"chances" -- the vintage australian soap opera

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let's talk about it

― amateur!!st, Friday, 5 November 2004 05:40 (twenty years ago)

This isn't a game of thread pachinko is it?

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 5 November 2004 05:57 (twenty years ago)

unsexy sleaze! it was the best!

― katharine (katharine), Friday, 5 November 2004 06:51 (twenty years ago)

Midnight Roffler to thread.

― Adamdrome Crankypants (Autumn Almanac), Friday, 5 November 2004 07:02 (twenty years ago)

the world's most annoying female was on that program

― gem (trisk), Friday, 5 November 2004 07:06 (twenty years ago)

haha edward...i can't remember it either.

now Prisoner...there was a SHOW.

― bulbs (bulbs), Friday, 5 November 2004 09:01 (twenty years ago)

I remember it well, actually. Actually, what i remember most was the parody of it on (possibly) Fast Forward which featured a naked butt talking on the phone, mocking the show's use of nudity to get ratings. Even though it didn't rate at all!

― edward o (edwardo), Friday, 5 November 2004 09:25 (twenty years ago)

i remember being at boarding school and sneaking down to the rec room during study time and turning the telly on verrrrry quietly in the hope of seeing some bare bits on that program.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 5 November 2004 09:32 (twenty years ago)

What is this, an Australian soap we *haven't* had in the UK?

― Madchen (Madchen), Friday, 5 November 2004 10:43 (twenty years ago)

You haven't had it? You've missed out on a piece of unforgettable Aussie soap supercheese, unequalled by anything except maybe Return to Eden, Taurus Rising or Paradise Beach.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:03 (twenty years ago)

First one we got was "The Sullivans"

― Soon Over Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:08 (twenty years ago)

There are two strands in Aussie soap - the wholesome/braindead white Australia ones, full of salt-of-the-earth characters (Waltons, Sullivans, Neighbours) - these are sorta Melbourne - and the unwholesome/braindead white Australia ones, full of nasty materialistic user characters (Eden, Taurus, Chances, Paradise Beach) - these are sorta Sydney. The acting is arch, stagey and two dimensional in Aussie soaps, and this has an oddly entrancing effect on the viewer.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:14 (twenty years ago)

John Howard is a character from the first type of Aussie soap, whereas his treasurer Peter Costello is from the second kind of soap.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:16 (twenty years ago)

haha, I remember Return to Eden being shown in my impressionable youth, incredibly over the top as i recall. Would love to see it now.

― H (Heruy), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:18 (twenty years ago)

We never got ANY of the "unwholesome/braindead white Australia ones", as far as I can make out

― Soon Over Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:18 (twenty years ago)

You didn't get Return to Eden? That was a hit in Poland!

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 5 November 2004 11:19 (twenty years ago)

i don't remember return to eden or taurus. i must have been deprived!

― gem (trisk), Friday, 5 November 2004 12:13 (twenty years ago)

The worst of the lot, which contains the longest list of actors whose appearance in the show they would rather you forgot, would have to be Prisoner Cell Block H.

Return To Eden was so excruciatingly bad it was good. Kings was another in the same league.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 5 November 2004 12:17 (twenty years ago)

The irony in Colin's Syd/Melb dichotomy above is that Howard is from Sydney and Costello from Melbourne.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 5 November 2004 12:19 (twenty years ago)

Now doesn't this sound good

"A naïve heiress in love, a ruthless tennis star and a plan for murder so foul not even a giant crocodile can swallow it. Welcome to the many poisonous delights of Australia’s own shocking and glamorous Garden of Eden. A story of greed, adultery, revenge and cunning plastic surgery..."

― H (Heruy), Friday, 5 November 2004 12:49 (twenty years ago)

We definitely have Cell Block. Where does Home & Away fit in? It's near Sydney isn't it? And we have stories about yer rapist marrying yer sister, which I guess is dark. But then we also have Colleen who, to be fair, had a dark period when she was addicted to the pokeys.

― Madchen (Madchen), Friday, 5 November 2004 12:59 (twenty years ago)

There was another crap Australian soap over here in the 70s/80s - SONS AND DAUGHTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That was definitely in the " "unwholesome/braindead, full of nasty materialistic user characters" category.

― Soon Over Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 5 November 2004 13:02 (twenty years ago)

Sounds like the hook-line from 'A Fish Called Wanda'.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 5 November 2004 13:06 (twenty years ago)

I think H&A is set near Sydney. It hints at Darkness but may be a bit limited by its early screening time.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Friday, 5 November 2004 13:08 (twenty years ago)

Sons & Daughters/The Waltons/FLYING DOCTORS were the pre-Neighbours triumvirate. Neighbours only used to be shown here at lunchtime, but then some director at the BBC found out his daughter and all her chums were glued to it during school holidays and sick days, so he got it repeated it at 5.30pm.

