In addition, 2005 saw the advent of the Civil Union Bill, Charles marry Camilla, and Chris Warner and Toni Thompson get hitched on Shortland Street.
As the list above indicates, the events highlighted tend towards the trivial, but some of the material is surprisingly timely. The show demonstrates that anyone surprised by John Tamihere's recent Roast Buster remarks shouldn't have been, as 2005 was when the then-Labour MP managed to come across as a misogynistic, homophobic simpleton in an interview with Investigate magazine.
It's a varied mix, aided by some sharp writing and juxtapositions (the election of new Pope Benedict XVI is contrasted with Brian Tamaki ordaining himself a bishop).
Gibb's personal anecdotes are more entertaining than the response from the often inert audience suggests. Gibb's stand-up tends towards the subtle, generally eschewing the easy "F-bomb" approach in favour of more sophisticated verbiage. I enjoyed the style, even if it sometimes results in punchlines being strangled by a surfeit of sub-clauses.
That quibble aside, I enjoyed this hour-long exercise in memory jogging, at least partly because other than the birth of my youngest daughter, 2005 is a bit of a blur.
Speaking of babies, season five of city council comedy Parks and Recreation ended on a cliff-hanger that strongly hinted Lucy Lawless' character is pregnant to magnificently unreconstructed man's man Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman), a question that's speedily resolved when the season six starts tomorrow. As the troubles of John Banks and Len Brown prove, the conduct of local politicians is often laughable. Parks and Recreation's laughs, however, don't leave a bad taste in your mouth.
* The Year That Was - 2005 screens Wednesday, 9.40pm, on TV2; Parks and Recreation returns tomorrow, 8pm, on Four.