Frank Torley is a Kiwi television legend. Forever known as that Country Calendar guy – he has variously narrated, directed, produced, and reported for the show, for more than 40 years. But Torley hasn’t always been Mr Rural.

He has also spent time as a newsreader, Top Town presenter, documentary maker (including an early doco on Aids), and spent time in religious programmes.

In this ScreenTalk interview, Torley talks about:

• breaking into radio as a rural broadcaster, during his Mark III Zephyr/slouch hat period
• the joys of producing Country Calendar (starting in 1982), and offering a front window into farming for the common man
• the origins of Country Calendar’s spoofs, and contributions by cartoonist Burton Silver
• the early Country Calendar producer who kept offending those being interviewed
• the nail-biting dog versus sheep tension that was A Dog’s Show, thanks to host John Gordon – plus the show’s premature death
• being compared to a startled rabbit, while newsreading for the newly reborn TV One
• handling birth scenes for documentary From Here to Maternity
• the days when ratings weren’t so important
• to retire – or not to retire

This video is available on YouTube to embed and distribute via a Creative Commons licence.

NZ On Screen: Direction and Interview - Ian Pryor. Camera and Editing - Alex Backhouse