When I was a kid in Melbourne, Australia, my childhood was dominated by British TV comedies. And British TV comedy characters like Inspector Blake (Stephen Lewis) from On The Buses, which, incidentally, became a Hammer movie.I don't know why, but "Blakey", as he was known, got deep into my head and stayed there for years. He was forever trying to bust Stan Butler (Reg Varney), and was famous for the line: "I'll get you Butler!"
Adventure Island is one of the great Aussie TV shows. I had this to say about it on imdb:The great John Michael Howson created this television masterwork (with Godfrey Phillips) and played "Clown", a peculiar, unforgettable, asexual fellow who lived in a caravan in the town of Diddley-Dum-Diddley and never took his make-up off. That's right, folks, he was a permanent clown. Fixed grin. Never out of character. Totally nuts in a baggy costume and given to high-pitched declarations of surprise. Truly incredible this series. So surreal, perhaps not deliberately, but one of the strangest "things" I've ever seen. The town was controlled by a mean-spirited ogre (Meiser Meanie) who lived in a dark, cardboard tower overlooking the town square where Clown lived next to "Flowerpotts", an androgynous fusspot played by a man. Their neighbors were two married pandas, the male being a touch on the sissy side. Meanie's right hand man was the sycophantic Fester Fumble, affectionately played by Ernie Bourne. The cameras never took us outside the town, although we were able to view a distant, remote outside world (painted) beyond the town gate occasionally. Perhaps Mr. Howson, now a Hollywood-based writer of clever short stories and gossip monger of international repute, will see fit to resurrect this brilliant series one day, the crowning achievement of his queer youth. Where are you, Clown? Where are you and that permanent grin? Perhaps living in Baltimore with John Waters and Mink Stole?
Catweazle was on before Dr. Who in Melbourne, so if I was waiting for Dr. Who to start, I'd watch the last ten minutes of the show.I was never into it in a big way, but I liked the fact that he lived in a water tower and was giving the finger to polite society.
Please, Sir was another popular British hit on Aussie TV. It starred John Alderton, who also turned up in the series The Fenn Street Gang.
Blakey, Butler, and Jack (Bob Grant), the Romeo of On The Buses. I used to think that Jack was a very cool guy.
My first encounter with a gay man was with Mr. Humphries (John Inman) on Are You Being Served?Even when I was ten, I found his unapologetic, over-the-top portrayal of a homosexual man kind of interesting. He made no excuses for his camp ways and may have been an early model for Family Guy's Stewie.
Ah, speaking of camp ways..."Dr. Zachery Smith" (Jonathan Harris) had the greatest impact on me of all TV characters, as did Billy Mumy's "Will Robinson".
Lost in Space was my favorite TV show as a kid, and I still love it.
I used to think that Olive (Anna Karen) from On the Buses was the scariest, most disgusting thing on TV. There was something very wrong and hideous about her. Now, she's lost her ability to terrify.
This bloke is "Ugly Dave Gray". He was all over Aussie TV in the 60's and 70's. He was a regular on several celebrity game shows including Blankety Blanks, the Graham Kennedy classic.I never understood what made Ugly Dave famous enough to be a celebrity, but his Groucho Marx-style shenanigans were mildly amusing.
