After 40 years on Australian television screens, Larry Emdur has finally won the Gold Logie.
Enjoying a standing ovation and being showered in gold confetti, the host of the Chase Australia and the Morning Show said he adored the TV business.
“I love being in TV, I love being on TV, I’ve never done anything else, I’ve never ever wanted to do anything else,” he said.
And even though his adult children haven’t watched free-to-air television in about 15 years, he said they are proud of him for one thing.
“Apparently it’s rhyming slang now that if you’re going on a bender, you’re going on a Larry Emdur,” he said.
By the time the Gold Logie was announced just before midnight, it appeared many in the crowd at The Star casino in Sydney had indeed been going on a Larry Emdur.
Seven’s Logies broadcast had been running four hours, and the ceremony descended into almost announcing the wrong award, some very extended tributes, and increasingly risque jokes.
Earlier in the night, Emdur won his first ever Logie, taking out the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter.
Yet he was so convinced he would not win the Gold, he had promised to get the initials of the six other nominees tattooed on his bum live on television.
“So we’ll see you on the Morning Show tomorrow, right?” he joked.
Among the night’s other big winners was Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe, which swallowed the Logies with five wins from a record 10 nominations.
The show’s 15-year-old star Felix Cameron won the Silver Logie for Best Lead Actor in a Drama – possibly the youngest ever winner of this award – as well as Most Popular New Talent.
“This is quite crazy – the last award that I won before this was student of the week in Grade Five,” Cameron said.
Best Lead Actress in a Drama went to Deborah Mailman for Total Control.
It was also a great night for the ABC’s long-running Utopia, which won three Logies including Best Scripted Comedy.
Actress Rebecca Gibney was inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame, one of only four women to ever win this accolade.
For the second year in a row comedian Sam Pang hosted the ceremony, opening with a snappy monologue – this time with cameos from Stephen Fry and Anthony Albanese (“I’m sure it will be better, I mean easier, than last year”).
Perhaps the good and the bad of Logies night was best encapsulated by Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun, who appeared in a video message to deliver sincere words of support for the nominees.
“Please feel free to pull out any of my signature moves in celebration,” she said.
