All Aussie Adventures - Russell Coight

Russell Coight

The series is presented as if Russell Coight were a real person, eschewing screen credit for his portrayer Glenn Robbins. The only mention of Robbins is at the end of the credits, when he is thanked "for his directorial assistance".

Perhaps the kindest description of Russell Coight is "accident-prone" - if something can go wrong for him, it will. Coight is a naturally outgoing man and comfortable in front of the camera, so is never shy in revealing private aspects of his personality (he even showers in front of the camera). Over the series the audience discovers various hints to his character, such as a glimpse of his card for the local Adult Video store.

Russell Coight identifies himself as an 'outback man', who strongly endorses the ways of the outback, as opposed to the ways of urban life. When Russell finds numerous tourists stuck on the outback road, he hastily refers to them as "city slickers" before he tries to help them, albeit unsuccessfully. He also perceives these "city slickers" as being overly affluent, and who waste their money on "high-tech gadgets" and five-star hotels, along with comparing such things to his own outback lifestyle, which includes making his own chair and bathing in a freshwater billabong.

His sister Meredith — who is never seen — is credited for everything from being a crocodile tamer to a stunt coordinator. In one episode, "Daintree", she is heard singing dreamily a somewhat dubious song, "Daintree", from her album "Daintree", on the Daintree label.

Following the success of the first series, comedian and talk show host Rove McManus interviewed Russell Coight, who provided information on his (fictional) background.

"Wallaby Jack", a similar character from The Late Show, is a precursor to Coight. Tom Gleisner, a writer for both series, points this out in The Late Show DVD audio commentary.