By Scott Ellis
October 6, 2004
The Sun-Herald

Look at them: Australia's most popular television characters head
into a third season of suburban mayhem and mangled language.

They're national icons, the kind of woman every man would love to
know and every woman would love to be, but don't bother asking Kath
and Kim why Australia has become so fascinated with their lives.

With the third season of their show about to hit the ABC, the two
suburban princesses are too busy sniping away at each other to
figure out just how they've become successful.

"Well, we are fascinating," said Kim, her nasal whine even more
pronounced over the telephone from their Fountain Lakes home.

"But really I think it's a reflection on television as a whole, that
people are fascinated with us."

"Especially," added Kath, "since now people have the plasmas, they
get a bigger and a clearer look at us and that's got to be good."

"Although I find my nose and my tummy look bigger when I turn around
on a plasma screen. I'm all squashed or something," Kim said, before
she's once more cut off by her mum: "Well, you are a big girl Kimmy,
you know that."

"Muuuuuuum!"

Whatever the reason, Kath and Kim have undoubtedly become two of the
most successful characters in Australian television history, with
both seasons winning Logies for the most outstanding comedy; season
one took three AFI awards plus two gongs at the Australian Comedy
Awards.

The series two finale attracted 2.2 million viewers, making it the
highest-rating Australian comedy since 1995 (the show was Just
Kidding) and, so far, the series has been sold to 10 overseas
countries.

Just last week the BBC announced they would start broadcasting Kath
And Kim on free-to-air TV in Britain next year - the series had only
been on pay TV prior to this.

Which is all good news for fans of the pair, who are now virtually
guaranteed this season will not be the last.

And just what do the mother and daughter have in store for us this
year? More of the same glamour, they promise, with the bonus that
this time around there's an extra place set at the table, for Kim's
newly arrived baby Epponnee-Rae.

"I've already got her in some baby bumsters and kitten-heel booties
and she looks great," Kim said.

" She's got a little Mary-Kate and Ashley bandana which does slip
down over her eyes, but I've said to her, 'Beauty knows no pain,
Epponnee. You'll just have to be blind'."

"And I've got her a beautiful tapestry waistcoat with shoulder pads
and some really tight stretch-denim capri pants," Kath said.

As for the challenges of motherhood, Kim has that worked out
too. "Brett's pretty good there because he's used to getting up
every four hours to feed me," Kim said. "And then Sharon's good; she
takes her to Jimbaroo. She's good, she makes me look great in
comparison."

"Well, you know what they say," Kath jumped in. "A useful mother
makes a useless child and that's what I did do with Kim, so
hopefully Epponnee-Rae will be fine.

"Kimmy's a lazy mother, but she's proud and she's pushy. So it bodes
well for Epponnee's future, she will be over-curriculumised, that's
for sure. After school she'll be going to ballet and that Kumon
school. . . or is it kudos?"

Which leaves the pair free, as usual, to continue their unique life
together, where the love is well hidden behind almost constant
argument.

Could it be, perchance, that Kath is jealous of new-mum Kim being
the centre of attention?

"Oh, totally!" Kim said. "Nail on the head there! She is totally
jealous of my long hairs, wherever they may be, my curvy figure and
my husband."

" Curvy?" Kath broke in. "We're talking Michelin Man!"

"See?" said Kim. "See what I have to put up with?"

The Sun-Herald