No Kidding, It's Tops Cover Story Steven Jacobs Tv Magazine
Sun Herald
Sunday January 1, 1995
AS THE sun creeps over Sydney's skyline on a crisp Sunday morning, Steven Jacobs sits on a red-eye express flight to Brisbane.
A flight attendant approaches, asking him to switch seats to redistribute the weight on the plane before landing.
Jacobs politely complies only to be asked to move seats again - this time in a more urgent tone by the captain.
He shrugs, vaguely concerned that he might be in a life-threatening situation, and wanders down the aisle to find the new seat.
"How weird," he says to his travelling companions from Now magazine, "I didn't think weight distribution would matter on a plane this size." He's right. Minutes later the entire cabin staff appear at his side, thank him for his co-operation because they're ... "JUST KIDDING"! Most of us can't raise a smile at 6.30 in the morning but Steven laughs so loud and so hard at the practical joke that the plane seems to vibrate.
"That's hilarious," he says, choking back tears of laughter, "That's the first time anyone's tried to play a practical joke on me. I can't believe it." This is one television star who is happy to take what he dishes out for a living.
And why shouldn't he? After all, Jacobs hasn't stopped laughing since Just Kidding - the Channel 9 comedy he hosts with Sofie Formica - went to air, propelling him into television's top league.
The show - which draws its huge ratings from setting up hoaxes and catching the reactions of the unsuspecting victims who fall for them - has regularly been among the top three most popular programs in the nation since it began last September.
In its second week, 771,000 Sydney viewers chortled along with the often puerile jokes - more than watched 60 Minutes or that other top-rating gag-fest, Australia's Funniest Home Video Show.
Around the country Just Kidding is watched by more than two million viewers each week something which makes Jacobs - not to mention a few Nine executives - laugh loudest of all.
"The ratings are quite astounding," he says when he reaches his destination of Dorunda Lodge, an isolated cattle station in central Far North Queensland where Now magazine's interview and photo shoot takes place.
"Maybe it's just the right time for that sort of show.
"During the day you hear all this depressing news about murders, deaths, war, famine, plagues and AIDS.
"There's nothing demanding about Just Kidding. All the jokes are quick, pie in the face gags, it's just a bit of a fun." It's the same philosophy that Jacobs applies to his career.
The deceptively youthful looking 28-year-old, who won his break in television hosting a children's show in his home town of Wollongong in 1985, has no burning ambition to reach the top of the television industry. He's the accidental tourist of television.
"I don't really think about my work too deeply," he admits.
Ten years working in an industry notorious for inflating egos to Hindenburg proportions has left Jacobs unaffected.
Apart from a few trappings - he bought a house in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn almost two years ago and has a taste for nice wine-he's down to earth with a good sense of humour which occasionally veers to the obscene but more often, the self-deprecating.
Asked about his plans, he lies back and stares at the squillions of stars scattered across the clear Far North Queensland sky and groans, "I've been very lucky. I suppose I've been working for about 10 years and I've only been out of work a week...," his voice trails off, before he laughs and adds: "this is too serious, can we change the subject?" It's an easy going attitude instilled by his parents, Max, a Dutch immigrant who arrived in Australia in the 1950s, and Annette, who now run a motel in Bomaderry on the NSW South Coast.
If Jacobs sounds impossibly nice, he is. This is a guy who spends his spare time writing songs, playing saxophone and guitar and doing charity work for various organisations. His worst habit is his weekly hit of television trash in the form of Melrose Place or Models Inc.
When pressed about the drawbacks of working in a competitive industry, he offers, "There are a few self-important people in television which is something I find hard to deal with because I think all people are the same.
"As my father always says, 'We're all born naked son, so we're all the same', and that's so true." But some people on television have higher ratings than others and Jacobs is one of them.
Channel 9 cottoned on to his potential four years ago when the network signed him up to star as Thomas Sumner on the now defunct sit com, All Together Now.
While working with Jon English and Rebecca Gibney on the sit com, Jacobs also fronted the Nine children's show, Saturday At Rick's.
Even after both shows were axed, Nine kept Jacobs under contract while a new vehicle was found for him.
Nine's head of program development, David Lyle, firmly believes Jacobs will take his place in Nine's stable of stars alongside heavyweights Jana Wendt, Ray Martin and Daryl Somers.
