Don’t be ridiculous! The Prince of Polyester turns 40
Forty years of laughs later, Bob Downe’s safari suit, wig and blinding smile are as iconic as his comedy, which is cause to celebrate with a national tour.
It’s been 40 years since Bob Downe first donned a safari suit and shimmed his way across stage with a smile that could blind the first three rows.
Time has been kind to Bob and his multi-talented creator, Mark Trevorrow, who is setting out on a national tour with his show Bob Downe: Choose Bob – 40 Ridiculous Years. It will celebrate all things Bob – the whip-smart comedy, the singalongs, the suits, the teeth!
“Bob was born in a sketch co-written with my pal Cathy Armstrong when we were working at Caffe Troppo in Glebe in 1984,” Trevorrow explains, adding that the character’s origins were as a sendup of celebrity interviews on television’s Entertainment This Week.
“Cathy played the burnt-out starlet and I played the unctuous shop dummy interviewer.”
Trevorrow needed a name and, on the spot, came up with Bob Downe.
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“It was Bob that audiences warmed to,” Trevorrow says. “They made me realise he was the character to develop. Lucky for me a producer from the ABC Radio comedy unit was in the crowd and immediately offered us work!”
When it came to finding Bob’s unique fashion sense, Trevorrow had a very clear vision for the character right from the beginning.
“The wig happened because at the time I was sporting a magnificent ’80s mullet and in order to look like a generic TV host I decided to pile my own hair under a short blond wig which, of course, became the signature of the character. The clothes were as bland as I could find them, the songs chose themselves and the teeth were my own.”
Bob’s fame quickly grew around Australia but went stratospheric when Trevorrow debuted the character in the UK.
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“The response from audiences was immediate and huge, from the moment Richard Fidler (of the Doug Anthony All Stars) literally pushed me onto the stage of the Edinburgh Fringe Club in 1988.”
It was the beginning of a 10-year love affair between Bob and English audiences, which Trevorrow looks back on fondly.
“I’d love to return to the UK for just one more tour,” he says. “I’ll always treasure my decade in London, where I did much more TV than I’ve ever managed to do here! I miss British audiences, their sharpness, humour and love of a singalong. But being settled in Sydney, married with two schnauzers, makes the overseas touring life virtually impossible.”
One the most enduring qualities of Bob Downe as a character is his wide appeal – he’s as comfortable hosting Mardi Gras as he is doing a residency on a family boat cruise or singing up a storm in an RSL.
“I think people just love a bit of clowning mixed with sharp standup and well-chosen classic songs!” Trevorrow says. “Bob is basically me as a show-off eight-year-old doing little numbers for the family … which, let’s face it, is a pretty universal experience, whether you were the audience or the featured performer!”
Despite the good times, Trevorrow has decided that the new tour will not simply be a walk down memory lane.
“It’s a brand-new show with 30 classic ’80s bangers and power ballads that I’ve never sung on stage before. Well, one or two perhaps, but not for decades! There’ll be T-shirts too. Bangers and Merch!”
What more could you ask for from the ageless Prince of Polyester?
Bob Downe: Choose Bob – 40 Ridiculous Years! plays Brisbane Powerhouse, April 25-27; bobdowne.com