The Les Deverett Variety Hour

Lost from most of the official histories, The Les Deverett Variety Hour was a short-lived 1978 comedy series featuring Wellington actors Ross Jolly, Susan Wilson and Michael Haigh. All would become familiar to Kiwi audiences as core cast members of classic sitcom Gliding On. The sketches — written by Jolly, producer Tony Hiles, and reporter/performer Judith Fyfe — subvert familiar situations, and rely heavily on word play. State television had more success with comedy A Week of It, which began in 1977, six months before Les Deverett.