“Kath & Kim” fans hoping for a long-awaited reunion are in for a disappointment, with show favorite Marg Downey admitting she doesn’t believe the beloved comedy will ever return.
Downey played unconventional marriage celebrant and counsellor Marion on the hit Australian show – a role she says she is still receives recognition for, according to News.com.au.
“I think those days are over,” she said, despite the fact that she and her former co-stars are still in regular contact and discuss the idea of a “Kath & Kim” reunion from time to time.
“We love each other’s company – and we talk about it – but don’t think it will ever eventuate.”
After four seasons of the TV show and two movies, “Kath & Kim” became a cultural phenomenon. The characters introduced worldwide audiences to Australia’s irreverent, self-deprecating style of comedy. This style is based on a flagrant disregard for English language conventions and not taking anyone or anything too seriously. As Now To Love noted, even though the show wrapped up in 2007, the “Kath & Kim” franchise continues to engage old and new audiences alike. This is partly due to its inclusion on streaming services, including Netflix in 2019.
GettyThe Childhood Origins of “Kath & Kim”
While a reunion may not be on the horizon, Downey revealed that the friendships forged long before “Kath & Kim” remain stronger than ever. According to News.com.au, Downey has been close friends with co-stars Jane Turner, Gina Riley and Magda Szubanski for decades. In fact, these bonds stretch all the way back to their school years in Melbourne, Australia. Long before the four friends would star together in “Kath & Kim,” the girls navigated an Australian childhood and teenage years in school.
Marg Downey first met Magda Szubanski through the Melbourne tennis circuit. Then, when Downey was in year 6, Jane Turner transferred to her Melbourne school after moving to the area from the neighboring Australian state of New South Wales.
“As soon as she came, I just thought, ‘I want to be this girl’s friend.’ She was just so funny. She had that lovely, deep, husky voice and a very short hairdo.”
It was when Downey went to see Turner in a production at the St Martins youth theatre company that she met Gina Riley. Before long, the four friends had forged a deep bond – one that would see them all cast in the ground-breaking Australian sketch comedy show “Fast Forward” in 1989 followed by “Big Girls Blouse” in 1994.
An Unbreakable Bond 50 Years Later
The friendships forged during an ordinary Melbourne childhood have endured for more than 50 years. According to News.com.au, Downey revealed that she still speaks with Magda Szubanski every week. The beloved Australian icon – who famously lent her voice to the 2006 Oscar-winning film “Happy Feet” – is doing well, according to Downey, after recently reaching a major milestone in her cancer battle.
Last year, Szubanski revealed a diagnosis of stage four mantle cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer. In February, she delighted fans and well-wishers around the world with news that she had completed chemotherapy and was in remission.
Downey shared that her friend’s recovery remains an ongoing journey, noting that it’s “still challenging” and that “we’re all still in constant contact.”
According to Downey, when Turner – who currently lives in Paris – is back in Australia, they arrange for what they call an “adult sleepover” with Riley.
“We’ll share the load and someone will have it at their house one time, then another the next. We chat for hours and then stay the night, because it’s easier.”
Meanwhile, Szubanski – who released a memoir entitled “Reckoning” to critical acclaim in 2016 – is busy working on her second memoir. Titled “I Can’t Tell You But I Will,” the book details the comedian’s cancer journey and is slated for a September 2026 release, according to the book’s publisher.
For fans hoping to see the “Kath & Kim” gang back together on screen, Downey’s comments may come as a disappointment. Off-screen, however, the friendships forged by four typical Australian schoolgirls that led to some of the most iconic and genre-defining Australian comedy appears to be stronger than ever.
