Logies 2024: Larry Emdur breaks through for Gold Logie as Boy Swallows Universe dominates and Raygun makes a surprise cameo— as it happened

A sweet end to a lovely, long, long night.

In his Gold Logie speech, Larry Emdur admitted to having moments of self-doubt, but concluded that what mattered was the shows he works on, including 17 years on The Morning Show.

And he said he’s still taking his dad’s advice for working in the industry: “Just be nice to everyone.”

He joked that he’s “Australia’s dirty old grandpa” and said he’s had the other nominees’ names sewed into the suit he’s wearing tonight.

“In 30 years time when I’m at the Shady Pines nursing home and I’m calling bingo…. I want to remember this night,” he says.

And he referenced the rhyming slang for going on a bender, going on a Larry Emdur: “Let’s get on a Larry Emdur everyone,” he said.

And we will, Larry, we will (if they let us into the afterparty).

Folks, we’ve made it to the finish line. I’m so proud of us. Aren’t you proud of me?

The Gold Logie was presented to Larry Emdur by four-time winner Lisa McCune.

And boy does he seem chuffed.

“40 years I’ve been in this business…. [At past Logies I’d] wonder what it’s like sitting on this fancy table down here,” he said in his speech.

Earlier in the week, Emdur said he would get his fellow nominees’ initials tattooed on his bum live on air if he won (he didn’t think he’d win).

“We’ll see you on The Morning Show tomorrow, right? … Looks like I’ll be doing squats all night,” he said.

“I love this business so much. I love being in TV. I love being on TV.

“I’ve never done anything else and i’ve never wanted to do anything else.”

• Tony Armstrong
• WINNER: Larry Emdur
• Robert Irwin
• Asher Keddie
• Sonia Kruger
• Andy Lee
• Julia Morris

Channel Seven doctor drama RFDS just won best drama series.

Co-creator Ian Meadows used his speech to highlight the incredible work of healthcare workers, especially during the pandemic:

“To all frontline medical workers around the country…. there should be shows, awards nights, for you guys, just like this, because you do the most amazing work

Thank you to the RFDS and frontline health workers. After the last few years, everyone is in your debt.”

It’s the first Logie win for the series, which is due back for season three next year.

Rosehaven star Celia Pacquola got a little confused while announcing the Best Drama Program award, mistakenly announcing an acting category instead.

Seemingly it was a teleprompter issue, with Pacquola yelling in mock anger “Someone at 7 has f***** me over!”. It prompted the most laughs I’ve heard in the media room all night.

Maybe it’s just me. But the win for RFDS for best drama seems to demonstrate a couple things:

1. 1.That the new voting system is definitely a combo of viewer and industry votes; and 
2. 2.That it’s important to have Aussie drama on free-to-air, because everyone can watch it.

It’s a lovely show, and it’s got an audience and a roster of some of Australia’s favourite actors: Rob Collins, Stephen Peacocke, Justine Clarke. Of course more people are watching and loving that than a show that’s on a streamer (who can afford a subscription to all those streamers??? In this economy?).

The acting/best series categories were almost entirely made up of the streamers and ABC TV, with only a handful of free-to-air commercial TV shows up for Logies: two nominations for RFDS, including drama series and Rob Collins for actor in a drama for his role on RFDS, one nod to Home and Away in the most popular new talent, and one nod for miniseries for The Claremont Murders.

So four nominations in the drama categories for commercial channels, i.e. Channel Seven. Nine and Ten didn’t even get a look in. And from that: one win! That’s not a bad strike rate, actually.

But the small amount of nominations reflects the simple fact that the major networks just aren’t making that much drama anymore, and what they are making they’re often popping behind a paywall on their associated streaming platform.

It’s just cheaper to make reality TV, I suppose, and it’s the kind of programming people tune into on the night instead of as catch-up TV/a weekend binge.

It’s a shame though, because the success of RFDS proves people are still watching Aussie drama on commercial free-to-air. We should make more of it.

• Love Me
• NCIS: Sydney
• WINNER: RFDS
• The Newsreader
• The Tourist
• Total Control

This is Ally Langdon’s first individual Logie win.

She’s presented A Current Affair since 2022.

“When you hear all these names, you definitely don’t then expect yours to be called out,” she says tearfully.

She also pays tribute to her father-in-law Mike Willesee who was a host of the program.

“Everything we do is with heart and soul. If a story doesn’t have heart and soul we just don’t do it,” she adds.

