Simon Christie admits he got into the television business just to get cool stuff for free. The producer and presenter of Channel 31’s 4WD TV – currently celebrating its 400th episode – has long been obsessed with off-road vehicles.
Looking for sponsors to counter his “tight-arse” tendencies, he found 4WD companies responded with great enthusiasm to the idea of a TV show. He and his wife set about making it happen, even if they had no idea what they were doing.
“We started as a husband-and-wife team who had never held a video camera, let alone a microphone. When we got the go-ahead from the TV station, my wife and I looked at each other and said, ‘Hell, we don’t even own a camera’.”
Six months later, having spent $400 on a handheld camera, the couple won awards for best new producer and most popular program on the community TV network.
Since then, shows dedicated to 4WD racing and adventuring have popped up all over the television landscape. All 4 Adventure has proven a hit for Channel 7, while 4WD Action recently made a splash on Foxtel.
Christie puts this success down to the star vehicle’s broad appeal. “You’ve got grey nomads who want to travel around Australia, you’ve got young guns full of testosterone who want to see cars rolling over and you’ve got young families,’’ he says.
“The opportunity to escape our daily lives and have some adventure is part of the backbone of what made Australia what it is, and the 4WD has become the ideal platform to get us out there.”
4WD TV – one of three 4WD-related shows Christie now produces (the others are Simon Christie’s 4WD Pro Tips and Your 4X4) – now has a million-dollar budget. Catering to its diverse audience, each episode features a mix of travelogue and motorsport stunts, but Christie is keen to stress he’s more interested in education than sheer entertainment.
He’s well aware of the bad reputation some 4WD enthusiasts have.
“There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing, but we are in the public eye,” he says. “We’re the caretakers and the custodians of the bush. We spend a lot longer out there than most people. We’re the true greenies.”
This is a viewpoint shared by John Rooth, recently retired host of 4WD Action. Rooth’s Unlock Australia group is dedicated to reopening “locked off” national parks to responsible drivers. However, he admits programs such as his haven’t always encouraged responsibility.
“I love flat-out action, but it doesn’t work too well with the Unlock Australia ethos. We want to go out there and have a great time, but not destroy the country in the process.”
Christie sees the daredevil action as an essential element of his show, if only because it allows him to speak directly to the drivers who most need education.
“The motorsport is there to attract the less desirable components of the 4WD community and, once we’ve got them in, we can then send a clear message of acting responsibly. If we don’t maintain the bush, if we don’t keep it pristine, then tracks get closed and we get shut out. It’s the end of something that we love.”
4wd tv is on C31 on Thursdays 7pm and Saturdays 6pm. , or .
