Who were the original members of The Wiggles and where are they now? Here's what we know
Where are Murray Cook, Anthony Field, Greg Page and Jeff Fatt now? Fans want to know following Prime Video's 'Hot Potato' documentary
A brand new documentary chronicling the story of the iconic children's music group has viewers wondering who the original Wiggles were - and what they're all up to now.
There is an abundance of fantastic documentaries on streaming services right now, highlighting the lives and careers of some of the world's best-known celebrities. The recent Beckham documentary had viewers wondering where David Beckham lives, while the hugely successful Wham! documentary left viewers wanting to know what Andrew Ridgely did after Wham! split, and why the band broke up in the first place.
But one band you might not have been expecting to star in a feature-length documentary is children's music group The Wiggles. Formed in Australia in 1991, the four colourful characters went on to become one of the most successful children's acts of all time, and now their story is being told in Prime Video's Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles. We've got all the details on what the original band members are up to now...
Who were the original members of The Wiggles?
The original members of The Wiggles were Jeff Fatt, Anthony Field, Greg Page and Murray Cook. The band was formed in 1991 when Anthony came up with the idea of making a children's album, and he met Murray Cook and Greg Page at university where he studied teaching and early childhood.
Meanwhile, Jeff Fatt was another member of a band Anthony was involved in, called 'The Cockroaches'. Anthony also recruited classical music composer Phillip Wilcher to help record their debut album, but left the group in 1992.
Anthony is still a member of The Wiggles, and the current group's lineup also includes Tsehay Hawkins, Lachy Gillespie, Simon Pryce, Evie Ferris, John Pearce, Caterina Mete, and Lucia Field.
Jeff, Greg and Murray all retired from The Wiggles in 2012, though they have been involved in reunion tours in years since.
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The shake-up resulted in Emma Watkins, Lachlan Gillespie and Simon Pryce joining the group. Some may remember that Yellow Wiggle Emma and Purple Wiggle Lachlan were married from 2016-2018.
Where is Murray Cook now?
Original Red Wiggle Murray Cook is now a DJ, and has shared plenty of videos of his work on his TikTok account, @djmurraycook. In addition, he's a member of the Sydney-based soul, rock, and pop band The Soul Movers.
Last year, the band performed at the Blues on Broadbeach music festival on the Gold Coast, Australia, to an estimated audience of 150,000.
But he hasn't put his life as a member of The Wiggles behind him. In a 2019 interview with The Sydney Herald, Murray said, "Most feedback I get from young people is that [The Wiggles] was a really positive thing in their lives. Now all of them are into other music and partly because of The Wiggles, which is pretty rewarding."
But he has also confessed that being in a band isn't easy, and in the new documentary he recalls how hard it can be having to work away from his family, explaining that his son once said, "I don't like music because it takes Daddy away."
Where is Anthony Field now?
Anthony Field is a still a member of The Wiggles, and the only one of the original WIggles left, having kept his role as Blue Wiggle since the group first formed in 1991. He is now joined on stage by his daughter, Lucia Field, who also performs as a Blue Wiggle.
In addition, Anthony and fellow Wiggle Lachlan Gillespie started a band for adult fans called The Unusual Commoners in 2018, which plays a mixture of traditional Australian, Irish, Scottish and folk songs.
In the new Prime Video documentary, Anthony opens up about his battle with depression throughout his career. He says, "Talking to one of my brothers, I told him I felt sad all the time and he said, 'What have you got to be sad about? You're successful, you have got all the comforts - what's wrong with you?'"
But despite this, he has said he "never had a problem on stage".
Where is Greg Page now?
Yellow Wiggle Greg Page is the founder of Heart of the Nation, an Australian charity dedicated to increasing the survival rate of sudden cardiac arrest across the country.
The musician set up the charity following his own experiences with poor health, which led to him suffering a heart attack on stage during a Wiggles reunion show in 2020.
A registered nurse who was in the audience at the time stepped in and helped perform CPR on Greg before he was taken to hospital, and ambulance officers reportedly said if it wasn't for the quick actions of the crowd member and bandmates, he may not have survived.
Recalling the incident in the new documentary, Murray said, "First I thought he'd just overdone it, but then his eyes started rolling back.
"Then first aid people were saying he'd stopped breathing. I thought he was dead. It was horrible to see... It was pretty distressing."
Where is Jeff Fatt now?
Of all the original group members, Purple Wiggle Jeff Fatt has led the most low profile life since leaving the band.
In 2020, he temporarily replaced Lachlan Gillespie to film The Wiggly World Of Dance Classes, after it was announced Lachlan would take some time away from the group to spend time with his newborn twin daughters.
The new Prime Video documentary revealed how The Wiggles' sixth album, Wake Up Jeff!, was brought about. Jeff had his own comic routine as a member of The Wiggles, and was known for 'falling asleep' on stage.
In the new documentary, Jeff revealed, "I'm very uncomfortable, actually, with being in front of an audience, unless I have a role to play," adding that it was his stage fright that sparked his character's trait of falling asleep.
Murray added, "We couldn't really trust him to say much [on stage], because he'd quite often say things that weren't appropriate for kids. Not in a bad way, but like, 'No, you wouldn't say it like that'. So we had to give him an education as The Wiggles evolved."
Elsewhere on Goodto, we've uncovered the lives of others in front of the lens, from where Heather Mills is now and how Paula Yates died to if Fred Sirieix is married and how many children Pamela Anderson has.
Ellie is GoodtoKnow’s Family News Editor and covers all the latest trends in the parenting world - from relationship advice and baby names to wellbeing and self-care ideas for busy mums. Ellie is also an NCTJ-qualified journalist and has a distinction in MA Magazine Journalism from Nottingham Trent University and a first-class degree in Journalism from Cardiff University. Previously, Ellie has worked with BBC Good Food, The Big Issue, and the Nottingham Post, as well as freelancing as an arts and entertainment writer alongside her studies. When she’s not got her nose in a book, you’ll probably find Ellie jogging around her local park, indulging in an insta-worthy restaurant, or watching Netflix’s newest true crime documentary.
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