REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Thursday, March 4, 2004

IT was the end of an era for the Glitter Strip’s nightspots.

Bill Cross, the Surfers Paradise nightclub king, revealed he was selling his clubs to take his show, Strip Search, to the world.

But he vowed to “keep his hand in” by keeping some business interests on the Glitter Strip.

Negotiations were “well advanced” to purchase three of Mr Cross’s nightclubs along Orchid Ave.

He owned at the time The Drink, Sugar Shack, Disco, Santa Fe Gold, Bad Girls, Berlin and Fever and had been the major player in the lucrative Surfers Paradise nightclub market for almost a decade since the mid1990s.

Strip Search, a reality television show pioneered by Mr Cross and featuring male models, was patented throughout the world after its debut on Australian television in 2003.

“I just can’t put the time I used to into the nightclubs,” said Mr Cross from Melbourne where he was attending the 2004 Australian Grand Prix with Mick Doohan.

“It’s purely a business decision. I am constantly travelling to Canada and Europe and the time has come to concentrate on television.

“Ultimately, every business is for sale.

“I’ve had strong interest in a number of the nightclubs and negotiations are continuing.”

The Strip Search concept, where aspiring models competed to be part of an allmale strip revue, was lapped up by 17 countries.

It was a surprise ratings winner when the first series aired on Nine in 2003 and enjoyed interest from overseas production companies.