Latest news with #OutrageousFortune
1News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- 1News
Menopause, sex and the joy of being 60: Robyn Malcolm doesn't hold back
As her long career climbs to new exciting peaks, one of New Zealand's favourite actors remains politically fierce, sexually outspoken and determined not to be overlooked by her famously sexist industry. By Gill Higgins It might be a strange comparison, but I think of Robyn Malcolm like a tornado. Wherever she lands, she kicks up what's in her path and somehow leaves you feeling more alive than before. And so it was that on a mini break from filming in Perth, she swept me into a whirlwind 24 hours: a dash to Tauranga to speak at a women's business event, then straight to Wellington for dinner with old friends, then on to see her son Pete's band, American Muscle, that same night. ADVERTISEMENT And while she's at it, she's across her social media. She's the face of a new anti-ageing cream for the vagina (yes, really), she's promoting her latest Netflix series, pushing the relaunch of Outrageous Fortune for its 20th anniversary, and gearing up for the October release of the long-awaited Pike River film. Somewhere in there, the dogs get walked too. And she's just turned 60. Robyn Malcom, then and now. (Source: Supplied) For those of us racing toward that milestone, Malcolm's not just weathering it – she's changing the forecast. 'The ticking over into 60 that I was nervous of because of what it represents – I am so in love with. I love it!' So naturally, I wanted to know how she's so positive about a period of life that many dread. Once back in Auckland, exhausted, we head to the home she's had for over a decade. It's an old villa, painted a striking pink to brighten up her street. It's loud, it's a statement, it says 'I'm proud of who I am', just like its owner. Malcolm's sense of purpose has always been clear. From a young age, acting was everything. At 15, after a clash with a senior staff member at school (she told them to f*** off), she turned to her father, Pete – who happened to be the school principal. His response? It was time to leave and chase her dreams. ADVERTISEMENT A young robyn Malcolm and her dad, Pete. (Source: Supplied) It was her dad who told me that story and I could tell he was quietly proud of his stubborn, determined daughter. She moved to Wellington to live with her grandmother and never looked back. A Kiwi star was born. Malcolm in her first show (that's Michael Hurst). (Source: Supplied) That determination has never left her. Malcolm has never been afraid to stand up – for herself and for others. She recently marched against the government's Fast-track Approvals Bill. She's protested the atrocities in Palestine. And in 2010, she famously took on the Warner Bros, during the filming of The Hobbit, speaking out for better pay and conditions for local actors. 'I went through hell with that, it was awful. I had death threats and loss of work.' Young Malcolm was equally outspoken. (Source: Supplied) So always feisty, but she'd say never more so than now. ADVERTISEMENT 'Since menopause my feminism – which has always had a really healthy spring in its step – is so f***ing rabid now!' Much of her ire is directed at her own industry. The ageism, the sexism – she says it's relentless and she's felt it especially keenly since going through menopause. 'When I first went through it, I was just sobbing my heart out going, I don't know what's happening.' Her doctor prescribed HRT and antidepressants. But as she looks back now, she wonders 'how much of my feeling shit was about my place in the world and the messages I was being given'? Malcolm says menopause was a hard time. (Source: Supplied) She shares the stories with humour, but the undertow is serious. Like the time in her late 40s that she was asked to sign a nudity clause – something she was happy to do - only to be told they'd prefer her to keep her clothes on. Or the roles she lost to women 10 to 15 years younger, despite the fact she was the one who was the same age as the character. She quotes Amy Schumer 'when you're no longer f***able, suddenly there's less tolerance'. 'It wasn't crushing,' she says, 'but it made me furious.' ADVERTISEMENT An industry's obsession with youth She's also frustrated by the effect the industry's obsession with youth has on women. She knows many actors who've spent thousands of dollars chasing it. 'To me, it's almost like an illness, this dissatisfaction with how we look, how we try to be something we're not.' She feels women waste far too much time and money betraying the very things we should be grateful for. 'Why are we so critical, so mean, so judgemental, so downright vile to our bodies'? She's been there. But she's done with it. Malcolm, in the Shortland St era. (Source: Supplied) These days, she's found a new appreciation for her body, likening it to a car – a solid one, that's carried her for 60 years and is still going strong. 