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Fast Forward was Australia’s highest rating, longest running and most critically awarded commercial television sketch comedy show, broadcast for 90 one hour episodes from 12 April 1989 to 26 November 1992. The show was produced by Steve Vizard, who was also the Executive Producer, writer and performer, and starred Jane Turner, Gina Riley, Magda Szubanski, Marg Downey, Michael Veitch, Peter Moon, Alan Pentland, Steve Blackburn, Geoff Brookes, Ernie Dingo, the Rubbery Figures satirical puppets, and numerous guests and supporting stars, such as Gerry Connolly and Brian Dawe. Fast Forward was succeeded by the related series Full Frontal, and subsequently Totally Full Frontal, which were broadcast from 1993 to 1999 and which starred many of the original Fast Forward cast as well as many iconic performers including Eric Bana, Stephen Curry, Glenn Robbins, Shaun Micallef, Kitty Flanagan and Julia Morris. Fast Forward was directed by Ted Emery. In its second and subsequent series, Andrew Knight joined Steve Vizard and Ted Emery as Executive Producers of the show. They went on to establish the leading Australian Production house, Artist Services, which produced 1400 hours of prime time television including SeaChange, Big Girls Blouse, Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, the Eric Bana show, the Shaun Micallef Pogram.

Acropolis Now was an Australian sitcom set in a Greek cafe in Melbourne of the same name that ran for 63 episodes from 1989 to 1992 on the Seven Network. It was created by Nick Giannopoulos, George Kapiniaris and Simon Palomares, who also starred in the series. They were already quite well known for their comedy stage show, Wogs out of Work. The title is a play on the film Apocalypse Now. Each episode was 30 minutes in length and filmed in front of a live audience. Jim's father asks him to run the family business, the Acropolis café, when he suddenly leaves Australia to return to his homeland Greece. The series centres around the activities of the cafe staff. Greek Jim Stephanidis, is the immature owner and his best friend, Spaniard Ricky Martinez is the sensible manager. Memo is the traditional Greek waiter, Liz is the liberated Australian waitress. Skip is the naïve new cook from the bush and Manolis is the stubborn cook from the old cafe. 'Hilarity' prevails from the clash of cultures and beliefs. Jim's hairdresser cousin Effie, played by Mary Coustas, became a hugely popular and enduring character during the run of the show. Coustas later reprised the role for several TV specials and series including Effie, Just Quietly, an SBS comedy / interview show, and Greeks on the Roof, a short-lived Greek-Australian version of the British talk show The Kumars at No. 42.