A satirical sketch series from Australia’s Channel Seven, based on the UK show That Was The Week That Was(in fact, the series sometimes made use of material that originally appeared on the UK series).
In its heyday, The Mavis Bramston Show was one of Australia’s most talked-about and highly rated TV shows with its cutting political satire, close-to-the-bone comment on social iniquities, and criticism of moral and religious issues – all of it much braver than anything seen previously on Australian television.
The show also established the careers of Gordon Chater, Carol Raye and Barry Creyton.
A string of actresses played Bramston during the show’s run, with the running joke being that Mavis Bramston herself actually only appeared in the opening segment of each episode and was not seen again thereafter.
The Mavis Bramston Show had a massive output, appearing weekly for around 40 weeks a year from 1964 to 1968.
This placed heavy demands on the script department. As well as staff writers, they used sketches from freelance writers and unsolicited submissions from the public.
Most episodes were an hour in length, although the 1968 editions were only 30 minutes long.
June Thody, Noeline Brown and June Salter in The Mavis Bramston Show.
The show quickly gained a reputation for daring satire and naughtiness and frequent use of ‘vulgar’ double entendres. Several Australian networks censored the Sydney-based show based on warnings from the Broadcasting Control Board.
The series also raised the ire of church groups and some viewers. All the while, it enjoyed huge ratings.
Qantas pilots apparently tried to arrange their rosters to be home on Wednesday nights (when the show aired), and ATN-7 was asked by Canberra shopkeepers to reschedule the show as Wednesday was late-night shopping in the Australian Capital Territory, and everyone was staying home.
The makers seemed to enjoy helping perpetuate the show’s controversial publicity and the series, and its cast won multiple Logie awards.
Gordon Chater
Carol Raye
Barry Creyton
Dawn Lake
Reg Livermore
Johnny Lockwood
Ron Frazer
Miriam Karlin
John Bluthal
Ronnie Stevens
Peter Reeves
Noeline Brown
June Salter
June Thody
Maggie Dence
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In its heyday, The Mavis Bramston Show was one of Australia’s most talked-about and highly rated TV shows with its cutting political satire, close-to-the-bone comment on social iniquities, and criticism of moral and religious issues – all of it much braver than anything seen previously on Australian television.
The makers seemed to enjoy helping perpetuate the show’s controversial publicity and the series, and its cast won multiple Logie awards.
