Sad news today with the passing of a true performer, who created one of Australia’s most iconic characters.
Jamie Dunn has died aged 76, in news that has shocked the industry.
In the next 48 hours you are going to hear from a lot of people who knew Jamie Dunn personally. They will share wonderful memories of an iconic Aussie.
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I only knew Jamie in a professional sense when he was a guest on STUDIO 10, and on 4BC’s Afternoons with Sofie Formica (I had arranged the interview when I was filling in for her as presenter).
Earlier this year, I reached out to Jamie to ask if he would come on my internet streaming show McKnight Tonight.
There was no hesitation.
Can do 👍
When suits you ?
Although I barely knew him, he has always been very accommodating to my requests. And seemed to genuinely like me, whether that be through reputation or our brief encounters.
You can see that video in the player below:
He was generous of heart – something often not talked about the man who created Agro.
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Yes, he was very naughty too, as can be seen by those outrageous outtakes you can find on YouTube.
That interview with Jamie on McKnight Tonight took on 12 January 2026 and is possibly his last interview – or, at least, his final on camera interview.
We covered his extraordinary life and career – the highs and lows.
You can watch the interview in the player above, but here are some highlights from a transcript of the interview:
On Agro:
“Agro was an accident and my career was a bit of an accident and, uh, I just have stumbled into whatever success I’ve had, I’ve stumbled into kind of, you know? And, um, there’s no one particular thing. I mean, Agro, I just should turn up and, and do him. I just would lay down and, and, uh, you know, old Agro had a, a, a great attitude that, and I was surrounded by some, uh, very clever people, uh, Gibbo and Crikey from, uh, Cartoon Connection Days, you know, and the girls I worked with, Anne Marie was, uh, a really, really good host, Jill, all of those”.
He also acknowledged he was not the creator of Agro, but took over as puppeteer when the original artist had a falling out with Channel 7.
In his first attempt a floor manager had to remind him to move the mouth of the puppet, something Jamie had forgotten to do while talking.
On Music:
Jamie had a hit song called ‘Jamie come Home’ and revealed the recording of it was a nightmare.
“I couldn’t sing… When you listen to that, I had a cold when I recorded. It was more speaking than singing, you know, I blew them all, I blew them all and it was more spoke.
“I flew to, uh, Melbourne and went around all the record companies, uh, and said the only company that would look at me was Astor Records and, um, we did a deal. And believe it or not, they said to me, you know, um, “That’s a great song. Have you got any more of those?” And I remember saying to them, “I’ve got a wardrobe full of songs like that. ” And of course I had none, I only had the one song”.
On being sacked:
“I was number one when they sacked me, but it, it, it’s interesting, isn’t it?”
“They took me next, they took me next door to a cafe, uh, and they said, um, uh, “Today’s your last day. We’ve got a press conference, uh, when we get back, um, you know, you’re finished.” And, uh, uh, like, that, that’s radio. Well, you know, that’s, like, of all people, you know”.
“When, when you’re in entertainment, all of a sudden, the fridge can fall on you, all of a sudden. Yeah. You, you can be number one with 27% of the market and bang, you’re done.
“I was around having this coffee and they’ve gone, um, you know, you’re finished, we’re going back to the station, uh, there’s a press conference, everyone’s flowing up from Sydney. And, uh, I said, “Well, that’s not happening.” And, uh, and I remember Richard Barker going, “No, no, it’s, it’s all arranged.” I said, “If you want me to stagger around that car park, crying like you’ve killed one of my children, you’ll go ahead with it. If not, you wait until I can find somewhere to go. ” mm-hmm. And, um, the other guy that had the meeting with me turned to, uh, Richard Barker and said, “He’ll do it, you know?
On Kyle Sandilands:
“Well, Kyle, believe it or not, he, he thinks I’m a God. He does. And, uh, to this very day, he thinks I’m a God and I love that because when I was someone and, you know, Breakfa Australia and, uh, B105 in Brisbane, he was a street kid.
“And unbeknownst to me, I was leaving B105, uh, one morning after the shift, and this, um, homeless kid taps on my car window and, uh, I, I put the window down and, uh, he said, um, “Oh, I’ve got some ideas for Agro if you wanna hear them, Jamie.” And I said, “Well, I got an office just around the corner, like, um, if you walk around there, I’ll meet you there, we’ll have a coffee.” And that ended up being Kyle Sanderlands, and I gave him the time of day, and he’s never forgotten it. Um, I didn’t … His idea was that he could do agro on the weekends, because he could do the voice. And I, I could have the weekend off, and I went, “Good idea, but no.”
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Former Studio 10 reporter David Robinson worked closely with Jamie during his appearances on the show and was also a super fan.
I asked Robbo for his thoughts on this sad passing:
“Jamie Dunn was the biggest reason I got into television. He was my inspiration.
His humour, his irreverence, and his presence were second to none.
Meeting him on Studio 10 was a true highlight of my career.
I’m finding it hard to put it into words. I’m truly very saddened by his passing.
I feel very lucky to have worked with him and met him.
What an absolute loss”.
I think Robbo speaks for us all.
Good on ya Jamie and thanks for the laughs!
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