''Embassy'' is an Australian television series originally broadcast by
ABC Television from 1990 to 1992. Three series were produced with a total of 39 episodes. The program is set in the Australian
embassy
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually den ...
of a
fictional South-East Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
n country called Ragaan, located half-way up the
Malay Peninsula, somewhere between
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. It features stories about Australian ambassadors and their staff.
[Albert Moran, ''Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series'', AFTRS 1993 p 159]
Creation and production
''Embassy'' was created by
Grundy Television
Reg Grundy Organisation (founded as Reg Grundy Enterprises, later known as both Reg Grundy Productions and Grundy Television and known informally as Grundy's) was an Australian-based multinational mass media company, primarily involved in tele ...
director Ian Bradley, producer of ''
Prisoner
A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...
'', who first proposed the idea for a diplomatic series during the
Iran hostage crisis
On November 4, 1979, 52 United States diplomats and citizens were held hostage after a group of militarized Iranian college students belonging to the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, who supported the Iranian Revolution, took over ...
in 1979.
[Bruce Jones, 'TV Series: Hawke Calms Malaysia Fury', ''Sun-Herald'' (Sydney, 21 October 1990), p. 2.]
It was produced by ABC Television with assistance from the
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
['KL freeze on ties with Australia to be reviewed'](_blank)
Kalimullah Hassan, ''Straits Times'', 20 March 1991, page 16 The
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
,
Gareth Evans, was offered a cameo role.
The script and story consultant was Garry Woodward, a former ambassador to
Burma
Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...
and
China.
According to Woodward, the name Ragaan was 'a
bastardisation' of
Pagaan, the ancient capital of Burma.
Producer Alan Hardy said the fictitious setting for the military dictatorship was 'based on about 20 countries'.
[Robin Oliver, 'TV Embassy Locale Just a Myth, Says Producer', ''Sydney Morning Herald'' (9 July 1991), p. 2.] 'It's an accurate representation of the lives of diplomats and how they have to deal with situations.'
[Margo Date, 'Diplomacy Rules', ''Sydney Morning Herald'' (27 May 1991), p. 1.]
The serial was filmed partly in
Fiji.
was selected by producers as an ideal tropical shooting location for Port Victoria, the imaginary, run-down former British colonial capital of Ragaan.
Reception
''Embassy'' earned modest domestic viewing figures in Australia.
[Robin Oliver, 'Mythical Ragaan Embassy to Close', ''Sydney Morning Herald'', (22 June 1992), p. 3.] It has been criticised as an example of
Orientalism, and more specifically as 'an exercise in stereotyping as a confirmation of an Anglo-Australian cultural hegemony in which non-Anglo nationalities are reduced to a homogeneous, imaginary "other"'.
[Tony Mitchell, 'Orientalism in Ragaan: ''Embassy's'' Imaginative Geography', ''Meanjin'', Vol. 52, No. 2 (Winter 1993), pp. 265-276.]
The star of the third series,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
actress
Catherine Wilkin, defended the program-makers' approach: 'Even though you obviously get the
Western
Western may refer to:
Places
*Western, Nebraska, a village in the US
*Western, New York, a town in the US
*Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
*Western world, countries that id ...
viewpoint of things in this mythical
Muslim country, every effort is made to bring the other point of view across as well.'
Although ''Embassy'' was not broadcast in Malaysia, its production was one of a series of events in the late 1980s and early 1990s, chiefly involving Australian concerns over human rights and the environment, that in June 1990 led to a temporary freezing of relations between
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
and
Canberra.
The show caused a diplomatic row between the two
Commonwealth allies due to an assumption in Kuala Lumpur that the show's setting was a thinly-disguised depiction of Malaysia, and that ABC Television, which produced the show, was, as a state broadcaster, government-controlled.
The
Malaysian Prime Minister
The prime minister of Malaysia ( ms, Perdana Menteri Malaysia; ms, ڤردان منتري مليسيا, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is the head of government of Malaysia. The prime minister directs the executive branch of the feder ...
,
Mahathir Mohamad, demanded that ''Embassy'' be taken off the air, complaining that it was an insult to his country and its official religion,
Islam.
