The Dream
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The Dream was a sports/comedy talk show, broadcast every night during the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, presented by Australian comedic duo Roy and HG.
Their telecasts became one of the most popular events of the Games, with Olympians from all nations queueing up to appear. The gifts given to interviewees became some of the most valuable collectors' items of the Games.
Due to the attention on Australia as the host nation, the initial season took the form of a two hour show and was made available to Olympic broadcasters internationally; the 2004 season was a one hour show broadcast in Australia only.
The pair became well known for their commentary of certain events, particularly the men's gymnastics, where they adapted vernacular terms such as battered sav and chiko roll, and coined hilarious new terms including flat bag, dutch wink and "hello boys" to describe the various manoeuvres, and these became familiar to viewers worldwide.
They also popularised Fatso the Fat-Arsed Wombat as their mascot, dismissing the official mascots of Syd, Ollie and Millie (also known as Dickhead on the show). This was emphasised in a satirical diving contest between Fatso, the three official mascots, and the Boxing Kangaroo later in the games. Fatso's huge popularity during the series caused consternation with the Australian Olympic Committee, who at first tried to ban Australian athletes from carrying the doll at medal award ceremonies. When auctioned for charity at the end of the series, Fatso was purchased by Seven Network CEO Kerry Stokes for over AU$80,000. A statue of Fatso has since been erected at the Olympic Park site.
Insulting New Zealanders, particular by way of the medal tally, was also a favourite pastime of Roy. During the 2004 season, Norway was insulted frequently, along with New Zealanders, as was former Olympic host city Atlanta, which Roy regularly denounced as "a toilet".
The show's popularity during the 2000 season prompted the creation of two spin-off shows, broadcast in Australia only; The Ice Dream during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and The Cream, during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.