'I'm learning how to handle a slightly older vehicle now. I love that metaphor. Like I've got to go in for a Warrant of Fitness a bit more than I used to.' ADVERTISEMENT She 'buggered her knee' while filming the 2024 TV series After the Party and her back plays up. 'Because I'll still bend from the hips and lift 30 kg bags of compost out in the garden, you know?' But she celebrates that her vehicle is still on the road. Still doing its job. It's OK to be a woman and angry And it's not just an appreciation of her physical self, but her emotional self too'. 'It's fine to be an older, angry, belligerent, passionate, furious woman. It's really fine'. It was all of this, all these experiences, that inspired her and co-creator (and head writer) Dianne Taylor to create After the Party. They knew it was a risk. A drama with a lead who was flawed rather than having flawless skin. Who wore trackie bottoms rather than flowing dresses. Who created a mess in the kitchen rather than a perfect pavlova. 'We really dug our heels in; there was a bit of pushback – 'she's not a nice character. People might not like her'.' ADVERTISEMENT With her partner, Scottish actor Peter Mullan, in After the Party. (Source: Supplied) Some didn't. Funding was hard to find. It took three years. But the payoff was worth it. Rave reviews, rewards and nominations rolled in – from France, New Zealand, Scotland and even at the Baftas which are like the British Oscars. It was up against well-funded giants like Shogun and Jodie Foster's True Detective. Shogun won, but it was a wild ride, a little Kiwi show creating quite a storm. And now? Robyn Malcom and Peter Mullan at the Baftas. 'We're getting serious offers from overseas, we're making something new with people in the UK.' That's all she'd reveal, but she couldn't hide her excitement. If filming moves to the UK, that would be a bonus – because it's home to Malcolm's long-distance partner, Scottish actor Peter Mullan. They've been together, albeit frequently oceans apart, for 15 years. 'You go, well, I love you, so we'll make it work. It doesn't have to be conventional, and we make sure we put the kids first.' (Malcolm has two, Mullan has four, all of them aged in their late teens and older.) 'I remember my mum saying, 'I like this man he puts his kids ahead of you. And that's what he should do'.' ADVERTISEMENT Mullan has also been her acting partner, twice. First in Top of the Lake, then in After the Party, where she accuses him of paedophilia on screen. Off-screen, she's far more generous. 'He's a great human being, a phenomenal father. Fierce and politically connected. And one of the greatest actors in the world.' We can't say enough about sex So, for Malcolm, unconventional works. Which means it makes perfect sense that while many actors push creams to smooth wrinkles on the face, Malcolm promotes products to revitalise the vagina. She's not shy about it, in fact, quite the opposite. 'Nobody wants to talk about sex, I've never understood why, it's like we just don't want to talk about sex. I figure we can't say enough.' She dives straight in. Explaining that 84% of women experience vaginal atrophy as they age. It's due to cellular death and it can lead to painful sex, burning sensations and infections. Malcolm says Myregyna cream and pills can revitalise cells – and she swears they work. Maybe the New Zealand-made product contributes to Malcolm feeling more comfortable in her own skin than ever before. She has a partner she loves, two sons she's proud of, and a career catching its second wind. And she believes there's more to come. ADVERTISEMENT She calls this stage the final act of her play. One she wants to make the best yet. She's named it: Oh my God, I am mortal. 'I haven't quite worked out how to articulate it but I think as your body gets older, the catch up that your mind has to do… it's to have a really visceral relationship with mortality.' Standing up for what matters At her sons' age (19 and 17), she says death was barely a concept. Now, it's a constant consideration. 'Like, maybe be grateful for every day more than you were. Maybe take a few more risks. I'm always thinking, how would I feel on my deathbed?' Malcolm, protesting for Palestine. (Source: Supplied) It's vital to her to stand up for what she believes in. One of the issues weighing heavily on her mind is the war in Gaza – she calls it 'one of the great moral catastrophes of the 21st century' –she says she'd be on the very first boat if an international group of artists were heading there to help. 'And I really mean that.' Because more than anything, she wants her life to count. 'To be able to say I did and said all the right things, that I showed up and that I was honest. And maybe that's what the last stage of life is about – finding your own way to your own sense of the authentic.'
