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 A local queer series has had its passport downgraded.
Most queer television produced in Australia is made in the community broadcasting sector, through Melbourne’s Bent TV and Sydney’s Queer TV.
Out and About, which last appeared in 2006, is an exception to the rule. Aimed fair but not so square at the discerning GLBTI viewer, this travel series boasts quality production values and a real budget. Produced entirely by Australians, it steers clear of armchair-travel wannabes. Like Catriona Rowntree’s best accessories, the show’s lucky hosts are whisked off to actual locations. Bastards!
But seriously, so successful has the series been that it airs on US ‘gayble’ network, Logo. It’s a little disappointing therefore, to learn that Foxtel has shuffled the 13 new episodes of Out and About down its priority list for the domestic audience.
Having previously aired in primetime on Fox8, the show launched quietly last week on the Biography Channel at 5pm Saturdays. Honestly, who’s even watching at that hour? Bio, which specialises in celeb docos and profiles, isn’t even part of the basic channels packages. I might have to have a word with Ian Thorpe or Hugh Jackman about this.
While most travel shows concentrate on family holiday packages and exotic hotels, Out and About seeks to uncover our subcultures. How do gays in Mexico City differ from those in Rotterdam? And what, aside from sexual preference, unites us?
In Thailand, Melbourne’s Marc Savoia talks to Nong Thoom, the true-life inspiration for the transgender film, Beautiful Boxer. Nong Thoom even goes a few rounds in the Muay Thai ring with Savoia – a sight that’s potentially worth the Foxtel upgrade alone!
Co-Presenter, Sydney DJ Kate Monroe, meets musician Thomas M. Lauderdale from the Pink Martini jazz ensemble in Portland. Other highlights include an openly gay Catholic Bishop in Dublin who admits to having sex (gasp!); a disabled, Jewish gay man who says people in Tokyo refreshingly notice his Western appearance before his disability; and an interview with comedienne Tina C. The new series also stops off in Buenos Aires, Rome, Manchester, Austin, Montreal, Perth and Cairns.
It’s nice to watch a series that is actually talking to you, rather than happy to have you along for the ride. One viewing of this and you’ll either be grabbing a copy of Spartacus, or calling Foxtel to ask about the next auditions.
While you have their attention, ask them to give the third series a better timeslot.
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