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All Aussie Adventures (full name: Russell Coight's All Aussie Adventures) is an Australian television parody of the outback-adventure television genre. Starring comedian Glenn Robbins as the eponymous host, the series follows Coight's travels through outback Australia.
The series began in the late 1990s and (as of late 2004) is still being produced, along with a "charity special" featuring minor celebrities joining Coight in the outback. Episodes were initially shown on Network Ten in Australia, however the cable television Comedy Channel has recently begun showing the program as well.
 Glenn Robbins, AKA Russell Coight Genre
The outback-adventure genre is a television genre achieving some success in Australia. The format generally involves a host travelling throughout the outback and meeting "characters" of outback life, while providing insight into the flora and fauna of the country. Perhaps the most famous exponent of this genre would be the "Crocodile Hunter", Steve Irwin.
The genre is often the target of cynicism. Much of this comes from the stereotypically "blokey" culture of the outback portrayed by the hosts, such as Irwin's frequent usage of Australian slang. The focus of most of these shows is on the male aspect of the outback, with drovers and farmers being the major characters met.
Additionally, the narration (typically provided by the host) often verges on hyperbole. This is primarily because the hosts are not often experienced television personalities, and are unsure of how to handle themselves on the screen. Attempts at having more experienced personalities front these shows often results in incongruous appearances of hosts more well-known for hosting quiz shows or news programs, such as former Sale of the Century host Glenn Ridge.
Format of "All Aussie Adventures"
"All Aussie Adventures" follows a relatively predictable format. Coight greets the audience and explains his latest reason for needing to travel through the outback, often his need to help out a "mate", and introduces the episode with the tagline "So let's get started on another All Aussie Adventure". The delivery of this line is designed as a parody of the "sincerity" of television hosts and has become something of a catchphrase among devotees of the series.
The remainder of the show consists of Coight's travels. He meets friends, encounters animals, sets up camps and provides information on the history of the area through which he is driving. He eventually arrives at his destination and ends each show with the line "We've seen some pretty special places and met some pretty special people", another catchphrase of the series.
The episodes generally end with a collection of "out-takes", although the point is often made that there is very little difference between these and what made the show.
The Russell Coight character
Perhaps the kindest adjective for Russell Coight is "accident-prone". Invariably, if something can go wrong for him, it will. Coight is a naturally out-going man who, unlike many of his colleagues in the genre, is reasonably comfortable in front of the camera.
The series is presented as if Russell Coight were a real person, eschewing on-screen credits for his portrayer Glenn Robbins. Following the success of the first series, comedian and talk show host Rove McManus interviewed Russell Coight, who provided information on his (fictional) background. The only mention of Robbins in the series appears at the end of the credits, when he is thanked "for his assistance".
Parody Aspects
Much of the humour of "All Aussie Adventures" is contained in the sight gags. Coight attempts to set up camp in most episodes, which gives rise to some or all of the following situations:
- The tent falls down (either as it is being erected or with Coight in it)
- The camp stool falls over (generally with Coight either in it or attempting to be, however see below)
- The fire burns out of control (frequently burning either Coight, his clothes or his tent)
- A tree-branch falls onto something (generally either the car or the tent, occasionally Coight)
Anything worse than this is generally only hinted at. One episode features Coight making a camp stool out of wood by filing one log to a point and placing a flat round log on top of it. In the process of preparing to sit on it, he knocks the top log off, leaving a sharp point. The camera cuts just before Coight actually sits down, leaving the viewer to draw the obvious conclusion.
Other sight gags involve cars. Coight is frequently required to film a scene in which he stops his car at such an angle that his window is level with the camera in order to talk about the area he is driving through. Filming such a scene generally results in Coight either stopping too early or too late - and cursing as he attempts to get it right.
Coight is also prone to finding broken down cars on his travels and attempting to help the drivers. His attempts to hook the two cars together with rope generally result in the broken down car's bullbar being pulled off, while his attempts at recharging batteries have explosive side effects. In one instance, he actually reverses his car into the same mud hole that he is trying to get the other traveller out of.
One particularly memorable scene features Coight paying a surprise visit to the home of a friend. He gets out of his car and knocks on the door, only to see his friend's car speed out of the driveway and away.
Another source of visual humour is the two-way radio Coight carries with him. In many cases, he gives a lecture on how to use this piece of equipment, only to have it not work correctly. In one episode, he uses what he claims to be "the emergency frequency" only to be talking across a conversation by two other people, while another episode features a memorable dialogue with a station owner who constantly begins speaking before Coight has finished - rendering his instructions inaudible.
