Thomson, Graeme

Some dinkum red-necks I know find Graeme Thomson a bit hard to take. They regard his ultra-neat dress and urbane manner a bit dandified for comfort and his speech 'orribly Oxford.

They would be in the minority.

His devotees abound and don't hesitate to bellow if he's offscreen for more than a week or two. Several surveys have marked him viewers' favourite television personality.

A correspondent, "Smiling", in his or her letter of not many moons ago to the "Evening Post", summed up this feeling for many viewers.

"I want to say how much we appreciate Graeme Thomson when he appears on television. It is really good to see his cheery smile and hear his wit. He makes us feel that he is glad to see us, and we certainly are glad to see him. He produces many a chuckle from us. Thanks Graeme-don't go away. We need you!"

Graeme is currently wowing 'em on "Sunday's World" for Television One, though his main commitment to broadcasting is on the radio.

But it was an "accident of fate" that he got into broadcasting at all.

After "bombing out" of university in Auckland, he tried retailing and working in a solicitor's office. He then found himself in Wellington with two NZBC flatmates and veteran radio personality John Gordon as a next door neighbour, and decided to audition.

The next five years were spent in radio announcing. His introduction to television was by reading the weather, and gradually he reached "Newsview", where he stayed as front-man and occasional reporter until November, 1974.

"Television is intensely frightening, initially," he says. "It is even frightening frightening, initially. It is even frightening when you get back after a long holiday."
But he is not really frightened of his audience any longer.

They still act as a constant check, though, ringing him up on his off nights to tell him his pauses were too long or he had made too many "umms" and "aahs".

But many of Graeme Thomson's viewers are less concerned with his enunciation, and more with his personal appearance. he received one night when he appeared concealed. behind a freshly-grown beard.

"One can ignore anonymous letters and a certain amount of phone calls. But one or two women wrote personal, pleading letters, saying how they loved to listen to my voice but could not watch me on the screen because of the beard."

He has long since shaved it off but still stands by his decision to grow one in the first place.

"Every man should grow a beard at some stage," he said.

There was a small flurry of letters in newspaper columns a couple of years ago when he started wearing his striped jacket on the Miss Wellington interviews, but he received only one letter.

The stripes were purple, and the reason he bought it was he thought he really needed something new for the series of interviews.

My only clothing criticism has been over that loud Miss Wellington jacket. Maybe I do dress down a little, and am too casual. But I was very glad of it. It was flamboyant, I love it," he said with a grin.