Biography
Bob La Castra's name is synonymous with Australian Television, but this versatile celebrity has also received international recognition as an actor, television presenter and scriptwriter.
After spending five years as a host of Australia's longest-running national children's TV program 'Wombat' (Channel 7), for which he received a coveted Television Society of Australia Penguin Award for 'Best Children's Television Personality', Bob went on to spend almost a year as a regular cast member of the international hit TV Soap 'Neighbours', in which he played Eddie Buckingham.
A successful association with ABC TV saw Bob engaged as a presenter of the prime-time travel program 'Holiday', and host of 80 episodes of his own 'teen' game show 'The Big Square Eye'.
A versatile talent, Bob was engaged by ABC Television, to develop and write a pilot episode and subsequent episodes, of the first and second series, of the international children's preschool sensation 'Bananas in Pyjamas'. The program went on to arguably become Australia's biggest-ever television export, selling to more than 100 countries.
Choosing to move his writing focus away from the children's genre, Bob has now completed four feature film screenplays: 'Board Games' (Australia/America Drama), progressed in partnership with Screen Queensland, 'The Disengaged' (Australia/India Suspense Drama), 'When the Bell Rings' (Australian/British Drama), and 'Second Childhood' (Australian Retro 80's Comedy).
The latter film project (to be directed by renowned and respected Australian Director Grant Brown), is about a daily, national children's television show - however, 'Second Childhood' is certainly NOT recommended for children'. The story was inspired by Bob's extensive background, and numerous industry successes in children's television - as a show host and writer, skills which have undoubtedly furnished him with the inside running on the 'behind the scenes' machinations of this unique industry sector.
In addition to the above projects, Bob has also written a TV Comedy Drama Series - 'The Single Couple', also to be directed by Grant Brown.
Finally, in addition to his many television and entertainment plaudits, Bob still lists one of his proudest achievements as being awarded a Media Peace Prize for his song 'Change The Future', which he wrote and recorded to raise funds for UNICEF. The song clip was also used in Sir Bob Geldof's Sport Aid promotion.
