Tag: Number 96

1973: Which channel would go?

The question around the ongoing viability of three commercial networks has been raised, on and off, for many years. It was a question asked right back to when the federal government first permitted a third commercial network in the early 1960s — and in 1973 the industry itself was almost willing to sacrifice some of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2023/02/1973-which-channel-would-go.html

ABC’s Certain Women

Fifty years ago, ABC‘s Certain Women marked a shift in putting the primary focus in Australian television drama on women. Up until then, Australian television drama was largely male-dominated. Indeed, it was not until 1972 that the TV Week Logie Awards sought to add a category for Best Actress. Although serials like Motel, Bellbird and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2023/02/abcs-certain-women.html

Happy New Year from Number 96

Happy New Year (1973) from Number 96 cast members Joe Hasham, Abigail, Elaine Lee and Tom Oliver. The series that arrived with much controversy early in 1972 had ended the year with some big cliffhangers: Is Bev Houghton (Abigail) having an incestuous relationship with her brother, Rod (John Benton)? Will Salvadore Russo (John Serge) survive …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2023/01/happy-new-year-from-number-96.html

2022: The Big Reset

It seems that 2022 will be best remembered for holding a giant re-set of some of our biggest TV names and shows, as some of our highest-profile presenters have decided to call it a day — either temporarily or perhaps longer term. It is hard to recall a year where so many key personalities have …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/12/2022-the-big-reset.html

Classic TV Guides: Cop Shop

After Crawford Productions suffered the indignity of having its three police dramas — Homicide, Division 4 and Matlock Police — axed within a year of each other in 1975, Cop Shop in 1977 represented a successful return to the genre. Unlike the earlier dramas, Cop Shop also incorporated the increasingly popular soap opera element. Storylines relating to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/11/classic-tv-guides-cop-shop.html

Obituary: John Hamblin

John Hamblin, actor and long-time presenter on Play School, has died at the age of 87. Born in England, Hamblin had made some early acting appearances on British television and was a “ten pound pom” when he came to Australia in the 1960s. His first Australian TV appearance was a guest role in the adventure …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/09/obituary-john-hamblin.html

Obituary: Vince Gil

Vince Gil, Australian film and television actor and writer, has died at the age of 83. Although he is most remembered for his roles in films Mad Max and Stone, he was also a prolific actor on television. His earliest TV appearances included the 1965 play The Swagman — where he played an Australian-born man …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/08/obituary-vince-gil.html

Obituary: Carol Raye

Carol Raye, former television producer and performer, has died at the age of 99. British-born Raye had a successful career in British film and television in the 1940s and ’50s. In the early 1960s, her husband’s work took the family to Kenya and Raye ended up working as a producer for the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. …

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New doco to explore our LGBTQ TV journey

It is fair to say that Australian television has had a progressive approach to queer representation, dating back to 1970s serials Number 96, The Box and later Prisoner, when other countries were still barely touching on the subject. While the AIDS crisis in the 1980s led to a regression in this representation, things started to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2022/04/new-doco-to-explore-our-lgbtq-tv-journey.html