The Spinoff
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
‘Even after all these years': Siobhan Marshall on forever being called Pascalle West
As we wrap up Outrageous Week, actor Siobhan Marshall takes us through her life in television. It's been 20 years since Outrageous Fortune first stormed onto New Zealand television screens, but Siobhan Marshall still meets a 'terrifying' number of people who think she's Pascalle West. Whether they're from overseas viewers who have only recently discovered the iconic New Zealand series, or locals who have loved it for decades, Marshall still gets messages about Pascalle almost every day. 'It's such a funny one, because it just hasn't gone anywhere after all these years,' she says. 'It's so nice to see.' The role of Pascalle, the wide-eyed amateur model hellbent on being the next Rachel Hunter, was only Marshall's third acting role since drama school, having previously played Chris Warner's nanny in a brief stint on Shortland Street, and a centaur on the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The 21-year-old got a lucky spray tan ahead of her audition, and remembers another auspicious sign that the role was hers. 'When I walked out of the audition, this girl walked in wearing a jacket with 'Siobhan' written in diamantes on the back',' she says. 'I got in my friend's car and said, 'I got that'.' Marshall had nerves about working alongside experienced actors like Robyn Malcolm and Grant Bowler, but she was fully committed to the role of the West's eldest daughter. Her boyfriend at the time was from West Auckland, and she remembers his advice on how to swear like a Westie ('just let it out: fuck!'). Swears aside, Pascalle was always a joy to play. 'She was the comic relief for ages, but then she got into some more gritty stuff,' she says. 'Seeing what she got up to was always fun. It was like, 'what's in the next script? What happens in this one?'' While Pascalle's legacy remains, Marshall does have one regret: 'I would have loved to have kept the Pascalle necklace, but I didn't.' And as for where she thinks the character would have ended up? 'I reckon she's probably still with Judd somewhere, and she's probably got some kids.' Since Outrageous, Marshall has starred in everything from The Blue Rose to Find Me a Māori Bride, and dipped her toes into reality series Celebrity Treasure Island. As we continue to celebrate all things Outrageous Week, we asked her to take us through her life in television. My earliest TV memory is… My sister and I watched a lot of TV growing up. A lot of Play School, and all sorts of cartoons, I loved Friends and Fresh Prince of Bel Air, too. All the greats. My earliest TV crush was… Martin Henderson from Shortland Street. I auditioned for Shortland Street when I was about 11, and I went out to do the audition and saw him in the flesh. It was very exciting. It was a real moment for me. I didn't get cast, but it was my first audition ever. I don't even know how I got that audition – I didn't have an agent. The TV ad I can't stop thinking about is… That Cadbury ad with the gorilla. That's still one of the best ones. So good, so simple, and it's chocolate. My first time on screen was… Shortland Street, straight after drama school. I played Chris Warner's child's nanny turned love interest. The role was a bit racy for Shortland Street and there were bed scenes with Chris Warner. I remember people were like 'oh, you played that slut on Shorty Street'. That's how it started, and then it continued [on Outrageous]. My TV guilty pleasure is… My current obsession is Peaky Blinders, and before that I rewatched Taboo with Tom Hardy. I also just finished Weak Hero on Netflix, which is a Korean series. It's about a bunch of teenage boys who basically fight all the time. It doesn't sound good, but you can't stop watching it. Even though it's a bit silly, I like it. The on-screen moment that haunts me to this day is… The Blair Witch Project. I watched it at the movies with my friend, and she was sitting on my right side. Something happened on screen and I got scared. I went to hug her, but I went the wrong way, and I hugged this random guy. My favourite TV character of all time is… Can't go past Chandler Bing and all the Friends characters. My favourite TV project is… Outrageous Fortune. I got to do so many different things, and work with such great actors. I didn't know at the time, because I was so fresh, but they really just let us go as actors. You just made up whatever you wanted to do and they filmed it, whereas normally, it's very 'stand here, do this, stand there'. Quite often you'd do the scene and then you'd just keep going until they called cut. The TV show I wish I was involved with is… It changes depending on what I'm watching, but I'd love to go way back in time in some sort of period piece. Watching shows set in the 1800s and 1900s and seeing how they lived just fascinates me. My controversial TV opinion is… I didn't get through Adolescence. It was great, I enjoyed it, and then I just didn't want to watch anymore. I also didn't like Breaking Bad. I had to watch it because I was doing this course in New York, and part of it was I had to watch Breaking Bad. I don't know if I watched the last season, because I think I had enough. The last thing I watched on television was… After the Party. I feel so bad that it's taken me this long. I've been meaning to watch it. I wanted to see Robbie [Marshall's Outrageous co-star Robyn Malcolm], and it's amazing. They did such a good job.
