Magic Kiwis - Lynn & Fred

Television (Full Length Episode) – 1990

In the 1970s two hugely influential television characters would ignite Kiwi comedy. One came from the farm, one from the burbs. In this Magic Kiwis episode, Neil Roberts traces the inspirations behind John Clarke's deadpan Taihape farmer Fred Dagg, and Ginette McDonald's 'gauche' young suburbanite, Lynn of Tawa. Initially Fred and Lynn were controversial; state television was bombarded with complaints about Clarke's Kiwi accent, and the Mayor of Tawa worried about McDonald tarnishing the suburb's image. The episode includes rare clips of Lynn's earliest TV appearances, and a memorable interview with Elton John.

It was a celebration of a type of New Zealand character I'd always liked, and there's a bit of that in my background and I don't mock that at all...
– John Clarke on the idea that Fred Dagg mocked Kiwi farmers and rural life