Glass Babies

Glass Babies is a 1985 mini-series that revolved around what I assume would've been a hot button topic at the time, IVF fertility and surrogacy. But, being a TV series, of course it takes the sensationalist's view of the issue opting for heightened drama, but ending up being complete paranoia and lunacy. Sally and Michael (Belinda Davey and Andrew Sharp) desperately want a baby, but are having a lot of trouble. They run a highly successful winery owned by their father who desperately wants an heir as Michael is his only son. Brendan Keller (Gary Day), an opportunistic business (that's putting it politely), sees a chance to get what he wants. Firstly, he gets respected fertility doctor Dr. Ruth McCrae (Rowena Wallace) to help Sally get pregnant, which she eventually does. Then he wants former lover Joan Simpson (Deborra-Lee Furness), so he kills her husband and even though she thinks he killed her husband, Joan succumbs to Keller. Then, things go wrong. Michael gets cancer and is dying and also becomes a cranky drunk. Then, he dies and Sally gives birth to a stillborn baby. Keller again sees an opportunity to get more and suggests surrogacy with Joan being the surrogate mother. And that's where the fun really begins.

Glass Babies is a completely soapie treatment of a delicate subject and becomes more ridiculous by the minute. The second part is so silly, it doesn't even bother with things like sensible behaviour. Rowena Wallace's death is so campy it has to be seen to be believed. One character seems to be there for pantomime reasons only with jolly walks and even dressing as Deborra-Lee Furness which is so laughable, I can't believe the makers weren't pulling the piss. How this passed for something for prime time television without been laughed out the offices must be a story for the ages. This is stuff that would be rejected in even the cheesiests of soap. OK, maybe not, but this isn't Neighbours or Home and Away. Bafflingly, this is a total PG production (even with PG nudity from Deborra-Lee Furness), I don't know why they just went for it and made it a total trashfest.

A couple of notes, if you don't know who Deborra-Lee Furness is, she was a pretty well known actress in Australia, but is currently better known for being married to Hugh Jackman. Also, Asher Keddie plays Furness's young daughter in what might be her first role, although she was also in Fortress which was made around the same time. And she carries around some joker-like doll for most of the mini-series including for one scene which is so bafflingly, I was waiting for the doll to come alive. Sadly, it didn't...

Tags: Deborra-Lee Furness

Deborra-Lee Furness

15968kb 45sec 768x576 (very brief breasts also breasts seen through opaque glass, side-boob, panties taken off, sex scene)

29702kb 1min 27sec 768x576 (side-boob, 'nude' under covers)

10588kb 31sec 768x576 (side-boob in jumper)

29716kb 1min 28sec 768x576 (breasts but mostly side-boob)

9340kb 41sec 768x576 ('nude' under covers)