i was never aware that australia was so backward :eek:
Hmm this old chestnut is raised again.
Below is a list I scanned from a magazing article awhile back.
I think it makes it pretty clear that Australia isn't 'so backward' and had glbt people and content on TV before most other countries.
Australian TV firsts involving GLBT and related characters and topics (up to 1997)
Abridged version of list in magazine article:
Keith Howes (1998, February). "Gays of Our Lives". Outrage, Number 177, 38-49.
1961
First original Australian gay TV play: Patricia Hooker's A Season in Hell (ABC-TV), about the French poets Rimbaud and Vertaine (Allen Bickford and Alastair Duncan). 'Neighbours' star Anne Haddy played Verlaine's wife, who has to cope with the introduction of a teenage male lover into the household.
First (more or less overtly) camp Australian TV show: Channel 7's 'The Mavis Bramston Show', which revelled in camp humour. [Many of the personnel from this production went on to soap 'Number 96'.]
1965
First drag performer on TV: Gordon Chater, in feathers but rough as guts in a 'Mavis Bramston Show' sketch: "It's hard to believe that under this veneer of beauty and radiance I am a mere male"
First man dressed as woman on cover of TV Guide: A certain Mrs Norm Everage of Moonee Ponds.
First grandmother of a gay actor to play a lesbian: Stella Lamond, in Eton Crop with collar and tie, in an episode of 'Homicide'. She was the grandmother of Tony Sheldon (who later played quasi-gay roles in 'Homicide' and full throttle gays in two 1974 ABC-TV plays, Spoiled and A Hard God), and the mother of Toni Lamond (see 1972). [Sheldon is playing in 'Priscilla' on Broadway as of 2011.]
First discussion of homosexuality on Australian television: 'Encounter' with Barry Jones on Channel 7 at 9pm, featuring lesbians and gay men, plus doctor, sociologist and psychiatrist.
1970
First openly and proud gay and lesbian on television: John Ware and Christabel Poll, who had founded gay liberation organisation CAMP and appeared on a number of news programs.
1972
First male gay couple shown on television: Two men called Peter (Bonsall-Boone and De Waal) on the ABC's 'Chequerboard' program, 'It's just that It's a Part of Me'. "A happy couple living in a nice house. The only thing that seems to be missing is children." [see also: http://www.abc.net.au/documentaries/chequerboard/episode1.htm]
First lesbian couple on television: Christabel Poll and her girlfriend on the same programme.
First gay kiss on Australian television: Peter Bonsall-Boone and Peter De Waal in a ‘Hi, honey, I’m home’ type peck outside their house at the beginning of the 'Chequerboard' episode.
First gay person to lose their job as a result of appearing on TV: Peter Bonsall-Boone, clerk in Anglican church (St Clement’s, Mosman), dismissed after four years because of his participation in the ABC's 'Chequerboard' program.
1972
First drama serial/soap opera with a sexually active gay character played by the same actor from first episode to last: 'Number 96'. Don Finlayson was played by Joe Hasham until the serial ended in 1977. His sexuality was revealed in episode 30. Up to then Hasham had received a trickle of fan mail. After Don's coming out, it became an avalanche, transforming him into a mighty sex symbol. Don had major relationships with Bruce and Dudley as well as flings with Simon, Grant, Rob, Joshua and Paul. He was desired by Brad, Dr Pascal and Phillip.
First lesbian character in a drama serial/soap opera: The witch Karen Winters, played by Toni Lamond, in 'Number 96'. She becomes the flatmate of Bev (Abigail) who, she is delighted to discover, is still a virgin.
First bisexual character in a drama serial/soap opera: Bruce (Paul Weingott), the photographer in 'Number 96'. His father, Owen Weingott, starred in the first Australian soap, 'Autumn Affair', in 1958. [Owen Weingott also appeared in 'Number 96' as the husband of Maggie Cameron who had hired Bruce as a gigolo.]
First full length male nude (well, not quite full frontal): Chard Hayward playing a hippy confronts Pat McDonald starkers in the laundrette in 'Number 96'. Many other actors - male and female - showed most of themselves on the show. Chard went on to play Don's love interest, Dudley.
First overt gay characters in a drama series episode: Two bitchy queens (played by Paul Karo and Paul Eddy) in a very unsympathetic episode of the cop show 'Division 4'. [Paul Eddy directed the 1975 feature film version of 'The Box'.]
1973
First transgender player in a drama serial/soap opera: Carolle Lea aka Carlotta appears in 5 episodes of 'Number 96' as Sydney showgirl Robin Ross, who catches the eye of hapless Arnold Feather. (Carlotta was locked in her dressing-room to hide her identity while shooting her scenes.)
1974
First kiss between men in a drama serial/soap opera: Paul Weingott and Joe Hasham in 'Number 96', supposedly naked between the sheets in a brass bed.
First regular female bisexual character in a drama serial/soap opera: Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn) in 'The Box'. A lively if unscrupulous reporter for TeleView magazine who, said her creator, "played both sides. She was into anything that moved." [Nunn, of course, later played Ailsa in 'Home and Away'.]
First lesbian kiss in a drama serial/soap opera: Between Judy Nunn and Helen Hemingway (playing a 15-year-old) in episode 1 of 'The Box'.
First gay character to have a straight male best friend: Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo) who is a close friend of producer Paul Donovan (George Mallaby) in 'The Box'. Says Donovan to a homophobic TV executive: "[Lee's] a very honest man ... Give me a few more like him and I don't care what they do in their bedroom."
First actor to win two major television awards for portraying a regular gay character: Paul Karo won a Logie as Best Actor for his role of "witty, likeable homosexual" Lee Whiteman in 'The Box', and also a Penguin (bestowed by the television industry). The previous year he had been nominated for a role in an episode of 'Homicide' in which he played a man arrested for soliciting in a toilet.
First drama serial/soap opera to out William Shakespeare: Amanda (Carol Raye) in 'Number 96' during a court scene. (The rumours had been circulating for centuries). [This is episode 450, due for release on DVD in 2012.]
First cop show to expose (and guardedly condemn) homophobia: 'Homicide'. An episode entitled 'A Crime against Nature' in which "Some startling attitudes are revealed when a homosexual is bashed and killed." This was followed a few months later by 'Out of Step' which dealt with "The passion and jealousies of the ballet world," and featured "an honest and sympathetic man whose homosexual tendencies are his Achilles heel" The following year, the series produced an episode called 'Why all the fuss?' which again tackled gay bashing.
First male Molly since the 18th century: Ian 'Molly' Meldrum, presenter of ABC•TV's pop music show 'Countdown'. [Molly Meldrum made a guest appearance in 'Neighbours' in 1986; in 2011 he interviewed Beyonce - a video that apparently revealed a fake 'baby bump' and quickly went viral.]
1977
First regular gay character to be offered his own series: Don Finlayson was to be featured in a 'Number 96' spinoff in which he played a private eye. The pilot episode was cut into the serial in its dying days but the project was stillborn.
First gay performer to be featured on 'This Is Your Life': Singer Peter Allen.
1978
First Full Monty on television: Vince Martin showed the lot in a locker room scene in an ABC-TV play called 'Ripkin'. The very select band of fully frontal Australian TV actors includes David Reyne (in a shower scene in an 1980s ABC-TV play), Tony Poli (in a 1993 episode of ABC-TV's 'Phoenix') and Tayler Kane (as Grievous in Channel 7's 'Fire II', 1996. [Vince Martin was in various soaps including 'Number 96', 'Sons and Daughters', and 'E Street', as Mr Bad.]
1979
First drama series to feature lesbians extensively: Channel Ten's 'Prisoner' aka 'Prisoner: Cell Block H'. [Regular characters who were lesbians were Franky Doyle (1979), Angela Jeffries (1979), Judy Bryant (1980-1985), Judy's girlfriend Sharon Gilmour (1980), Joan Ferguson (1982-1986), Joan's love interest Terri Malone (1985); a gay male regular character was Ray Proctor in 1984, a gay male guest character was Tiny Clayton for 3 episodes in 1985. Doreen Anderson/Burns was initially said to be Franky's girlfriend but little of this was explored on screen; it was implied Chrissie Latham had a brief intimate association with Sharon Gilmour.]
First murder of lesbian character in a drama serial: Nasty air hostess Robyn Davies, played by Judy Morris, stabbed 57 times in Channel 7's 'Skyways'. [ERROR: she wasn't 'nasty'. Robyn was stabbed to death in the shower by a loopy heterosexual woman played by Dina Mann who suspected the man she was stalking loved Robyn.]
1980
First drama series to feature a gay activist as a leading character: ABC-TV's 'Players to the Gallery'. He was played by Richard Moir. [Moir was in the first 16 episodes of 'Prisoner', playing Eddie the electrician.]
First gay character to be exported to another country: Mr Humphries (John Inman) brought to Australia for a homegrown version of 'Are You Being Served?'
First drama series with strong gay flavour to be transplanted in an another country: 'Number 96', completely transformed by its American producers (all gay characters removed) and a flop.
First lesbian mother in TV drama serial: Judy Bryant (Betty Bobbitt) in Channel Ten soap 'Prisoner'. Daughter adopted, later reconciled.
1981
First comedy series with regular gay character: Channel 7's 'Daily at Dawn': Terry Bader as journalist Leslie. [Previously, in 'Number 96' in 1974, Bader had played Brad Hilton, a closet homosexual who was shown, wearing only skimpy purple briefs, trying to seduce Don who was lying in bed apparently naked.]
1984
First lesbian sex scene in a single play: Two half naked women frolic on a bed in order to shock and humiliate sexist, pretentious old fart Warren Mitchell in ABC-TV's 'A Man of Letters'. One of the women is played by Genevieve Mooy - see also 1996.
