They were the undisputed king and queen of TV quiz shows in the 1970s, hosting smash hits Temptation and The Great Temptation.
Fast-forward almost half a century and Tony Barber may have gone silver, but he still has that trademark twinkle in his eye, and Barbie Rogers is every bit as glamorous as she ever was.
“We’re a pair of motormouths, that’s why we’ve gotten on so famously,” smiles Barbie, 75.
“It is so good seeing you, Barb, you haven’t changed a bit, still as beautiful as ever,” beams Tony, 78, giving his TV queen a huge hug and kiss.
“And you’ve barely changed, either, Tone, except your hair is grey. Very dashing. I always thought you’d make a great James Bond!”
Tony Barber and Barbie Rogers in 1970
Tony says they last shared a laugh at the taping of his This Is Your Life in 2006, but before that unexpected reunion, it had been decades between drinks for TV’s best-loved game show couple.
“When The Great Temptation was axed in 1975, I upped stumps and went to lick my wounds in Perth,” explains Tony, adding, “Barbie was living in Sydney, and we were both busy with young families. We just drifted apart.”
For Tony and Barbie, the iconic daytime quiz show Temptation and its primetime spinoff The Great Temptation transformed them into Logie award-winning TV royalty.
“I’d been working in advertising, and had cheekily cast myself in the now famous Cambridge cigarettes TV commercial,” Tony says, recalling his big break.
Tony and Barbie in 2006
“TV chief Bruce Gyngell called and said he wanted the guy in the Cambridge ad to host Temptation. It was 1970, and I was over the moon to be earning $25 a show.”
Tony went on to host more than 8500 hours of TV, including an 11-year stint on Sale Of The Century, which was a remake of The Great Temptation.
Barbie, who made her TV game show debut in the 1950s as a model on Reg Grundy’s Wheel Of Fortune, says she and Tony clicked immediately.
“He was always so bubbly and cheerful. His vigour could exhaust a racehorse!” she laughs.
Barbie says she will be forever grateful to Tony for saving her career after keeping her breakdown a secret from everyone – including their bosses.
SUPPORTIVE FRIEND
“We were doing a series of live shows when I found out I’d been adopted and suffered a mental breakdown,” she says. “I collapsed backstage in Brisbane. Tony covered for me.”
Barbie, who has two daughters and is a grandmother-of-four, says Tony feared she would get fired if the TV executives found out about her illness.
The Great Temptation survived Barbie’s breakdown but was axed because the network put the show up against groundbreaking sex and sin soapie Number 96.
“It was a foolish decision. We were a family-friendly show and, frankly, how can you compete with Abigail’s bare backside?”
Tony laughs.
In 1980, Tony returned to our TV screens and became an even bigger star hosting Sale Of The Century, while Barbie went on to host her own midday movie show and appeared on Beauty And The Beast.
“We’ve both endured rollercoaster private lives,” concedes Barbie, who eventually found love and happiness with ex-wharfie Neville Freney.
“My first marriage became a disaster. I’ve battled cancer, strokes and diabetes. Despite some dark times, I had the amazing fortune to meet a wonderful man at a singles night. We’ve been together 30 years.”
Tony also experienced a personal tragedy when in 2010 his beloved wife of 40 years, Helen, died after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
“It was an awful time. But, as fate would have it, I fell in love with Kisti – the widow of one of my best friends,” says the proud dad of two daughters.
Seeing Tony and Barbie together again it’s obvious they still have the magic, so could they be tempted with a TV comeback?
“Someone once said, you never really retire in showbiz, so I’d give it a go,” declares Tony, before Barbie adds: “It’d have to be taped, because since my strokes I sometimes have no control over what I say. We could find ourselves in serious strife!”
