‘Number 96’ is back

It was the show that shocked, the show that entertained, and the show that made sure millions tuned in each week.  Number 96 is an Australian classic that dramatised the lives of inner-Sydney apartment block dwellers.

The show pushed the boundaries of television by showcasing bed-hopping, a love of showing shower scenes while adding a lot of social commentary for the time. The show ran on Network Ten from 1972 to 1977 and the secrets and tales from behinds the scenes are now being exposed in a new tell-all book Number 96: Australian TV’s Most Notorious Address by TV historian Nigel Giles.

Mr Giles was only eight when the show was on but what he saw made him a lifelong fan.  It also made him popular at school as he could tell the others that weren’t allowed to watch it what happened.  For the book, Mr Giles, interviewed over 50 former cast and crew members to get the stories behind the scenes.  While the show gets remembered a lot for showing people in their undies or the occasional naked bum, Mr Giles says that the show was groundbreaking because it represented a true society with gay couples, inter-racial romances as well as shining a light on Aboriginal and transgender issues and characters.

Mr Giles told The Sydney Morning Herald,  “I wanted people who don’t know about the show to understand the social impact it made. There was nothing else like it, because of the diverse characters and the storylines.

“I think it should be recognised and celebrated. And people who may have heard of it, but never watched it, might like to know what all the fuss was about.”

Full episodes of the show can be found on the Classic Australian TV YouTube channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap-oCh8o-fU

Were you a fan of Number 96?  What were some of your favourite moments from the show?