1989
First drama series to attempt (occasionally) to deal with issues of alternative sexuality: 'G.P.', the second longest-running series on ABC-TV, which featured episodes dealing with sexual molestation of teenage boys (at school and in jail), transvestism, transsexuality, gays in the armed forces, queer bashing, lesbians having babies and aspects of HIV/AIDS. [In this "Gays of Our Lives" article, Martin Dempsey (Damian Rice) is pictured apparently naked in bed with 'companion' Patrick (Lockie Daddo) in the 'OUT' episode of "G.P."]
First regular gay character in an Australian afternoon soap: Steven (Joe Spano) in 'The Power, the Passion' but the character was killed off after a few months. [The series, which aired at 1 pm, itself lasted only a few months.]
First gay aborigine to appear regularly on TV: Malcolm Cole, one of the presenters of ABC-TV's 'Black Out'.
1990
First kiss between two men in a post-'Number 96' drama series: Jamie Jackson (as dying man) and Graham Harvey, just once, in 'G.P.': 'Lovers'.
1992
First whiff of the other love on 'Neighbours': When Guy (Andrew Williams) pretended to be Josh's boyfriend (very briefly). The later relationship between "almost inseparable" Toadie and Billy has also been noted as having gay elements.
First program to address specifically the issue of men who regularly have sex with men (but do not identify as gay, queer or bisexual): A tie: A segment of SBS's English File called 'Men Who Have Sex With Men: and 'G.P.': 'It's All in the Eyes'.
First programme to consider hetero and homo sex on an equal footing: Channel 10's 'Sex' with Sophie Lee, later titled 'Sex/Life'.
1993
First episode in series drama to deal with heterosexual male rape at a stag/buck's night: An episode of 'G.P.', 'Exposed', with Peter Phelps, who won an AFI best TV actor [award] for his work.
1994
First gay and lesbian event to be given a (prime time) showing on national free to air TV: The 1994 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, presented - in the teeth of massive political opposition - by ABC•TV.
First medical drama series to have a regular gay doctor character in the cast: ABC•TV's 'G.P'. Dr Martin Dempsey (Damian Rice) - who was introduced in a movie-length episode called 'Special Places' and who left the practice under a cloud in 1995. GP's lead was followed by Britain's Cardiac Arrest (HIV-positive anaesthetist James, 1995), New Zealand's Shortland Street (medical student Jonathan McKenna, 1996) and America's ER (Dr Maggie Doyle, 1996) and Chicago Hope (Dr Robert Lawrence 1996).
First Australian actor to win an Emmy for playing a (real life) lesbian: Judy Davis as Marguerite Cammermeyer's lover Diane Divelbess, in the TV moyie 'Serving in Silence'.
1998
First soap to bring lesbianism, male prostitution and male rape before the eyes and ears of children returning from school: 'Pacific Drive', repeated at 3.30pm on the Nine Network, with some cuts, including female-female kisses.
First regular lesbian character in a hit drama series: Sgt Helen Blakemore (Toni Scanlan) on Channel 9's 'Water Rats'.
First kiss between two lesbian characters in a drama series /soap opera: Between Zoe and Margaux in 'Pacific Drive'.
First ad for toilet cleaner to feature drag queens: Domestos' homage to 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'.
First lesbian love triangle: Between Zoe, Margaux and Dior on 'Pacific Drive'. The British soap 'Emmerdale' featured one around the same time between their Zoe (Tate), Emma and Suzie.
First televised sausage eating contest which may have been something else: An ABC•TV celebration of the inner city Sydney suburb of Newtown showed a gay sausage-eating contest in which long fat pink objects protruding from shorts could have been animal, vegetable or even mineral.
First gay storyline on 'Neighbours': A campaign by parents to remove teacher Andrew 'Mac' MacKenzie (Chris Uhlman) from his post - opposed by many of the students.
First Asian queer character in 'family' soap opera: Fashion designer, in a few episodes of 'Neighbours'.
First indication that times really have changed: Anne Haddy as grandmother Helen on 'Neighbours' looking at - and then feeling - a packet of condoms that has been handed out to uni students and saying with resigned wonder "Times have changed."
First regular lesbian (as distinct from bisexual) character in a drama series/soap opera: Zoe Marshall in 'Pacific Drive'.
First lesbian in a sit-com: Mae Santos (Genevieve Mooy) in 'After the Beep' (ABC -TV), a glamorous bridal shop owner with unseen girlfriend, Joy.
First out lesbian to be a regular on a comedy show: Julie McCrossin on ABC-TV's 'Good News Week'.
First gay-themed Australian film to be shown on commercial television: 'The Sum of Us' (1994), presented by Channel 7 - and garnering one of the year's largest audiences for a movie. It was repeated in 1997.
1997
First drama series aimed at teenagers to have gay and lesbian characters: The ABC's 'Raw FM' (shown at 8.30pm) which features Mark "the preppy boy who learns to party" and Sam "the luscious lesbian with bucket•loads of attitude."
First 'family' soap to have a 'lesbian plotline': Shannon's friendship with lesbian Mandy (beginning in 1995) in Channel 7's 'Home and Away' and culminating when the pair go off to Paris together (as friends?). "There's something about Shannon, almost like a disease - always wanting things to be better than they are. It's not that she doesn't care about people, it's just that she doesn't think about them." (best friend Selina). "She's a user" (dumped boyfriend) Promo for Shannon's last appearance: "Since she arrived you've shared her happiness and her tears, now it's time to say farewell."
First TV drama series to use Mardi Gras as backdrop: Nine's 'Water Rats': "Hunting Season"
First program to show a naked male couple and a naked female couple, simultaneously having sex on a bed (and looking as if they are really enjoying the experience): Channel 10's 'Sex/Life', in a segment on partner swapping.
First lesbian love affair to be put on hold for ten months because of cricket: Zoe and Kay's affair in 'Pacific Drive' in hiatus partly due to "the network's summer commitment to live coverage of cricket," according to John Stephens, the Nine network's program director.
First butch TV personality to reveal his transvestism: Peter Wherrett, one of the presenters of 'Healthy, Wealthy and Wise', coming out on a rival channel's 'Witness'.
First series of programs dealing with love totally to involve gays and lesbians: SBS's week of Programs About Love included 'The Silence of Lesbos' and 'The Wedding Banquet' as well as an Insight special 'Forum on The Family' which mentioned queer family concerns.
First drama series regularly to feature a gay teenager (under the age of consent in some states): ABC•TV's 'Raw FM' with Dan Spielman as Mark Mulholland "the preppy boy who learns to party".
First cyberspace lesbian relationship: Between Amanda and Vicki in an episode of 'Raw FM'.
First gay surfie: Character in [soap] 'Breakers' (Channel Ten) set on and around Bondi Beach.
Reference:
Keith Howes. "Gays of Our Lives". Outrage. Number 177, February 1998, pp 38-49.
Gay and lesbian characters in Australian dramas / Participants in reality programs.
From David Wyatt's "Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Television Characters" website at http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char1970s.html
Australia's Perfect Couple (game show) 9NA 2009
• Robbie
• Dan
Eight newlywed couples compete for a $250,000 prize. Robbie and Dan have been together for seven years.
Big Brother (long format gameshow) TEN 2001-present [actually ended 2008]
• John "Rotten Johnny" Cass 2001
• Nathan Morris 2002
• Sahra Kearney 2002
• Jamie O'Brien 2003
• Claire Bellis 2003
• Jaime Cedra 2003
• Geneva Loader 2005
• David Graham 2006
• Rob Rigley 2006
Australian copy of the British program of the same name. Contestants ("houseguests") [called "housemates" in the Australian series] are locked into a house with cameras, and voted out one by one until a winner is determined. GLBT contestants have become a standard part of the formula. (Gay and bisexual list based largely on the Wikipedia article.)
The Box (serial drama) TEN 1974-1977
• Viki Stafford (Judy Nunn) television producer
• Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo)
• Wayne Hopkins (Ian Gilmour) Lee's love interest
• Felicity (Helen Hemingway) Viki's love interest
• John Barnett (Donald McDonald) 1975
Series set amongst the behind the scenes bedhopping and general goings on at a TV station. It was another program of the Number 96 genre. Lee was a TV station employee and quite stereotypically gay. He dated closeted newsreader John. Both Viki and Felicity were bisexual.
Breakers (serial drama) TEN 1998-1999
• Vince Donnelly (Simon Munro) waiter
• Lucy Hill (Louise Crawford) journalist
• Kelly (Gabriella Maselli) tutor
• Peter Hirsch 1999 (Vincent Atkinson)
Serial drama about the lives and loves of the residents and employees of a building in Bondi, New South Wales, called Breakers. Lucy is bisexual. Kelly is her romantic interest. Peter is Vince's boyfriend.
Neighbours (serial drama) TEN 1986-present
• Andrew “Macca” MacKenzie 1994 (John Morris) builder
• Andrew Watson 1996 (Chris Uhlman) schoolteacher
Life on Ramsay Street. None of the gay/lesbian characters so far has lasted long. Macca was a builder who worked with the main character Doug Willis. Andrew Watson became the subject of school student rumours, and then a campaign by parents for his removal from the classroom. See also Neighbours (2004-2005, 2010-present).
Neighbours (serial drama) TEN 1986-present
• Lana Crawford 2004-2005 (Bridget Neval)
• Chris Pappas 2010-present (James Mason) student
• Aidan Foster 2011-present (Bob Morley) nurse
Life on Ramsay Street. Lana was the Canadian cousin of Sindi Watts. Chris is a high school student who befriends the show's other teens and becomes the captain of the school's basketball team. See also Neighbours (1994-1996).
