1985 in Australian television

Events

Television

• 11 February – Ray Martin takes over Mike Walsh's old daytime slot, replacing The Mike Walsh Show with Midday with Ray Martin. The Mike Walsh Show continues and moves to 10:30pm weekdays as a late night talk show until Walsh departs the network in November.
• 18 February – Network 0/28 becomes known as SBS.
• 4 March – The ABC launches a one-hour news and current affairs program called The National as a replacement for the traditional 7:00pm state-based news bulletins as well as its former current affairs program Nationwide. The new format, costing the national broadcaster a budgeted $25 million, turned out to be an expensive failure and lasted less than twelve months.
• 18 March – Neighbours premieres on the Seven Network. Six months later Neighbours is axed by HSV-7, but Network Ten bought the rights and picks up the soap and it becomes a massive hit for them.
• 25 March – Neighbours debuts in Brisbane.
• 8 June – Hey Hey It's Saturday moves to 6:30pm Saturdays. Then Hey Hey It's Saturday Night rebrands back to its original title.
• 30 June – SBS expands to Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Gold Coast.
• 13–14 July – ABC televises the worldwide Live Aid event, featuring concerts held around the world.
• Seven Network screens a late night sketchy comedy series called The Eleventh Hour featuring a number of performers who later appear in The Comedy Company and Fast Forward.

Debuts

• February – The Cartoon Connection (Channel Seven)
• February – The Early Bird Show (Network Ten)
• 4 March – The National (ABC)
• 4 March – News Overnight (Channel Seven)
• 18 March – Neighbours (Channel Seven in 1985, Network Ten from 1986 onwards)
• The Eleventh Hour (Channel Seven)
• Butterfly Island (ABC)

New international programming

• 4 March – Bananaman (ABC)
• 22 March – Chocky (ABC)
• 22 April – Danger: Marmalade At Work (ABC)
• 22 April – Fresh Fields (ABC)
• 29 April – Ulysses 31 (ABC)
• 3 May – Chocky's Children (ABC)
• 9 May – Murder, She Wrote (Nine Network)
• 14 June – Sharon and Elsie (ABC)
• 14 July – Muppet Babies (Network Ten)
• 15 July – Just Good Friends (ABC)
• 12 September – Miami Vice (Nine Network)
• 16 September – Eyes (SBS)
• 29 October – Voltron: Defender of the Universe (ABC)
• 21 November – Moving (ABC)
• 31 December – The Max Headroom Show (ABC)
• Alvin and the Chipmunks (Ruby-Spears version) (Network Ten)
• She-Ra: Princess of Power (Channel Seven)
• Monchichis (Nine Network)
• The Biskitts (Nine Network)
• The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (ABC)
• Spacewatch (ABC)
• Children of the Dog Star (ABC)
• Dungeons and Dragons (Channel Seven)
• Goldie Gold and Action Jack (Network Ten)
• Rubik, the Amazing Cube (Network Ten)

Television shows

1950s

• Mr. Squiggle and Friends (1959–1999)

1970s

• Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971 – present)
• Young Talent Time (1971 – present)

1980s

• Wheel of Fortune (1981 – present)
• Sale of the Century (1980–2001)
• Sunday (1981–2008)
• Today (1982 – present)
• Perfect Match (1984 – present)
• Neighbours (1985 – present)

Ending this year

References