His offer was not attractive at all.
One of the stars of a beloved Australian children’s TV show has finally confirmed long-standing rumors and speculation that the costume of the program’s main stars was kidnapped by Russian gangsters and held for ransom during an overseas trip. Was kept for.
Kenneth Radley, who played banana “B1” on the classic series “Bananas in Pajamas” for nearly a decade, dished all on a recent episode of “The Final Encore” podcast. According to news.com.au,
Radley revealed that the banananapping occurred during a publicity trip overseas, which Graham Grasby, head of marketing for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, routinely made to take photographs of bananas in high-profile locations such as the White House.
,[Grassby] The suits were taken to Moscow… The suits were stolen, and Grasby was given a ransom note of $100,000 Australian dollars [$65,000 USD] For the return of the case.”
The message was allegedly from the Russian mob, leaving Grasby at a complete loss as to what to do next.
Radley said marketing bosses contacted the ABC in Sydney to explain the situation.
“And the head of ABC said, ‘Okay, we’re not going to give them $100,000. How much would it cost to replace them?’ And Graham said, ‘There’s $20,000 to build them.'”
Radley claims the network told Grasby to pay the gangsters $20,000, not a penny more. If they rejected the offer, the suits would be abandoned and the network would bear the cost of creating new suits.
The network then sent the money, which Grassby reportedly packed in a suitcase and was on his way to meet the mobsters, when he had a change of heart.
“He went straight to the airport and got on the plane with $20,000,” Radley told News.com.au.
But failed repayment meant a grim fate for B1 and B2.
Radley speculated, “The bananas are actually in some Gulag in Russia, in some freezing cold prison.”
“Bananas in Pajamas” debuted in 1992 and ran until 2002, producing over 300 episodes and four specials in that time. It made its way to American television in 1995.