Number 96 (serial drama) TEN 1972-1977
• Don Finlayson [and 1974 feature film] (Joe Hasham) lawyer
• Simon Carr 1972 [and 1974 feature film] (John Orcsik) public relations businessman
• Bruce Taylor 1972, 1973-1974 (Paul Weingott) photographer
• Karen Winters 1972 (Toni Lamond) receptionist
• Dudley Butterfield 1973-1977 [and 1974 feature film] (Chard Hayward) chef
• Marie Crowther 1973 (Hazel Phillips) volunteer counsellor
• Paul Mathews 1973 (David Whitford) journalist
• Dr. Alistair Pascal 1973 (Raymond Duparc) psychiatrist
• Robyn Ross 1973 ("Carolle Lea" aka Carlotta of Les Girls)
• Brad Hilton 1974-1975 (Terry Bader) flight attendant
• Grant Chandler 1976-1977 (Michael Howard) chauffeur
• Phillip Chambers 1976 (Henri Szeps) high school teacher
• Rob Forsyth 1977 (John McTernan) American architect on holiday
• Joshua 1977 (Shane Porteous) religious cult leader
Life in and around a block of flats in Sydney, NSW. Don and Dudley were residents and lovers.
"... Number 96 created a sensation when it went on the air in 1972, dealing graphically with homosexuality, drug and alcohol addictions, ambitious and promiscuous people, insanity, rape, and sex---mostly sex." (Brooks & Marsh, 3rd ed., p. 616).
Through the long run of the show, Don had affairs or relationships with Dudley, Simon, Grant, Rob, Joshua, Paul, and Bruce. Don was also the object of the affections of Brad, Dr. Pascal, and Phillip. Dudley, Simon, Grant, and Bruce were bisexuals, Karen was a lesbian (and a witch), and Robyn turned out to be a transsexual, much to her boyfriend's surprise.
An American version of the show (NBC, 1980-1981 and more of a sitcom) was much tamer and did not include any gay characters.
Pacific Drive (serial drama) 9NA 1995-1997
• Zoe Marshall (Libby Tanner)
• Margeaux Hayes (Virginia Hey) Zoe's first love interest
• Dior Shelby (Clodagh Crowe) Zoe's second girlfriend
• Kay West (Brigid Kelly) Zoe's third girlfriend
• Sondra Westwood (Helen Dallimore) Zoe's fourth girlfriend
• Gemma Patterson (Katherine Lee) Zoe's fifth girlfriend
• Jo (Jason Langley) Tim's transexual friend
The sinful saga of hungry young professionals who work, live and play on the playground that is Pacific Drive. Zoe is the bubbly young Office Administrator for Kingsley Inc, the conglomerate which has real estate and media interests as well as a swimwear design company on Pacific Drive.
Prisoner: Cellblock H (serial prison drama) TEN 1979-1986
• Freida 'Franky' Doyle 1979 (Carol Burns) prisoner
• Doreen Anderson/Burns (Colette Mann) prisoner
• Judy Bryant 1979-c1984 (Betty Bobbitt) prisoner
• Sharon Gilmour 1979 (Margot Knight) Judy's partner
• Angela Jeffries 1979 (Jeanie Drynan) lawyer
• Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson c1982-1986 (Maggie Kirkpatrick) guard
• Ray "Gay Ray" Proctor 1984 (Alex Menglet) prison cook
• Terri Malone 1985 (Margot Knight) a guard, Joan's love interest
Serial drama set in a women's detention centre in Australia. Among the cast of prisoners was a lesbian named Franky. As the series developed, various characters came and went, including Judy, who committed a crime so she could be jailed with Sharon, and bisexual prisoner Doreen.
The Secret Life of Us (drama) TEN 2001-2005
• Richie Blake 2001-2003 (Spencer McLaren)
• Simon Trader 2001-2003 (David Tredinnick)
• Brad 2001 (Kenneth Ransom)
• Charlie 2003 (Nathan Paige)
Ensemble drama about a group of twenty-somethings, most of whom live in three flats in the same Melbourne apartment building. Actor Richie shares one flat with his girlfriend Miranda and and his best friend Will. Simon tends bar where the rest of the residents go to unwind. Brad is Richie's reason for leaving Miranda (5 episodes). Richie aquires a boyfriend Charlie during the 2003 series.
Sweat (drama) TEN 1996-1997?
• Steve `Snowy' Bowles (Heath Ledger)
Series based around the `Sports West Academy', a training academy for young elite athletes. The young athletes are thrown in together in a 'live-in' situation at SWA. Snowy is a 17 year old cyclist.
To be fair H and A is a small seaside town with relatively few people and I guess it could be possible nobody is gay as it's only really like 20 people in the cast (If theres more I cant think of them) I actually accept there number more than hollyoaks who apart from brendan took two straight guys and turned them just so they can say they have a gay couple
Just because "homosexuals" (I hate that term, so "medical"), have appeared on programs and are on others, doesn't mean it is accepted on the whole.
As I Brit who moved to Aus, I'm still taken aback by how conservative our media is in comparison. It isn't because of their intent, but more that we are overrun by Conservative Lobby groups - even in our politics, the conservatives (such as the Church) tend to get heard more than our liberal groups.
Also, Home & Away over here, is a teen-orientated soap. Our lovely conservative pressure groups - and perhaps some families - still think it's inappropriate to show gays to teenagers, even if the teenagers are happily friends with gay people, and such. After all, homosexuality is contagious!
But Home & Away isn't particularly representative of Australia - for instance, there's very few ethnicities - they all *tend* to be Caucasian Australians. And it's one of the few towns in Australia that seemingly has no Indigenous people... And when there is, they don't seem to stick around very long.
I think Aussie soaps have become watered down in the last decade. I used to be a fan of Neighbours & Home and Away, but now, I just find it a bit wishy-washy. But in the '80s, Aussie Soaps were great - just look at Prisoner Cell Block H, Sons and Daughters... I think Australian TV is a lot less ambitious than it once was, now. They'd much prefer to plaster the schedules with reality crap and sport. I suppose the same could be said about the UK, but us Brits are still exporting decent amounts of drama and comedy.
But don't think all Australians are backward. Possibly just our media (ABC excluded) and politicians!
I have a couple of Gay friends male and female. i get on great with them. But they would not be kissing thier partners in front of me and i should not have to see it on tv. Again the aussies are correct.
Just because "homosexuals" (I hate that term, so "medical"), have appeared on programs and are on others, doesn't mean it is accepted on the whole.
As I Brit who moved to Aus, I'm still taken aback by how conservative our media is in comparison. It isn't because of their intent, but more that we are overrun by Conservative Lobby groups - even in our politics, the conservatives (such as the Church) tend to get heard more than our liberal groups.
Also, Home & Away over here, is a teen-orientated soap. Our lovely conservative pressure groups - and perhaps some families - still think it's inappropriate to show gays to teenagers, even if the teenagers are happily friends with gay people, and such. After all, homosexuality is contagious!
But Home & Away isn't particularly representative of Australia - for instance, there's very few ethnicities - they all *tend* to be Caucasian Australians. And it's one of the few towns in Australia that seemingly has no Indigenous people... And when there is, they don't seem to stick around very long.
I think Aussie soaps have become watered down in the last decade. I used to be a fan of Neighbours & Home and Away, but now, I just find it a bit wishy-washy. But in the '80s, Aussie Soaps were great - just look at Prisoner Cell Block H, Sons and Daughters... I think Australian TV is a lot less ambitious than it once was, now. They'd much prefer to plaster the schedules with reality crap and sport. I suppose the same could be said about the UK, but us Brits are still exporting decent amounts of drama and comedy.
But don't think all Australians are backward. Possibly just our media (ABC excluded) and politicians!
Well plenty of current Australian series ('Offspring', 'Winners and Losers', 'House Husbands', 'Dance Academy', 'Neighbours') have ongoing gay characters. With the small amount of drama production in Aust, that is a high proportion of the dramas currently being made that have gay characters. These shows are popular and are not attracting criticism or complaints for having gay characters in them. Doesn't sound all that conservative to me. Australian TV certainly is a lot less ambitious than it once was, but that is likely true of TV in every country on the planet.
'Neighbours' has this year featured at least two male to male kisses and there were very few Australian-based news items about it - probably as it was not considered to be much of an an issue. (In contrast, there were at least a dozen UK-based news items covering the event - a far more conservative reaction in my opinion.) 'Neighbours' and 'Big Brother' are also considered as teen oriented programs in Australia and air in early evening slots, and there's no problem with the gay people on those shows.
Western Australia might be conservative, but that doesn't mean the rest of Australia is.
Just because "homosexuals" (I hate that term, so "medical"), have appeared on programs and are on others, doesn't mean it is accepted on the whole.
As I Brit who moved to Aus, I'm still taken aback by how conservative our media is in comparison. It isn't because of their intent, but more that we are overrun by Conservative Lobby groups - even in our politics, the conservatives (such as the Church) tend to get heard more than our liberal groups.
Also, Home & Away over here, is a teen-orientated soap. Our lovely conservative pressure groups - and perhaps some families - still think it's inappropriate to show gays to teenagers, even if the teenagers are happily friends with gay people, and such. After all, homosexuality is contagious!
But Home & Away isn't particularly representative of Australia - for instance, there's very few ethnicities - they all *tend* to be Caucasian Australians. And it's one of the few towns in Australia that seemingly has no Indigenous people... And when there is, they don't seem to stick around very long.
I think Aussie soaps have become watered down in the last decade. I used to be a fan of Neighbours & Home and Away, but now, I just find it a bit wishy-washy. But in the '80s, Aussie Soaps were great - just look at Prisoner Cell Block H, Sons and Daughters... I think Australian TV is a lot less ambitious than it once was, now. They'd much prefer to plaster the schedules with reality crap and sport. I suppose the same could be said about the UK, but us Brits are still exporting decent amounts of drama and comedy.
But don't think all Australians are backward. Possibly just our media (ABC excluded) and politicians!
Geez all those pressure groups must really have hated last night's 'Big Brother' on at 7.00 pm on channel Nine where *every* male housemate kissed that bearded man and muscular Sam posed nude as an artist's model.
