Number 96 (TV series)
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Number 96 was a revolutionary Australian daily soap opera set in a Sydney apartment block that aired from 1972-1977. The series was created for Network Ten by David Sale after the channel requested a Coronation Street-type serial, and specifically one that explored adult subjects. The series proved to be a huge success, running from March 13, 1972 until August 11, 1977. Storylines explored the relationships of the residents of a small apartment block named Number 96 after its street address, with scripts tackling such topics as racial intolerance, drug use, rape within marriage, adultery and homosexuality, along with more prosaic romantic and domestic storylines. The show featured a multiracial cast, had frequent nude scenes, and featured a long-running gay male relationship that drew no particular interest from any of the show's other characters. It is believed that the series was the world's first to include a portrayal of a gay couple as normal people fully accepted by and integrated into their community.
The show's most popular character was malaproping gossip Dorrie Evans (Pat McDonald). Abigail was the show's most famous sex symbol until she left the series suddenly in June 1973 in a burst of publicity. As the series progressed it increasingly focused on comedy characters such as inventor Les Whittaker (Gordon McDougall) and the bookish Arnold Feather (Jeff Kevin) who proved irresistible to the ladies.
The series made good use of end-of-episode and end-of-year cliffhangers, and whodunit type storylines proved particularly popular. These included a panty snatcher dubbed the Knicker Snipper, a serial killer called The Pantyhose Strangler, and deadliest of all the Mad Bomber. The Mad Bomber storyline in September 1975 was calculated to boost the show's by then declining ratings and shake-up the cast. Unfortunately the writers went too far, killing off several long running cast favourites, and viewers increasingly turned away from the series. A later whodunit was the Hooded Rapist in 1976. Another blatant grab for publicity saw the show feature Australia's first full frontal nude scene in April 1977.
Number 96 was launched in 1972 with a simple promotional campaign - each night for several weeks before its debut, the message "Number 96 Is Coming" would appear on screen during Network 10's advertisements. No explanation was given, and it stimulated curiosity. When the series premiered viewers were presented with a level of titilation and taboo subjects that had never been seen on Australian television before, and the event came to be known as "the night Australian television lost its virginity". It was Australia's highest rating program for 1973 and 1974, and was the world's first evening soap opera to be broadcast each weeknight. The series was shot on videotape initially in black and white but switching to colour in late 1974. Many black and white episodes are now lost, a victim of wiping videotapes for re-use, the official Channel Ten policy at the time. A colour feature film version of the same title was released in 1974 featuring much of the show's cast from that time. In 1980 a short-lived US remake of the same name retained the comedy but toned-down the sexual elements of the series.
Principle cast members included: Johnny Lockwood, Philippa Baker, Gordon McDougall, Sheila Kennelly, Pat McDonald, Ron Shand, Bunny Brooke, Joe Hasham, Chard Hayward, Carol Raye, Jeff Kevin, Pamela Garrick, Chantal Contouri, Mike Dorsey, Wendy Blacklock, Frances Hargreaves, Elaine Lee, James Elliott, Elisabeth Kirkby, Bettina Welch, Abigail, Tom Oliver, Carmen Duncan, Dina Mann, Jan Adele, Jill Forster and Thelma Scott.
External links
- Aussie Soap Archive : Number 96 (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/number96.html)
- The Number 96 Homepage (http://members.ozemail.com.au/~lindsay96/)
- The History of Australian Television - Number 96 (http://televisionau.siv.net.au/number96.htm)