Number 96 stars reunite for new TV history book
50 years on, former soap stars tell their story, their way, in a new book on an iconic Australian series.
- Published by David Knox
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L to R: Louise Howitt, Phillipa Baker, Harry Michael, Diana McLean, Roger Ward, Karen Petersen.
Five decades on, former cast members of iconic TV soap Number 96 reunited on the weekend for the launch of a new book on the show created by David Sale.
In attendance were Roger Ward (Weppo), Harry Michaels (Giovanni), Diana McLean (Dorothy Dunlop), Phillippa Baker (Roma) Louise Howitt (Pamela), while others watched via Zoom.
Number 96: 50th Anniversary Album is a collection of chapters penned by the stars who were there, edited by author Nigel Giles. It includes an introduction by Abigail.
The event held at Woollahra Hotel, not far from the location of the original apartment block, was hosted by TV historian Andrew Mercado and launched by The Guardian’s media correspondent Amanda Meade, whose father actor Garth Meade and step mother Elaine Lee both featured in the series.
Amanda Meade said, “Garth and Elaine, both South Africans, came to Australia in the early 1970s to find work and Elaine was lucky enough to land the role of a lifetime in the new Cash Harmon production. But, as she writes, she didn’t immediately give up her day job serving ‘chicken in gluggy gravy and the requisite three vegetables’ at a local bowls club so certain was she that the show was terrible and wouldn’t last.
“Elaine says it brought her ‘joy, tears, lifelong friendships, instant recognition and a sense of belonging to the most wonderful, close-knit family, that I will never forget.’
“Sadly the marriage didn’t survive Number 96, partly due to the intensity of the lifestyle, the sudden fame and the partying, it has to be said.”
She recalled, “As a teenager I was lucky enough to meet some of the stars of Number 96, including a memorable lunch Thelma (Scott) and Gwen Plumb had for my mum and dad at Whale Beach, and eye-opening cast parties with Abigail and Johnny Lockwood who were in plays with Garth including Wild Oats and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I definitely saw adults behaving badly at those parties in the late 1970s and early 80s, and the least said about that the better.
“I had one more brush with Number 96. In the dying days of the show Garth was cast as Spanish bullfighter Manuel and appeared in eight episodes in 1977. Manuel had to get a Swiss bank account number which was tattooed on the bum of Marilyn MacDonald, played by Frances Hargreaves. He liked to share the fun of showbiz with me and took me along whenever he could. And so it was I visited the set of Number 96 aged 15. The scene I saw involved Garth and Marilyn getting naked and Manuel wielding a magnifying glass as he tried to read the number on her bum. Suffice to say I was horrified to see him this way and decided not to tell my friends at school to watch that episode.”
Number 96: 50th Anniversary Album retails at $39.95, published by Arcadia. Studio 10‘s Craig Bennett will also present a segment from the reunion on August 18.
Photos: Michael Lewy
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3 Responses
Can’t believe my former boss was in Number 96!
I didn’t recognise any of the cast pictured, apart from Harry Michaels. Glad to know Phillipa Baker is still with us, as Roma she’s the only other character I remember, from those pictured.
This is such a wonderful post, thank you David. My very first brush with TV celebs and pop culture was a visit to the set of Number 96 in 1974. I was all of 10! I was fascinated by the sets, the props and met Ron Shand and Pat McDonald in the Make Up room. I was given publicity cards with headshots of the main cast of the time. I was such a fan of the show, even though we were forbidden to watch. My cousins were, so whenever a sleepover occurred, I got to watch it. I’ve been lucky to meet a few of the cast in my adulthood. The show was iconic and it is great that several of the actors still there to support the book. I did love Elaine Lee, and Joe Hasham and Chard Haywood. The very first ‘gay’ characters I had seen on TV. It blew my mind.