Hilary Timmins was one of our best-known TV personalities for more than two decades. Photo / Alex Maguire
Hilary Timmins was one of our best-known TV personalities for more than two decades. Photo / Alex Maguire
The beloved presenter reminisces about her time on our screens – and discusses her latest project.
When Hilary Timmins pops over to New Zealand for a visit from her home in the United Kingdom, she’ll often spot people looking at her as if to say, “You’re familiar… How do I know you?”
It usually dawns on them pretty quickly that Timmins, who has lived on the other side of the world for the past 12 years, was one of our best-known TV personalities for more than two decades.
“I still find it funny that people recognise me more for It’s in the Bag than Lotto,” muses Timmins on a Zoom call from her home near London. “It was the same when I first moved here and the ex-pat community would say they used to watch me on It’s in the Bag. New Zealanders have a real fondness for that show, even many years later.”
The iconic Kiwi programme began in 1954 as a radio show, hosted by Selwyn Toogood, before shifting to TV in 1973. After Selwyn retired, John Hawkesby took over as host in 1986 and Timmins got her big break as his sidekick.
Reflecting on the television show that changed her life, Timmins, 57, recalls how it felt surreal to be the newest host. Her predecessors, Heather Eggleton and Tineke Stephenson (nee Bouchier) had become household names.
“I’d grown up watching it, of course – I think everyone in New Zealand did – and stepping into their shoes was really quite something. I couldn’t believe it.”
Hilary Timmins was only 20 when she landed the television job. Photo / NZ Woman's Weekly
A career in TV had never been a goal for Timmins, who was 20 when she landed the job. “I ended up doing it very much by accident,” she says. “I didn’t have any ambitions, to be honest. I was at university doing a BA in English and ancient history, but I had no idea what I was going to do.”
Timmins started modelling on the side and was encouraged to take part in a beauty contest. She won Miss West Auckland, which earned her a place in the Miss Auckland competition. Through that, she got to know choreographer and director Ricky Stratful, who was keeping an eye out for potential TV talent.
He asked her to audition for It’s in the Bag, and Hilary chuckles as she remembers turning up looking “completely unstyled” in culottes and a singlet, with no makeup.
“We did a show in front of a live audience, and the photographs taken that day ended up being used as the publicity shots afterwards.”
The London-based host says she's very grateful to John Hawkesby for helping her find her feet. Photo / NZ Woman's Weekly
To her surprise, she got the job, which involved travelling with Hawkesby and a large crew to film in towns around the country. Timmins had to learn as she went, which could be challenging. “I had no experience at all. I was just told to look at the camera with the red light on.”
She laughs as she recalls how she learned there’s a type of light used in TV called a blonde. “One of the crew called out, ‘Can you shift the blonde?’ And I thought, ‘Well, that’s a bit disrespectful, but okay. Where do you want me to go?’ And then I found out they were talking about the light. I really had no clue.”
She was very grateful to Hawkesby for helping her find her feet. “John was the consummate showman and I learned so much by watching him. He had terrific skills with people and was so good at ad-libbing. He was a very big name at the time, but he wasn’t intimidating – he was great fun.
“His wife Joyce used to come with us on the road, and together they were quite parental. You would be on the road for weeks with all the crew and it felt like a family. It was a really nice environment to be part of.”
Timmins' job involved travelling with Hawkesby and a large crew to film in towns around the country. Photo / NZ Woman's Weekly
Filming took her to all corners of the country, and she says everyone working on the show was taken into the hearts of locals in the places they visited.
“We were always made to feel very special and spoiled wherever we went. We felt like a part of each community. People were so lovely.”
Contestants weren’t screened beforehand – they’d draw ping-pong balls out of a hat to see who got to be on the show – and their reactions were genuine.
It was exciting when someone won big – items such as tumble dryers and television sets were popular – and heartbreaking when they ended up with booby prizes.
“We had one guy from Westport who was offered what was a lot of cash back then – I think about $1000 – but he turned it down. Apparently, he’d been made redundant that day from his mining job, but he didn’t take the money, he took the bag. It was a lump of coal.
“He had this amazing resilient attitude. He said, ‘I came with nothing and I’m leaving with nothing, but I’ve had a really good time.’ That’s how most of the contestants were. There was a lovely, generous spirit about that show.”
Although It’s in the Bag was still popular, by the late 80s new game shows, such as Sale of the Century, were offering bigger prizes and getting higher ratings. It’s in the Bag was axed in 1990. “It was really sad at the time,” Hilary recalls. “People were really upset. It was part of Kiwi folklore.”
During her time on the show (which was later resurrected in 1992 and again in 2009), female presenters on Kiwi TV went from being merely decorative to playing a greater role.
The final It's in the Bag Christmas special was filmed in Antarctica. Photo / NZ Woman's Weekly
“It was the beginning of the shift from being the hostess to the co-host. I remember that by the end, when we did our last Christmas special in Antarctica, I had a lot more involvement. I did all of the pieces to camera off the base, partly because John didn’t like the cold! But there was a definite change.”
Despite worrying the demise of It’s in the Bag would spell the end of her TV career – “I thought, ‘Okay, time to get real’” – she went on to become an even bigger name on Lotto. Timmins began writing scripts for the information that needed to be relayed in between the numbers being called and directing pieces about how Lotto money helped the community. Later, she became NZ’s first female gameshow host when she presented Telebingo, and was in demand as an MC and an ambassador for charities like Variety NZ.
Timmins' husband Rob put her in touch with Kiwi networks in the UK. Photo / Alex Maguire
Concerned Hilary – now his wife – would be homesick, Rob put her in touch with Kiwi networks in the UK, such as the New Zealand Society. “The ex-pat community here is really strong and I became quite involved, doing things like emceeing charity events.”
Although she was often recognised by Kiwis living in the UK, being unknown to the general public after years of being famous in New Zealand was a novelty.
“I liked the anonymity,” she tells. “At home, I tended to avoid eye contact with people because they would want to talk to me, and I felt it was rude if I then didn’t have a conversation. Here, I was suddenly able to sit in a cafe and just watch people and make eye contact.”
She hasn’t gone back to fronting TV shows, but did spend four years working on the documentary series Dream Catchers, about inspirational New Zealanders finding success in the UK.
“Because of the networks I was involved in, I met all these Kiwis doing extraordinary things and I really wanted to tell their stories. It helped that many of them remembered It’s in the Bag, and because it was something they trusted, they trusted me to tell their stories. I was given incredible access.”
Hilary spent four years working on the documentary series Dream Catchers. Photo / Alex Maguire
Dream Catchers, which Timmins produced, wrote, directed, narrated and presented, went on to win a Points of Light award from then-UK Prime Minister Theresa May. It’s available on YouTube and NZ On Screen.
Her latest project is a 90,000-word novel, which has taken a couple of years to write, on and off. Part of it was written while she was in quarantine during a visit to New Zealand. “It’s a psychological thriller, and I loved doing it. I’m hopeful it’ll be published – it’s with agents at the moment.”
Timmins – whose son Callum, now 28, moved to the UK with her and still lives there – tries to come home at least once a year to catch up with her mum Joan and sister Alison.
“I do miss New Zealand. On my last trip back, we stayed at a place on the coast between Tauranga and Whakatāne, where there was a wild beach and old baches. It was lovely. I’d love to go back more often.”
