Countdown To Be Celebrated With 50th Anniversary TV Special

For its 50th anniversary, Countdown will return to our screens next month, but not in the way that you’d expect.

On Friday, 8 November 1974, Countdown premiered in loungerooms across Australia, redefining what was cool in Australian music culture. Fifty years later, the ABC is celebrating the cultural phenomenon.

At 7:30 pm on Saturday, 16 November 2024, ABC TV and ABC iView will host a special: Countdown 50 Years On.

The special will find hosts Myf Warhurst and Tony Armstrong joined by Countdown icons like Daryl Braithwaite, Marcia Hines, Kate Ceberano, Russell Morris, Leo Sayer, Ross Wilson, GANGgajang, Joe Camilleri, and Grace Knight, as well as contemporary musicians who will reimagine the Countdown hits.

Those contemporary icons include Electric Fields, Regurgitator, Kate Miller-Heidke, Nooky, and Katy Steele. Special guests Dylan Lewis and Les Gock will also join the festivities.

In addition to live performances, Countdown 50 Years On will feature “juicy” behind-the-scenes stories, interviews, and archival footage from Countdown’s original 13-year run.

And, ABC’s celebration of Countdown won’t only be on TV. ABC Radio will bring a segment called Countdown In Your Town to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, and Newcastle in November, while ABC Radio will broadcast Countdown’s Top 20 Greatest Moments across the country on Saturday, 9 November, at 6 pm AEDT.

The Greatest Moments show will be hosted by ABC Radio Sydney’s James Valentine. It will broadcast moments like Whispering Jack and the Material Girl to ABBA, Iggy Pop, and more.

If you can’t get enough Countdown in your life, you can rewatch episodes any time on ABC iView.

Earlier this month, Countdown’s 50th anniversary was celebrated with a commemorative coloured coin.

After the coin was released, Molly Meldrum, the key figure of Countdown, said he has “such fond memories” of the Countdown era and that the series will never be forgotten.

“We made a difference to the music industry in Australia, so I am thrilled to see a commemorative coin being made,” Meldrum said. “Do yourself a favour and get one. Iconic Countdown lives on.”

Gavin Wood, the Voice of Countdown, declared that Countdown was “the most important show in Australian music history.”

“Three million people weekly can’t be wrong,” Wood added. “It was an amazing experience to be a part of such an iconic show.”