Kingswood Country: The moustache bet

We’re taking a look back at the Seven Network’s 1980s comedy Kingswood Country. 

The show derived a lot of its humour from Ted Bullpit (Ross Higgins), a conservative throwback continually at loggerheads with his more progressive children. In this clip from a 1981 episode, he and his son-in-law Bruno (played by Lex Marinos, who’s concealing a kitten under his jumper) make a bet that Ted won’t be able to grow a moustache in a week. Ted bristles at the suggestion that his bristles will be lacking.  

Calling Bruno ‘ookums’ as he jeers at him for shivering and drinking milk, insisting that he can grow the more luxuriant moustache, Ted flaunts his machismo so relentlessly that it takes on a ‘protests too much’ flavour. The early ’80s teetered on the border of celebrating traditional masculinity and lampooning it, and this scene captures that grey area.