Australian television historian Andrew Mercado is bringing decades of queer screen history into focus with Outrageous: The Queer History of Australian TV. From beloved characters to stories broadcasters left out of the rerun schedule, the book celebrates the programmes that made LGBTQ+ lives visible, often earlier than viewers overseas might expect.

Essential Takeaways

  • A personal starting point: Mercado's television career grew from writing a TV column for Sydney Star Observer.
  • A landmark book: Outrageous explores queer performers, characters and programmes across Australian television history.
  • A familiar face in an unexpected role: Home and Away star Ray Meagher appeared in the 1970s drama Pig in a Poke, which included a story about trans women.
  • A history with contradictions: Australian TV made room for trailblazing queer representation, but also reflected prejudice and stereotypes.
  • Screen history continues: Mercado's documentary project accompanies the book, helping bring these stories to audiences.

Andrew Mercado's Australian TV history began with a column

Before Andrew Mercado became a familiar television personality, he was writing about the medium for Sydney Star Observer. That enthusiasm soon turned into a campaign: after hearing that Channel Seven had shelved Ellen ahead of its planned lesbian coming-out storyline, he pressed the network for answers and urged readers to contact it. According to Star Observer, the campaign helped lead to an appearance on Channel V, where Mercado went on to feature queer guests and performers.

That journey matters because being visible on television was not simply a career milestone. Mercado has described wanting to be openly gay on screen and to offer young viewers a positive role model. His recollections point to a time when even a casual appearance by queer people could feel like a small window opening.

Why Australian TV's queer stories deserve another look

Mercado's Outrageous looks across Australian programmes that put LGBTQ+ characters and lives on screen, from Number 96 and The Box to Homicide and Prisoner. The Guardian has also traced how Australian TV explored sexuality in programmes such as Number 96, sometimes well before similar stories became common internationally. There's a particular pleasure in discovering that the history is richer, and messier, than a quick list of famous shows suggests.

That doesn't mean every portrayal was progressive. Mercado's account also considers stereotypes and casual homophobia, showing how television could reflect both public prejudice and changing attitudes. Looking back with care helps make the history more useful than a simple victory lap.

Number 96, Carlotta and the value of authentic casting

One of the moments Mercado highlights is Carlotta's appearance in Number 96 in 1973. He points to the significance of a trans performer playing a trans character, as well as her involvement in shaping the dialogue. The National Film and Sound Archive's account of Number 96 helps place the long-running series in the broader story of Australian television.

For viewers at the time, these characters appeared within familiar, popular entertainment rather than being tucked away in a niche programme. That context matters: representation can have a different reach when audiences encounter it as part of a show's everyday world. And while today's conversations about authentic casting can feel urgent, this history shows that Australian television was already asking some of those questions decades ago.

The lost drama with a surprising Home and Away connection

Mercado is especially keen to draw attention to Pig in a Poke, a 1970s ABC drama that included a storyline about two trans women. Television AU's archive guide offers a way into the series, while Mercado has argued that it deserves to be seen again. The unexpected detail for modern viewers is Ray Meagher, later famous as Alf Stewart in Home and Away, appearing in the drama.

The connection is a fun hook, but the bigger point is the programme's place in queer television history. Some Australian screen stories were bold for their time, yet later became hard to find or slipped from public memory. Restoring access to them would give new audiences a chance to judge their importance for themselves.

Outrageous connects screen pioneers with new viewers

Outrageous: The Queer History of Australian TV began as a documentary project before expanding into a book. Mercado's documentary materials describe a project bringing together performers, writers and public figures to reflect on the people and programmes that shaped queer visibility on screen. That mix of personal memory and research gives the history a human scale, rather than treating it as a timeline of titles.

For anyone exploring Australian TV history, the book's appeal lies in both its familiar names and its discoveries. A much-loved soap, a forgotten drama and a surprising early role can each reveal something about who was seen, how they were portrayed and what audiences were ready to accept. It's a reminder that television history isn't only about what was broadcast; it's also about what we choose to remember.

It's worth keeping an eye out for the stories that Australian television nearly left behind.

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