"We enjoy our relationship with him and we are always looking for opportunities for him," Lyle said.
One of those opportunities was the ABBA '94 special which aired in October. One of the network's few presenters young enough to genuinely appreciated ABBA fever, Jacobs presented the special like a true fan.
Nine has great faith in Jacob's ability. The network commissioned three series - or 36 episodes - of Just Kidding before testing its popularity by putting it to air.
It's a risk which resulted in greater ratings than even Nine hoped for, a sentiment shared by its host.
THE SAD STATE OF COMEDY IF Karl Marx had been around this century, he might have altered his most famous quote about religion to, "Television is the opium of the masses".
Judging by the ratings, viewers want escapism whether it's in the form of light entertainment or lifestyle programs.
Channel 9's Just Kidding regularly vies for the top spot in the ratings with its time slot mate, Australia's Funniest Home Video Show, hosted by Jo Beth Taylor.
Australia's Funniest Home Video Show usually draws between 500,000 and 600,000 viewers in Sydney and more than two million nationally, putting it on a par with major sporting events such as the rugby league grand final.
Channel 9's special The Very Best Of The Worst Drivers, a compilation of videos capturing bad drivers having worse car accidents, was the most-watched show in Sydney the week it aired in September.
The Very Best Of The Worst Drivers attracted 676,000 viewers.
Channel 7's two compilation specials featuring silly advertisements, The World's Greatest TV Commercials Take 1 and Take 2, won similar success with viewers.
Take 1, which aired on August 21, drew 784,000 viewers, making it the number one program of the week.
Take 2, which aired 10 days later, didn't quite match this figure with 643,000 viewers, making it the second most-watched program of the week.
Not surprisingly, Seven then ran a series of The World's Greatest Commercials over October and November. Nine then entered the fray with The World's Best Commercials which drew 454,000 viewers.
Other Australian shows which rely on easy laughs for huge ratings include Hey Hey It's Saturday, Man O Man and Full Frontal and they usually attract more than 400,000 viewers every week, putting them among the top 20 most popular programs.
PARADISE FOR THE SERIOUS ANGLER DORUNDA Lodge is a freshwater barramundi fishing centre and working cattle station on the edge of the Staaten River National Park in central Far North Queensland.
Given its isolation - the nearest major town is Cooktown, seven hour's drive away, Dorunda Lodge could only be called paradise by a serious angler.
The fishing is rewarding. Surrounded by large lakes and rivers just a short but bumpy journey away in a four wheel drive vehicle on dusty, unsealed roads, anglers are spoilt for choice of locations.
The same applies to the variety of fish. Most anglers come to Dorunda hoping to bag a big barra, but there are plenty of other fish in the lake from saratoga to trout and cod.
Dorunda Lodge staff will show anglers the best spots, take them out on small aluminium runabouts, supply the best fishing gear and offer tips.
The best fishing times are dawn and dusk so be prepared for a 5am wake up call followed by a spectacular sunrise. Take a nap during the hottest part of the day when the temperature can soar to more than 40oc during summer and rise for more fishing at sunset.
Those who want to observe the wildlife without killing it can watch for freshwater crocodiles and a stunning variety of native birdlife.
Given the large number of crocodilesin the waterways, swimming is decidedly unwise but Dorunda Lodge does have a swimming pool where guests can cool off.
The Lodge is fairly primitive but comes with all the basics. Accommodation is provided in dongers - a Far North Queensland term for a portable aluminum shed - most of which are air-conditioned.
Guests can eat their catch in the open air dining area. Remember, this is XXXX country so if you have an aversion to that particular brew, you can always bring your own.
HOW TO GET THERE: Dorunda Lodge has an airstrip catering for charter flights but it is also accessible by car (preferably a four wheel drive vehicle) during the dry months. During the wet season, many of the surrounding roads are impassable.
COST: $150 a room (two beds) which includes three meals, half a day's fishing in a boat with fishing gear and tour.
Drive through tourists can camp on the station for $10 a day and fish at no extra charge. Evening meals cost $25.
BOOKINGS: Contact Dorunda Lodge on 077 453 477 (correct: 077 453 477).
© 1995 Sun Herald
