Hi, I'm aware Australia has been becoming increasingly diverse through imigration etc, however the few Australian TV programmes we get in the UK, and by this I mean Neighbours and Home and Away, just don't seem to show this. (we do get the occasional dramas and films that are often of a very high standard however I'll concentrate on the soaps for now).

Why are these soaps almost completly white Australians, with the odd Brit or Irish guy thrown in? Is it just they are set in areas that are typically white, in the UK I know some areas are more diverse than others. Are the wealthy suburbs such as in Ramsey street normally like this, and immigrants live in poorer areas, inner cities, or just Sydney or melbourne.

Just curious if it's bad casting, or properly indicative of Oz.

No, it's probably 'old money' from mummy and daddy that's buying their little darlings a place on these crap shows.

and immigrants et al aren't you usually in the category of 'old money'

Why on earth do you watch that shit anyhow? lol. Oh wait: don't answer that, you're British, Bloody pomes and their soaps! ;)

No, it's probably 'old money' from mummy and daddy that's buying their little darlings a place on these crap shows.

and immigrants et al aren't you usually in the category of 'old money'

Why on earth do you watch that shit anyhow? lol. Oh wait: don't answer that, you're British, Bloody pomes and their soaps! ;)

Couldnt agree more Tays LOL.
I think the only way these crap shows stay on Aussie TV is because they are subsudised by OS sales.
I dont know anyone that watches them except some kids and BTW they do not reflect the current way of life in Australia esp in the capital cities or of its population in any way.
Really they give a very warped view of present day Australian society..

I agree to some extant that Neighbours and Home and Away represent a certain "Australia" but dismissing totally would be a mistake. There are many places in suburban Australia where cultural minorities are exactly that: minorities. Whether these shows reflect "True Australia" whatever that means is the issue. I don't think they display the whole spectrum of Australian surburban life, but do any shows on TV do? Like "The OC" on Ch10. Is that representative of all people living in Orange County? Probably not.

Um, some shows that have shown Australia's diversity on TV have been "Head Start" and "HeartBreak high" also to another extant, "Fat Pizza" on SBS... I think if you look at the broad range of TV shows on Australian Tv you would get a somewhat more balanced view of Australia...

Im having to agree with Fro on this one. Sure the representation of minority groups on these shows is not as good as it could be, but I dont understand why this is a necessary thing. Australia is a multicultural society and much of the time the cultures are grouped in particular areas, as much as I dont necessarily agree with this, and these areas are not necessarily where these shows are set.
As for Bearbrass and Taysers comments, I know a number of young aspiring actors who work their arses off to get on shows like these, some do and some dont, but I dont think its fair to generalise like they are all Tori Spelling!! Also, if no-one watches these shows in Australia and they are only made for export, why are they shown at two of the highest rated timeslots on TV.

Pizza would be the most representative show on Aussie TV ever!

H & A and Neighbours are complete fantasies, I don't know which shits me more the fictional Erinsborough which seems to exist inside Melbourne yet outside it's sphere of influence; or the apocryphal and unbeleivable Home and Away which looks like it's set on the Mid-Northern NSW coast somewhere and people always mention that they're going to "The City" :mad: WHICH FUCKING CITY!!! Sydney? Newcastle? Wollongong? Port Macquarie? Just say it already for fucks sake!!! These dipshit shows continue to piss off any Australian with good taste.

As for the casting whitewash, I think Home & Away took a risk and introduced a greek character a while back, obviously that was too much for them!! I've never even seen anyone Aboriginal on either of those shows.

Lets list out the Australian shows on TV this week and see if we can spot the non-skippy's (disclaimer: I am a skippy! :D )


Home and Away - well there's that greek girl
Neighbours - they should do a story where a family from o/s moves in and Ramsey Street property values start to drop or something, then Lou & Harold band together to have them removed, that's how I see them using minorities
McLeod's Daughters - Craig McLaughlan's on here, are idiots a minority?
Blue Heelers - Sorry I don't watch this tripe so I can't tell you
RPA - No doubt they'll be working on poor kid from the pacific with deformity or other, they always do.
The Footy Show - Eddie McGuire - Oh wait he's a Majority
Australian Idol - Marcia Hines!!! And a number of the competitors are from other countries (OK so Marcia is from the US! - But she's not white at least!)
Who Wants to Be A Millionaire - who wants to watch 8 male, middle aged nerds answer questions really slowly in order to prop up their already lavish mortgage, guess who, male, middle aged nerds who think slowly and live in the mortgage belt!
Backyard Blitz, Changing Rooms, Renovation Rescue, Auction Squad - Thankfully ethnic minorities have better things to do than renovate.

Didn't Alex Dimitriades (Greek background) play a shady, shonky real estate agent in Neighbours for a week or two, complete with the stereoptypical shiny black suit and slicked back ultra oily black hair?

There's an Asian chick with Kiwi accent on Neighbours. The girl with a baby, where the father is the Irish guy...

