Young Talent Time is an Australian television variety program produced by Lewis-Young Productions and screened on Network Ten.

[1] The series featured a core group of young performers, in the vein of The Mickey Mouse Club, and a weekly junior talent quest.

The original program launched the careers of a number of Australian performers including Sally Boyden, Jamie Redfern, Vikki Broughton, Debra Byrne (billed then as Debbie), Tina Arena and Dannii Minogue and spawned numerous hit singles, fifteen Young Talent Time albums, a film, as well as merchandise including swap cards, boardgames, toys, and mugs.

[2] Young Talent Time was produced as a joint venture by Lewis-Young Productions (the production partnership between host Johnny Young and his friend and colleague Kevin Lewis, one of the directors of Festival Records) and was taped mainly at the studios of ATV-10 in Nunawading, Melbourne although occasional shows were taped at the TEN-10 studios in Sydney or on location.

Many of the episodes from the early- to mid-1970s no longer exist as the tapes were wiped for re-use, being the official Network Ten policy at the time.

Despite not appearing in the film, new team member Trevor Hindmarch turned up to the premiere, as seen in the documentary Young Talent Time Tells All.

It was then unseen for three decades until a restored version was featured as a bonus extra on the 2002 DVD Young Talent Time: The Collection (Universal Pictures - 2002).

Members of the cast who found continued success after leaving the series and continue working as performers include Tina Arena, Vikki Broughton, Jane Scali, Jamie Redfern, Dannii Minogue, Karen Knowles, Sally Boyden, and Debra Byrne, Beven Addinsall and John Bowles.

The show had a policy that when team members reached 16 years of age, they had to leave the series and move on,[3] but this rule would subsequently be stretched and broken.

The final concert was held at the Melbourne Tennis Centre on 23 December, the same night on which the last episode of Young Talent Time aired on Network Ten.

After four years of dwindling ratings, in October 1988 Network Ten finally decided to move YTT to Friday nights at 7.30 pm, but the change did not help.

The general manager of Channel 10 Melbourne, Renny Cunnack, announced on 25 January 1989 that Young Talent Time would "not be resuming production in 1989".

The show also featured regular appearances from the younger members of the former cast, who were billed as "The Young Generation": Jamie Churchill, Johnnie Nuich, Joey Dee, Courtney Compagnino, Juanita Coco and Rikki Arnot.

These solo performers, duos, groups, etc., included singers, dancers (ballet, hip hop, tap, jazz, etc.

It is believed YTT was moved because of poor ratings on Sunday night resulting in the much more popular program The Biggest Loser taking the 6:30 to 7:30 timeslot.

The all-boys Hip Hop troupe toured with the YTT team and Rob Mills in June and July 2012, visiting various Sydney venues as well as Melbourne and Canberra.

However, such team members as Aydan Calafiore and Adrien Nookadu went on to have music careers and Georgia-May Davis worked with Disney Channel Australia.

A one-hour prime-time television documentary Young Talent Time Tells All aired on Network Ten on 29 October 2001.

Produced and directed by former YTT cast member John Bowles, it was a tremendous ratings success celebrating the show's 30th anniversary.

Archive footage, including clips thought to have been lost, were interspersed with the YTT kids speaking about their experiences on and off-air.