And that's ignoring Benjamin's 'Kylie' gold hotpants and pink and purple leotard dance outfits.
Geez all those pressure groups must really have hated last night's 'Big Brother' on at 7.00 pm on channel Nine where *every* male housemate kissed that bearded man and muscular Sam posed nude as an artist's model.
And that's ignoring Benjamin's 'Kylie' gold hotpants and pink and purple leotard dance outfits.
Well plenty of current Australian series ('Offspring', 'Winners and Losers', 'House Husbands', 'Dance Academy', 'Neighbours') have ongoing gay characters. With the small amount of drama production in Aust, that is a high proportion of the dramas currently being made that have gay characters. These shows are popular and are not attracting criticism or complaints for having gay characters in them. Doesn't sound all that conservative to me. Australian TV certainly is a lot less ambitious than it once was, but that is likely true of TV in every country on the planet.
'Neighbours' has this year featured at least two male to male kisses and there were very few Australian-based news items about it - probably as it was not considered to be much of an an issue. (In contrast, there were at least a dozen UK-based news items covering the event - a far more conservative reaction in my opinion.) 'Neighbours' and 'Big Brother' are also considered as teen oriented programs in Australia and air in early evening slots, and there's no problem with the gay people on those shows.
Western Australia might be conservative, but that doesn't mean the rest of Australia is.
The thing with the dramas you mentioned is that they are on either after 8.30 (essentially the watershed) or on digital where audiences are minimal. Channel Seven are the main network with the wiidest appeal, and their director even said last week they are proud to be the 'roast chook' of Australia networks, essentially saying everyone eats chook and they are going for everyman rather than taking risks. So this puts them in a different position to Ten and a lesser extent Nine.
Also you say WA is the most conservative art of Australia, well the reason seven does so well is because of strangleholds in Adelaide and Perth. Nine does better in Melbourne and Sydney. A couple of examples, at 6pm on wednesday Seven News had just 11,000 more viewers than Nine news, but in Perth Seven had 180,000 viewers compared to Nine's 101,000. And at 7pm Big Brother beat Home and Away nationally by 1.06m viewers compared to Home and Aways 0.84m viewers. Despite a large difference in Perth Home and Away won with 113,000 viewers compared to BBs 85,000. BB had double the viewers of Home and Away in melbourne and even in Sydney there was a gap of over 100,000 (despite H & A being filmed there).
Seven will always play it safe. And with Home and Away continually losing viewers I can't see them changing the situation anytime soon. Even neighbours on digital came in for a backlash because of introducing a family of Asian origin, and the only reasn I believe there is not much of an issue over Chris is that he is a very inoffensive character and isn't defined largely by his sexuality. Plus he wasn't even a regular when the story happened, like the Kapoors he was slowly integrated into the programme
The thing with the dramas you mentioned is that they are on either after 8.30 (essentially the watershed) or on digital where audiences are minimal. Channel Seven are the main network with the wiidest appeal, and their director even said last week they are proud to be the 'roast chook' of Australia networks, essentially saying everyone eats chook and they are going for everyman rather than taking risks. So this puts them in a different position to Ten and a lesser extent Nine.
Also you say WA is the most conservative art of Australia, well the reason seven does so well is because of strangleholds in Adelaide and Perth. Nine does better in Melbourne and Sydney. A couple of examples, at 6pm on wednesday Seven News had just 11,000 more viewers than Nine news, but in Perth Seven had 180,000 viewers compared to Nine's 101,000. And at 7pm Big Brother beat Home and Away nationally by 1.06m viewers compared to Home and Aways 0.84m viewers. Despite a large difference in Perth Home and Away won with 113,000 viewers compared to BBs 85,000. BB had double the viewers of Home and Away in melbourne and even in Sydney there was a gap of over 100,000 (despite H & A being filmed there).
Seven will always play it safe. And with Home and Away continually losing viewers I can't see them changing the situation anytime soon. Even neighbours on digital came in for a backlash because of introducing a family of Asian origin, and the only reasn I believe there is not much of an issue over Chris is that he is a very inoffensive character and isn't defined largely by his sexuality. Plus he wasn't even a regular when the story happened, like the Kapoors he was slowly integrated into the programme
I've always thought a character not being defined by his sexuality was a positive thing.
The thing with the dramas you mentioned is that they are on either after 8.30 (essentially the watershed) or on digital where audiences are minimal. Channel Seven are the main network with the wiidest appeal, and their director even said last week they are proud to be the 'roast chook' of Australia networks, essentially saying everyone eats chook and they are going for everyman rather than taking risks. So this puts them in a different position to Ten and a lesser extent Nine.
Also you say WA is the most conservative art of Australia, well the reason seven does so well is because of strangleholds in Adelaide and Perth. Nine does better in Melbourne and Sydney. A couple of examples, at 6pm on wednesday Seven News had just 11,000 more viewers than Nine news, but in Perth Seven had 180,000 viewers compared to Nine's 101,000. And at 7pm Big Brother beat Home and Away nationally by 1.06m viewers compared to Home and Aways 0.84m viewers. Despite a large difference in Perth Home and Away won with 113,000 viewers compared to BBs 85,000. BB had double the viewers of Home and Away in melbourne and even in Sydney there was a gap of over 100,000 (despite H & A being filmed there).
Seven will always play it safe. And with Home and Away continually losing viewers I can't see them changing the situation anytime soon. Even neighbours on digital came in for a backlash because of introducing a family of Asian origin, and the only reasn I believe there is not much of an issue over Chris is that he is a very inoffensive character and isn't defined largely by his sexuality. Plus he wasn't even a regular when the story happened, like the Kapoors he was slowly integrated into the programme
Well the dramas mentioned mostly air AT 8.30 pm, not after 8.30 pm. And that is prime time. But the arguments you present seem like quibbling when shows are disregarded if they start at 8.30 pm or aren't on Seven. Seven is just one TV station. All the other stations are Australian TV too, but it seems like you're trying to disregard everything for all sorts of oblique reasons, and say 'oh well they don't count, because...'.
The complaints about an Asian family on Neighbours were only a few comments on facebook, just like how in the UK there were racist comments about Sunita from 'Coronation Street' on twitter. And the relevance of all that is, what, exactly?
Chris is a main regular character and they frequently mention and do storylines about his sexuality. Practically all new 'Neighbours' characters are introduced gradually so I'm not sure how that is relevant.
Since 'Big Brother' with its camp HM Ben outrates H&A that must be a good thing? Right?
Also you talk about viewing figures as of people that complain about gay characters on shows are actually fans who watch the show. I'm sure a lot of the time the people who complain about these things do not even watch the show, so the show's ratings don't really come in to it. Actually, no one in Australia complained about Chris on 'Neighbours' and the same sex kisses they showed, did they?
Well the dramas mentioned mostly air AT 8.30 pm, not after 8.30 pm. And that is prime time. But the arguments you present seem like quibbling when shows are disregarded if they start at 8.30 pm or aren't on Seven. Seven is just one TV station. All the other stations are Australian TV too, but it seems like you're trying to disregard everything for all sorts of oblique reasons, and say 'oh well they don't count, because...'.
The complaints about an Asian family on Neighbours were only a few comments on facebook, just like how in the UK there were racist comments about Sunita from 'Coronation Street' on facebook. And the relevance of all that is, what, exactly?
Chris is a main regular character and they frequently mention and do storylines about his sexuality. Practically all new 'Neighbours' characters are introduced gradually so I'm not sure how that is relevant.
Since 'Big Brother' with its camp HM Ben outrates H&A that must be a good thing? Right?
Also you talk about viewing figures as of people that complain about gay characters on shows are actually fans who watch the show. I'm sure a lot of the time the people who complain about these things do not even watch the show, so the show's ratings don't really come in to it. Actually, no one in Australia complained about Chris on 'Neighbours' and the same sex kisses they showed, did they?
What I was trying to say is that in the UK for instance Channel 4 are often less conservative and more edgy than ITV. Which is the same in Australia if you compare Ten with Seven. The fact that Home and Away airs on Seven is probably a big reason as to why there are no homosexuals.
Airing at 8.30, being on after 8.30 is the same thing. And its rare these shows start before 8.45 anyway. Up until 8,30 is largely family viewing, therefore content after 8.30 is unlikey to cause any attention by conservative groups.
I think the Kapoor comment was relevant because it was an example of complaints that came from Conservative groups. And yes it may have only been one or two people complaining, but this always attracts media attention (which apart from the ABC seems to be conservative). The integration of Chris and the Kapoors on neighbours was a lot more gradual than other characters.
And the only reason I mentioned Perth viewing figures is that you mentioned WA was the onnly area that was mainly conservative, so I thought it was relevant that Seven is very popular in Perth and therefore that might reflec its more conservative position.
I think the main point I was trying to make is that out of all the networks Seven is far more conservative. Particularly in family slots. Which in my opinion is probably the best explanation for why there are no gay characters in Home and Away.
What I was trying to say is that in the UK for instance Channel 4 are often less conservative and more edgy than ITV. Which is the same in Australia if you compare Ten with Seven. The fact that Home and Away airs on Seven is probably a big reason as to why there are no homosexuals.
Airing at 8.30, being on after 8.30 is the same thing. And its rare these shows start before 8.45 anyway. Up until 8,30 is largely family viewing, therefore content after 8.30 is unlikey to cause any attention by conservative groups.
I think the Kapoor comment was relevant because it was an example of complaints that came from Conservative groups. And yes it may have only been one or two people complaining, but this always attracts media attention (which apart from the ABC seems to be conservative). The integration of Chris and the Kapoors on neighbours was a lot more gradual than other characters.
And the only reason I mentioned Perth viewing figures is that you mentioned WA was the onnly area that was mainly conservative, so I thought it was relevant that Seven is very popular in Perth and therefore that might reflec its more conservative position.