Malaysia also banned an issue of the ''
Asian Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal Asia'', a version of ''The Wall Street Journal'', was a newspaper that provided news and analysis of global business developments for an Asian audience. Formerly known as ''The Asian Wall Street Journal'', it was founde ...
'' covering the controversy.
['Embassy spoof upsets Canberra's diplomatic ties with KL', ''South China Morning Post'' (Hong Kong, 27 April 1991).]
In 1991 the second series of ''Embassy'' opened with the hanging of two drug traffickers, including scenes reminiscent of the
hanging of two Australians in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
in 1986, which the
Australian Prime Minister
The prime minister of Australia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia. The prime minister heads the executive branch of the federal government of Australia and is also accountable to federal parliament under the principl ...
,
Bob Hawke, had famously condemned as '
barbaric
A barbarian (or savage) is someone who is perceived to be either uncivilized or primitive. The designation is usually applied as a generalization based on a popular stereotype; barbarians can be members of any nation judged by some to be less ...
'.
[Kalimullah Hassan, 'TV3 screens series on racism in Australia in tit-for-tat move', ''Straits Times'' (Singapore, 10 June 1991).] In retaliation for the screening,
TV3 in Malaysia showed a four-part news series about
racism in Australia
Racism in Australia comprises negative attitudes and views on race or ethnicity which are related to each other, are held by various people and groups in Australia, and have been reflected in discriminatory laws, practices and actions (including ...
.
also broadcast a discussion forum with journalists about anti-Asian media bias in Australia.
The diplomatic downgrading damaged Australian investments and risked traditionally strong
military ties with Malaysia.
[Lindsay Murdoch, 'Making Up With Malaysia May Not Be Easy Twice', ''The Age'' (27 November 1993), p. 18.] The Australian Foreign Minister, Gareth Evans, expressed his government's regret for the offence ''Embassy'' had caused, but played down the spat as one of the 'bumps and grinds that occur in regional relations'.
When ''Embassy'' was cancelled at the end of its third series, the ABC blamed declining ratings and denied its decision to end the controversial program had been influenced by outside pressures.
Nevertheless, suspicions were voiced by Australian media and academia that diplomatic tensions had been a contributing factor in the cancellation.
Cast
*
Bryan Marshall as Ambassador Duncan Stewart
*
Janet Andrewartha
Janet Andrewartha (16 September 1951) is an Australian television and theatre actress. Andrewartha began her career as a music teacher before attending drama school. She graduated in 1979and began securing television and theatre roles.
Andrewa ...
as his wife, Marion
*
Alan Fletcher as Michael Clayton, the consul and political officer
*
Nina Landis as Susan Derek, the Embassy's second secretary
* Nicki Wendt as Belinda Avery, the Ambassador's secretary
*
Frankie J. Holden
Frankie J. Holden (born Peter Brian; 18 December 1952) , also known as Frank Holden, is an Australian singer, actor and TV presenter. In the 1970s, he fronted Ol' 55 (band), Ol' 55, which had a hit with "On the Prowl" from their debut album, ...
as Terry Blake, the press attache
* Shapoor Batliwalla as Rufus, the office manager
* Joseph Spano as Colonel (later General) Mahmoud
*
Lex Marinos as Tariq Abdullah, Ragaan's Minister for Foreign Affairs
*
Jim Holt as James Peake
*
Catherine Wilkin as Ambassador Katherine Jensen
*
Gerard Maguire as Freddie
*
Anthony Wong as Lee, a political revolutionary
*
John Polson
John Polson (born 6 September 1965) is an Australian actor, director and founder of Tropfest.
As an actor, Polson's best known role is probably starring opposite Russell Crowe and Jack Thompson in '' The Sum of Us'' (1994).
In February 2001, ...
as Vince Cooper
See also
*
List of Australian television series
References
External links
Embassy at the National Film and Sound Archive
{{Australian Film Institute Award for Best Television Drama Series 1991-2001
1990s Australian drama television series
Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming
1990 Australian television series debuts
1992 Australian television series endings
Australian political drama television series
English-language television shows