I want to know more about the dark side. And was Heartbreak High soap or drama?

― Madchen (Madchen), Friday, 5 November 2004 14:03 (twenty years ago)

aaaah i used to love the flying doctors when i was a little tacker. now we have blue heelers *vomit*

heartbreak high was a dramatic soap. in the end merely melodramatic.

― gem (trisk), Friday, 5 November 2004 14:32 (twenty years ago)

Heartbreak High... that was our answer to DeGrassi Junior?

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Friday, 5 November 2004 21:01 (twenty years ago)

The Waltons? Wasn't that American?

― Adamdrome Crankypants (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 6 November 2004 00:27 (twenty years ago)

should i buy the two deluxxxe dvd sets of "chances"???

― amateur!!st, Saturday, 6 November 2004 01:33 (twenty years ago)

Does the Pope shit in the woods?

― Adamdrome Crankypants (Autumn Almanac), Saturday, 6 November 2004 01:57 (twenty years ago)

The Waltons was indeed an American show.

I've never seen Chances but it does sound peerlessly trashy:

"CHANCES embraced high camp and complimented it with an overabundance of flesh. The series' craziest, most insanely delirious episodes are gathered together on these DVDs.

You'll also encounter deviates, triads, Israeli secret agents, Nazi drag queens, girls in cages, witches burnt at the stake, an assortment of Medieval sex fantasies and "Carry On" style French revolution past-life flashbacks.

Finally, throw into the mix a soft-focus dirty weekend with Oz sex symbol Abigail, a mice-eating Venus fly trap, a box of chocolates full of slow-acting poison, a middle-aged bitch fight, a bevy of fantasy brothel sequences and a crazy plot involving the Eva Braun necklace - a valuable Third Reich artifact that transforms the wearer into a sex-crazed ancient Egyptian goddess!"

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Saturday, 6 November 2004 01:59 (twenty years ago)

I have been meaning to buy those DVDs for aaaaages.

am!st, I would say they are a MUST.

― The Midnight ROFFLEr (haitch), Saturday, 6 November 2004 12:06 (twenty years ago)

Which Aust soap are we talking about which we are mistakenly calling The Waltons? Is it The Sullivans?

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Saturday, 6 November 2004 21:36 (twenty years ago)

Yes. It's The Sullivans.

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Sunday, 7 November 2004 21:10 (twenty years ago)

I'm surprised that no-one has mentioned The Young Doctors on this thread. Totally appallingly primitive hospital soap where all the staff basically had really complicated lovelives and did sod all for the patients.

The most memorable characters were Ada from the kiosk and Jim Robinson from Neighbours as a stern doctor sporting a tres chic 70's Afro.

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Sunday, 7 November 2004 21:22 (twenty years ago)

The YDs also featured the towering acting talent of Oz Idol judge, alleged 70s pop 'star' and general-purpose incandescent mediocrity, Mark Holden.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Monday, 8 November 2004 02:12 (twenty years ago)

Oh come on people - E Street! Thats the shit.

― Trayce (trayce), Monday, 8 November 2004 02:17 (twenty years ago)

I seem to recall that Chances was axed mid season and to tie up loose ends some of the characters turned out, completely inexplicably, to be aliens! Nymphomaniac aliens too, if memory serves.

― The Velvet Overlord (The Velvet Overlord), Monday, 8 November 2004 04:35 (twenty years ago)

awesome

― amateur!!st, Monday, 8 November 2004 05:14 (twenty years ago)

am, where did you hear about/see this show? I would be astonished if it actually got a run outside of Australia.

― The Midnight ROFFLEr (haitch), Monday, 8 November 2004 05:15 (twenty years ago)

a friend told me about it. he's not australian. i don't know how he knew about it. maybe he knows someone from australia. anyway i don't think i'll actually buy this because i can't imagine when i'd have time to watch it all. seems like it'd be something neat to pull out at parties though.

― amateur!!st, Monday, 8 November 2004 05:23 (twenty years ago)

'Chances' is an incredibly great name. I mean especially if you imagine it said in an Australian accent: 'Chahncez.'

― xx, Monday, 8 November 2004 08:52 (twenty years ago)

Here's the lowdown on Chances for anyone who is interested:

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/chances.html

― Ben Mott (Ben Mott), Monday, 8 November 2004 13:52 (twenty years ago)

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