Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - We chat to beloved kiwi icon and children's TV presenter Suzy Cato

Episode Date: June 19, 2024

We chat to Suzy Cato about how she’s wasn’t the first host of You and Me! And why she can’t decide on the best era…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hits, with the Jono and Ben podcast. Cheers to Dilma, making the world a better tea. Morena, Susie. Morena, how are you? We're doing good, always nice to talk to you. Yeah, likewise. Trapped in a lift with you, wasn't I? Just a week ago I was trapped in a lift with Susie.

I'm sorry, Susie. Yeah, sorry about that. Not awful. No, it was lovely. He was on his best behaviour, he had his gorgeous wife with him, and he was just lovely. It's the only time Susie's ever been downbeat and she's not liking life.

Staying alive with this bald idiot. Oh Susie, we were doing a bit of reflecting this week. It was a bit of a competition to be honest. Deciding which was the better decade, the 90s or the noughties? Now you've spanned across both. What would you say was the best decade? Oh gosh, that is really, really tricky

because when I think of it in terms of songs, it's our time, Kia ora, talofa. That was the 90s. And that was your signature song? Yeah, you and me, Susie's World. It was over 2,000 episodes I was reading of you and me, you did.

That's right, we'd recorded over five years. So I'd go to Dunedin for two weeks of every month from Auckland. I'd fly down, record, record, record, then go home and floor out. And we did that for five years. So a very special part of my life and by the sounds of it, a whole several generations of Kiwis' lives as well. Yeah, you must still have people coming up to you all the time and going,

I used to sit and watch you. Oh, yeah, I used to sit and watch you. Oh yeah, I love it. And, you know, through COVID and things like that, got reintroduced to a new generation of Kiwis, which was absolutely adorable. But, you know, I still love that the noughties had Susie's world, Susie's world.

It's hard to sing, but it still touched the whole generation, several generations. And now I've got young scientists coming up to me and saying, look, I'm going to put that down to you. You inspired me to embark on a world and career of science. You just go, whoa. That's so cool. That must mean a lot to you.

Oh, yeah. Well, one of the main reasons we made Suzie's World was because I was rubbish at science myself as a kid. But they were all questions that I had wanted answered as a child. You know, why is the sky blue? How can birds sit on power lines without getting electrocuted? What happens when we eat baked beans? How do the birds sit on the power lines out of interest? I'm really proud of you for not asking the other question.

Because they are not earth. Yeah, they're not grounded, right? Yeah, they're not grounded, right yeah so if they touch the ground at the same time they're in trouble they're in a lot of trouble yeah it's easy to see on order when you look back at those iconic shows through those years i mean you used to wear some really bright clothing right i mean your personality's bright but the clothing may have been brighter yeah definitely it was cosmic oh Oh, cosmic. Yes. If I had a face on, I'd be able to send you a photograph of what I'm wearing today, though. Tie-dyed, electric blue and pink.

You do love a tie-dye. Yeah, really bright neon sort of colours, I remember. Yeah, definitely. Need to get you a house bus or something. I remember that Cosmic brand. Hot Tuna was another one as well. They're all just bright colours. And now they kind of come back.

I mean, look at Barbie. You know, the Barbie movie kind of brought all that back. So this song, you know, you were just singing before. It's our time. You know, where did that come from? And did you know it was going to be such a success when you started singing it? Well, I'd love to be able to take full credit for that song and you and me and Suzie's world and all the rest of it, but I'm a cog in an amazing wheel of

talented people who created those programs. And I, very luckily, one of about 80 people who interviewed or auditioned, got the role. Did 79 others audition for that gig? Oh yeah, there were lots of people that auditioned because it had already been going for a year before I joined it.

Had it? Yeah, but the wonderful Pauline Cooper had been presenting it for nearly a year. They threw open the doors and I got a telephone call. I'd been with the early bird show with Russell Rooster. Yo, doodle, doo, doo. Russell Rooster, that's right. You say it was aimed at preschoolers.

I feel like I was a lot older watching it that makes me go oh jeez was I just a bit slow on it I didn't realise it was aimed at preschoolers but I watched a lot of it we're going to put you on the spot now because you've been through those decades as John I said you've had big hit shows in both those decades Susie

what was your favourite decade oh that is so hard I'm going to have to say oh Susie you're so nice you just can't What was your favourite decade? Oh, that is so hard. I'm going to have to say... Oh! Susie, you're so nice. I don't think you're going to offend a decade. They don't have feelings, decades.

Oh, look, it's like choosing a favourite child. How can you do that? They're both good for so many different reasons. All right, you're going to sit on the fence on this one, are you? She's doing a trademark Ben voice. Yeah, good on you. It's annoying, isn't it, Ben? Yeah, but I get it.

I get it. I get it. You don't want to offend your case. That's right, yeah. You've all got their positive points. Oh, Susie, listen, always love catching up with you. Appreciate your time and thank you for joining us. My pleasure.

That's not how you say goodbye to Susie K. Oh, sorry. See you later. Oh, you're doing it. Yay. No, don't ask her. No, you go. My pleasure. That's not how you say goodbye to Susie Keenan. See you, see you later. Oh, you're doing it. Yay. No, you go, you go. Take it away, Susie. See you, see you later. It's time to say goodbye. See you, see

you later. We've really got to fly. Goodbye, my friend. Goodbye. Goodbye. Thank you, Susie. Not just for preschoolers, eh? That was for everyone.