RNZ News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Creatives behind 'Outrageous Fortune' reflect 20 years on
This week marks twenty years since beloved New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune first went to air. The award-winning comedy-drama based in West Auckland was appointment viewing during its six year run. Some of the creative forces behind the show have reflected on its success whilst lamenting the challenges facing local storytellers today. Adam Burns reports. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
The Spinoff
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
Twenty years on, Outrageous Fortune remains as relevant as ever
Tara Ward reflects on an Outrageous week on The Spinoff. On 12 July, 2005, Outrageous Fortune burst onto our screens and transformed the landscape of New Zealand television. Created by Rachel Lang and James Griffin, the big, bold comedy-drama ran for six award-winning seasons and 108 episodes following the unpredictable exploits of the Wests, a family of career criminals living in West Auckland. It wasn't easy for the Wests to go straight, and Outrageous captured the attention and affection of New Zealanders in a way that no local scripted series had before. The Spinoff spent this week celebrating the 20th anniversary of Outrageous Fortune, and it's been a delightful trip down TV memory lane. We began on Monday with my cover story about how the Wests were born, and how the show was inspired by a news report that writer Rachel Lang heard in the shower one morning in 2003. I'd always thought Outrageous Fortune was an instant success, but it turns out New Zealand audiences were a tough crowd. It took three seasons before our love affair with Outrageous truly blossomed, and the show proved critics wrong over and over again. Across six dramatic seasons, Outrageous burrowed into our national consciousness in a variety of unexpected and colourful ways. I loved Alex Casey's deep dive into the show's spectacular use of swearing, while Liam Rātana took us on a thoughtful trip through Outrageous Fortune's most defining and memorable moments. Gareth Shute explored how the show championed a variety of iconic, sometimes forgotten New Zealand music, and Emma Gleason unpacked the unique style of our favourite Westies in all their leather and leopard-print glory. Tomorrow, actor Siobhan Marshall (who played Pascalle West) ends the week by taking us through her life in television. The legacy of Outrageous Fortune runs deep – even now, it's hard to see someone wearing leopard print without thinking of Cheryl West (and if you're wondering how obsessed New Zealand was with the show, check out this impressive 2010 entry for a Cheryl-lookalike competition in Ashburton). Outrageous Fortune inspired the award-winning prequel series Westside, and several of the show's cast and crew went on to achieve international success, including Antony Starr (The Boys, Banshee) and Robyn Malcolm, who most recently starred in the BAFTA-nominated After the Party and Netflix global hit drama The Survivors. Rewatching Outrageous Fortune reminded me that aspects of the show remain as relevant today as they were in 2005. 'In our real world, we are all encouraged to think that if we just try hard enough and show initiative, we can all be rich and famous,' Lang and Griffin wrote in their original Outrageous pitch. Twenty years later, everyone from politicians to influencers to the media remind us that we too can be wealthy and successful, if we only try hard enough. Lang was inspired to create Outrageous Fortune after she learned the median income for New Zealand women in 2003 was just over $14,000. The week before I spoke to Lang about that memory, the government rushed through changes to pay equity laws, which will predominantly impact the incomes of working-class women. Two decades may have passed, but some things haven't changed. Outrageous Fortune is a New Zealand television success story, a show filled with our voices, our issues and our humour. It's been a joy to spend a week remembering and celebrating the series. Once you've read all our Outrageous Week pieces, do yourself a favour – take a trip back to 2005 and enjoy a West family reunion this weekend.