I think the main point I was trying to make is that out of all the networks Seven is far more conservative. Particularly in family slots. Which in my opinion is probably the best explanation for why there are no gay characters in Home and Away.
I've never claimed Seven weren't conservative and I've never asked why there are no glbt characters on H&A or expressed uncertainty of why that might be.
A couple of people have claimed Australian media is conservative, yet there's plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. That is what I am responding to. Ten even runs 'Modern Family' - with its gay couple - at 7.00 pm. 'Big Brother' runs every night (outrating H&A) at 7.00 pm and has a prominent (and very camp) gay housemate. Where are all the complaints about those things? Seven and Ten are mainstream channels right? (Or are they not 'mainstream' now?) 7.00 pm is pre-watershed, right? So by your logic, there should be complaints about it.
Conservative groups never complained about the Kapoors. It was apparently just a few comments on facebook. I doubt the comments were posted by a co-ordinated group of people acting together (a conservative 'group').
If one decides arbitrarily to ignore anything that comes on after 8.30 pm (really not that late) or that isn't on Seven, Nine, Ten, then that doesn't leave too many Australian dramas to talk about. There are so few Australian dramas that fit that category that really we're left talking about H&A. It is like there's all these examples of non-conservative content but you want to dismiss all of them and pretend they don't exist because it does not fit your argument.
I've never claimed Seven weren't conservative and I've never asked why there are no glbt characters on H&A or expressed uncertainty of why that might be.
A couple of people have claimed Australian media is conservative, yet there's plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. That is what I am responding to. Ten even runs 'Modern Family' - with its gay couple - at 7.00 pm. 'Big Brother' runs every night (outrating H&A) at 7.00 pm and has a prominent (and very camp) gay housemate. Where are all the complaints about those things? Seven and Ten are mainstream channels right? (Or are they not 'mainstream' now?) 7.00 pm is pre-watershed, right? So by your logic, there should be complaints about it.
Conservative groups never complained about the Kapoors. It was apparently just a few comments on facebook. I doubt the comments were posted by a co-ordinated group of people acting together (a conservative 'group').
If one decides arbitrarily to ignore anything that comes on after 8.30 pm (really not that late) or that isn't on Seven, Nine, Ten, then that doesn't leave too many Australian dramas to talk about. There are so few Australian dramas that fit that category that really we're left talking about H&A. It is like there's all these examples of non-conservative content but you want to dismiss all of them and pretend they don't exist because it does not fit your argument.
Its not that Ten isn't mainstream it just has a different Seven in that its prepared to be more edgier. It was the network which originally aired Big Brother, and even way back it was airing number 96 and other programmes. None of these would likely of played on Seven, which is risk adverse. Seven is not a leader its a follower, most of its home-made content is a case of picking a format that has worked well and polishing it. My Kitchen Rules is basically a cross between Mastercehf and Come Dine With Me, which rates better than masterchef but would have unlikely happened if masterchef hadn't occured first. They're even doing their own version of the Block next year. Seven does what it does well, but that certanily isn't by doing anything that involves risk, innovation or change.
But I accept your point that drama other than soaps rarely occur before 8.30 so its hard to say for definite that the 7pm timeslot is the reason. Packed to the rafters used to air at 7.30, but that the only example I can think of.
Its not that Ten isn't mainstream it just has a different Seven in that its prepared to be more edgier. It was the network which originally aired Big Brother, and even way back it was airing number 96 and other programmes. None of these would likely of played on Seven, which is risk adverse. Seven is not a leader its a follower, most of its home-made content is a case of picking a format that has worked well and polishing it. My Kitchen Rules is basically a cross between Mastercehf and Come Dine With Me, which rates better than masterchef but would have unlikely happened if masterchef hadn't occured first. They're even doing their own version of the Block next year. Seven does what it does well, but that certanily isn't by doing anything that involves risk, innovation or change.
But I accept your point that drama other than soaps rarely occur before 8.30 so its hard to say for definite that the 7pm timeslot is the reason. Packed to the rafters used to air at 7.30, but that the only example I can think of.
I know that Ten is edgier! It has aired Australia's campest shows: 'Number 96', 'The Box', 'Prisoner', 'Return to Eden', 'The Secret Life of Us', 'Big Brother', 'The Shire'.
I find it so weird when people in the UK think that Ten is conservative, because of 'Neighbours'. 'Neighbours' is only one show. Ten is not, and has never been, 'conservative'. If anything, Ten is 'trashy'.
Seven did screen the trashy soap 'Sons and Daughters' and also screened 'Skyways' (1979) with its lesbian kisses and full frontal nudity.
Speaking of channel Ten Australia, last night they ran 'Modern Family' with the large stuffed toys in sexual positions atop the gay couple's car at 7.00 pm, followed by 'The New Normal' with its general camp-ness and gay male couple kissing, at 8.00 pm.
Geez all those pressure groups must really have hated last night's 'Big Brother' on at 7.00 pm on channel Nine where *every* male housemate kissed that bearded man and muscular Sam posed nude as an artist's model.
And that's ignoring Benjamin's 'Kylie' gold hotpants and pink and purple leotard dance outfits.
Well the finale of Big Brother Australia 2012 out-gayed the events mentioned above.
Inexplicably, there were no negative comments in the Australian press, no viewers complained to Channel Nine, and there were no BOOs from the Big Brother live audience (squeals, yes, but no BOOs.)
Given these events, I am seriously puzzled by claims in this thread that Australian TV is conservative.
Comments
http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/3827/Home-And-Away-Sets-The-Record-Straight.htm
Hmm this old chestnut is raised again.
Below is a list I scanned from a magazing article awhile back.
I think it makes it pretty clear that Australia isn't 'so backward' and had glbt people and content on TV before most other countries.
Australian TV firsts involving GLBT and related characters and topics (up to 1997)
Abridged version of list in magazine article:
Keith Howes (1998, February). "Gays of Our Lives". Outrage, Number 177, 38-49.
1961
First original Australian gay TV play: Patricia Hooker's A Season in Hell (ABC-TV), about the French poets Rimbaud and Vertaine (Allen Bickford and Alastair Duncan). 'Neighbours' star Anne Haddy played Verlaine's wife, who has to cope with the introduction of a teenage male lover into the household.
First (more or less overtly) camp Australian TV show: Channel 7's 'The Mavis Bramston Show', which revelled in camp humour. [Many of the personnel from this production went on to soap 'Number 96'.]
1965
First drag performer on TV: Gordon Chater, in feathers but rough as guts in a 'Mavis Bramston Show' sketch: "It's hard to believe that under this veneer of beauty and radiance I am a mere male"
First man dressed as woman on cover of TV Guide: A certain Mrs Norm Everage of Moonee Ponds.
First grandmother of a gay actor to play a lesbian: Stella Lamond, in Eton Crop with collar and tie, in an episode of 'Homicide'. She was the grandmother of Tony Sheldon (who later played quasi-gay roles in 'Homicide' and full throttle gays in two 1974 ABC-TV plays, Spoiled and A Hard God), and the mother of Toni Lamond (see 1972). [Sheldon is playing in 'Priscilla' on Broadway as of 2011.]
First discussion of homosexuality on Australian television: 'Encounter' with Barry Jones on Channel 7 at 9pm, featuring lesbians and gay men, plus doctor, sociologist and psychiatrist.
1970
First openly and proud gay and lesbian on television: John Ware and Christabel Poll, who had founded gay liberation organisation CAMP and appeared on a number of news programs.
1972
First male gay couple shown on television: Two men called Peter (Bonsall-Boone and De Waal) on the ABC's 'Chequerboard' program, 'It's just that It's a Part of Me'. "A happy couple living in a nice house. The only thing that seems to be missing is children." [see also: http://www.abc.net.au/documentaries/chequerboard/episode1.htm]
First lesbian couple on television: Christabel Poll and her girlfriend on the same programme.
First gay kiss on Australian television: Peter Bonsall-Boone and Peter De Waal in a ‘Hi, honey, I’m home’ type peck outside their house at the beginning of the 'Chequerboard' episode.
First gay person to lose their job as a result of appearing on TV: Peter Bonsall-Boone, clerk in Anglican church (St Clement’s, Mosman), dismissed after four years because of his participation in the ABC's 'Chequerboard' program.
1972
First drama serial/soap opera with a sexually active gay character played by the same actor from first episode to last: 'Number 96'. Don Finlayson was played by Joe Hasham until the serial ended in 1977. His sexuality was revealed in episode 30. Up to then Hasham had received a trickle of fan mail. After Don's coming out, it became an avalanche, transforming him into a mighty sex symbol. Don had major relationships with Bruce and Dudley as well as flings with Simon, Grant, Rob, Joshua and Paul. He was desired by Brad, Dr Pascal and Phillip.
First lesbian character in a drama serial/soap opera: The witch Karen Winters, played by Toni Lamond, in 'Number 96'. She becomes the flatmate of Bev (Abigail) who, she is delighted to discover, is still a virgin.
First bisexual character in a drama serial/soap opera: Bruce (Paul Weingott), the photographer in 'Number 96'. His father, Owen Weingott, starred in the first Australian soap, 'Autumn Affair', in 1958. [Owen Weingott also appeared in 'Number 96' as the husband of Maggie Cameron who had hired Bruce as a gigolo.]
First full length male nude (well, not quite full frontal): Chard Hayward playing a hippy confronts Pat McDonald starkers in the laundrette in 'Number 96'. Many other actors - male and female - showed most of themselves on the show. Chard went on to play Don's love interest, Dudley.
First overt gay characters in a drama series episode: Two bitchy queens (played by Paul Karo and Paul Eddy) in a very unsympathetic episode of the cop show 'Division 4'. [Paul Eddy directed the 1975 feature film version of 'The Box'.]
