Robert Irwin hosts youngest-ever Logies as local labels steal the red carpet spotlight
Walked into the 66th TV Week Logie Awards on Sunday night with two jobs at once: host the show and chase the Gold. Robert Irwin — full details here.
Robert Irwin walked into the 66th TV Week Logie Awards on Sunday night with two jobs at once: host the show and chase the Gold Logie. The ceremony unfolded at The Star in Sydney, where the red carpet delivered the first talking points of the night before the awards even began.
Irwin, 22, made Logies history as the youngest host the ceremony has ever had. He opened with a swipe at some of Australian television’s biggest names, including Karl Stefanovic, Dave Hughes and former host Sam Pang, while also joking about stepping into Pang’s role after the comedian fronted the event for the previous three years.
Who stood out on the carpet
The Logies red carpet has a habit of leaning loud, and this year was no exception. The event again favoured Australian labels and couturiers over international luxury houses, a reminder that local fashion is happy to make its own rules.
Among the strongest looks, My Brilliant Career star Phillippa Northeast drew praise for a style that refused standard red-carpet formulas. Claudia Karvan and Sylvia Jeffreys appeared in matching jewel-toned gowns, while Abbey Holmes arrived in an ethereal cream Grecian-style dress that framed her baby bump. John Safran also landed in the style column with a buttery suit finished with a daisy brooch.
Not every outfit won over observers. Sam Armytage and Courtney Act were singled out as possible misses, though the red carpet coverage stopped short of lingering on the misfires.
Award race underway
The night’s biggest prize, the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality, was contested by Irwin, Ally Langdon, Julia Morris, Lisa Millar, Poh Ling Yeow, Sam Pang and Todd Woodbridge. The field cut across news, current affairs, reality, entertainment, food and sport, underlining how broad the Australian television audience has become.
Elsewhere in the program, the awards covered drama, comedy, reality, entertainment, factual and news. The ceremony also introduced a new honour: the inaugural Bruce McAvaney Award for Most Popular Sports Presenter.
Broadcasts began live on Channel Seven and 7Plus, with red-carpet coverage from 7 p.m. AEST and the ceremony from 7.30 p.m. AEST. As the room filled at The Star, the first wins, the first jokes and the first fashion calls were already setting the tone for a long night in Sydney.
Irwin set that tone early. “I’m 22 years old, which officially makes me the youngest Logies host ever,” he told the room.