The Spinoff
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The best needle drops in Outrageous Fortune, ranked
Gareth Shute counts down the best music moments to ever grace Outrageous Fortune. Outrageous Fortune's soundtrack created its own canon of local rock music from the 70s to the 00s. Classics by Th' Dudes and Hello Sailor rubbed shoulders with contemporary hits by Goldenhorse and Opshop, though also in the mix were underappreciated indie tracks by the likes of The Tutts, Minuit, Sola Rosa, and Cut Off Your Hands. The show was also inventive in how it juxtaposed music with its visuals. Take its decision to use the quirky instrumental 'Sea World' by Phoenix Foundation as the soundtrack for a porn film shoot or when 'Jesus For The Jugular' by The Veils added a dark energy to the moment when Munter was too wasted to stop Van from sleeping with his mother. The producers of Outrageous Fortune were able to draw from a rich library of pre-cleared tracks supplied by music supervisor, Mana Music. 'We'd introduce new artists into the library during the course of each season like Christchurch's The L.E.D.s or Auckland's New Telepathics,' says Jonathan Mihaljevich, who worked at Mana at the time. 'It was a total personal thrill to see them being picked up for a scene, as much as it was seeing The Veils or Dimmer come through.' The strength of music in the series also led to Mana Music and the show's producers working together on an album. 'Because the show was so iconic, I thought the idea of doing a soundtrack album would be an easy sell, but no labels were interested at first – they couldn't see why it would sell,' says Mihaljevich. 'Finally Warner said 'we totally get it, we're fans of Outrageous Fortune and music is one of the characters of the show!'' The compilation debuted at number one on the charts and led to a successful follow-up. Nature's Best was the other top-selling local compilation of the era, but that only focused on established classics. The Outrageous Fortune albums created a connection between the past and the present, unearthing should've-been-hits like '80s Celebration' by The Reduction Agents and 'Want U Bad' by The Rock'n'Roll Machine in the process. Whether it was used on the show to capture the mood or cunningly create friction with it, the music of Outrageous Fortune always boosted the power of what was being portrayed on screen. Here's 10 of the most stunning examples. 10. '(I'll Say Goodbye) Even Though I'm Blue' & 'Home Again' (S2, E12) The first two seasons of the show were more sparing in their use of original music and largely relied on incidental music written by Joel Haines. This made it stand out when it unleashed a New Zealand classic – or, in this case, two on the trot. Just prior to this moment, we find Cheryl worrying that Pascalle might be breaking her parole by not completing her community service at a retirement village. Meanwhile, Van has been outfoxed by his brother Jethro and he's also fallen out with best friend Munter. Yet, Cheryl discovers Pascalle enthusiastically teaching the elderly residents to dance while ' Even Though I'm Blue ' blasts over the stereo. Then, Van and Munter are shown chatting happily inside a car – soon revealed to actually be just the two doors they've stolen off Jethro's car as revenge. They ride them down a grassy hillside as ' Home Again ' plays. The double-hit of classic Kiwi rock reiterates that all is right in the world. 9. 'Dadada' by The Naked and Famous and 'Eye of the Needle' by The Datsuns (S5, E10 & E11) The turning point of season five was a twinned pair of events, which each had their own accompanying song. Sheree loses her patience with playing the long game, so she empties Pascalle's bank account and sets her against Nicky by supplying information to crooked cop Zane Gerard. The ominous pulse of ' Dadada ' throbs along underneath, with very fitting lyrics – 'there is no light outside / I think I'm about to lose control.' Then we hear the pounding tom drums of ' Eye of the Needle ', which evoke a sense of danger. Grandpa West is in the midst of a robbery with Hayden, when the police turn up in force. Munter tries to radio him, but Grandpa has removed his earpiece to focus on opening a safe. For such a lighthearted show, it was impressive how brutal the mood could get in moments like these, with the music altering the mood in an instant. 8. 'Nobody Else' by Rikki Morris (S5, E15) One of the best comedic characters was Aaron, who went from being a racist cretin to a kindly sweetheart over the course of the show. His unrequited love for Pascalle was a long-running plot point, which reached its zenith when he turned up at the West house with a massive ghetto blaster, cranking 80s ballad ' Nobody Else ' by Rikki Morris (recreating the scene from Say Anything). The song is so catchy and earnest that you can't help being drawn in, despite the saccharine, overdramatic production. The same could be said for Aaron himself, always gormlessly appearing with his heart on his sleeve. 7. 'Feels So Good' by The Spelling Mistakes (S3, E1) Outrageous Fortune was audacious and playful in its use of sex scenes. The third season opens with interspersed shots of the show's three main couples going at it (Cheryl with Judd, Van with Aurora, and Loretta with Hayden), soundtracked by the rollicking 80s pop-punk of The Spelling Mistakes. Despite the catchy melody, the lyrics of the song are decidedly dark – 'hurting you feels so good / I don't know why.' And sure enough all of the couples are headed for trouble. What's more, like all the seasons of the show, this one begins with the cops turning up to the house, so the joyful passion is soon brought to an abrupt stop. 6. 