1973
First transgender player in a drama serial/soap opera: Carolle Lea aka Carlotta appears in 5 episodes of 'Number 96' as Sydney showgirl Robin Ross, who catches the eye of hapless Arnold Feather. (Carlotta was locked in her dressing-room to hide her identity while shooting her scenes.)
1974
First kiss between men in a drama serial/soap opera: Paul Weingott and Joe Hasham in 'Number 96', supposedly naked between the sheets in a brass bed.
First regular female bisexual character in a drama serial/soap opera: Vicki Stafford (Judy Nunn) in 'The Box'. A lively if unscrupulous reporter for TeleView magazine who, said her creator, "played both sides. She was into anything that moved." [Nunn, of course, later played Ailsa in 'Home and Away'.]
First lesbian kiss in a drama serial/soap opera: Between Judy Nunn and Helen Hemingway (playing a 15-year-old) in episode 1 of 'The Box'.
First gay character to have a straight male best friend: Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo) who is a close friend of producer Paul Donovan (George Mallaby) in 'The Box'. Says Donovan to a homophobic TV executive: "[Lee's] a very honest man ... Give me a few more like him and I don't care what they do in their bedroom."
First actor to win two major television awards for portraying a regular gay character: Paul Karo won a Logie as Best Actor for his role of "witty, likeable homosexual" Lee Whiteman in 'The Box', and also a Penguin (bestowed by the television industry). The previous year he had been nominated for a role in an episode of 'Homicide' in which he played a man arrested for soliciting in a toilet.
First drama serial/soap opera to out William Shakespeare: Amanda (Carol Raye) in 'Number 96' during a court scene. (The rumours had been circulating for centuries). [This is episode 450, due for release on DVD in 2012.]
First cop show to expose (and guardedly condemn) homophobia: 'Homicide'. An episode entitled 'A Crime against Nature' in which "Some startling attitudes are revealed when a homosexual is bashed and killed." This was followed a few months later by 'Out of Step' which dealt with "The passion and jealousies of the ballet world," and featured "an honest and sympathetic man whose homosexual tendencies are his Achilles heel" The following year, the series produced an episode called 'Why all the fuss?' which again tackled gay bashing.
First male Molly since the 18th century: Ian 'Molly' Meldrum, presenter of ABC•TV's pop music show 'Countdown'. [Molly Meldrum made a guest appearance in 'Neighbours' in 1986; in 2011 he interviewed Beyonce - a video that apparently revealed a fake 'baby bump' and quickly went viral.]
1977
First regular gay character to be offered his own series: Don Finlayson was to be featured in a 'Number 96' spinoff in which he played a private eye. The pilot episode was cut into the serial in its dying days but the project was stillborn.
First gay performer to be featured on 'This Is Your Life': Singer Peter Allen.
1978
First Full Monty on television: Vince Martin showed the lot in a locker room scene in an ABC-TV play called 'Ripkin'. The very select band of fully frontal Australian TV actors includes David Reyne (in a shower scene in an 1980s ABC-TV play), Tony Poli (in a 1993 episode of ABC-TV's 'Phoenix') and Tayler Kane (as Grievous in Channel 7's 'Fire II', 1996. [Vince Martin was in various soaps including 'Number 96', 'Sons and Daughters', and 'E Street', as Mr Bad.]
1979
First drama series to feature lesbians extensively: Channel Ten's 'Prisoner' aka 'Prisoner: Cell Block H'. [Regular characters who were lesbians were Franky Doyle (1979), Angela Jeffries (1979), Judy Bryant (1980-1985), Judy's girlfriend Sharon Gilmour (1980), Joan Ferguson (1982-1986), Joan's love interest Terri Malone (1985); a gay male regular character was Ray Proctor in 1984, a gay male guest character was Tiny Clayton for 3 episodes in 1985. Doreen Anderson/Burns was initially said to be Franky's girlfriend but little of this was explored on screen; it was implied Chrissie Latham had a brief intimate association with Sharon Gilmour.]
First murder of lesbian character in a drama serial: Nasty air hostess Robyn Davies, played by Judy Morris, stabbed 57 times in Channel 7's 'Skyways'. [ERROR: she wasn't 'nasty'. Robyn was stabbed to death in the shower by a loopy heterosexual woman played by Dina Mann who suspected the man she was stalking loved Robyn.]
1980
First drama series to feature a gay activist as a leading character: ABC-TV's 'Players to the Gallery'. He was played by Richard Moir. [Moir was in the first 16 episodes of 'Prisoner', playing Eddie the electrician.]
First gay character to be exported to another country: Mr Humphries (John Inman) brought to Australia for a homegrown version of 'Are You Being Served?'
First drama series with strong gay flavour to be transplanted in an another country: 'Number 96', completely transformed by its American producers (all gay characters removed) and a flop.
First lesbian mother in TV drama serial: Judy Bryant (Betty Bobbitt) in Channel Ten soap 'Prisoner'. Daughter adopted, later reconciled.
1981
First comedy series with regular gay character: Channel 7's 'Daily at Dawn': Terry Bader as journalist Leslie. [Previously, in 'Number 96' in 1974, Bader had played Brad Hilton, a closet homosexual who was shown, wearing only skimpy purple briefs, trying to seduce Don who was lying in bed apparently naked.]
1984
First lesbian sex scene in a single play: Two half naked women frolic on a bed in order to shock and humiliate sexist, pretentious old fart Warren Mitchell in ABC-TV's 'A Man of Letters'. One of the women is played by Genevieve Mooy - see also 1996.
1989
First drama series to attempt (occasionally) to deal with issues of alternative sexuality: 'G.P.', the second longest-running series on ABC-TV, which featured episodes dealing with sexual molestation of teenage boys (at school and in jail), transvestism, transsexuality, gays in the armed forces, queer bashing, lesbians having babies and aspects of HIV/AIDS. [In this "Gays of Our Lives" article, Martin Dempsey (Damian Rice) is pictured apparently naked in bed with 'companion' Patrick (Lockie Daddo) in the 'OUT' episode of "G.P."]
First regular gay character in an Australian afternoon soap: Steven (Joe Spano) in 'The Power, the Passion' but the character was killed off after a few months. [The series, which aired at 1 pm, itself lasted only a few months.]
First gay aborigine to appear regularly on TV: Malcolm Cole, one of the presenters of ABC-TV's 'Black Out'.
1990
First kiss between two men in a post-'Number 96' drama series: Jamie Jackson (as dying man) and Graham Harvey, just once, in 'G.P.': 'Lovers'.
1992
First whiff of the other love on 'Neighbours': When Guy (Andrew Williams) pretended to be Josh's boyfriend (very briefly). The later relationship between "almost inseparable" Toadie and Billy has also been noted as having gay elements.
First program to address specifically the issue of men who regularly have sex with men (but do not identify as gay, queer or bisexual): A tie: A segment of SBS's English File called 'Men Who Have Sex With Men: and 'G.P.': 'It's All in the Eyes'.
First programme to consider hetero and homo sex on an equal footing: Channel 10's 'Sex' with Sophie Lee, later titled 'Sex/Life'.
1993
First episode in series drama to deal with heterosexual male rape at a stag/buck's night: An episode of 'G.P.', 'Exposed', with Peter Phelps, who won an AFI best TV actor [award] for his work.
1994
First gay and lesbian event to be given a (prime time) showing on national free to air TV: The 1994 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, presented - in the teeth of massive political opposition - by ABC•TV.
First medical drama series to have a regular gay doctor character in the cast: ABC•TV's 'G.P'. Dr Martin Dempsey (Damian Rice) - who was introduced in a movie-length episode called 'Special Places' and who left the practice under a cloud in 1995. GP's lead was followed by Britain's Cardiac Arrest (HIV-positive anaesthetist James, 1995), New Zealand's Shortland Street (medical student Jonathan McKenna, 1996) and America's ER (Dr Maggie Doyle, 1996) and Chicago Hope (Dr Robert Lawrence 1996).
First Australian actor to win an Emmy for playing a (real life) lesbian: Judy Davis as Marguerite Cammermeyer's lover Diane Divelbess, in the TV moyie 'Serving in Silence'.
1998
First soap to bring lesbianism, male prostitution and male rape before the eyes and ears of children returning from school: 'Pacific Drive', repeated at 3.30pm on the Nine Network, with some cuts, including female-female kisses.
First regular lesbian character in a hit drama series: Sgt Helen Blakemore (Toni Scanlan) on Channel 9's 'Water Rats'.
First kiss between two lesbian characters in a drama series /soap opera: Between Zoe and Margaux in 'Pacific Drive'.
First ad for toilet cleaner to feature drag queens: Domestos' homage to 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'.
First lesbian love triangle: Between Zoe, Margaux and Dior on 'Pacific Drive'. The British soap 'Emmerdale' featured one around the same time between their Zoe (Tate), Emma and Suzie.
First televised sausage eating contest which may have been something else: An ABC•TV celebration of the inner city Sydney suburb of Newtown showed a gay sausage-eating contest in which long fat pink objects protruding from shorts could have been animal, vegetable or even mineral.
First gay storyline on 'Neighbours': A campaign by parents to remove teacher Andrew 'Mac' MacKenzie (Chris Uhlman) from his post - opposed by many of the students.
First Asian queer character in 'family' soap opera: Fashion designer, in a few episodes of 'Neighbours'.
First indication that times really have changed: Anne Haddy as grandmother Helen on 'Neighbours' looking at - and then feeling - a packet of condoms that has been handed out to uni students and saying with resigned wonder "Times have changed."
First regular lesbian (as distinct from bisexual) character in a drama series/soap opera: Zoe Marshall in 'Pacific Drive'.
First lesbian in a sit-com: Mae Santos (Genevieve Mooy) in 'After the Beep' (ABC -TV), a glamorous bridal shop owner with unseen girlfriend, Joy.
