Entertainment

Three decades on and Better Homes And Gardens just keeps getting better and better…

Tools down - it's a garden party!
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As the confetti cannons are released into the air, the cast of Better Homes And Gardens let out an enormous cheer.

The heightened enthusiasm can be brought down to two things – that this occasion marks the first time the whole crew have been under one roof in months – and it’s evident they’ve all missed one another.

The other reason is the motive for why they’ve all come together – to celebrate and honour their show for being on the air for a whopping three decades!

All nine cast members got together to honour the milestone. (Image: Philip Castleton)

Maybe they’re also still riding on a high after supporting co-star Adam Dovile as he shook his stuff on the ballroom floor on Dancing With The Stars the previous night. The mood is electric – for all of the above.

“I am so proud of everyone for this milestone,” Joh Griggs gushes to Woman’s Day.

“It’s such a huge achievement for everybody who works on the show, and for everybody who has ever come before,” she adds.

“I say to everyone who ever works on this show, that we’re the lucky ones… and to cherish being lucky enough to be part of such a wonderful, positive show.”

“Thirty years is a very long time in any industry, but to do it with a TV show is pretty amazing,” TV vet Dr Harry Cooper admits. “I’m stoked that we’ve made it to this milestone.”

Joh calls Dr Harry “the sweetest human on the planet”. (Image: Philip Castleton)

The show’s longest-serving cast member, Graham Ross, says the anniversary feels “euphoric!”

“It’s such a privilege to work not only on Australia’s foremost lifestyle television program but one of the longest-running in TV history. It’s an epic show, always has been – even when it started on a Tuesday evening all those years ago, going up against that huge blockbuster show Friends,” he chuckles.

Unknown to a lot of fans, Graham says the show was the reason Friends never recovered in the ratings. “We knocked it off its pedestal and history shows that. Not all critics accept the truth, but that night spelled the end of Friends.”

Another star who’s also seen the show through multiple decades is architect Peter Colquhoun, who calls the show an “incredible privilege” to work on.

“I started on the program when I was single with no kids, now I’m raising my family and my oldest son is finishing school and his dad has always been the architect on Better Homes And Gardens,” he says. “I never take it for granted.”

And just like the legacy cast, BHG newcomers are just as elated with the milestone. “I grew up watching it on TV, so to be part of a cast and a show that I have admired for years is a dream come true,” says garden expert Melissa King, who joined the show in 2020. “It feels like one big family.”

The boys say they’re “honoured” to be a part of the show. (Image: Philip Castleton)

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