Number 96 was a groundbreaking serial in the ’70s down under.
When Number 96 hit the small screen in 1972 it was dubbed the night that Australian television lost its virginity.
Who could forget the warped pantyhose strangler, the perverted knicker snipper or the deranged hooded rapist?
Across 1218 explosive episodes the serial broke every taboo known to man with the residents of the infamous apartment block going from one drama to the next. The producers gave viewers lashings of sex and nudity but balanced this with plenty of comic moments.
The programme explored homosexuality, interracial relationships, drug addiction, racism, rape in marriage, abortion, breast cancer, sadomasochism and countless other subjects which tended to be brushed under the carpet by society at large.
Audiences were gripped when hippies stripped off in the launderette, a group of devil worshipers blew into town, and a bomb ripped through the building causing death and destruction. Some of the more infamous storylines have gone down into television history, who could forget the warped pantyhose strangler, the perverted knicker snipper or the deranged hooded rapist?
To mark the show’s fiftieth anniversary, television historian Nigel Giles has edited together a brand-new book which takes us behind the scenes of Australia’s most notorious address. Producer Bob Huber and more than thirty members of the cast have written their own chapters in which they share their memories of working on this ground-breaking show. The Number 96: 50th Anniversary Album has been published by Arcadia and is essential reading for every fan of the show. You can order your copy now from the website of Australian Scholarly Publishing.
Pictured Top: Left: The Number 96: 50th Anniversary Album lifts the lid on the ground-breaking show. Right: Ron Shand and Pat McDonald starred as Herb and Dorrie Evans in Number 96. Pat went on to play Fiona Thompson in Sons & Daughters. Image: Nigel Giles/Arcadia/Cash Harmon Productions.
