Suzy Cato on 'pubbing & clubbing', repping Te Reo and the return of 'You and Me'

For generations of Kiwis, the set of a Suzy Cato show feels like home - and that's exactly how we felt visiting the queen of kids' TV on the set of her new show. 

Suzy is officially bringing the magic of 'You and Me' back, but this time, she is taking her cardboard-and-tinfoil crafts to a new format on YouTube.

Despite being revamped for online audiences, Suzy assures us - in her trademark soothing tone -  that the spirit of the show remains "exactly the same". 

A new era of little ones will be greeted with the same "Hello, my friend," and farewelled with the signature "See ya, see ya later" sign-off I grew up on. 

Despite the waning attention spans of all ages, Suzy isn't switching up the slow, steady, comforting style that made her such a hit in the 90s. She's still advocating for the "power of boredom", which "breeds creativity".

Remove the onslaught of stimulus from so many screens, and kids will still behave the way they did 30 years ago, curious, creative and keen to try things themselves. 

What has changed a lot is Suzy herself, now a mother (to the nation, as well as her own kids) and an executive producer on the show - a far cry from her start in 1990 on the 'Early Bird Show' with Russell Rooster.

She was a 20-something who hadn't really even had a chance to much of the content she was auditioning for, because she was "too busy out pubbing and clubbing", she admits a little sheepishly.

It wasn't until she began addressing letters regarding serious issues like abuse on prime-time kids' TV that she fully understood the "powerful medium" she was part of.

Three decades on, she's still using her powers for good; continuing to champion te reo Māori, adding NZ Sign Language to the mix, and being a proud "ageing face" in the media. 

Today, the most common thing she receives from the adults who grew up with her is a hug, often with their own little ones in tow. It was the constant requests from these now-parents that convinced her to return. 

"How can I not?" she says. "I just have to bring it back". 

Check out the full interview with Suzy Cato above. Suzy's new episodes of 'You and Me' come out weekly on her YouTube channel.