Debra Byrne's allegations about what happened behind the scenes at Young Talent Time resurface after Johnny Young's death

By STEPHEN GIBBS, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:15, 22 August 2026 | Updated: 01:26, 22 August 2026 For millions of Australians who watched television in the 1970s and 80s, Young Talent Time conjures memories of a time when a show built around singing kids was the definition of wholesome family fun. But behind the scenes at least one former cast member says the program has a more complicated and far darker legacy - as her gateway into underage sex and drugs. While former YTT team members Dannii Minogue and Tina Arena paid public homage to host Johnny Young following his death aged 79, their predecessor Debra Byrne has remained largely silent.  After news broke last week that Young had succumbed to pancreatic cancer, Byrne posted then deleted an ambiguous message to her 20,000 Facebook followers. 'Please remain from posting from my page history,' she wrote. 'Johnny Young has passed. His family and friends are grieving. 'Whatever my relationship is with JY is for me to share which I did while he was living. Please respect my wishes and his family. 'Love Deb x' Byrne, once known as Debbie, was one of the six original child stars of YTT alongside Vikki Broughton, Rod Kirkham, Phillip Gould, Jamie Redfern and Jane Scali when it premiered in 1971. She would go onto adult fame as an acclaimed musical theatre performer but battled heroin and cocaine addiction, as well as major depression, anxiety and other personal problems. For millions of Australians who watched television in the 1970s and 80s, Young Talent Time conjures memories of a time when a show built around singing kids was the definition of wholesome family fun. Host Johnny Young is pictured with fourth wife Marisha While fellow YTT team members Dannii Minogue and Tina Arena paid public homage to host Johnny Young following his death aged 79, their predecessor Debra Byrne has remained largely silent. Byrne is pictured far right and Young centre in 1971 Byrne wrote about her experiences on YTT in her 2006 memoir Not Quite Ripe, claiming she had been introduced to sex, drugs and alcohol while on the show. In an interview with New Idea to promote the book ahead of its publication, Byrne said she began a relationship with a 24-year-old YTT crew member when she was 12. 'That's illegal and they must have known,' she told the magazine. 'It's frightening no-one stopped us.' Young hit back with denials and his own digs at Byrne, setting off a sporadic war of words between the pair that was not resolved before he died. Young pointed out Byrne was born in March 1957 and so was 14 when YTT first aired in April 1971.  'Debra was 14 when she started on Young Talent Time,' he said. 'And she was 15 going on 16 when she ran off with the boom operator without anybody knowing, causing incredible havoc for us.' Byrne, once known as Debbie, was one of the six original child stars of YTT alongside Vikki Broughton, Rod Kirkham, Phillip Gould, Jamie Redfern and Jane Scali. She is pictured top right with Young in 1988. After news broke last week that Young had succumbed to pancreatic cancer , Byrne posted then deleted an ambiguous message to her 20,000 Facebook followers Young said 'we were a family' on YTT and everyone involved in its production was 'aware of my incredible sensitivity of making sure that the kids were protected'. 'I have absolutely nothing to hide, my integrity is intact,' he said. 'I've searched my conscience and my memory and I don't recall ever being alone, one on one, with Debra in any kind of situation.' Young later wrote to New Idea's then owner, Kerry Stokes, complaining about the original cover story and a follow-up article. 'The articles have hurt and damaged me enormously,' Young wrote.  'The second article backs away from this, but both articles suggest that I knew she was having a sexual relationship when she was 12 or 13 with a Young Talent Time staff member and I did nothing to stop it.  'The clear suggestion is that I turned a blind eye to paedophilia. This is terribly damaging to me and has the capacity to completely destroy my reputation and career.' Young told Perth Now the boom operator had been replaced on YTT because a producer believed he was getting too close to Byrne. She had stated in her book her parents approved of the relationship, which Young thought began when Byrne was a few months off turning 16.  Byrne (above) wrote about her experiences on YTT in her 2006 memoir Not Quite Ripe, claiming she had been introduced to sex, drugs and alcohol on Young Talent Time In an interview with New Idea to promote her book ahead of its publication, Byrne (above) said she began a relationship with a 24-year-old YTT crew member when she was 12 Byrne also revealed in her book other elements of her troubled background, including suffering sexual abused by her maternal grandfather from early childhood.  'It's a very sad book,' Young said. 'Deb's had some incredible tragedy in her younger life. 'Being molested by her grandfather, the way her father treated her and her mother's attitudes are horrific stuff for a youngster, but nothing to do with Young Talent Time.' Young said it was obvious Byrne had a problem with him, 'but she doesn't make it clear in the book why she doesn't like me'. 'Somewhere along the line I had to do something,' he said of speaking out against Byrne's claims. 'The feeling I have for Deb is just extreme sadness.' Byrne twice won a Logie for Best Teenage Television Personality while on YTT and left the program in 1975. She went to a successful career as recording artist and performed in Cats, Les Miserables and Sunset Boulevard.  