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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carrie Fairchild" data-source="post: 257274" data-attributes="member: 673">The Box - 1974 to 1977 <img src="https://www.atvtoday.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/thebox.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />The other big sex and sin saga from the 70's was this satirical look behind the scenes of the Australian TV industry. The Box followed the goings on among the stars and staff of the fictional Channel 12 including scheming reporter Vicki (played by Judy "Ailsa of Home & Away" Nunn), station owner Sir Henry Usher (based affectionately on super producer Hector Crawford) and variety show host Gary, who was involved in the show's first big shocker when he found a naked fan in his dressing room, bedded her and then discovered she was a 15 year old schoolgirl. In keeping with the show's bid to shock, said schoolgirl later shared a kiss with bisexual Vicki in what was to be the first lesbian kiss on Australian TV.The Box has it's origins in the success of the similarly salacious Number 96. As that show became a mega hit for the previously struggling Network Ten, it's rivals Nine and Seven decided to take action. At first, they tried to have Ten's license revoked over "community concern" for the content of it's programming. When that went nowhere, they decided "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and set out to make their first foray into nighttime soaps (Nine being a complete newbie to soaps while Seven had tried and failed with daytime soaps before). Both networks approached the established Crawford Productions (who were best known for their police dramas like Homicide and Matlock Police) something that Crawfords welcomed as their police shows were nearing the end of their lives and they needed a new project to keep the company going. For Nine, they pitched a soap about the TV industry called The Dream Makers and for Seven they developed Saints and Sinners, about a Protestant minister in the country (due to be played by Homicide's George Mallaby - who would later join The Box). Nine passed on The Dream Makers, so Crawfords offered it to Seven after they turned down Saints and Sinners. Seven also passed on The Dream Makers due to it's explicit content. Ironically, it eventually ended up on Ten, retitled The Box and scheduled to air nightly after Number 96, the very show it was supposed to take on in the ratings.Much like Ten had done with 96, the show's raunchier aspects were hyped in pre-launch promotions including topless women in sandwich boards advertising it on the streets of Melbourne. The Box initially aired five nights a week at 9pm, after Number 96 at 8.30pm. The show was critically well received and rated well, although never as well as it's lead in. It featured all of the usual soap chestnuts of sex, affairs and murder but it was praised for it's writing and nods to real life figures in the TV industry. The Box followed the lead of 96 in a number of areas including it's gradual move away from titillation in favour of comedy drama as the series progressed and it's churning out of the obligatory spinoff film (which was poorly received). Like many that came before it and have come since, it's change in fortunes could be seen in the timeslot changes as the series petered out, where it went from five nights a week to two nights to one late night slot towards the end. It went off the air in October 1977, just two months after Number 96 bit the dust and just two months before Bellbird said farewell, as the first wave of successful Australian soaps became old hat and gave way to the new batch that appeared in the mid to late 70's.<img src="https://www.ozmovies.com.au/uploads/media/poster/0001/27/5be8cc1ad73fd8d14881b30da4585680fd1718bb.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

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