From the New Zealand TV Weekly. February 17, 1969

A personality who is no stranger either to Television or theatre audiences in this country is the most recent addition to the production staff of DNTV2 and if his past training is any indication, he should be a most valuable acquisition. We refer to Wayne Tourell, who is currently appearing nationwide as the host of the children's series Well I Never. Wayne has gained considerable experience in all aspects of theatre work, from writing to production, and first became interested in the subject while he was at high school. He later moved from his home in Wangaloa, South Otago, to Christchurch, where he worked with Allan de Malmanche at the Phoenix Theatre and spent two years at the Christchurch Repertory professional training school under the tutelage of John Kim. While in Christchurch, as well as making a general study of the theatre, he took part in radio and TV plays and formed part of a trio of players who visited schools throughout the South Island. Four years ago, Wayne and his family moved south again, and he turned his hand to writing. Unable to forgo taking an active part in theatre life, however, he joined the Globe Theatre and the Repertory Society and among his more notable performances here were the roles he took in Picnic and Taste of Honey. Back in South Otago, he continued with his writing and won considerable acclaim for his one-act plays which have been produced for a number of British Drama League Festivals and one of which has since been published. He has also produced successfully for BDL and reached the national finals on a number of occasions. Also among his writing credits are a number of scripts for Well I Never, which he wrote in conjunction with Waric Slyfield, Jean Packwood and James Edwards . . . Before Well I Never, Wayne directed several major productions for South Otago theatre companies and when he began his TV commitments, he commuted to Dunedin each week for rehearsals and taping of the series. Since he joined the DNTV2 production staff as a trainee producer, however, he and his family have moved to Dunedin. Incidentally, Well I Never is not the only nationally screened TV show in which Wayne Tourell has appeared-he had a guest role in an episode of Adventures of the Seaspray, which was set in the Arrowtown region. Movie-goers will be seeing Wayne in a B.P. colour film, The Taking Mood. Directed by Derek Williams, this comedy trailer will take a look at a number of amusing situations in which New Zealanders find themselves . . . Well, it does seem rather a pity to be putting all that acting talent behind the camera, but time will tell-we'll be looking forward to seeing the first results.

He went on to have a long career in the local TV industry, working on a variety of shows including

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