- Iconic comedian was at the height of his powers when Packer called
- Legendary late media proprietor tried to lure Vizard away from Seven
Australian comedy icon Steve Vizard has revealed he was forced to flee Kerry Packer’s Sydney mansion after the billionaire broadcaster tried to lure him to Channel 9.
Vizard had been at the height of his powers, juggling writing, producing and starring in hit comedy sketch show Fast Forward with hosting his own high-rating talk show, Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, when he got a call from the late media proprietor.
‘Halfway through 1990 I got a call from Kerry Packer saying come up to Sydney,’ Vizard told the Herald Sun’s Fiona Byrne.
After being flown to the harbour city, Vizard was met by a chauffeur at the airport and taken to Packer’s sprawling Bellevue Hill palace in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
‘I was thinking it would be a business meeting and when I walked in there was Kerry in a pair of shorts and he said, “Do you want to come and watch TV?”
‘We go into his den and he put his feet up on the coffee table, told the butler to bring in some sandwiches and we sat there drinking orange juice, watching and talking about tele.’
Steve Vizard was writing, producing and starring in Seven’s hit comedy series Fast Forward when he receiving an unexpected call from Kerry Packer asking him to fly to Sydney
The comedian was also fronting his own nightly talk show, Tonight Live with Steve Vizard
The 68-year-old said it took Packer about three hours before he finally cut to the chase and told the comedian why he was there.
‘He wanted me to come over to Channel 9,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘It got to about 5pm and I am thinking, “How am I going to get out of this? I don’t know where I am in Bellevue Hill, I don’t even know where the front door is.”
‘I was literally there for eight hours before I made my escape.
‘I found him incredibly amiable and very persuasive. He was incredibly charming and forceful too.’
Late billionaire Nine owner Kerry Packer wanted Vizard to join his stable of TV stars
Despite the entreaty, Vizard decided to stick it out with Seven before retiring from on-air roles altogether just three years later, explaining he wanted to spend more time with his family.
‘You get one chance with that stuff,’ he told the Herald Sun.
‘I was prepared to do the show three nights a week, but the network wanted four so we just stopped.’
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