A lot of what we saw from season one seemed to be based on channel Ten stuff too.
I’m wondering about the Paul Keating interview that was spliced from a real interview. Who interviewed him originally? Was it actually done on election night or sometime afterwards?
According to Mr Lucas footage of the Keating interview was spliced from a Kerry O’Brien interview not long after the election. Possibly from Four Corners, I am guessing? Maybe given the black backdrop behind Keating in the original is what led to them writing this scene around Helen Norville having to dash to Parliament House to sit in front of a similar backdrop?
Thanks. I suspected it would have been later. Didn’t seem like the sort of interview a politician would have had on election night.
I taped the first episode tonight as it clashed with The Voice and the finale of The Traitors, so I can watch it next weekend. From next week however, I will be able to watch every episode on slight delay, right after The Voice finishes.
I have been catching up on season one over the past three weeks, including three episodes this weekend. The story writing and acting was brilliant.
It was interesting that the final two episodes of the season one occurred during one week in late April 1986. Maybe Mr Lucas can explain why the season ended there, instead of going to the rest of 1986?
Thoroughly enjoyed that. Season 2 definitely starting off on a stronger foot! Very interested to see how far the network CEO will editorially interfere with News at Six.
The guy they have cast as CEO seems very young for a network CEO in the 1980s. I would have expected someone with a more commanding presence like a Kerry Packer type, although I suppose they sort of have that gruffness covered with news director Lindsay.
I read somewhere that he is based on Channel 7 owner Christopher Skase who was 38/39 in 1987.
He doesn’t come across quite as smarmy as Skase could be. The (fake?) moustache not helping, either. Maybe he might improve in subsequent episodes.
Side note, back in the 90s i once got told I looked like a younger version of Christopher Skase. Was not taken as a compliment 
I found the branding surrounding the election coverage confusing. The ad where they gave the guarantee was “Showdown 87” (same as Channel 10) but all the tally room signs said “The Nation decides”.
I think the characters are always going to just be loosely based on the real life ones. It feels like the Geoff Walters storyline where he is now on a rival network doing the current affairs show is going to be loosely based on Mike Willessee.
He was on A Current Affair on Nine, then became the News Director on Ten and then did Willessee at Seven on Seven before returning to Nine to host Willessee/A Current Affair again.
I find interesting that they never give the name or number for the network they work in. They did reference the ABC last night.
1987 saw a number of ownership changes between the networks and local stations around Australia. We might see this fictional CEO represent that in later episodes.
The GFC hits in Episode 3:
i thought they might have a faux network brand to go with News At Six, but they seem to avoid it entirely. Frontline was the same IIRC.
They don’t even mention the rival networks name.
The ABC seems to exist in this world, but as for 7, 9, 10 not so sure.
i suppose News At Six as such represents an amalgam of all 3 networks so it just gets messy to talk about Seven, Nine and Ten? Dunno, just speculating. Because we never hear what network that Geoff Walters has moved to, either?
The Box back in the day used to be based around UCV12, using a channel number that technically didn’t exist (then) to possibly avoid any repercussions from real life networks. And when Prime Time was made in the 1980s it was based around Channel 5, and used to refer to UCV12 as a competitor. (Both shows came from Crawford Productions)
The best indication you get is when a TV is shown. In one episode they are seen watching their channel and the TV is tuned to channel 6. Also seen is another TV tuned to a rival broadcast and it is clearly tune to channel 0.
Good find. Well done.
News at Six might be on “channel 6”
The team behind it have done an exceptional job at recreating 1987.
The houses, cars, fashion, kitchens, phones, technology and music all come together well. Something channel 9s “Warnie” miniseries lacked on screen.
