Prolific ABC favourite Andrew Denton, who has been a fond presence on our screens for over two decades—both in front of the camera and behind—has announced his retirement from the TV game, selling out his share of the recently merged company, Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder.
Denton leaves behind an impressive legacy, with a career that has provided a profound impact on Australian television. Zapruder’s Other Films, the production company Denton founded 13 years ago, produced a wealth of memorable shows that have defined quality Australian programming in the past decade. Zapruder’s interview show, Enough Rope solidified Denton as a household name, and Denton is perhaps most responsible for kick-starting the Chaser boy’s illustrious career with the ABC by starting their program, CNNNN. Zapruder has also introduced us to the intense drama of Todd Sampson (and his shirts) v. Russel Howcroft in the Gruen Transfer shows and its respective branches, and brought us the sadly short lived, but brilliant Hungry Beast.
The ever self-depreciating Denton said, “My measure of success, however, is not something that can be as easily seen from the outside. To watch talented people grow under the Zapruder banner has been a reward that outstrips the more public ones.”
Denton states that he will use his retirement to “stir his creative juices outside of television” and will be also taking a well-deserved break: “For the next little while at least, I am going to try my hand at being Australia’s most unlikely, least-laid-back, hippie.” And he’ll be the geekiest, most loveable hippie at that. Peace out, Denton.
