1991 in Australian television explained
Events
January
- 2 January – British sitcom Mr. Bean starring Rowan Atkinson premieres on the ABC.[1]
- 13 January – Network Ten undergoes a major rebrand, launching as "The Entertainment Network" and introducing a new logo, which remained in use until October 2018.
- 17 January – Seven Network's long running breakfast program Sunrise makes its first broadcast.
- 22 January – Australian sitcom All Together Now premieres on Nine Network.
February
- 8 February – French-American-Canadian animated series Inspector Gadget ends its afternoon run on ABC. The series will later shift to air on Sunday mornings on 22 December of that year.
- 10 February – The Simpsons debuts on Network Ten at with the first season episode, 'Bart the Genius'.
- 11 February – The ABC premieres the sitcom Eggshells starring Garry McDonald.
March
April
- April – Glenn Ridge and Jo Bailey replace Tony Barber and Alyce Platt on Sale of the Century.
- 6 April – Network Ten's troubled soap opera Neighbours is set to lose a record number of cast members as many of them have contract renewals coming up. Ian Williams, who plays medical student Adam Willis, is confirmed to be leaving, while co-star Lucinda Cowden who plays Melanie Pearson is also believed to be quitting when their contracts expire.
- 30 April – ABC's live comedy series The Big Gig returns with a new series.
- 6 April – Network Ten's disgraced soap opera Neighbours is set to lose never more than 25 actors along with 200 crew people, being terminated from their roles as part of the severe revamp. The names were Ian Smith (Harold Bishop), Lucinda Cowden (Melanie Pearson), Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Gayle and Gillian Blakeney (Caroline & Christina Aleesi), Mark Little (Joe Mangel), Kristian Schimid (Todd Landers), Jeremy Angerson (Josh Anderson), Beth Buchanan (Gemma Ramsay), Amelia Frid (Cody Willis), Ben Guerens (Toby Mangel), Miranda Fryer (Sky Bishop) and Ian Williams (Adam Willis). Joining the shamed series will be former Cleo covergirl of the year Rachel Blakely and former models Scott Michaelson and Andrew Williams.
May
- 13 May – Triple J presenter and radio announcer Michael Tunn takes over as presenter of the Australian weekday magazine series The Afternoon Show.
- 15 May – Canadian teen drama series Degrassi High, the third in the Degrassi trilogy series makes its debut on ABC.
- 30 May – Australian sitcom All Together Now premieres in New Zealand, screening on Channel 2.
- 30 May – A spinoff of the Australian comedy series Hey Dad...! called Hampton Court airs on Seven Network running for only one season and a total of thirteen episodes. It was later axed after the final episode on 22 August.
June
July
- 4 July – British long running soap opera series EastEnders airs on ABC for the very last time due to the show not getting any more episodes from the UK where it originally came from, although it was later repeated on UKTV on cable television.
- 16 July – Australian live comedy series The Big Gig airs its final episode on ABC.
- 19 July – Ron Casey and Normie Rowe receive a massive punch-up live on Midday with Ray Martin. In Neighbours, Harold Bishop has had a massive heart attack in the Coffee Shop.
- 30 July – Johnson and Friends makes it debut in the UK on the BBC.
August
- 9 August – Final episode of the Australian children's sitcom Pugwall screens on Nine Network.
- 13 August – Australian children's series Adventures on Kythera premiers on the Nine Network, its first broadcast in Australia. The series debuted in the UK and Ireland two years ago.
- 15 August – American talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show makes its debut on Network Ten as a late-night program.
September
- 7 September – Neighbours star Richard Huggett, who plays Jim Robinson's half-son Glen Donnelly has told producers that he will not be renewing his contract when it expires in November. He will be seen on air until February 1992.
- 7 September – Johnson and Friends premieres in South Africa on M-Net as part of their children's block K-T.V..
- 19 September – Network Ten's shamed soap opera Neighbours airs a tragic episode: Joe Mangel proposes to Melanie Pearson announce they will immigrate to the UK, Adam Willis leaves Ramsay Street for Europe, Harold Bishop is murdered off the coast while on holidays with Madge to Tasmania – this was the final episode.
October
- 25 October – In Neighbours, Joe Mangel, Melanie Pearson and Sky Bishop depart.
- 30 October – The second series of Johnson and Friends debuts at 4:30pm on ABC.
November
- 5 November – The hit long running British science fiction series Doctor Who returns on ABC after a long absence since its last air in mid 1990, starting off with the fourth serial of Season 17 Nightmare of Eden and ending with the seventh and final serial of Season 18 Logopolis in early 1992. A convention of the series is also being held at the local Noah's on the Beach hotel in Newcastle, New South Wales.
- 6 November – , a sequel to the American science fiction television series in the Star Trek franchise, premieres on the Nine Network and is shown every Wednesday at 7:30pm.
- 6 November – Johnson and Friends begins airing in Ireland on RTÉ Network 2 as part of The Den, a wrap-around programme for children.
December
Debuts
Domestic
International
Changes to network affiliation
This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.
Domestic
| width=40% | Program | width=20% | New network(s) | width=20% | Previous network(s) | width=20% | Date |
|---|
| Patrol Boat | Network Ten | ABC | | |
International
Television shows
ABC TV
Seven Network
Nine Network
Network Ten
Ending this year
See also
Notes and References
- News: Trioli . Virginia . TeleScope: The delight of laughing at the misfortune of others . 25 November 2021 . The Age . 42305 . 2 January 1991 . 12.
Rocky and Bullwinkle
Octopus 4
Peter Pan and the Pirates
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Red Empire