• Liz Hayes, Under Investigation with Liz Hayes
• Sarah Ferguson, 7.30
• WINNER: Ally Langdon, A Current Affair
• Peter Overton, 9News
• David Speers, Insiders
• Michael Usher, 7NEWS and 7NEWS Spotlight

We’re almost there!

There’s three more awards left to hand out including Best Drama, Best News or Public Affairs Presenter and the titular Gold Logie.

Here’s hoping we can get through before the clock strikes 12 (a very unlikely bet at this rate).

Felix Cameron, the young star of Boy Swallows Universe, just won his second Logie of the night, beating out industry veteran and co-star Simon Baker for best actor in a drama.

In his speech, he said: 

“Well, this is quite crazy isn’t it? The last award that I won before tonight was student of the week in grade 5.”

As he fumbled to open his notes, Stephen Curry — dressed as a retro Wolverine — feigned running off with it (dw, he’s got one already).

Cameron then thanked the cast and crew of the show:

“This was such a team effort this show. Each week an extraordinary actor from Hollywood, they’d fly in and I’d get to work with them and it was an amazing experience and education.

“I think the thing that really was the best for me was being able to work with all the cast and crew, from make-up… to wardrobe to the ADs [assistant directors] and everyone in between.

Thank you for the most amazing experience of my life.”

• Gruen
• Hard Quiz
• WINNER: Have You Been Paying Attention?
• Thank God You’re Here
• The Weekly With Charlie Pickering
• The Yearly With Charlie Pickering

Boy Swallows Universe has almost swept the awards, missing out on only one of the categories in which it was nominated. The actors were basically only bested by each other.

It’s a demonstration of the domination of streaming services in the Australian drama space: Screen Australia’s Drama Report 22-23 has their combined spending at a whopping $186 million, across 19 shows.

But the domination of streamers is not without issues: They have no obligation to make Australian content, or to keep making it. We were meant to see content quotas for streamers from the federal government by July this year, but they’ve yet to materialise.

And very few dramas on streamers make it beyond a season or two. Like Boy Swallows Universe, they’re often adaptations of beloved books, so limited to just one miniseries.

Where’s the space for risk-taking, for original Australian screenwriting? And for the development of character, tone, plot, and even an audience over the course of years?

Sometimes, it doesn’t even matter if a show finds an international audience: Wellmania topped charts across the world for weeks and still didn’t get renewed.

So yes, it’s exciting that streamers are making high-quality drama like Boy Swallows Universe, but we want them to have an obligation to invest over a long period of time.

Because without them, what’s left? ABC mostly. (To toot our own horn, ABC dropped $43 million on Australian drama in 22-23.  Combined with the SBS, it’s a total of $50 million, on 23 shows.)

• Simon Baker, Boy Swallows Universe
• WINNER: Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe
• Rob Collins, Total Control
• Rob Collins, RFDS
• Sam Reid, The Newsreader
• Hugo Weaving, Love Me

We’re a little shocked too re; the Hall of Fame!

We definitely need more! For the record, the other women in the Hall of Fame are Ruth Cracknell, Noni Hazlehurst and Kerri-Anne Kennerley.

And Deb, your namesake has won Logies for The Secret Life of Us (twice!), Mabo, Redfern Now: Promise Me, Bite Club and Mystery Road.

While six acting Logies makes Deborah Mailman one of the Logies’s most awarded actors, Lisa McCune’s holding strong on top with 10 Logies.

James Bay— no disrespect— but some of us have bed times so can we make this quick?

But those in the crowd seem to be loving the British musician. 

Deborah Mailman just took out best lead actress in a drama, for her role in the final season of ABC TV’s Total Control.

She missed out in 2022, but did land the AACTA for the role in 2019.

With Boy Swallows Universe nabbing the rest of the drama categories, it’s ABC’s sole win for a drama so far.

It likely reflects the love Australians have for Deb, who we’ve been watching on the small screen since favourite The Secret Life of Us — for which she won a couple Logies in the 00s.

They’re not her only Logies: She won most popular actress in 2013 for Mabo and in 2019 for Mystery Road, and was dubbed most outstanding actress for Redfern Now in 2016.

This latest Logie is a result of both the audience’s love, and the love of her peers and critics.

It feels especially important for an Australian drama that focuses on Indigenous issues to win a Logie in the year after the failed Voice referendum.

As Deb told ABC Entertainment:

“In that time, over the four so years [of making Total Control], we had a new prime minister, throw a pandemic in the middle of it, and then the country voted no.

“To be part of this production that kept us [Indigenous peoples] in that focus, that kept our narrative strong, that meant everything to me, that meant everything to all of us who are part of it.”