Mr John Deeks

Hello, and welcome to the final instalment of my exclusive interview with Game Show Voice Over Legend (or GSVOL) Mr John Deeks. I first met and really got to know Deeksie in 2003, when we were both working on the Australian version of Deal Or No Deal.

Now, as you may have noticed in my interviews for this site, I always make a point of asking my interview subjects for any tips or hints they may have for would-be contestants on the various shows they’ve worked on…. ==============================

SH: I was going to ask if you had any tips for anyone wanting to go on Deal or No Deal. But Deal or No Deal is a funny one because there’s no skill that you can bring to that game as a contestant.

JD: None at all, it’s pure luck.

SH: Yeah, it’s a blind guessing game, and kudos to Andrew O’Keefe for making it all seem interesting.

JD: Oh, that’s what I’m saying, man!

SH: He was and is, he’s just brilliant. I say he’s way, way smarter than 90% of the population.

JD: Absolutely.

SH: But he’s very humble too, and you just get the feeling that he loves every minute he’s alive.

JD: He’s channelling his uncle J.O.K… and he’s got his father who was a big, big lawyer Justice O’Keefe. So you combine those two, and… mate! But he’s a lovely person and he listens.

SH: Yeah that’s right. I was always amazed at how he remembers everyone’s name and everyone’s family’s names and everyone’s kids names’ – and everyone’s hobbies! – in a production where he worked with many, many people… and he had all of them down pat!

JD: Yep and everyone loves him. He’s like “Turps”; everyone loved him, and there was always a “Turps’ story… and they’re all true. And now there’s always an O’Keefe story. And as we know now – with the internet generation – they’re all true. 

SH: He’s a Bon Vivant. 

JD: That’s very Christian of you. (Laughs)

SH: He has a zest for life! 

JD: Yeah he does.

SH: Deeksie, I want to wrap it up in a minute – and thank you so much again for your time today – but before you go, I want to ask you one final question. What do you see as the future of game shows?

JD: Hmm. I think that, as long as people are greedy….

SH: Yes….

JD: And as long as people want to look at – and judge – people, there will always be a place for game shows.

SH: It’s those basic human needs, isn’t it?

JD: Yeah it is. It’s escapism, it’s comfort… and all the better if you can play along at home. That’s one of the main ingredients. And you might think that by now we’d be dumbing down game shows, but in fact they are not. Because – as you know, as a writer – the game shows are becoming more intelligent. The questions are becoming more intelligent. It’s not “How much is this pack of pasta?”, or “What’s the cost of this fridge?” We’ve kind of passed that now, so the Nirvana is picking up format that can run a long time like a Wheel, like a Deal and not be overly expensive, because that’s why we don’t have any tonight shows anymore because they’re so expensive to do here in Australia. So game shows have to be economical, they can’t be too expensive, the host has to be likeable, and the play along at home factor is very important too. 

SH: Well, John Deeks, thank you so much for your time today, and for chatting to me for the site – it’s been great!

JD: Thank you very much indeed, Mr Hall.

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And at the risk of repeating myself, I’d like to thank Deeksie again for giving so generously of his time and reminiscences. If you’d like to see what he’s up to now – or even maybe get in touch with him – you can find him at JohnDeeks.com.

See you next Tuesday!