12 Local Actors And Directors Share Their Favourite Singaporean Shows And Movies
These Singapore celebs share what they enjoyed watching on local TV from their childhood to now
We asked 12 local actors and directors across TV, film and theatre what their childhood and current favourite local shows and movies are, and the industry professionals who inspire them the most.
“Back in the late ‘70s to the early ‘80s, there was a Malay variety show called Pesta Pop (Pop Festival) featuring local singers like a young Rahimah Rahim, Anita Sarawak, Kartina Dahari, Ismail Harun and many more. These artists were all very different and their uniqueness as artists have inspired me till today.
“My most iconic local director is the talented, versatile and sensitive K. Rajagopal (Yellow Bird). His ability to keep it real and put something of himself in all his films and TV shows is inspiring to me.”
You can catch Najip as the patriarch of the Ibrahims on the English long-form drama Sunny Side Up, airing on Channel 5 every Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm. It is also available on the Mediacorp Drama YouTube channel and on demand for free at meWATCH.
“My favourite local TV show of yesteryear would hands down be the Talentime series from the 1970s. I loved them so much. My friends and I would spend hours talking about each episode in school the next day — or on our landline telephone!
“These days, I like the Channel News Asia (CNA) documentary programmes which highlight important social issues and platform a diversity of Singaporean experiences. I hope that CNA will create more of such shows, focusing on topics such as the death penalty, migrant worker issues and 377A.”
Haresh is the 2015 Cultural Medallion recipient and The Necessary Stage’s resident playwright. Catch Acting Mad at the Esplanade from Aug 25 to 28.
“Growing up in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, there wasn’t a whole bunch of local productions. Local Chinese dramas just started not too long ago in the late ‘70s but I remember kids’ shows like Little DD when I was younger. I also recalled watching some episodes of Army Series, Flying Fish and The Awakening as a child.
“So actors like Huang Wenyong and Xiang Yun became household names and I am still so respectful of Xiang Yun as a national treasure when I worked with her recently. I was very sad when Wenyong passed away [in 2013].”
Jean Yeo is the creative director of Ochre Pictures. You can catch her series Last Madame on meWATCH and stay tuned for the upcoming Mediacorp English drama Third Rail releasing later this year.
“My most memorable local TV show has to be Growing Up. My family would gather around the living room to watch the show and not miss an episode of it. What an amazing show it was! I would say, currently my favourite local series would be this local Tamil drama called Mani.
“I grew up watching Adrian Pang both on stage and screen and I eventually had the great pleasure to share both the stage and screen space with him. You can learn so much just by watching him work.”
Watch Ebi in The LKY Musical alongside Adrian from Sept 7 and the upcoming Mediacorp x Wattpad adaption of The Girl He Never Noticed.
Text: DRIMA CHAKRABORTY/ AsiaOne