The trophies have been handed out, the carpet rolled up, and the sequins from Robert Irwin’s black jumpsuit have been vacuumed off the floor of The Star, which can only mean one thing: The 66th TV Week Logie Awards have officially wrapped. For those who didn’t manage to stick around for the nearly four-hour broadcast (honestly, no one can blame you), fear not because deputy TV editor Meg Watson and culture reporter Nell Geraets were up until the wee hours watching and live blogging each moment. Here’s what you missed.

THE HIGHS

Robert Irwin was totally wild

It’s never easy taking over a job that someone else has smashed for the past three years, so all eyes were on Robert Irwin on Sunday night. Could he live up to Sam Pang’s on-stage charm? In hindsight, we were fools to question anything. This is a guy who wrangles crocs for a living, and who could literally stop traffic with his megawatt smile – of course he won us over.

At just 22 years old, Irwin owned the Logies stage, cycling through three costume changes, doing the worm with Peking Duk, and lending a helping hand to struggling presenters (looking at you, Julia Morris). But the pièce de résistance was when he whipped out a snake. A real snake – two, in fact, as well as a bonus blue-tongued lizard. Dressed in his khaki Australia Zoo uniform, Irwin first pulled out a small, slithery serpent, which he proceeded to place right in front of comedian Melanie Bracewell. He then levelled up, draping a massive python around the neck of a very nervous Luke McGregor. It was the Logies reptile show we never knew we needed, and I, for one, hope it becomes a permanent fixture. NG

Magda is back, baby!

It was only a year ago that Magda Szubanski brought tears to everyone’s eyes through a pre-recorded message after being inducted into the Logies Hall of Fame. She was too sick to attend the event then, but a lot can change in a year. The beloved actress and comedian – who in February announced she was in remission from a rare form of blood cancer – returned to the Logies stage to present the Gold to Sam Pang. Boy, was it an exuberant comeback, bringing everyone to their feet. One person even impulsively shouted out their adoration, to which Szubanski shouted back, with a slight air of feigned aggression, “No, I love YOU”. This is also Magda we’re talking about, so of course there was a bit. She rocked up as Kath & Kim’s Sharon Strezelecki, dressed as an Australia Zoo trainee (a layered performance!) in a torn up khaki uniform and covered in scratches. She’d fallen into the tiger enclosure, apparently. It was silly, wild and peak Magda. We couldn’t have asked for more. NG

A surprise win for a small trans story

It’s not a surprise Claudia Karvan won a Logie last night. She’s one of our biggest stars, who already had 13 nominations and three wins to her name. And she delivered an extraordinary performance in Homebodies, the series for which she was nominated. But I was wildly (and pleasantly) surprised that enough voters had seen this SBS digital original series to award it over much splashier titles. It was an extraordinary moment, with Karvan calling it her “most significant and important win” yet. The creator of the series, AP Pobjoy, and Karvan’s co-star, Luke Wiltshire, watched on in tears as Karvan talked about the privilege of playing the mother of a young trans man and being part of a story that’s told from the creative team’s lived experiences. “May all parents of trans kids and trans kids feel seen and heard,” she said.

Karvan’s claim that this is the “first trans story at the Logies” isn’t quite true – Carlotta, a telemovie about transgender cabaret performer Carol Kaye was nominated in 2015. But it is the first win. Hopefully, this encourages more people to seek out the short series (it really is beautiful) and emboldens more commissioners to embrace diverse stories.

Everything related to Deborah Mailman

Deborah Mailman made history last night as the first Aboriginal inductee to the Hall of Fame. As Hunter Page-Lochard told us on the red carpet beforehand, it’s a “much deserved award that should have come sooner”. But boy, was it beautiful seeing her get properly honoured. The beloved actor, who got her start on The Secret Life of Us, was tearing up at the first mention of her name and was then praised by the likes of Miranda Tapsell and Cate Blanchett via a tribute package before receiving a standing ovation. It was a fitting recognition of her work, over more than three decades in the industry. But also a moving reflection on the change that has happened in that industry, too. “As I look around the room, I’m so thrilled to see so many of our mob being celebrated tonight,” Mailman said. It was a huge night for Indigenous storytelling and performers, with several categories stacked with First Nations actors including Page-Lochard, Mark Coles Smith, Thomas Weatherall, Tuuli Narkle and Lila McGuire and the ABC series Goolagong picking up two wins. MW

THE LOWS

Whatever happened with that teleprompter

The Logies wouldn’t be the Logies without presenters attempting an excruciatingly long gag that doesn’t quite work. But whatever nonsense Eddie McGuire and Julia Morris were pulling with the teleprompter, before announcing best lifestyle program, was some of the worst I’ve seen. The pair joked about not being able to read the autocue and then were helped out by Robert Irwin who read a gag about these “young upstarts taking our jobs on TV”. But then the bit just kept going… To the point that no one knew if they were actually serious or not. This ceremony is already roughly 11 hours long, I could do with those minutes of my life back. MW

Peking Duk or Peking Suk?

Look, the Logies has never been known for its musical performances (and perhaps that’s a good thing lest they, god forbid, extend the four-hour runtime). But even so, Peking Duk’s wishy-washy interlude felt lacklustre. The DJ duo Adam Hyde and Reuben Styles promised a party ahead of the show, but once they were there – accompanied by R&B singer Kye and a bunch of milk crates – it felt more like a budget house party, replete with a palm tree backdrop straight out of GTA: Vice City. Perhaps they simply weren’t given enough time to properly show their chops. But regardless, it says a lot when the best part of the performance is when Robert Irwin does the worm. Thankfully though, both Casey Donovan, who helped opened the show, and Katie Noonan, who performed for the In Memoriam segment, killed it. NG

THE WOAHS

Robert Irwin’s secret spice

Robert Irwin didn’t just come equipped with spicy dance moves. The 22-year-old followed up a solid opening performance from Casey Donovan with a pretty fiery monologue, throwing barbs at Karl Stefanovic, Dave Hughes and even his bosses at Channel 10. “People say an awards show host has to be cynical, but I’m a positive guy. Which is why I took it at face value when Channel 10 told me I’m a Celeb was having a great season and its future was totally secure. Lesson learned,” he said, referring to Channel 10’s decision in May to rest I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, which Irwin had been co-hosting with Julia Morris.

He followed that with a swipe at Hughes, who has recently taken it upon himself to unload on the Victorian government. “I hear that Channel 10 is developing a reboot of Hughesy We Have a Problem,” he said. “I think it’s called: No Seriously, Hughesy, We Have a Problem.” And finally, Stefanovic caught some strays following his fast-tracked exit from the Today show and controversial new podcast. “Just a quick bit of housekeeping: Unfortunately, Karl Stefanovic didn’t RSVP tonight. Which means we didn’t need to hire quite as many bartenders. But we did save him a seat. It’s over there to the right – the far right.” Well played, Irwin, well played. NG

Bruce McAvaney loses his own award

Usually new categories at the Logies are named after prominent people who have already died or retired, and last night showed us why. The alternative is extremely awkward. Legendary sports presenter Bruce McAvaney was nominated for a new award last night, named in his honour: the Bruce McAvaney award for most popular sports presenter. As fellow presenter Johanna Griggs told us on stage, this is because he is “the most prepared caller in this country” and “the most extraordinary man alive”. But apparently, not quite as extraordinary as Jelena Dokic who won the award right out from under him. Stranger still: McAvaney was unwell and couldn’t attend the ceremony at all to get his flowers (or diffuse the tension).

What were your highs and lows of

last night’s Logie Awards? Please let us know in the comments below.

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