Atralian televisn has been remarkably queer for a long time. In fact, LGBTQ+ characters and storyl filled Asie screens s before they did the US and UK. Now, one of the first openly gay men on Atralian TV is rearchg that history for a new documentary seri, Outrageo: The Queer History of Atralian TV.…
Contents:
- “COULD I PULL OFF AS A STRAIGHT GUY…. ULD I BE A BELIEVABLE GAY MAN?”
- STUDY: NUMBER OF GAY CHARACTERS ON TV AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH
- WHERE ARE ALL THE GAY CHARACTERS ON ASIE TV? IS TE ‘GAY DON’T RATE’? FOUR SIRS WEIGH
- 'THAT '90S SHOW' VIEWERS TORN OVER GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX SPOFF
“COULD I PULL OFF AS A STRAIGHT GUY…. ULD I BE A BELIEVABLE GAY MAN?”
* number 96 gay character *
Now, one of the first openly gay men on Atralian TV is rearchg that history for a new documentary seri, Outrageo: The Queer History of Atralian TV. In the 1990s and 2000s, broadster, journalist, and pop-culture mentator Andrew Merdo was one of the most visible gay men on Atralian televisn. Fifty years ago, when homosexualy was illegal, was ma to look rpectable on Atralian TV.
The year was 1972 and Asi were still watchg TV black and whe, but the ntent was groundbreakg, revolutnary, and gay-iendly.
STUDY: NUMBER OF GAY CHARACTERS ON TV AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH
Number 96 was a popular Atralian soap opera set a Sydney apartment block. Don Cash and Bill Harmon of the Cash Harmon Televisn productn pany, produced the seri for Network Ten, which requted a Coronatn Street-type serial, and specifilly one that explored adult subjects. The premise, origal story outl, and the origal characters were vised by David Sale who also wrote the scripts for the first episos and ntued as script edor for much of the show's n. The seri proved to be a huge succs, nng om 1972 until 1977. Number 96 was so popular spawned a feature film versn, filmed December 1973. Number 96 was known for s sex scen and nudy, somewhat risque at the time, and for s edy characters. The seri was the first Atralian soap opera to feature an openly gay character. * number 96 gay character *
By parison, Amerin TV was barely dippg s toe to the gay subculture.
While s early episos were stgglg the ratgs, All In The Fay featured a gay character (played by Phil Carey) one episo. On the equally low-ratg s, The Corner Bar, an ocsnal gay character (Vcent Schiavelli) didn’t make to the show’s send season.
WHERE ARE ALL THE GAY CHARACTERS ON ASIE TV? IS TE ‘GAY DON’T RATE’? FOUR SIRS WEIGH
Nigel Gil & Adam Noviello terviews wh Jam McKenzie. Number 96 aired on Atralian televisn om 1972 to 1977 and had profound impacts wh s groundbreakg them, cludg the first openly gay, lbian and transgenr characters on Atralian TV drama. Nigel Gil chats about his book that celebrat the show's 50th anniversary wh reflectns om the st. * number 96 gay character *
Six weeks to the show, Don revealed he was gay and that bisexual Bce was his lover. What’s remarkable about this storyle is that Bev apologised for her homophobia, blamg on “not beg sophistited enough”. For the next five years, wh over 1, 200 episos, the gay man sat at the moral centre of the rnchit show ever seen on Atralian TV.
Dpe outrageo storyl volvg a knicker snipper and a pantyhose strangler, the “straight-actg” gay lawyer was posively “normal”, helpg out everyone and anyone who need him. Closeted gay men, livg suburbs and regnal towns all across Atralia, were thankg the actor for givg them hope and showg they weren’t alone; Don was a gay man who was rpected by his muny and adored by his iends. The key to this gay revolutn was that Number 96’s creator, David Sale, was gay himself.
He based Don on a man he met om a blokey oil firm, whom nobody uld pick was gay. Normalisg a gay man had never been done on televisn before. Instead, the magaze went to great lengths to never mentn their relatnship or homosexualy, promotg each actor dividually, while always mentng their real-life heterosexualy.
'THAT '90S SHOW' VIEWERS TORN OVER GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX SPOFF
At the World Premiere of Outrageo last night Joe Hasham was appld for his work as TV's first gay character. * number 96 gay character *
Amerin producer Bill Harmon, a straight man now aware of the impact their posive gay role mol was havg, told them that Don would never be turned straight. Number 96 was the first TV seri the world to feature a regular gay character (Don) and a bisexual one (Bce).
The Box was set a TV statn and featured a flamboyant gay director, Lee Wheman (Pl Karo).
The number of gay and bisexual characters on scripted broadst work TV is at s hight-ever level the season ahead * number 96 gay character *
But jt like Number 96, the actor who got the most fan mail was the one playg the gay man. Fay magaze TV Tim was so fascated wh this “showbiz phenomenon”, they voted three pag to a report about , wh a ont ver headle that said: “The Gay Guys Are Great”. So, to rep, even though homosexualy was illegal, Atralian dienc were learng all about by followg the liv of multiple gay characters for several years, as Number 96 and The Box sat together at the top of the ratgs chart.