In this week’s Newsmakers Revisited, we look back on a game show host who slid onto New Zealand screens and into our hearts in the late 1980s.
Steve Parr hosted ratings juggernaut Sale of the Century alongside Jude Kirk.
“We had 1.3 million people watching every night, which for a country of three million was absolutely stunning,” he told 1News presenter Melissa Stokes.
“Starting with Wheel of Fortune, followed by the news, followed by Paul Holmes, followed by Sale of the Century – that blockbuster two hours was – you could not compete against it.”
The show had contestants answer trivia questions to earn money. Once per round, the highest-scoring player was given the chance to shop for items at reduced prices – and be in to win the ‘star prize’.
“I probably got more of a thrill than a lot of the contestants. They were in a bit of a state of shock, but you know, I felt really good. I felt like Father Christmas.”
The show ran on TVNZ from 1989 to 1993 with thousands of episodes – but Parr said the switch from radio to TV wasn’t always smooth sailing.
“It’s just a weird experience. Your privacy has gone out the window,” he said.
“We had people, once they knew where we lived – which wasn’t hard to find, Tauranga’s not that big a place – coming down the driveway and peering in through the windows.”
Parr said while it “just happened a few times”, it was “enough for us to start protecting our privacy a lot more”.
“Having said that, it was one of the joys of doing Sale was being recognised ’cause I’ve been on the radio, right? So, it was interesting walking down the street and people would just say, ‘G’day’.”
Parr said he was hit hard after the show ended in 1993.
“I was gutted. You’ve also got to realise, and in hindsight, I had an ego the size of a horse. But anybody that has a big ego, they’re also very fragile. And it cut me to the bone.”
He said it took years for him to “get over it”.
“I was a right prick, to be honest, for the next three years trying to get back into radio and doing stupid things. You know, just totally irresponsible things which meant that I didn’t hang on to the radio jobs very long. Totally stuffed it up. I was drinking on air – and that’s one of the reasons I got out of the television and radio industry almost completely.
“I felt that I’d not only let the public down with my performances on radio, but I let myself down quite a lot.”
Newsmakers revisited: Steve Parr on success, struggle and second chances – Watch on TVNZ+
Parr said a fresh start in Australia was “the best thing to do”.
While he looked back on his later actions with regret, Parr said he had fond memories of the show.
“It was the most remarkable, remarkable time of my life and time in Television New Zealand history as well.”
