Let’s Never Forget Shane Warne Impersonating Himself On ‘Kath & Kim’
It was the stuff Australian dreams are made of.
Cricket star and cultural icon Shane Warne tragically passed away of a suspected heart attack on Friday in what is perhaps one of the most shocking Australian celebrity deaths since Steve Irwin.
Whether you’re a fan of the sport or not, it goes without saying that Warnie had a profound impact on Australia like no other athlete. But for those of us who couldn’t care less about cricket, there’s one specific Warnie memory that will go down in the history books: the time he played Wayne, the Shane Warne impersonator, on Kath & Kim.
The year was 2007, and to be quite honest, it was a trying time. Warnie was staring down the barrel of the end of his international cricket career, and our beloved Kath & Kim was ready to wrap up after years of gracing our TV screens.
But before two iconic parts of Australian culture were ready to call it quits in their respective pursuits, they came together in holy matrimony in ‘The Wedding of the Century’, the final — and in my opinion, the greatest — episode of the hit show.
The episode saw Sharon Strzelecki (Magda Szubanski) fall in love with Wayne, the Shane Warne impersonator (played by Warne, obviously). The pair eventually decide to get married at Melbourne’s Luna Park after Warne bowls the wedding box to Sharon after practising his cricket, as a surprise for her.
A Shane Warne cameo in the show would’ve been the kind of thing dreams were made of, but to have the iconic sporting star cameo as his own impersonator, who — famously — couldn’t play cricket, was truly a gift to Australian audiences. I am not being dramatic when I say the man was ROBBED of a Gold Logie for this performance.
Following the news of Warne’s passing, Szubanski posted behind-the-scenes photos from the episode and shared how Warne “proved that he was not just a great sportsman but also a great sport.”
“In between takes we chatted and I totally fell under the spell of the famed Warnie charm: he was thoughtful and very sweet,” said Szubanski.
Just got sent these gorgeous behind the scenes pics.
Shane was so sweet. God we had fun.
They are gonna post some other lovely BTS pics with Gina Jane Glenn and Peter on Instagram@kathandkim ❤️💔🙏#shanewarne #legend #kathandkim #cricket #sharonstrzelecki #megafan pic.twitter.com/H2S6tfjOul— Magda Szubanski AO (@MagdaSzubanski) March 6, 2022
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You can watch the full episode on Netflix.
Following the news of his passing, Warne’s family has accepted the Victorian Government’s offer for a state funeral, as well as the renaming of the Great Southern Stand at the MCG.
“I’ve just informed the Warne family that the government will rename the Great Southern Stand at the MCG — the place he took his hat trick and 700th wicket — to honour Shane and his contribution to the game,” said Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. “The S.K. Warne Stand will be a permanent tribute to an amazing Victorian.”