Francesca Rudkin: Prime of her life

By LOUISA CLEAVE

A dramatised version of events maybe, but not too far from the truth.

"Basically TVNZ said, 'We think maybe it's time for you to not just be the music girl any longer and we'll give you a go doing something else'," Francesca Rudkin says.

She looks thoroughly at home lounging on one of the brightly coloured couches in the Television New Zealand atrium, drinking coffee.

It comes as no surprise when she says she is totally committed to TV2 and vice versa.

"Life On Tape is an opportunity for me to show them what I'm capable of and for us to look ahead and see what new projects could be on the horizon. At the same time, I've always been pretty fortunate that the door's open and I've tripped on through it and I've never thought too much about what I'm going to do next."

The door into TVNZ opened for Rudkin at the beginning of 1998 following the closure of music channel Max TV, where she was a movie reviewer and presenter.

She was introduced to mainstream viewers on Squeeze, a youth-oriented Sunday morning show, and fast became TVNZ's youth voice on music and film issues.

She also has a twice-weekly appearance on the Breakfast show.

This year she continues to front Squeeze and also fills the role of production coordinator.

Last year she hosted the late-night music programme Ground Zero and was set to continue on the show in its reincarnated form as Space when that call went out.

Life On Tape is Rudkin's first shot at prime time and some people may have wondered why it has taken TVNZ so long to see past the youth appeal and put the 28-year-old on grown-up telly.

Life On Tape follows seven stories told by singles, couples and families who were asked to keep a video diary of their lives. The exercise resulted in what Rudkin likens to a real-life soap opera.

"There are a couple of heartbreaking stories that are compelling viewing. I think people will watch it each week to see what happens to them. Then there are lighter stories where we follow a couple of younger people around and go through their dilemmas with their love life, and they're more entertaining stories."

Something she, personally, would do?

"Never in a million years," she laughs. "I have a lot of admiration for the people who have done this show because I'm the complete opposite. I thoroughly enjoy television and being in front of the camera but I wouldn't be able to do what they've done, open up and share my life and emotions in the way they have."

She adds: "Watching the stories I actually think my life would have been too dull to get on the show."

Rudkin says Life On Tape avoids being voyeuristic because the people involved have decided how much of their lives to share with viewers.

"A lot of the time they're talking about their feelings and emotions, it's not like watching them clean their teeth or anything like that. The people have shot it themselves, or their husbands or their friends or boyfriends or girlfriends have been shooting them, and it puts my work to shame. There are some amazing performances and most people seem very relaxed in front of the camera."

Not that Rudkin is uncomfortable in front of the camera, or just being the voice behind the pictures as she was narrating a one-off documentary about Rachel Hunter and a six-part series about towies for TV One.

Her tones can also be heard on Air New Zealand flights if you tune into the Chartline channel.

So now that Rudkin has come-of-age in television-land, will we see her whisked off to makeup and emerge sporting a TVNZ shade of blond?

Are presenters made from a certain mould?

"I think that's why I've defied it up till now," she says. "They've said, 'Who are you? Define yourself.' And I just like to think I'm different because I've got orange hair and that's big enough. The orange-haired one.

"The show is a little bit different but I'd like to think that I'm still Francesca. Maybe I'm just a little more of a serious Francesca."

Watching brief


The star: Francesca Rudkin

The show: Life On Tape

Where and when: TV2, 8 pm Mondays