Audience members hugged and screamed with delight as chat show host Oprah invited them on an eight-day trip to Australia – with John Travolta as pilot. The dramatic gesture was to celebrate the last series of her iconic programme – which is ending on September 9, 2011 after a 25-year run. On Monday's show confetti streamed down and the set was transformed into an airport, complete with a plane and a worker with glow sticks to guide it onto the set.
Later John Travolta – who has a hangar of planes at home and has flown for Qantas – emerged from the jet and it was revealed he will be the pilot. It's not the first time the queen of the couch has stunned with her generosity. She once gave a car to each member of her audience.
Even so, spectators this week were overwhelmed when she told them: "This is really my last chance to do something really big. And if you want to do something big, you would want to take along your ultimate viewers. I started to think about where would I most want to go. Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world ... We're going to Australia! We are going to Australia! You and you and you and you, are going to Australia!"