For 30 years Benita was a regular on the popular children’s program Play School, and now she joins Afternoons with 4BC host Sofie Formica to discuss highlights of her television career.
In 1969, Benita Collings landed a presenting stint on the Australian children’s television staple, Play School, and 30 years later she solidified a record as one of the longest-serving presenters for the program ever.
Frequently presenting alongside John Hamblin, her time on Play School saw her educating children by singing songs, making crafts, reading stories and famously playing with toys such as Big Ted, Humpty Dumpty and Jemima.
Speaking with Sofie Formica on the Afternoons with 4BC radio show on Thursday, Benita talks about some of the memories she has of the program, being recognised to this day in public, and how she managed her introversion in showbiz.
Benita told Sofie about her original audition for Play School, and how she actually failed it immediately.
She said:
“It’s a very embarrassing story – I didn’t know my lines, I didn’t learn them well enough. I goofed, that’s it! But apparently on the strength of my story-telling, they gave me a second chance a couple of years later. And do you think I knew my script? Yes!”
Sofie questioned Benita about the memories she carries after 30 years in the role, with Benita drawing attention to the presenters she shared the screen with.
“I really enjoyed each of the presenters, the male presenters that I worked with, and I’m not just saying this to be nice, they were really a terrific bunch. And so we all got on, and that made life much easier, of course, if you like your co-presenter and so on.”
Sofie brought up Benita’s time on the soap-opera The Restless Years in light of the news Neighbours is due to end in 2022.
Sofie said:
“Now we’ve been talking over the last few months about the fact we’re saying goodbye to Neighbours, a great training ground for young actors, as was The Restless Years, there were so many fabulous Australian actors that were a part of that program.”
Benita replied:
“Oh gosh, yes. And that’s going back a long time, The Restless Years. That was a terrific show at that time for me to be in. I learnt a lot, the cast and crew were terrific. So as an actress… you just learnt by being with those other people who had more knowledge or more talent than you did. And that was a great thing.”
Asked about if she is recognised in public, Benita admitted she is an introvert who sometimes “freaked” when people came up to her, revealing one time she told someone she was a twin sister.
“To be suddenly recognised was terrifying!”
Sofie and Benita also discussed whether she still has a passion for entertainment and acting.
Benita said:
“Oh yes [I do have a passion]. However, I have reached an age where, as I always say, not many roles for women my age. And that’s fine, you know that’s how it goes.”
Now, Benita is a casual tutor in TV presenting techniques at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA), where is she still often recognised.
You can listen to Sofie’s full chat with Benita as well as her Thursday Afternoons show here. More information about Benita’s career can be found in this week’s edition of Woman’s Day.