In April 2014, Byrne took to social media to name two men she accused of sexually abusing her on YTT and appeal for witnesses to an alleged incident in the studio. She wrote on Facebook that one of those men had been convicted of carnal knowledge and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond. Young (above) responded to Byrne's claims by saying everyone involved in YTT's production was 'aware of my incredible sensitivity of making sure that the kids were protected' Young Talent Time cast members from 1984: Top row (L-R) Bobby Driessen, Joey Perrone, Michael Campbell; middle row (L-R) , Karen Dunkerton, Tina Arena, Jodie Loebert, Mark McCormack; bottom row (L-R) Dannii Minogue and Katie Van Ree Byrne said she had been the victim of a sexual assault while filming a pool scene for the the YTT spin-off movie Caravan Holiday in 1971. 'I don't recall where the pool was, but while I was in the pool [a crew member] swam up to me and digitally raped me,' Byrne wrote. 'I was a very disturbed girl and was abused, I believe, because I was considered fair game.' Byrne also appealed for witnesses to another alleged incident during the filming of a Red Tulip chocolates commercial to come forward. 'There were more than two people in the studio,' she said. 'If this jogs anyone's memory and you are comfortable to speak with me about what took place in the studio please contact me. Blessings Debra Byrne X.' Entertainment reporter Peter Ford told 2DayFM he had spoken to Young about Byrne's latest claims and he had again denied them. 'He is very concerned for Debra, he just wants her to be happy and healthy but I think at the same time he's pretty angry that this stuff is being dredged up,' Ford said. 'The suggestion with Deb often seems to be that Johnny Young knew what was going on and didn't do anything. In April 2014, Byrne took to social media to name two men she accused of sexually abusing her on YTT and appeal for witnesses to an alleged incident in the studio Byrne (above) revealed in her book Not Quite Ripe other elements of her troubled background, including suffering sexual abused by her maternal grandfather from early childhood  'Johnny is adamant he didn't know anything. He certainly wouldn’t have allowed it.' Byrne repeated her allegations about being sexually abused on YTT after she had been asked to take part in a reunion for the show's 50th anniversary in 2021. 'Oh I haven't moved on, that's not why I said no to a reunion,' she posted. 'My reason is I find it very difficult to move on from what happened to me as a child. 'When I decided to confront John about the sexual abuse that occurred of course his responses were very aggressive and victim-shaming, telling me that I was crazy, that he would never do anything like that.' Young responded to the fresh round of criticism by telling Melbourne's Herald Sun newspaper, 'I'm a huge fan of Debra's talent.' 'She is totally brilliant, but she has some problems,' he said. 'Debra has aired her emotional difficulties and it is all very sad for me to watch. 'We did invite her to come along to the reunion, but she chose not to. That's fine. She can make her own decisions, but I feel for her.' At the time, Byrne found support from her former YTT castmate Jamie Redfern, who spent 10 months on the show before agreeing to tour the US with flamboyant pianist and singer Liberace. Young said it was obvious Byrne had a problem with him, 'but she doesn't make it clear in the book why she doesn't like me'. He is pictured with YTT cast members in the 1980s 'I told Deb on the phone the other night that I remember feeling very confused as to why certain older guys were allowed access to her with virtually no supervision,' Redfern wrote on his website.  'I remember thinking to myself "it must be ok, or the adults would step in".  'After some long telephone conversations with my dear friend, the super talented, Debra Byrne - I think she's far from crazy and tend to believe what she is saying - EVERY WORD.' Young, who was married four times, dealt with the innuendo surrounding his YTT role in a February 2000 episode of Australian Story. He also addressed his 1993 arrest at an illegal Philippines AIDS clinic where Young had gone to support a terminally ill friend but was mistakenly arrested when the premises was raided. YTT music coordinator Lisa Howes said: 'There were always rumours and stories about John because no one could ever believe that he was ah as sweet and as flawless as he appeared.' 'And I know all the years that I worked with the show and afterwards there were lots of rumours about, "Well any grown man that spends so much time with young children must have a problem there." 'I think that 50 per cent of the audience that regularly watched the show watched it because they loved him. I think 50 per cent of the audience that regularly watched the show loved to watch it because they hated him.' Byrne repeated her allegations about being sexually abused on YTT after she had been asked to take part in a reunion for the show's 50th anniversary in 2021. She is pictured in 2012 Young recalled an occasion when a man saw him and said, 'That's Johnny Young - get the kids out of here. I don't want to be in the same place as he is.' 'Now that just devastated me,' he said. 'It just completely devastated me. I couldn't believe it. It knocked me about.  'I couldn't believe it had got to that. And then I thought, "well, how do I defend this?" Well, you can't. You know if I defend it, it's like "thou protesteth too much".' Young said he had never acted inappropriately with a minor and if he had, 'don't you think they would have come out of the woodwork by now to get their lousy hundred thousand dollars'. 'I'm happy to say what I am and what I am is a complex, quirky artist,' he said. 'I'm an artiste. I belong in the middle ages as a court jester in some, you know, king's court. 'They'd love me there. That's me. I'd also like to say what I'm not. I'm not bent, I'm not queer. I'm not an abuser of children.'