William James Te Wehi Taitoko (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991) better known by his stage name Billy T. James, was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the development of New Zealand comedy and was a household name during his lifetime.
Early life
Taitoko was of Waikato Tainui and Clan Campbell descent, leading him to reflect humorously in one routine "I'm half Maori and half Scots. Half of me wants to go to the pub and get pissed, and the other half doesn't want to pay for it."
Career
Taitoko joined the Maori Volcanics Showband in the 1970s and performed around the world. Prince Tui Teka encouraged him to embark on a solo career which saw him in great demand for his skits and impressions and his cabaret singing. He adopted the stage name Billy T. James because "it was something the Australians could pronounce".
In 1980, he appeared in the variety show Radio Times, the success of which led to his own comedy sketch show in 1981 called The Billy T James Show. The same year he was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year.
In 1985, his cabaret act was recorded live and released on LP as Billy T Live! at Pips Cabaret, Whangarei. Featuring standup comedy selections and live versions of songs such as "Running Bear" and "When A Child Is Born", this title was out-of-print for more than a decade before being re-released in CD format in 2008.
Taitoko made a notable appearance in the 1985 feature film Came a Hot Friday and provided voice talent for the popular animated film Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail. Also in 1985, James was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Decade.
In the 1986 New Year Honours, James was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to entertainment.
In 1986, James and Chris Slane published Real Hard Case which contained comic-strip interpretations of Taitoko's comedy. Real Hard Case 2 followed in 1987.
During this period, Taitoko name and likeness was used for the company "Billy T's Hangi Takeaways," with locations in Auckland, but the business did not last and closed after several years.
In 1990, Taitoko received the prestigious Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc for a lifetime of excellence in the performing arts.
The Billy T James Show
Billy T. James' self-titled television show for TVNZ featured sketch comedy and live performances of standup comedy and songs. The show lasted seven series and became a New Zealand institution. Joining Taitoko in the first series were regulars Doug Aston and Laurie Dee. Almost all of the first (1981) and second series (1982) are lost; only one episode from the first two series still exists in the TVNZ archive. The second series saw James introduce his first recurring character Pierre the Painter who would paint pictures while telling a story. The third series, the first to survive in full, saw the introduction of a parody of the Maori news show Te Karere entitled "Te News" in Episode 3, however, this would not appear again until two years later during Series 5. The black singlet and yellow towel James wore in these sketches were to become iconic. After the 1984 series, Doug Aston and Laurie Dee, along with many of the writers, were dropped. The fifth and sixth series (1985 and 1986) were co-written by Peter Rowley and included parodies of Miami Vice, Playschool, a 'Lands For Bags' television commercial, and sketches featuring Rowley as Captain Cook.
Series 1 and 2 most likely ran for 6 half-hour episodes each in 1981 and 1982. Series 3 ran for 7 half-hour episodes in 1983, and Series 4 ran for 6 half-hour episodes in 1984.
Later, Taitoko starred in a second television show, also titled The Billy T James Show. It screened on TV3 in 1990 and was based on a format devised by James and Tom Parkinson. Abandoning the popular sketch comedy format, this show was a family sitcom format and starred James as himself. Co-starring were Ilona Rodgers and Mark Hadlow, with Mark Wright, Tania Wehi, and Willa O'Neill. It ran for one series with only average audience ratings and reviews.
Deteriorating health, transplant and death
In 1988, Taitoko suffered a major heart attack and underwent a quadruple bypass operation. The operation was not successful, and in November 1989 he received a heart transplant, one of the first to be performed in New Zealand. He returned to the stage of the Aotea Centre in April 1990 for the variety special Billy T James, Alive and Gigging. Howard Morrison appeared as a special guest.