First out lesbian to be a regular on a comedy show: Julie McCrossin on ABC-TV's 'Good News Week'.
First gay-themed Australian film to be shown on commercial television: 'The Sum of Us' (1994), presented by Channel 7 - and garnering one of the year's largest audiences for a movie. It was repeated in 1997.
1997
First drama series aimed at teenagers to have gay and lesbian characters: The ABC's 'Raw FM' (shown at 8.30pm) which features Mark "the preppy boy who learns to party" and Sam "the luscious lesbian with bucket•loads of attitude."
First 'family' soap to have a 'lesbian plotline': Shannon's friendship with lesbian Mandy (beginning in 1995) in Channel 7's 'Home and Away' and culminating when the pair go off to Paris together (as friends?). "There's something about Shannon, almost like a disease - always wanting things to be better than they are. It's not that she doesn't care about people, it's just that she doesn't think about them." (best friend Selina). "She's a user" (dumped boyfriend) Promo for Shannon's last appearance: "Since she arrived you've shared her happiness and her tears, now it's time to say farewell."
First TV drama series to use Mardi Gras as backdrop: Nine's 'Water Rats': "Hunting Season"
First program to show a naked male couple and a naked female couple, simultaneously having sex on a bed (and looking as if they are really enjoying the experience): Channel 10's 'Sex/Life', in a segment on partner swapping.
First lesbian love affair to be put on hold for ten months because of cricket: Zoe and Kay's affair in 'Pacific Drive' in hiatus partly due to "the network's summer commitment to live coverage of cricket," according to John Stephens, the Nine network's program director.
First butch TV personality to reveal his transvestism: Peter Wherrett, one of the presenters of 'Healthy, Wealthy and Wise', coming out on a rival channel's 'Witness'.
First series of programs dealing with love totally to involve gays and lesbians: SBS's week of Programs About Love included 'The Silence of Lesbos' and 'The Wedding Banquet' as well as an Insight special 'Forum on The Family' which mentioned queer family concerns.
First drama series regularly to feature a gay teenager (under the age of consent in some states): ABC•TV's 'Raw FM' with Dan Spielman as Mark Mulholland "the preppy boy who learns to party".
First cyberspace lesbian relationship: Between Amanda and Vicki in an episode of 'Raw FM'.
First gay surfie: Character in [soap] 'Breakers' (Channel Ten) set on and around Bondi Beach.
Reference:
Keith Howes. "Gays of Our Lives". Outrage. Number 177, February 1998, pp 38-49.
Gay and lesbian characters in Australian dramas / Participants in reality programs.
From David Wyatt's "Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Television Characters" website at http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char1970s.html
Australia's Perfect Couple (game show) 9NA 2009
• Robbie
• Dan
Eight newlywed couples compete for a $250,000 prize. Robbie and Dan have been together for seven years.
Big Brother (long format gameshow) TEN 2001-present [actually ended 2008]
• John "Rotten Johnny" Cass 2001
• Nathan Morris 2002
• Sahra Kearney 2002
• Jamie O'Brien 2003
• Claire Bellis 2003
• Jaime Cedra 2003
• Geneva Loader 2005
• David Graham 2006
• Rob Rigley 2006
Australian copy of the British program of the same name. Contestants ("houseguests") [called "housemates" in the Australian series] are locked into a house with cameras, and voted out one by one until a winner is determined. GLBT contestants have become a standard part of the formula. (Gay and bisexual list based largely on the Wikipedia article.)
The Box (serial drama) TEN 1974-1977
• Viki Stafford (Judy Nunn) television producer
• Lee Whiteman (Paul Karo)
• Wayne Hopkins (Ian Gilmour) Lee's love interest
• Felicity (Helen Hemingway) Viki's love interest
• John Barnett (Donald McDonald) 1975
Series set amongst the behind the scenes bedhopping and general goings on at a TV station. It was another program of the Number 96 genre. Lee was a TV station employee and quite stereotypically gay. He dated closeted newsreader John. Both Viki and Felicity were bisexual.
Breakers (serial drama) TEN 1998-1999
• Vince Donnelly (Simon Munro) waiter
• Lucy Hill (Louise Crawford) journalist
• Kelly (Gabriella Maselli) tutor
• Peter Hirsch 1999 (Vincent Atkinson)
Serial drama about the lives and loves of the residents and employees of a building in Bondi, New South Wales, called Breakers. Lucy is bisexual. Kelly is her romantic interest. Peter is Vince's boyfriend.
Neighbours (serial drama) TEN 1986-present
• Andrew “Macca” MacKenzie 1994 (John Morris) builder
• Andrew Watson 1996 (Chris Uhlman) schoolteacher
Life on Ramsay Street. None of the gay/lesbian characters so far has lasted long. Macca was a builder who worked with the main character Doug Willis. Andrew Watson became the subject of school student rumours, and then a campaign by parents for his removal from the classroom. See also Neighbours (2004-2005, 2010-present).
Neighbours (serial drama) TEN 1986-present
• Lana Crawford 2004-2005 (Bridget Neval)
• Chris Pappas 2010-present (James Mason) student
• Aidan Foster 2011-present (Bob Morley) nurse
Life on Ramsay Street. Lana was the Canadian cousin of Sindi Watts. Chris is a high school student who befriends the show's other teens and becomes the captain of the school's basketball team. See also Neighbours (1994-1996).
Number 96 (serial drama) TEN 1972-1977
• Don Finlayson [and 1974 feature film] (Joe Hasham) lawyer
• Simon Carr 1972 [and 1974 feature film] (John Orcsik) public relations businessman
• Bruce Taylor 1972, 1973-1974 (Paul Weingott) photographer
• Karen Winters 1972 (Toni Lamond) receptionist
• Dudley Butterfield 1973-1977 [and 1974 feature film] (Chard Hayward) chef
• Marie Crowther 1973 (Hazel Phillips) volunteer counsellor
• Paul Mathews 1973 (David Whitford) journalist
• Dr. Alistair Pascal 1973 (Raymond Duparc) psychiatrist
• Robyn Ross 1973 ("Carolle Lea" aka Carlotta of Les Girls)
• Brad Hilton 1974-1975 (Terry Bader) flight attendant
• Grant Chandler 1976-1977 (Michael Howard) chauffeur
• Phillip Chambers 1976 (Henri Szeps) high school teacher
• Rob Forsyth 1977 (John McTernan) American architect on holiday
• Joshua 1977 (Shane Porteous) religious cult leader
Life in and around a block of flats in Sydney, NSW. Don and Dudley were residents and lovers.
"... Number 96 created a sensation when it went on the air in 1972, dealing graphically with homosexuality, drug and alcohol addictions, ambitious and promiscuous people, insanity, rape, and sex---mostly sex." (Brooks & Marsh, 3rd ed., p. 616).
Through the long run of the show, Don had affairs or relationships with Dudley, Simon, Grant, Rob, Joshua, Paul, and Bruce. Don was also the object of the affections of Brad, Dr. Pascal, and Phillip. Dudley, Simon, Grant, and Bruce were bisexuals, Karen was a lesbian (and a witch), and Robyn turned out to be a transsexual, much to her boyfriend's surprise.
An American version of the show (NBC, 1980-1981 and more of a sitcom) was much tamer and did not include any gay characters.
Pacific Drive (serial drama) 9NA 1995-1997
• Zoe Marshall (Libby Tanner)
• Margeaux Hayes (Virginia Hey) Zoe's first love interest
• Dior Shelby (Clodagh Crowe) Zoe's second girlfriend
• Kay West (Brigid Kelly) Zoe's third girlfriend
• Sondra Westwood (Helen Dallimore) Zoe's fourth girlfriend
• Gemma Patterson (Katherine Lee) Zoe's fifth girlfriend
• Jo (Jason Langley) Tim's transexual friend
The sinful saga of hungry young professionals who work, live and play on the playground that is Pacific Drive. Zoe is the bubbly young Office Administrator for Kingsley Inc, the conglomerate which has real estate and media interests as well as a swimwear design company on Pacific Drive.
Prisoner: Cellblock H (serial prison drama) TEN 1979-1986
• Freida 'Franky' Doyle 1979 (Carol Burns) prisoner
• Doreen Anderson/Burns (Colette Mann) prisoner
• Judy Bryant 1979-c1984 (Betty Bobbitt) prisoner
• Sharon Gilmour 1979 (Margot Knight) Judy's partner
• Angela Jeffries 1979 (Jeanie Drynan) lawyer
• Joan 'The Freak' Ferguson c1982-1986 (Maggie Kirkpatrick) guard
• Ray "Gay Ray" Proctor 1984 (Alex Menglet) prison cook
• Terri Malone 1985 (Margot Knight) a guard, Joan's love interest
Serial drama set in a women's detention centre in Australia. Among the cast of prisoners was a lesbian named Franky. As the series developed, various characters came and went, including Judy, who committed a crime so she could be jailed with Sharon, and bisexual prisoner Doreen.
The Secret Life of Us (drama) TEN 2001-2005
• Richie Blake 2001-2003 (Spencer McLaren)
• Simon Trader 2001-2003 (David Tredinnick)
• Brad 2001 (Kenneth Ransom)
• Charlie 2003 (Nathan Paige)
Ensemble drama about a group of twenty-somethings, most of whom live in three flats in the same Melbourne apartment building. Actor Richie shares one flat with his girlfriend Miranda and and his best friend Will. Simon tends bar where the rest of the residents go to unwind. Brad is Richie's reason for leaving Miranda (5 episodes). Richie aquires a boyfriend Charlie during the 2003 series.
Sweat (drama) TEN 1996-1997?
• Steve `Snowy' Bowles (Heath Ledger)
Series based around the `Sports West Academy', a training academy for young elite athletes. The young athletes are thrown in together in a 'live-in' situation at SWA. Snowy is a 17 year old cyclist.
