Dave Smith - Funny As Interview

In 1969 Dave Smith acted in New Zealand's first televised comedy sketch show, In View of the Circumstances. In this lively Funny As interview, Smith talks about New Zealand in the 60s, starting out in comedy, and more, including:

• Moving from "crazy" England to conservative New Zealand in the 1960s, at age 18: "No restaurants, the bloody shop's shut on the weekend, the pubs shut at six o’clock, and everybody's supposed to be delightedly happy"
• Working with playwright Roger Hall and John Clarke on Victoria University revue One in Five
• How "dire" it was to work on In View of the Circumstances, because NZ Broadasting Corporation executives were scared of offending politicians 
• How TV went from being fun to frightening in the time he was working on Brian Edwards' hit mid 70s show Edwards on Saturday
• Leaving television, after ex Prime Minister Jack Marshall sued the NZBC over a sketch Smith wrote involving a dog and a politician

This interview was recorded for 2019 TV series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. All audiovisual content is copyright to Augusto, and may not be reproduced. Publication of Funny As extended interviews made possible with funding from the NZ Lotteries Grants Board.