Stock Footage
Another source of humour is the frequent use of stock footage in incongruous situations. The most well-known example of this is the "handshaking shot".
A common feature of this genre is for the host to "introduce" the viewers to a "mate", possibly a station owner or another Outback character. The host greets his friend and shakes his hand, with the handshake itself often being shown very close up. In the "All Aussie Adventures" version of this shot, the closeup of the handshake is patently not of Coight and his friend. In one situation, the friend is an Aboriginal tracker and the closeup clearly shows two Caucasian hands shaking. This serves to highlight the articificial and constructed nature of this sort of television series banter.
On-Camera Bloopers
While the show traditionally ends each episode with a collection of out-takes, there are many shots throughout an episode which would otherwise be classed as out-takes, if it were not for the deliberate parody being employed.
One such example is Coight's interview with two shearers, one of whom is constantly hawking and spitting very loudly. An exasperated Coight is forced to interrupt his own interview to tell the man to stop doing it - which he does not do. A similar setup is employed in another interview scene, where the subject instead spends most of his time scratching his crotch, resulting in a sotto voce remark from Coight that "You've been touchin' yourself all interview. Can you knock it off?"
Another frequent source of such bloopers is the friendly greeting exchanged by Coight and his friend. Often, the friend will get Coight's name wrong - calling him "Rick" or "Roy" rather than "Russ".
There are also many scenes in which Coight is supposedly "catching up with an old friend" where clearly the two have very little to say to each other. Coight's attempts to elicit stories of bush life often meet with little success - either the interviewee is unable to think of anything to relate or he begins a long and detailed story that has to be cut in the interests of time.
In one episode, Coight comes to the aid of a national park ranger friend to deal with a crocodile. The two men are seen standing at the side of the waterhole occupied by the crocodile, with the ranger making vague hand gestures towards the water. This scene is shown with the faintly-audible instructions being given to the ranger by Coight of "Alright, now point to the water...good". This is again a parody of a common shot in this genre of television.
Attempts At Humour
Coight often attempts to make jokes with his friends during the programs. Unfortunately, most of these fall flat, providing even more humour for the viewer.
One interview is with an Aborigine who is educating Coight on finding "bush tucker". Coight attempts to tell the joke about being on a "seafood diet...I see food and I eat it", achieving absolutely no reaction from the friend.
Another famous scene features Coight talking with a group of shearers. To begin with, the scene appears to be of banter before the men begin shearing, however the shearers greet every statement of Coight's with uproarious laughter. An irritated Coight asks, "Are you guys going to laugh at everything I say?" (laughter). "Stop it. It's really annoying" (more laughter).
The Voiceover
As in all outback adventure programs, Coight makes use of a voiceover to provide a sort of commentary on his adventures. It is in this aspect of the program that much of Robbins' skill in characterisation can be seen, as the Coight character is clearly unsuited to this activity.
Commentary is often given about the native animals seen in the episode, however this is often completely incorrect. In the episode dealing with the crocodile in the waterhole referenced above, Coight can be heard describing the reptilian as "the giant marsupial".
Another memorable line deals with the statistic that seven of the ten most deadly snakes in the world can be found in Australia. In an attempt to simplify this fact for the viewer, Coight progressively ties himself in rhetorical knots. One rendition of the statistic suggests that "seven of every ten snake bites are in Australia", with another one turning into "If you are bitten by ten poisonous snakes in Australia, then...no, that's not right" and so on.
The natural landscape is also the source of much commentary and more proof of Coight's problems with the language. Attempting to describe the Blue Mountains, Coight delivers the cult line "But what they lack in size they make up for in height".
Coight also attempts to discuss the explorers who had travelled the country before him. The historical facts delivered here are somewhat dubious, however that is not the source of most of the humour.
One explorer is described as having discovered the (real) Mount Disappointment. Coight explains, "He named it Mount Disappoinment after his wife".
Another was apparently faced with the choice of pressing further into the bush or returning home to his wife (at which point a picture of an angry woman appears on the screen). Coight tells the viewers that, "He decided to press on".
A group of "savage Aborigines" features in one story, complete with a photo of such people. The photo shows a group of modern-day Aborigines smiling placidly for the camera.
Another pair of explorers is said to have taken opium with them on their journey. While this was a normal enough practice at the time for pain relief among other things, Coight re-tells the story with both men getting high on the drug.
Coight also attempts in one episode to talk about the Polish explorer Paul Strzelecki. Unsurprisingly, this name causes him to become tongue-tied.
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