Farewell to a TV Icon: Jeff Watson of Getaway and Towards 2000 Passes Away at 80
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It's with heavy hearts that we at the SDC report on the passing of trailblazing Aussie TV presenter Jeff Watson, following a long battle with brain cancer that spanned five years.
He was 80 years old at the time of his death and had been surrounded by his wife Judi, children Timothy and Lucy, stepdaughter Cara and her husband Ben at the Greenwich Palliative Care Hospital last Wednesday.
Members, you might remember Watson was the first ever presenter for Getaway and a major part of Australian family life through the small screen, entertaining and educating viewers with his love of travel throughout his 40-year-long career.
Some of his most noteworthy work included Southend to Sydney – a program created in collaboration with John Travolta after the pair flew a 50-year-old jet airliner 23,000 kilometres from England to Australia – as well as aviation series The Boneyard and The Shape of Things to Come.
As we mourn the loss of an Aussie TV icon, it's hard not to look back with a sense of nostalgia to the golden era of television.
Throughout the 1970s, Watson was a familiar face on ABC's original current affairs program, This Day Tonight. It was a time when current affairs reporting was done with a twinkle in the eye and a mischievous sense of humour, and Watson embodied that spirit perfectly.
In a 2006 interview, Watson reflected on those early days — a time when the news was delivered with a sense of levity and entertainment, and he was at the forefront of that movement.
'I think current affairs was more fun in those days,' he said. 'We wanted to leave people with a smile on their faces.'
But it wasn't all fun and games. Watson also recalled being chauffeured into ABC offices in a black car to apologise for some more daring reports that went to air.
'We were all out to make a lot of trouble,' he said, remembering when journalists weren't afraid to take risks and push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in broadcasting. 'It was a very irresponsible program.'
Credit: GrubcoTV3.
Apart from presenting, Watson had a thriving career in science and current affairs, having created and presented a science show called Towards 2000 alongside Sonia Humphrey and David Flatman, before going on to present the legendary Beyond 2000, and contribute to Four Corners, Holiday and 60 Minutes.
Towards 2000 ran for three seasons on ABC and was broadcast to almost 100 countries, introducing audiences to a world of 'whizz-bang' stories and new technologies that were just on the horizon.
'You think back to '79, the space shuttle hadn't flown, home computers, well, they didn't exist, mobile phones hadn't actually happened,' Watson reminisced. 'There were all these goodies out there, all these people called it whizz-bang type stories.'
And yet, despite the challenges of explaining complex scientific concepts on television, Watson and his team never shied away from big science.
They tackled topics like particle physics and gene splicing, visiting major scientific institutions worldwide in search of the most exciting and groundbreaking stories. 'We coined the phrase “rock'n'roll science”,' Watson proudly proclaimed.
Credit: Vintage Time Australia.
It was a time of great excitement and discovery in the world of science, and Watson was there to capture it all, bringing his unique sense of humour and storytelling to even the most complex subjects.
He may not have had a science degree, but his passion for the subject was evident in every episode. And for those of us who grew up watching these shows, we will always remember it as a time of wonder and possibility, when anything seemed possible and the future was bright.
Watson's passing has been met with great sadness from the local entertainment industry, with Getaway host Catriona Rowntree saying in a statement: 'This is heartbreaking news.'
'As both a colleague and a friend Jeff was a joy to be with. You can imagine how interesting he was after so many world travels, above all though he was just so cheeky and fun-loving. Jeff had the best bloopers ever!'
'Jeff always spoke of his love for his family, I know their hearts will be hurting and we are sending all our love to them.'
Jeff Watson was a much-loved member of the television community, and it was this very love and passion for life that marked the life of a man who left everyone he ever met with an impression, an adventure or a story to tell - however big or small.
Members, we are sure many of you have fond memories of him on Getaway or the other shows he worked on. Feel free to share your memories of the legend in the comments below.
Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
He was 80 years old at the time of his death and had been surrounded by his wife Judi, children Timothy and Lucy, stepdaughter Cara and her husband Ben at the Greenwich Palliative Care Hospital last Wednesday.
Members, you might remember Watson was the first ever presenter for Getaway and a major part of Australian family life through the small screen, entertaining and educating viewers with his love of travel throughout his 40-year-long career.
Some of his most noteworthy work included Southend to Sydney – a program created in collaboration with John Travolta after the pair flew a 50-year-old jet airliner 23,000 kilometres from England to Australia – as well as aviation series The Boneyard and The Shape of Things to Come.
Farewell and a fond goodbye to legendary TV presenter Jeff Watson – the man who was truly ahead of his time. Credit: Facebook/Getaway.
As we mourn the loss of an Aussie TV icon, it's hard not to look back with a sense of nostalgia to the golden era of television.
Throughout the 1970s, Watson was a familiar face on ABC's original current affairs program, This Day Tonight. It was a time when current affairs reporting was done with a twinkle in the eye and a mischievous sense of humour, and Watson embodied that spirit perfectly.
In a 2006 interview, Watson reflected on those early days — a time when the news was delivered with a sense of levity and entertainment, and he was at the forefront of that movement.
'I think current affairs was more fun in those days,' he said. 'We wanted to leave people with a smile on their faces.'
But it wasn't all fun and games. Watson also recalled being chauffeured into ABC offices in a black car to apologise for some more daring reports that went to air.
'We were all out to make a lot of trouble,' he said, remembering when journalists weren't afraid to take risks and push the boundaries of what was considered acceptable in broadcasting. 'It was a very irresponsible program.'
Credit: GrubcoTV3.
Apart from presenting, Watson had a thriving career in science and current affairs, having created and presented a science show called Towards 2000 alongside Sonia Humphrey and David Flatman, before going on to present the legendary Beyond 2000, and contribute to Four Corners, Holiday and 60 Minutes.
Towards 2000 ran for three seasons on ABC and was broadcast to almost 100 countries, introducing audiences to a world of 'whizz-bang' stories and new technologies that were just on the horizon.
'You think back to '79, the space shuttle hadn't flown, home computers, well, they didn't exist, mobile phones hadn't actually happened,' Watson reminisced. 'There were all these goodies out there, all these people called it whizz-bang type stories.'
And yet, despite the challenges of explaining complex scientific concepts on television, Watson and his team never shied away from big science.
They tackled topics like particle physics and gene splicing, visiting major scientific institutions worldwide in search of the most exciting and groundbreaking stories. 'We coined the phrase “rock'n'roll science”,' Watson proudly proclaimed.
Credit: Vintage Time Australia.
It was a time of great excitement and discovery in the world of science, and Watson was there to capture it all, bringing his unique sense of humour and storytelling to even the most complex subjects.
He may not have had a science degree, but his passion for the subject was evident in every episode. And for those of us who grew up watching these shows, we will always remember it as a time of wonder and possibility, when anything seemed possible and the future was bright.
Watson's passing has been met with great sadness from the local entertainment industry, with Getaway host Catriona Rowntree saying in a statement: 'This is heartbreaking news.'
'As both a colleague and a friend Jeff was a joy to be with. You can imagine how interesting he was after so many world travels, above all though he was just so cheeky and fun-loving. Jeff had the best bloopers ever!'
'Jeff always spoke of his love for his family, I know their hearts will be hurting and we are sending all our love to them.'
Members, we are sure many of you have fond memories of him on Getaway or the other shows he worked on. Feel free to share your memories of the legend in the comments below.
Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
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