I noticed Nz tv is much more diverse then Aussie tv!!! Most of the soaps over there have lots of Maori and Pacific Islanders (A few are even based about them) Aussie tv has gone to shit over the last few years, With all this reality shit and diy shows, it's fucked. There has been some good dramas though, Like the Secret life of us.

Yep, Secret Life was good, one of the few Australian shows I didn't cringe watching, however it's been all but cancelled, having surfaced 4 two weeks this year before 10 pulled the plug. It's a pity because not only was it diverse but it was also urbane, a quality lacking from most Australian television, perpetually stuck in the 'burbs or the bush.

I have never watched any of the Aussie soaps (but I was a big fan of Cop Shop and Prisoner), but I thought they did have quite a few "minority" characters in them, probably more statisticly than in real society. At least from the small bits I have seen.

Is there any dedicated fan, willing to admit they watch it who can say?

There can't be many guys in Australia who watch them, so it might be hard to get anyone, it's funny how in the UK, especially a few years ago everyone over here was right into them.

New channel Aussie Gold will launch in the UK December
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds14498.html

As long as they include Prisoner (Cell Block H), they are on to a winner.

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/oti.html

http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/screens/images/sept-pcbh.jpg

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/screenshots/intro8.gif

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/screenshots/intro1.gif

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/images/rare/c_dining_room.jpg

Omg The Secret Life of Us was one on my fave shows before it was canned. I loved it cos it wasnt a cop, courtroom, medical or crime investigation drama. Another show I liked but its been axed was Always Greener as I liked the storylines and each episode had its quirky twist to it.

neighbours is still ok - have been watching it religiously since i was 5.

blue heelers is ace! love the music. i dont think they show it on channel 3 any more though... :(

Prisoner is on: http://www.uktv.com.au/home.asp

lol. I would like a GOOD aussie cop show, i dont really like blue healers cuz of the whole rural setting. Water Rats, which i NEVER watched, but sometimes see it on LATE night tv... i dont mind. It has that dark NZ guy on it...

Pizza is great, and Sit Down Shut Up, that is the best show lmao.

Neighbours is set in an cheap white ghetto. The most diversity I've known them to have is the New Zealander with the Asian background and the "shocking" introduction of a lesbian character recently. Home & Away I don't watch regularly but, though featuring a little less geriatric demographic, it has the same problems of diversity.

Australia's two main soaps have a long way to go.

lol. I would like a GOOD aussie cop show, i dont really like blue healers cuz of the whole rural setting. Water Rats, which i NEVER watched, but sometimes see it on LATE night tv... i dont mind. It has that dark NZ guy on it...

Pizza is great, and Sit Down Shut Up, that is the best show lmao.

Stingers is a very good programme.

...but I like Blue Heelers, so maybe it isn't :)

I think the best Australian drama on TV these days is All Saints. That is quality TV, shits all over the soapies.

I wouldn't trust Neighbours representing a minority, when they can't even represent an entire demographic properly.

Battery Acid...... worst pretend band name EVER.

I think Home and Away can be excused for its lack of minority groups in the cast (but not excused for just generally being a crap show ;))...I mean it's supposed to be set in a small beach town on the NSW coast, and they actually represent those demographics pretty well. I mean, most overseas immigrants here do live in the capital cities, not small beach towns.

I think Home and Away can be excused for its lack of minority groups in the cast (but not excused for just generally being a crap show ;))...I mean it's supposed to be set in a small beach town on the NSW coast, and they actually represent those demographics pretty well. I mean, most overseas immigrants here do live in the capital cities, not small beach towns.
That's sort of what I thought. It's the same in the UKm the big towns Like London and Birmingham are pretty diverse, but if you go to a small seaside town, or countrside village it is 100% white.

Anyway, thanks all for everyone's comments, I was just kind of currious.

As long as they include Prisoner (Cell Block H), they are on to a winner.

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/oti.html

http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/screens/images/sept-pcbh.jpg

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/screenshots/intro8.gif

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/screenshots/intro1.gif

http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/images/rare/c_dining_room.jpg


LOL that series is on tv here now still, but bea smith is long gone and now there is some other person in it hehehe, when you ca not sleep you migth see an spisode it goes at like 3am lol and there is an aborigine woman in the show now

wolkenkrabber - where do you live, also is Prisoner on reruns there or still first run?

i live in sweden, it has gone around several times

I don't thin australians like soaps as much as people in Britain do because of the active lifestyle living in oz offers. Britains like to snuggle up next to the fire in winter and watch soaps as a form of escapism. The fact that they are often far-fetched and sometimes unrepresentative of normal life is what makes them attractive. In Britain we are geared to the indoor life more with t.vs practically in every room of the house along with PC'S, game consoles and stereos. Wheras in australia people probably don't use these indoor entertaiment gadgets as often. Too busy surfing in a near perfect climate.

^^ I think you've been watching too much Home and Away.

yeah, that's what I reckon too :lol: