Melbourne celebrates 60 years of watching television
THIS year marks six decades of Aussie television and to celebrate here’s our pick of some of the best shows made in Melbourne. Which are your favourites?
Leader
Don't miss out on the headlines from Leader . Followed categories will be added to My News.
IT’S been 60 years since Melbourne’s first TV station hit the air.
With just weeks to go before the 1956 Olympics, Channel 7 began broadcasting in the city on November 4.
Sydney beat us to it by two months, with Bruce Gyngell having delivered his famous words “Good evening and welcome to television”, to the Harbour City in September.
HAVE YOUR SAY: What’s your favourite Melbourne-based TV show? Tell us below.
Though broadcasts had been anticipated for decades, by the end of 1956 only 5 per cent of Melburnians had televisions.
Port Phillip Council one of Melbourne’s top spots for TV shows to film
Those who were lucky enough to own a telly, which cost the equivalent of six to 10 weeks wages, would find themselves bombarded by friends and neighbours wanting to see what the fuss was about.
But it wasn’t long before every household had a TV and families were buying dining trays and frozen dinners so as not to miss a minute of their favourite shows.
In the past six decades many of the country’s best soapies, dramas, variety, comedies, current affairs, mockumentaries and kids series have been made in Melbourne.
Here’s a few of our favourites:
In Melbourne Tonight 1957-1970
Each night Melburnians would tune in for this popular Channel 9 show.
It had as many as 50 different presenters in its 13-year run, but by far the most famous was the charismatic Graham Kennedy, who became known as The King of Television.
TV history was made when Bert Newton became Kennedy’s sidekick in 1959.
World of Sport (1959-1987)
Channel 7’s World of Sport became so successful in sports-mad Melbourne that by the end of its run it was claimed to be the world’s longest running sports show.
Each Sunday from 11am to 2pm hosts Ron Casey and “Uncle Doug” Elliott were joined by local sports legends including AFL greats Jack Dyer and Lou Richards.
VFL players were invited to take part in handball competitions and there were also woodchopping and sheaf throwing contests and indoor football matches.
Homicide (1964-1977)
The first major drama series to be produced in Australia, Homicide also became the longest running. It followed fictional detectives of the Victoria Police homicide squad as they solved crimes and murders. Some episodes were based on real cases.
Hey Hey it’s Saturday (1971-1999)
For decades it didn’t matter what you were doing on a Saturday night, it probably started with switching on the telly to see what Daryl Somers, Ossie Ostrich, Dickie Knee and co were up to. Whether they were greeting international celebrity guests, humiliating Red Faces contestants or playing Celebrity Heads, the crew never failed to entertain the masses. It felt like the end of an era when the show finished up in 1999.
Countdown (1974-1987)
From the ABC studios in Ripponlea, Countdown had teens boogying in loungerooms across the country. The most popular music TV show in the country’s history, it boosted the careers of many Aussie acts, including John Farnham, AC/DC, Olivia Newton John, INXS, The Skyhooks and Kylie Minogue. Ian “Molly” Meldrum became one of the country’s most loved personalities after he started hosting in 1975.
The Sullivans (1976-1983)
The antics of the fictional Sullivan family, headed by Dave (Paul Cronin) and Grace (Lorraine Bayly), who lived at 7 Gordon St in Camberwell during World War II became a must-watch in Melbourne. Fans recognised the suburbs, trams, parks and buildings and enjoyed the spot-on props and costumes. Favourite characters included Dave and Grace’s children John, Tom, Terry and Kitty, the slightly dodgy Uncle Harry, owner of the Great Southern Maggie, and Jack the barman.
Prisoner (1979-1986)
The inmates at Wentworth Detention Centre such as The Freak, Queen Bea, Lizzie and Doreen were seared indelibly into our memories by this drama on life on the inside. The characters didn’t mind making a solid impression on each other either, usually by ironing out each others’ heads or hands in the laundry’s ironing press. Ouch! The battle between Bea Smith, the top dog among the prisoners, and guard Joan “the Freak” Ferguson was a highlight of the series. Wentworth’s address was in Nunawading, making it the quintessential Melbourne suburban soap opera.
