Latest news with #YouandMe
The Spinoff
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘I was a great big doofus': Suzy Cato on the joy of making 90s kids TV
The beloved children's TV presenter takes us through her life in television. Ask a certain generation of New Zealanders about their childhood, and they'll reply with two words: Suzy Cato. Since the early 1990s, Cato has been a warm and colourful presence on our television screens, when she began hosting The Early Bird Show and 3pm on new channel TV3. She went on to entertain preschoolers every afternoon on You and Me (wearing a classic 90s Kosmik sweatshirt and singing the iconic 'see you, see you later' farewell song), and taught us all about how poop gets made in the science discovery series Suzy's World. In more recent years, Cato appeared on reality TV shows like The Masked Singer NZ and Dancing with the Stars NZ, and acted in the film Red, White and Blue. But whether she's reassuring the nation's children through lockdowns or cheering us up with catchy tunes like ' Sprinkle a Little Sunshine ', one thing hasn't changed: Cato loves engaging with New Zealand kids. Her 35 years of dedication was acknowledged in the most recent King's Birthday Honours, where she was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to music, education and television. The legacy of Cato's early work lives on, with the original fans of You and Me now bringing their own children to Cato's concerts and old episodes pulling in hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Cato says it's an honour to be remembered so fondly by fans of You and Me, which ran for over 2,000 episodes. 'Everybody involved in that programme just delights in the fact that it is still in the hearts and the minds and the DNA, basically, of so many people throughout New Zealand.' Cato's latest project is Suzy & Friends, a weekly kids' podcast on RNZ where she and co-host Trevor Plant share songs, stories and adventures with listeners across the motu. Cato calls it 'theatre of the mind', encouraging children to think about the world around them while enjoying a healthy dose of silliness and fun. As always, Cato loves connecting with her audience who email her jokes, facts and ideas for the podcast. 'Often their thoughts are quite outlandish and wonderful, but you get to see inside a child's head. It's just marvellous.' What's also marvellous is Cato's long and colourful life in television. It's our time, our special time of day, to ask Cato some outlandish questions of our own about those Dancing with the Stars NZ leather pants, her earliest TV crushes, and why she loved being a great big doofus. My earliest TV memory is… The passing of prime minister Norman Kirk. It was on black and white television, and the whole family was gathered around. I remember it just being such a sombre event. The TV shows I loved as a child were… Nice One – Stu Dennison was so funny and self deprecating, and never put anybody else down. Vision On was made in England, primarily for deaf viewers. It was full of sign language and so calm and engaging. It was all about creativity and had lots of stop frame animation, buttons dancing around the page and forming different patterns. It was fascinating, and pops into my mind quite often. My earliest TV crush was… Probably John and Ponch from Chips, or the guys from The Dukes of Hazzard, or there was something sweet about John Boy from The Waltons. My most pivotal TV moment is… The first time we got a letter asking for assistance with something happening to a child that the child did not like at all. I was 21, I was being paid to have fun, I was linking cartoons together on The Early Bird Show and 3pm. Crikey, the realisation that somebody put that much faith and trust into me – I found it way too overwhelming. I handed in my resignation, and they wouldn't accept it. They said, 'look, stay with us and help us reach these kids'. Then TV3 had a big changeover and the shows that I was a part of were let go. When I came to audition for You and Me, a lot of people said to me, 'what are you doing? It's a preschool programme, it's a backward step.' But for me, the values, honesty and clarity of the programme were just so strong. We would educate by way of osmosis, without kids even realising that they were being taught anything. They were there to have fun. With Suzy's World, it was for me to be a great big doofus and make all the mistakes, while they were learning things. The biggest inspiration for me on children's TV was… Catherine McPherson from What Now. She's the person somebody who could really connect with the viewer. She was so down to earth and so real. When all the other presenters around her were just larger than life, and in all the chaos of the studio, she would almost roll her eyes and then look back at the camera and carry on the conversation with you. You felt like you were there. The TV ad I can't stop thinking about… [Cato begins to sing] 'Hugo said, you go, and I said, No, you go'. It was for KFC, with the family bumping along in a car. My favourite moment from my own career is… There's so many, but most of them are off screen when you're meeting real-life friends of the show. Back in the day with You and Me, you'd do a live show and then a photograph opportunity, and you would have mum and dad in the queue, with a child. The child would come up and give you just the biggest hug, because you are a part of their family. Now viewers that used to watch You and Me and Suzy's World are having children of their own. My enduring memory of The Masked Singer is… My goodness, it was like being a spy. Your face was covered. You weren't allowed to speak outside of the trailer that you were in, you had to whisper, and then you snuck in, fully masked. Nobody could know who you were. You had to drop your car off and then be picked up in an unmarked vehicle and driven across the city. It was so