If you ever needed proof that great comedy doesn’t require big budgets – just a sharp idea and perfect timing – The Olden Days is it.
A standout segment from The Late Show, this brilliantly absurd series took footage from Rush, a straight-faced black-and-white historical drama produced by the ABC in the 1970s, and completely turned it on its head. Instead of filming something new, the cast simply overdubbed the original scenes with entirely new dialogue. The result? A surreal, laugh-out-loud reimagining of Australian colonial drama that felt both familiar and completely ridiculous.
At the centre of it all was Tony Martin, who gave voice to the unforgettable Governor Frontbottom (as well as Judge Muttonchops) – a character whose name alone tells you everything about the tone of the segment. Alongside him, Mick Molloy brought his own chaotic energy as Sergeant Olden, originally portrayed by John Waters. Together, they transformed serious, dramatic performances into something delightfully nonsensical.
What made The Olden Days work so well was its contrast. The visuals remained earnest and grounded, straight out of a traditional historical series. But layered over the top was dialogue that veered into the absurd, the irreverent, and the completely unexpected. It’s that clash between tone and content that gave the segment its unique comedic edge.
Despite only appearing during the first season of The Late Show, The Olden Days left a lasting impression. It became one of those cult comedy pieces that fans would quote, revisit, and share long after its original broadcast. Eventually, the ABC released the segments together on VHS – now a relic in its own right – and later included them in the 2007 DVD collection The Late Show Presents Bargearse and The Olden Days, giving a new generation the chance to experience the chaos.
In a fitting nod to the original source material, actors Brendon Lunney and John Waters even made surprise appearances on The Late Show following the final episode of the segment—blurring the line between parody and the real thing in a way that perfectly matched the spirit of the series.
Looking back, The Olden Days is a reminder of how inventive Australian comedy can be. It didn’t just parody history – it hijacked it, rewrote it, and made it undeniably its own.
The Olden Days The Late Show Presents – VHS
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