Ray Martin (1985–1993) Leading Mike Walsh's resignation from
The Mike Walsh Show,
Ray Martin was appointed as his successor in 1985, despite being known primarily as a journalist from
60 Minutes. The program was re-titled to
The Midday Show with Ray Martin, which was later shortened to
Midday with Ray Martin, and finally
Ray Martin at Midday in 1993. Although Martin was seen as a shock choice at the time of his appointment, he soon became increasingly popular with viewers. During his time on the show, a highly publicised on-air scuffle took place in 1991 between former pop idol
Normie Rowe and radio personality
Ron Casey. While Martin was at the helm, members of the
Midday on-camera team included musical director
Geoff Harvey; comedians Graham Pugh,
Ross Daniels, Ewan Campbell; trumpeter Bob Bouffler; and pre
Big Brother presenter
Gretel Killeen. Ray Martin remained as host until late 1993, when he was moved to replace
Mike Willesee as host of
A Current Affair, which had seen a ratings decline over the previous year. Martin ended up being a popular host on the show. He won the
Gold Logie for his role 3 times – in 1987, 1993 and 1994. He was nominated for the award in 1986, 1990, 1991 and 1992.
Jean Stafford was a regular on
Midday with Ray Martin from 1986 to 1993 with over 47 performances.
Derryn Hinch (1994) Following Martin's departure to
A Current Affair,
Derryn Hinch was appointed as host shortly after being sacked from his self-titled current affairs program on the
Ten Network. The show effectively reverted partially to its old title by becoming
Midday With Derryn Hinch. Hinch's appointment was seen by many as a shock decision, as he had previously been known as a hard-hitting, outspoken personality. Many were therefore surprised to see him showing a softer side in his role as
Midday host. Gradually-declining ratings over previous years saw the show axed at the end of 1994 (Hinch had offered to resign for the good of the show, but stated in interviews that Nine Network executives made it clear that it was the
show that was being axed rather than the
host).
Tracy Grimshaw and David Reyne (1995) Following the announcement of the program's axing at the end of 1994, it had been stated that the show would be replaced by a new talk program. After a six-month absence, a lower-budget hour-long program using the
Midday title began. In its new form, the show had a more generic feel to it, with no live band and none of the loose "variety show" feeling of the program in its previous incarnation. After the network had considered a number of personalities for the hosting job including
Larry Emdur,
Richard Wilkins and
Monte Dwyer, it was announced that
Tracy Grimshaw and
David Reyne were to be the co-hosts of this version. However, only six months later the program was again reformatted, effectively making it more reminiscent of the Mike Walsh/Ray Martin eras.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley (1996–1998) In 1996,
Kerri-Anne Kennerley was appointed to the new incarnation of the show, with the title becoming
Midday with Kerri-Anne. Geoff Harvey re-joined the show from a period of semi-retirement, albeit with a streamlined, six-piece band and not the full orchestra the show had had in previous days. Initially, Kerri-Anne caused a resurgence in ratings, with her enthusiasm and her tendency to physically interact with guests (i.e. doing dance steps with dancers, attempting to play the respective sports of sporting personalities) rather than confining herself to sit-down interviews. Howard, who was deputy opposition leader at the time, was the network's second choice after initially approaching opposition leader and Liberal Party leader
Andrew Peacock who declined the invitation to host the show. Howard is believed to have chosen his own guests which included political journalists
Richard Carleton and
Laurie Oakes, cricketer
Bill O'Reilly and actress
Carmen Duncan. ==Awards==