cool. You had to try not to wear clothing that would be recognisable as you, so I dug into my daughter's wardrobe and managed to find clothes to get me in there. My favourite TV project was… You and Me. I got to fly down to Dunedin for two weeks every month and focus on nothing but You and Me. That was so special, because it really deserved that focus. The writers and directors were all preschool trained, so they had such awareness of what was required. It was so much fun. Dancing with the Stars NZ was life-changing because… It scared me from the moment I stepped into that black leather outfit to do the dance off in the opening titles. To allow myself that opportunity to be seen like that, and the hair and the makeup and the glitz – I just loved every minute of it. To be a woman heading into her 50s, who actually had to start walking before she could start her dance training because she had no fitness whatsoever, I felt like I was representing real New Zealand. My controversial TV opinion is… There should be a dedicated channel for kids. New Zealand on Air is doing some great mahi, but we need a dedicated channel like Kidzone, which wasn't connected to YouTube. It was destination viewing, with quality programming and within hours that kids should be up and viewing. We need as much Kiwi content as possible, that reflects them and their peers, as opposed to all the attitudes and the behaviours that we see from international programming. The show I'll never watch, no matter how many people tell me to is… I attempted to watch Game of Thrones, but every time I walked into the room while my husband was watching it, I was like 'ugh, that's gross'. The last thing I watched on television was… Endangered Species Aotearoa. It's that wonderful documentary with the comedian Pax Assadi and the fabulous Nicola Toki from Forest and Bird. It's brilliant. It's not sugar coating it, but it is giving you hope, and it's so beautifully shot as well.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Edinburgh Traitors winner makes huge life choice after 'fallout' with co-host
Edinburgh winner of The Traitors Meryl Williams is making a big change as it's 'time for a new adventure'. Meryl, 28, was one of three winners on the first season of the BBC show, has shared with fans that she's moving to London. This comes after a 'fallout' with her You and Me podcast co-host Erica Roberts, star of Married at First Sight. The duo launched the podcast back in September, though it came an abrupt end recently with Erica adding: "If there's no friendship, there's no podcast." READ MORE: Edinburgh snooker legend's wife was 'devastated' when he moved on with actress 19 years younger READ MORE: Edinburgh killer who murdered dad in broad daylight near Omni Centre jailed for life Sharing the news on social media, Meryl said: "Time for our next adventure... London here we come." One fan commented: "Aw good luck! Wishing you all the best." Another added: "So proud of you, all the best on your new adventure." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Erica was first to speak out after their podcast came to an end. She said: "I'm absolutely gutted things with the podcast have ended this way and it was something I never wanted or expected to happen. "It's sad losing someone you thought was going to be a best friend for life and I loved the friendship we built together but unfortunately we are both on different paths now and I wish Meryl all the best on her move to London." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Last year, the pair formed a close bond and shared glimpses into their friendship on social media with days out, nights out and even weekends and holidays away together. When they launched the podcast the famous duo said it would give an insight into their "one of a kind" friendship and their "wonderful lives together". Erica has said she's keen to return to teaching dance, which she's been doing for many years. It's unclear what Meryl is doing next with her career.
Edinburgh Live
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Traitors winner makes huge life choice after 'fallout' with co-host
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Edinburgh winner of The Traitors Meryl Williams is making a big change as it's 'time for a new adventure'. Meryl, 28, was one of three winners on the first season of the BBC show, has shared with fans that she's moving to London. This comes after a 'fallout' with her You and Me podcast co-host Erica Roberts, star of Married at First Sight. The duo launched the podcast back in September, though it came an abrupt end recently with Erica adding: "If there's no friendship, there's no podcast." Sharing the news on social media, Meryl said: "Time for our next adventure... London here we come." One fan commented: "Aw good luck! Wishing you all the best." Another added: "So proud of you, all the best on your new adventure." Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox Erica was first to speak out after their podcast came to an end. She said: "I'm absolutely gutted things with the podcast have ended this way and it was something I never wanted or expected to happen. "It's sad losing someone you thought was going to be a best friend for life and I loved the friendship we built together but unfortunately we are both on different paths now and I wish Meryl all the best on her move to London." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Last year, the pair formed a close bond and shared glimpses into their friendship on social media with days out, nights out and even weekends and holidays away together. When they launched the podcast the famous duo said it would give an insight into their "one of a kind" friendship and their "wonderful lives together". Erica has said she's keen to return to teaching dance, which she's been doing for many years. It's unclear what Meryl is doing next with her career.