'East of Eden' by Graham Brazier (S2, E6; S2, E17) Cheryl's relationship with ex-policeman Wayne Judd was central to the show. It was hinted at in season one, so it was satisfying when they finally hooked up halfway through the second. The next morning, they are utterly content lying in bed together, while this mellow, late-period track by Graham Brazier plays softly underneath. Brazier sings of feeling like he's not quite in heaven but close ('east of eden, six miles north of hell'). The pay-off comes a full 11 episodes later. The Wests are at their usual holiday spot, having finally gained access to their regular New Years beach, and the upbeat mood is captured by the Finn Brothers song, ' Won't Give In.' However the sentiment isn't quite right because Judd hadn't made it – he is still waiting to be released on parole. The family gather around a bonfire with two guests – Graham Brazier and Dave McCartney (whose presence remains unexplained). Rather than launching into the theme tune of the show, the musical pair first play a bit of 'East of Eden,' sweetly marking the moment when Judd finally arrives and the star-crossed lovers are reunited. 5. 'What Greater Love' by Nash Chase (S4, E18) It's always great when a needle drop instantly gets you asking – 'what's this fab song?' Grandpa and Ngaire's marriage is heralded by blasts of funky horns and the booming voice of 1970s kiwi crooner, Nash Chase. The show always did well to give its two eldest characters their own solid story arcs, so it's nice that their special moment also had a unique theme tune. 4. 'B Your Boy' by Voom & 'Hine E Hine' (Goodnight Kiwi version) by Fanny Howie (S2, E3) The hectic desperation of ' B Your Boy ' perfectly aligns with Van's jealousy at seeing Aurora nursing her ex-boyfriend ('I want to be your boy so bad'). The song repeats as Van increasingly loses control and seems to be considering destroying Tyson's motorbike. However, the show is toying with us – the motorbike has a different part to play. Van instead narks on Tyson for selling drugs, so Aurora is forced to escape with the stash on the motorbike, only to crash full force into a bus. In the intensive care unit, she is declared dead and a hauntingly familiar tune plays, 'Hine E Hine' (written by Fanny Howie aka Te Rangi Pai in 1907). The version we hear is the arrangement by Bernie Allen that accompanied the ' Goodnight Kiwi' at the end of television broadcasts up until the 1980s. This would've struck a nerve with viewers of a certain age, who still associate it with the bittersweet feeling of an evening coming to an end. A fittingly nostalgic send off for this much-loved character. 3. 'You Oughta Be In Love' by Dave Dobbyn (S5, E19) Dobbyn's yearning love song is used for the ultimate bait-and-switch. After Loretta and Hayden's backyard wedding, they are dancing in the lounge with their friends and family. This Dobbyn classic reassures us that it's a happy ending, but suddenly Zane Gerard shows up with a unit of police officers. He wants revenge for Pascalle breaking up with him, so finds excuses to arrest her and Van. Cheryl tries to stop him dragging her daughter away, but ends up hitting him with a bottle and stabbing him. The sweet melody continues to play in the background, even while Gerard clasps his bloody neck and pulls out his gun to fire at them. Love has given way to violence and the pieces were in place for a dramatic final season of the show. 2. 'Be Mine Tonight' by Th' Dudes (S1, E4; S5, E17; S6, E18) Halfway through the first series, Wolf returns from prison for a single day to attend a funeral. He sees his wife Cheryl in the backyard just as this song comes on and he says 'oh babe, do you remember this?' Fittingly, the lyrics refer to a one night stand, since Wolf and Cheryl will only have a brief moment to hook up in the bathroom before he returns to his prison. Jumping forward from season one to season five, we find Wolf commiserating with Cheryl, who has lost her baby (fathered by Wayne Judd). Suddenly a familiar tune comes through the speakers and they both remark – 'this fucking song!' – before jumping up to dance. However, it actually turns out that Cheryl was just imagining Wolf being there and was actually processing the loss on her own. By the final episode, Cheryl is resolved to being single. Wayne Judd has fallen in love with her daughter and Wolf is long gone. However most of the family now seem happy, so she leaves them dancing in the lounge to have a quiet moment on the deck. When 'Be Mine Tonight' plays, it has a new meaning – it no longer reflects Wolf and Cheryl's ongoing relationship, but instead represents her looking back on the past. She is finally free of his exciting, but toxic influence. 1. 'Save Yourself' by Greg Johnson, 'Gutter Black' by Hello Sailor (S1, E1) Has there ever been a show so closely related to its theme tune as Outrageous Fortune is with 'Gutter Black'? It even set up the theme of the entire show in the first episode. The ending seems to show the West family going straight – Loretta is acting like an attentive student at school, while Cheryl, Van, and Pascalle work at legitimate jobs. The uplifting singing of Greg Johnson floats over the top: 'first you save yourself, then you save the world…' But then we cut to the prison, where Van is telling his father Wolf about Cheryl's law-abiding aims for the family. Wolf breaks into laughter – 'I'm sorry, she actually thinks this is going to happen?' Then we hear those familiar chords strumming over the top as he continues to cackle to himself and we know that their fortunes are bound to go a different way. 'My luck in the gutter black…'
