Lynn of Tawa

Ginette McDonald was just 16 when she created the straight-talking Lynn of Tawa for a stage show. The character was inspired partly by talkback callers with "flat, monotonous voices" asking how to deal with stains. In 1976 Lynn made her television debut during a celebrity roast for presenter Judith Fyfe. In 1980 Lynn got her own one-off special, followed by a 1982 TV series which mixed monologues, interviews and music. A pioneering example of a female Kiwi comedy character, Lynn later returned for TV specials and adverts.