Edinburgh Live
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh MAFS star Erica speaks out after 'fallout' with Traitors winner Meryl
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Edinburgh Married at First Sight star Erica Roberts has spoken on her 'falling out' with podcast co-host and friend Meryl Williams. The duo launched podcast You and Me at the end of last year, allowing fans to 'see a different side' of them. However, the podcast came to an abrupt end with fans left in the dark. They've kept quiet over what happened between the former best friends, though Erica has now opened up, adding: "If there's no friendship, there's no podcast." Speaking with the Daily Record, Erica said: "I'm absolutely gutted things with the podcast have ended this way and it was something I never wanted or expected to happen. "It's sad losing someone you thought was going to be a best friend for life and I loved the friendship we built together but unfortunately we are both on different paths now and I wish Meryl all the best on her move to London." Last year, the pair formed a close bond and shared glimpses into their friendship on social media with days out, nights out and even weekends and holidays away together. When they launched the podcast in September 2024, the famous duo said it would give an insight into their "one of a kind" friendship and their "wonderful lives together". But when Erica was questioned by a fan on social media who appeared irritated that there had been no updates on the podcast, she shed light on the situation claiming "a lot had happened". One fan asked: "Are you going to address the podcast and what's happening with that?" Sign up for Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox They added: "Some people paid for extra content and are not getting any?" They highlighted the fact that people who subscribed to a Patreon page for their podcast had access to exclusive content that was not accessible via the free version. Responding on TikTok to her 146,000 followers, Erica addressed the issue and said: "I'm going to address this, purely for the sake of the podcast. There's a lot that's happened, there's a lot that's gone on. "I don't want to speak bad on anyone so I'm not going to go into that. But I just want to let you guys know that there is currently no longer a podcast. "I'm sorry that we haven't addressed it sooner. I don't think either of us know how to navigate the situations." Erica continued: "On behalf of me, I'm so sorry that it's taking this long. We were both kind of unsure about what as happening and if there was still going to be a podcast but now we're pretty definitely sure that there isn't going to be a podcast anymore. If there's no friendship, there's no podcast." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Responding to those who had paid for exclusive content, Erica claimed that she had no access to the paid subscription site which was handled by Meryl. She said: "I understand people were paying for extra content as well that was on Patreon. I don't actually deal with that, all the Patreon and stuff was Meryl, she was dealing with that. "So maybe give her a message and see if she can help because I don't have any of the details to log into that, I genuinely know nothing about it. She has all of that." But Erica explained she was "gutted" by the breakdown of their friendship which she had "cherished". A representative for Meryl Williams was approached for comment, but didn't respond.
Daily Record
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
MAFS' Erica Roberts opens up on reason for fall out with Traitors winner Meryl Williams after quitting podcast
Married at First Sight star Erica Roberts revealed she is 'gutted' following her fallout with Meryl Williams and subsequent axe of their podcast You and Me which has left fans baffled. Scottish reality star Erica Roberts has broken her silence on the axe of her podcast which she co-hosted with Traitors star Meryl Williams. Fans were left baffled after the pair have fallen out, as confirmed this week. Although Erica, who shot to fame on MAFS UK, has remained tight lipped about what really happened between the once inseperable pair, she hinted to fans in a TikTok video that all is not as "black and white" as it seemed. She has now broken her silence in a response following the social media update. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Record, Erica said: "I'm absolutely gutted things with the podcast have ended this way and it was something I never wanted or expected to happen. "It's sad losing someone you thought was going to be a best friend for life and I loved the friendship we'd build together but unfortunately we are both on different paths now and I wish Meryl all the best on her move to London." Last year, the pair formed a close bond and even shared glimpses into their friendship on social media with days out, nights out and even weekends and holidays away together. Last year, they said their podcast would give an insight into their "one of a kind" friendship and their "wonderful lives together." But when Erica was questioned by a fan on social media who appeared irritated that there had been no updates on the podcast, she shed light on the situation admitting "a lot had happened." One fan asked: "Are you going to address the podcast and what's happening with that?" They added: "Some people paid for extra content and are not getting any?" Noting that people who subscribed to a Patreon page for their podcast had access to exclusive content that was not accessible via the free version of the podcast. Responding on TikTok to her 146,000 followers, Erica addressed the issue and said: "I'm going to address this, purely for the sake of the podcast. There's a lot that's happened, there's a lot that's gone on. "I don't want to speak bad on anyone so I'm not going to go into that. But I just want to let you guys know that there is currently no longer a podcast. I'm sorry that we haven't addressed it sooner. I don't think either of us know how to navigate the situations." Erica continued: "On behalf of me, I'm so sorry that it's taking this long. We were both kind of unsure about what as happening and if there was still going to be a podcast but now we're pretty definitely sure that there isn't going to be a podcast anymore. If there's no friendship, there's no podcast." Responding to those who had paid for exclusive content, Erica claimed that she had no access to the paid subscription site which was handled by Meryl. She said: "I understand people were paying for extra content as well that was on Patreon. I don't actually deal with that, all the Patreon and stuff was Meryl, she was dealing with that. "So maybe give her a message and see if she can help because I don't have any of the details to log into that, I genuinely know nothing about it. She has all of that." But Erica explained she was "gutted" by the breakdown of their friendship which she had "cherished". A representative for Meryl Williams was approached, but didn't respond.
