RNZ Interview: Telethon - Don Hutchings

Telethon was a 24-hour live television show devoted to raising money for a charity. It started in 1975 when it raised over half a million dollars for St John Ambulance. In 1981 it raised more than five million dollars for disability charities. The show attracted some pretty big television stars from New Zealand and overseas — including the likes of Basil Brush and Lauren Bacall. The man who helped make it all happen is Don Hutchings – the executive producer of the first telethons. He looks back on making the show.

This audio interview was recorded for RNZ National's NZ Screen History series, which aired in 2021 as part of Afternoons with Jesse Mulligan. The content is copyright to RNZ, and may not be reproduced from NZ On Screen.