Neighbours (1985- present)
Set in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough, Neighbours has been a Melbourne staple for more than 30 years. During its heyday of the late ’80s and early ’90s, it wasn’t uncommon to see busloads of English tourists scouring the streets of Forest Hill trying to catch a glimpse of Scott and Charlene. To this day tourists still visit “Ramsay St”, taking selfies with the famous houses.
Blue Heelers (1993-2003)
Set in the fictional town of Mt Thomas — the crime capital of Australia — Blue Heelers first screened in 1993 and wound up in 2003. Starring John Wood and a fresh-faced Lisa McCune and Martin Sacks, every man and his dog scored a cameo in the drama. The show was filmed at Melbourne’s Channel 7 studios and other set locations included Williamstown, Werribee and Castlemaine.
SeaChange (1998-2000)
Filming for this hugely popular drama took place at Barwon Heads and Williamstown. The show followed Laura Gibson (Sigrid Thornton) who moves from the city to the fictional town of Pearl Bay. The story kicked off a “Seachange effect” with city-dwellers moving to the seaside in droves.
The Secret Life of Us (2001-2005)
Hip St Kilda was the backdrop of this drama series following the lives of a group of 20-something friends back in the noughties. The show made stars of cast members Deborah Mailman, Samuel Johnson and Claudia Karvan.
Kath & Kim (2002-2007)
Gina Riley and Jane Turner created a Melbourne institution when they launched the hilarious Kath & Kim. The comedy, featuring the two foxy morons from the fictional suburb of Fountain Lakes and the loveable butcher Kel (Glenn Robbins), was filmed at a Patterson Lakes townhouse. It also bought fame (or notoriety) to Westfield Fountain Gate. Noice!
The Block (2003- present)
Though it originally filmed in Sydney, in recent years wannabe renovators have converged on Melbourne’s inner eastern suburbs to tackle increasingly huge and seemingly unachievable projects on this reality TV juggernaut.
Summer Heights High (2007)
Anyone who attended a public high school could relate to Chris Lilley’s mockumentary which was shot at Brighton Secondary College. His characters Ja’mie, Jonah from Tonga and Mr G became household names.
A follow up show Ja’mie Private Schoolgirl was filmed at private Haileybury school, which has campuses in Keysborough, Brighton East and Berwick. The controversial series infuriated some Haileybury parents, students and alumni.
Underbelly (2008- 2013)
Victorians were forced to go to great lengths to get DVD copies of the first series of Underbelly, which focussed on Melbourne’s gangland war, back in 2008. The 13 episodes were suppressed by a Supreme Court judge over fears it would prevent an accused murderer from getting a fair hearing. The ban was eventually lifted in 2011.
Offspring (2010-present)
Fans tune in religiously to this drama set in trendy Fitzroy. Obstetrician Nina Proudman (Asher Keddie), her love interests and assortment of eccentric relatives are often filmed visiting trendy bars, shops and cafes in the inner suburbs.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-present)
All the glamour of 1920s Melbourne is brought back to lift in this mystery series about sleuth Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis) and the murders she investigates. The costumes are amazing and the show is shot at some of some of the city’s historic locations including Rippon Lea Estate, Wardlow at Parkville and St Kilda’s Como House.
Here’s just a few more:
Bluey, Matlock Police, Solo One, Acropolis Now, The Henderson Kids, Stingers, House Husbands, Winners and Losers, Jack Irish, The Slap, The Footy Show, Full Frontal, Upper Middle Bogan.
■ To learn more about Victoria’s TV history, visit Melbourne University’s exhibition Seems like only yesterday: Tee Vee at Sixtyat the Baillieu Library, Parkville until January 30, 2017.
‘At our wits end’: Shepparton couple’s fight to keep home
A Shepparton couple will have the fate of their home decided in the Supreme Court after claims they owe a trustee who looked after a bankrupt estate more than $100,000.
Hoon farm worker on meth flees cops at 180km/h
A drug addict farm worker broke into a church op shop, hid meth in his pants, and clocked 180km/h in a stolen car from Bendigo to Ballarat, dodging between traffic and nearly hitting a cyclist.