★★★★★ 0/5

Outlandish humour in gay sci-fi geeks

ABC's 6 part series exploring the lives of openly gay science-fiction geeks begins filming this week.

26
Leave a comment

Another series begins filming tomorrow: the 6 part ABC series Outland, exploring the lives of openly gay science-fiction geeks.

Where do you go if you grew up unpopular and pimply, having unrequited crushes on boys in the rugby team and wishing to be transported to the exotic yet often papiermache worlds of English science fiction serials? How do you cope if you are both a geek, and gay? Outland is a situation comedy from the producers of Summer Heights High and John Safran’s Race Relations that revolves around a gay science-fiction club. It is a comedy about belonging, and how everyone searches to find a place where they fit in.

Written by John Richards and Adam Richard, the cast features Christine Anu, Ben Gerrard, Paul Ireland, and Toby Truslove.

Adam Richard also appears.

The series began life as a short film.

Produced by Princess Pictures (Summer Heights High, John Safran’s Race Relations), it will air in 2011.

Source: Sunday Telegraph

26 Responses

  1. The two comments above about “bitsy and mitsy” I presume are calling me a dog and also telling me to shut up. For having an opinion…”shut up you dog”

    This is an example of the very thing I am talking about….vilification and an attempt to silence my opinion. The same person posted this hate speech twice and so maybe they should be banned.

    Is hate speech the sort of free speech you want on this website?

    1. You are right one reader has posted twice under variations of their name, so the second has been deleted. Readers are reminded that Comments Policy requires one ID across the site per IP address. Readers are also reminded to write respectfully of others. Readerrs are encouraged to express their passion on all things televisual so long as they comply with Comments Policy. Healthy debate is welcome. That said the comment with the word Mitzy is not of itself hate speech. I didn’t glean the same extension from it as you have. Readers will well be aware of this site’s track record in filing QLBTI stories in television. I’m pleased to see some readers are open to the idea of the show from openly gay writers.

      Roundabout you are also reminded to use a working email as part of Comments Policy. I cannot liaise with you over matters like these if you choose not to supply a valid one. There are good reasons why Comments Policy is there, to address issues like this that rise.

  4. Well Gemina..

    The reason for the paranoia about how it will treat gay people is because gay people have all suffered a lifetime of unending vilification. So naturally we get edgy about these sorts of things.

    When you are the constant target of insults and threats you get angry about it, especially when people who have never experienced what it is like themselves deny that the threats and vilification exist. It hasn’t affected them…therefore it doesn’t exist and people need to just laugh about it.

    I can’t read a newspaper or turn on the TV without seeing myself insulted and threatened in some subtle or blatant way.

    I have never seen One positive representation of a lesbian on Australian TV, but I am subject to an unending array of insulting references and portrayals. And this attitude of open season on lesbians and gay people eventually leads to discrimination, harassment, and violence, and I’m sick of it.

    So yeah…I don’t want to “get a grip”

  5. Do you think we should all wait until we’ve seen it before we start angily slagging it off? Seriously, George and Roundabout, get a grip. They haven’t started filming and you’re already complaining about what you think it is or should be…

  6. I hope they are capable of having some lesbians in it who aren’t continually vilified and insulted from beginning to finish.

    But I’m not holding my breath. Gay inclusion apparently only includes men, and it’s still open season with vilification against lesbians. And women.

    Gay men can be just as much woman haters as straight men.

  9. This could be good.

    @Dave, you need to read things properly. The series is produced by Princess Pictures who happen to have produced, among other things, one of Safran’s shows. It doesn’t mean that Safran will be working on this.

  11. Writer and star Adam Richard is one of the foremost experts on Doctor Who in Australia. In a recent ACMI panel with V’s Jane Badler, he ran down every single Doctor, in order, with dates, including films and stage productions. He lives it, and loves it. Also, rather amusing. Recommend his ‘Poofcasts’. Have faith, Australia. Australian Sci Fi, and Australian Sci Fi comedy, Is possible.

  12. The silly costume is from an episode of the now-defunct morning show 9am with David and Kim, and the photo is a self-portrait from Twitter. I would never have chosen to dress as Spock. If it were up to me, I’d be Uhura.

  13. @george John Richards who created the show is in fact both gay and a massive sci fi fan. So I don’t think he’s setting out to vilify gay sci fi fans, probably more a case of writing what you know.

  16. Kinda tired of people taking cheap shots at people who enjoy science fiction. Who is your target market with this latest show – a mockumentary taking cheap shots at gay people who are apparently sf geeks (whatever the hell that means – although from the one photo looks like the cheap gag of a gay guy wearing vulcan ears). Wow this sounds utterly hilarious. Why do certain australian “comedy” writers actually think that they are funny. Any other show that took cheap shots at gay people would be totally vilified – but oh its ok cause they are sf geeks. Get over yourselves – thats why you are writing crap tv for the ABC and not working on high quality drama on HBO or Showtime. Losers.

  18. I am always banging on about the ABC taking a few risks and I am ashamed to say this sounds totally ridiculous. I really hope it doesn’t feed into every cliche and do more harm than good. It’s going to be really challenging to get this right – and if they get it wrong it will be a mess.

Leave a Reply