Reference
David Wyatt. "Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Television Characters." URL: http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~wyatt/tv-char1970s.html
Reality series "The Block" and "The Hot House" featured gay male couples. [http://www.tasa.org.au/conferences/conferencepapers05/papers%20(pdf)/urban_gorman.pdf]
As I Brit who moved to Aus, I'm still taken aback by how conservative our media is in comparison. It isn't because of their intent, but more that we are overrun by Conservative Lobby groups - even in our politics, the conservatives (such as the Church) tend to get heard more than our liberal groups.
Also, Home & Away over here, is a teen-orientated soap. Our lovely conservative pressure groups - and perhaps some families - still think it's inappropriate to show gays to teenagers, even if the teenagers are happily friends with gay people, and such. After all, homosexuality is contagious!
But Home & Away isn't particularly representative of Australia - for instance, there's very few ethnicities - they all *tend* to be Caucasian Australians. And it's one of the few towns in Australia that seemingly has no Indigenous people... And when there is, they don't seem to stick around very long.
I think Aussie soaps have become watered down in the last decade. I used to be a fan of Neighbours & Home and Away, but now, I just find it a bit wishy-washy. But in the '80s, Aussie Soaps were great - just look at Prisoner Cell Block H, Sons and Daughters... I think Australian TV is a lot less ambitious than it once was, now. They'd much prefer to plaster the schedules with reality crap and sport. I suppose the same could be said about the UK, but us Brits are still exporting decent amounts of drama and comedy.
But don't think all Australians are backward. Possibly just our media (ABC excluded) and politicians!
omg :eek:
Well plenty of current Australian series ('Offspring', 'Winners and Losers', 'House Husbands', 'Dance Academy', 'Neighbours') have ongoing gay characters. With the small amount of drama production in Aust, that is a high proportion of the dramas currently being made that have gay characters. These shows are popular and are not attracting criticism or complaints for having gay characters in them. Doesn't sound all that conservative to me. Australian TV certainly is a lot less ambitious than it once was, but that is likely true of TV in every country on the planet.
'Neighbours' has this year featured at least two male to male kisses and there were very few Australian-based news items about it - probably as it was not considered to be much of an an issue. (In contrast, there were at least a dozen UK-based news items covering the event - a far more conservative reaction in my opinion.) 'Neighbours' and 'Big Brother' are also considered as teen oriented programs in Australia and air in early evening slots, and there's no problem with the gay people on those shows.
Western Australia might be conservative, but that doesn't mean the rest of Australia is.
Jackass
Geez, did that just bounce off the file labelled, 'I can't be homophobic, I have gay friends' It didn't slot in Panda you ****bag.
And gaz.... All I can say is that you were clearly born in the wrong decade. How tragic for you.
Geez all those pressure groups must really have hated last night's 'Big Brother' on at 7.00 pm on channel Nine where *every* male housemate kissed that bearded man and muscular Sam posed nude as an artist's model.
And that's ignoring Benjamin's 'Kylie' gold hotpants and pink and purple leotard dance outfits.
I need a recording of this show :eek: :eek:
Glimpses of Sam's muscles and the gold hotpants are in this promo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iyv6CgPp8k&feature=related
Full episodes are here http://www.bigbrother.com.au/video/full-episodes/
Ben (Brenda) has done a number of camp dances (including one in episode 43) and drag routines.
The thing with the dramas you mentioned is that they are on either after 8.30 (essentially the watershed) or on digital where audiences are minimal. Channel Seven are the main network with the wiidest appeal, and their director even said last week they are proud to be the 'roast chook' of Australia networks, essentially saying everyone eats chook and they are going for everyman rather than taking risks. So this puts them in a different position to Ten and a lesser extent Nine.
Also you say WA is the most conservative art of Australia, well the reason seven does so well is because of strangleholds in Adelaide and Perth. Nine does better in Melbourne and Sydney. A couple of examples, at 6pm on wednesday Seven News had just 11,000 more viewers than Nine news, but in Perth Seven had 180,000 viewers compared to Nine's 101,000. And at 7pm Big Brother beat Home and Away nationally by 1.06m viewers compared to Home and Aways 0.84m viewers. Despite a large difference in Perth Home and Away won with 113,000 viewers compared to BBs 85,000. BB had double the viewers of Home and Away in melbourne and even in Sydney there was a gap of over 100,000 (despite H & A being filmed there).
Seven will always play it safe. And with Home and Away continually losing viewers I can't see them changing the situation anytime soon. Even neighbours on digital came in for a backlash because of introducing a family of Asian origin, and the only reasn I believe there is not much of an issue over Chris is that he is a very inoffensive character and isn't defined largely by his sexuality. Plus he wasn't even a regular when the story happened, like the Kapoors he was slowly integrated into the programme
I've always thought a character not being defined by his sexuality was a positive thing.
Well the dramas mentioned mostly air AT 8.30 pm, not after 8.30 pm. And that is prime time. But the arguments you present seem like quibbling when shows are disregarded if they start at 8.30 pm or aren't on Seven. Seven is just one TV station. All the other stations are Australian TV too, but it seems like you're trying to disregard everything for all sorts of oblique reasons, and say 'oh well they don't count, because...'.
The complaints about an Asian family on Neighbours were only a few comments on facebook, just like how in the UK there were racist comments about Sunita from 'Coronation Street' on twitter. And the relevance of all that is, what, exactly?
Chris is a main regular character and they frequently mention and do storylines about his sexuality. Practically all new 'Neighbours' characters are introduced gradually so I'm not sure how that is relevant.
Since 'Big Brother' with its camp HM Ben outrates H&A that must be a good thing? Right?
Also you talk about viewing figures as of people that complain about gay characters on shows are actually fans who watch the show. I'm sure a lot of the time the people who complain about these things do not even watch the show, so the show's ratings don't really come in to it. Actually, no one in Australia complained about Chris on 'Neighbours' and the same sex kisses they showed, did they?
What I was trying to say is that in the UK for instance Channel 4 are often less conservative and more edgy than ITV. Which is the same in Australia if you compare Ten with Seven. The fact that Home and Away airs on Seven is probably a big reason as to why there are no homosexuals.
Airing at 8.30, being on after 8.30 is the same thing. And its rare these shows start before 8.45 anyway. Up until 8,30 is largely family viewing, therefore content after 8.30 is unlikey to cause any attention by conservative groups.
I think the Kapoor comment was relevant because it was an example of complaints that came from Conservative groups. And yes it may have only been one or two people complaining, but this always attracts media attention (which apart from the ABC seems to be conservative). The integration of Chris and the Kapoors on neighbours was a lot more gradual than other characters.
And the only reason I mentioned Perth viewing figures is that you mentioned WA was the onnly area that was mainly conservative, so I thought it was relevant that Seven is very popular in Perth and therefore that might reflec its more conservative position.
I think the main point I was trying to make is that out of all the networks Seven is far more conservative. Particularly in family slots. Which in my opinion is probably the best explanation for why there are no gay characters in Home and Away.
I've never claimed Seven weren't conservative and I've never asked why there are no glbt characters on H&A or expressed uncertainty of why that might be.
A couple of people have claimed Australian media is conservative, yet there's plenty of evidence to suggest otherwise. That is what I am responding to. Ten even runs 'Modern Family' - with its gay couple - at 7.00 pm. 'Big Brother' runs every night (outrating H&A) at 7.00 pm and has a prominent (and very camp) gay housemate. Where are all the complaints about those things? Seven and Ten are mainstream channels right? (Or are they not 'mainstream' now?) 7.00 pm is pre-watershed, right? So by your logic, there should be complaints about it.
Conservative groups never complained about the Kapoors. It was apparently just a few comments on facebook. I doubt the comments were posted by a co-ordinated group of people acting together (a conservative 'group').
If one decides arbitrarily to ignore anything that comes on after 8.30 pm (really not that late) or that isn't on Seven, Nine, Ten, then that doesn't leave too many Australian dramas to talk about. There are so few Australian dramas that fit that category that really we're left talking about H&A. It is like there's all these examples of non-conservative content but you want to dismiss all of them and pretend they don't exist because it does not fit your argument.
Its not that Ten isn't mainstream it just has a different Seven in that its prepared to be more edgier. It was the network which originally aired Big Brother, and even way back it was airing number 96 and other programmes. None of these would likely of played on Seven, which is risk adverse. Seven is not a leader its a follower, most of its home-made content is a case of picking a format that has worked well and polishing it. My Kitchen Rules is basically a cross between Mastercehf and Come Dine With Me, which rates better than masterchef but would have unlikely happened if masterchef hadn't occured first. They're even doing their own version of the Block next year. Seven does what it does well, but that certanily isn't by doing anything that involves risk, innovation or change.
But I accept your point that drama other than soaps rarely occur before 8.30 so its hard to say for definite that the 7pm timeslot is the reason. Packed to the rafters used to air at 7.30, but that the only example I can think of.
That still wouldn't explain why there are no lesbians in it though.
I know that Ten is edgier! It has aired Australia's campest shows: 'Number 96', 'The Box', 'Prisoner', 'Return to Eden', 'The Secret Life of Us', 'Big Brother', 'The Shire'.
I find it so weird when people in the UK think that Ten is conservative, because of 'Neighbours'. 'Neighbours' is only one show. Ten is not, and has never been, 'conservative'. If anything, Ten is 'trashy'.
Seven did screen the trashy soap 'Sons and Daughters' and also screened 'Skyways' (1979) with its lesbian kisses and full frontal nudity.
Well the finale of Big Brother Australia 2012 out-gayed the events mentioned above.
Inexplicably, there were no negative comments in the Australian press, no viewers complained to Channel Nine, and there were no BOOs from the Big Brother live audience (squeals, yes, but no BOOs.)
Given these events, I am seriously puzzled by claims in this thread that Australian TV is conservative.