Housos
Encyclopedia
Housos is an Australia
n comedy
television
series created by Paul Fenech
for SBS
, that screens on SBS One. The series is a satirical
parody of low income Australian residents, who are living in Housing Commission public housing
.
residents, who have called on for SBS to not to put the series to air. A petition begun by residents on a housing commission property received thousands of signatures, and the efforts gained support from local politicians. Mount Druitt MP Richard Amery presented the petition in Parliament
in late April 2011. Housos was also at the centre of a controversy in February thanks to an erroneous attack by the Nine Network
's A Current Affair, which initially claimed that the series was "reality TV". Nine later said that the mistake originated from an 18-year-old girl working at ninemsn
. SBS was also forced to defend the show by stating that the series was not receiving funding from the government, and it was instead being funded by the network's own revenue raising activities.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series created by Paul Fenech
Paul Fenech
Paul Fenech is a film maker, television and film actor and writer from Sydney, Australia, best known for his role in Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers .-Career:...
for SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
, that screens on SBS One. The series is a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
parody of low income Australian residents, who are living in Housing Commission public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
.
Cast
The cast of Housos features many actors from Fenech's previous programmes, Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers.- Paul FenechPaul FenechPaul Fenech is a film maker, television and film actor and writer from Sydney, Australia, best known for his role in Pizza and Swift and Shift Couriers .-Career:...
as Franky - Kiri-Leigh Schmitt as Kylie
- Jason "Jabba" DavisJabba (Channel V)Jabba aka Jason Davis is a television personality who first made a name for himself as part of the launch of subscription television in Australia in 1995...
as Dazza Jones - Elle Dawe as Shazza Jones
- Ian TurpieIan TurpieIan "Turps" Turpie is an Australian television celebrity, best known for hosting the long-running game show The Price Is Right before being replaced by Larry Emdur.-Early life:...
as Wazza Jones - Tahir BilgicTahir BilgiçTahir Bilgiç is an Australian comedian, film and television actor, of Turkish descent. He is best known for his role in the sitcom Pizza.-Career:...
as Habib - Rob ShehadieRob ShehadieRob Shehadie is the star of the hit comedy "Fat Pizza', "Swift and Shift" and "Houso's" playing the character Rocky. He has been part of the Fat Pizza TV show for the past 10 years. Rob has featured in the Fat Pizza movie that broke box office records in Australia. He has also toured the country...
as Rocky - Amanda KellerAmanda KellerAmanda Rose Keller is an Australian journalist, radio presenter, and media personality.-Education:Keller went to Carlingford High School, and then went on to study media and communications at Charles Sturt University as a contemporary of Andrew Denton...
as Mayor Rees - Angry AndersonAngry AndersonGary Stephen "Angry" Anderson AM is an Australian rock singer, television presenter/reporter, actor and conservative political activist. He is best known as the vocalist with the hard rock band Rose Tattoo since 1976 but he is also recognised for his acting roles and his charity work...
as Angry the Bikie - Melissa TkautzMelissa TkautzMelissa Natalie Tkautz is an Australian-Maltese actress, singer, songwriter and model of Austrian and Maltese heritage. Tkautz was married on Friday 6 February 2009 to her partner of 5 years, Kwesi Nicholas.- Early career :...
as Cheree - Ashur Simon as Abdul
- Maret Archer as Meryl
- Kev Taumata as Kevin
- Vanessa Davis as Vanessa
- Sabeena Manalis as Sabeena, Franky's cousin
Controversy
Housos came under fire from a number of western SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
residents, who have called on for SBS to not to put the series to air. A petition begun by residents on a housing commission property received thousands of signatures, and the efforts gained support from local politicians. Mount Druitt MP Richard Amery presented the petition in Parliament
Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia. Before the formation of the Commonwealth in 1901, the six Australian colonies were self-governing, with parliaments which had come into existence at various...
in late April 2011. Housos was also at the centre of a controversy in February thanks to an erroneous attack by the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's A Current Affair, which initially claimed that the series was "reality TV". Nine later said that the mistake originated from an 18-year-old girl working at ninemsn
NineMSN
ninemsn is an Australian 50/50 joint venture between Microsoft and Nine Entertainment Co.. It effectively acts as the website for both the Nine Network and MSN, and is one of Australia's most popular websites...
. SBS was also forced to defend the show by stating that the series was not receiving funding from the government, and it was instead being funded by the network's own revenue raising activities.
Awards and nominations
Australian Writers' GuildAustralian Writers' Guild
The Australian Writers' Guild is the professional association for all performance writers, that is, writers for film, television, radio, theatre, video and new media. The AWG was established in 1962 and is recognised throughout the industry in Australia as being the voice of performance writers...
- 2011: Comedy - Situation or Narrative (Pregnant, nominated)
See also
- List of Australian television series
- PizzaPizza (TV series)Pizza is an Australian black comedy television series on the Australian television network, SBS. It has also spun off a feature length movie in 2003, and in 2004 released a highlights video/DVD which also included previously unshown footage and a schoolies exposé theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza"...
- Swift and Shift CouriersSwift and Shift CouriersSwift and Shift Couriers is an Australian comedy television series that first screened on SBS TV in October 2008. The series is produced, directed and written by Paul Fenech, who was also responsible for the comedy series Pizza. It is set around the staff who work at the 'Swift and Shift' Courier...