind the scenes, can you believe I mean I'm
not gonna add all the years up, but can you
believe that you're still working together?
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Well, I can tell you how many years it is.
It's in Sorry twenty twenty seven, we will have known
each other and been friends for forty years. There you go,
and so we when we I did my first episode
of play School with Justine back in we've filmed it
in two thousand and five, that was such a lovely
(06:06):
moment in our friendship, a very sort of full circle moment.
And yeah, we feel very lucky to still be friends
and to get these opportunities to you know, to work together.
But yeah, we're very much looking forward to coming to Canberra.
I haven't been to Canberra for a while to work,
so it'll be lovely to come and visit. I even
enjoy how chill it is. I feel like I'm in
(06:27):
Europe somewhere.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
That's the spirit.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
You're a gentleman for giving us so much of your time,
So travel safe. I know you've got Queensland later on
today or coming this week, and then you'll do a
loop the loop and land back down here. We can't
wait to see you again. Congratulations on what's one of
the great Australian TV careers, and we'll catch up when
you land in the Capitol.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
That's very kind of you, and thanks, thanks for your time.
It's a pleasure to be on
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