My Fair Lady (1958 TV series)

My Fair Lady

Company type	Television program
Industry	Television broadcasting
Founded	1958
Defunct	1962 (1962)
Area served	Australia
Key people	Charles Bush (fashion critic, Melbourne), Ray Leighton (fashion critic, Sydney)
Products	Television fashion competition show

My Fair Lady was an Australian TV program broadcast from 1958 through the early 1960s across several channels. The format involved a female host alongside a male fashion expert who assessed three or four housewives competing as contestants, providing critiques on their attire and physique. Each episode culminated in selecting one contestant as My Fair Lady, who then received a style transformation and new wardrobe, returning the following week to display her updated appearance.

In Melbourne, the series was shown on HSV-7 with Charles Bush serving as the fashion critic from 1958 to 1962, accompanied by various hosts such as Bambi Smith, June Finlayson, Vikki Hammond, and Gretta Miers. The program ended its run in May 1962. The Adelaide version was broadcast on ADS-7, featuring Bush and hosts including Maree Tomasetti, Heather Duncan, Mary McMahon, and Yvonne Woods. Meanwhile, in Sydney, TCN-9 aired the show with Ray Leighton acting as the critic and presenters like Elaine White.

Originally part of a programming block called Home, which also contained segments such as Cooking, Home Decorator, and Shopping Guide, the collective branding was eventually discontinued. The show was generally scheduled in the early afternoon and occasionally served as the station’s initial daily broadcast before Australian television transitioned to continuous 24-hour scheduling.

The preservation status remains uncertain; however, due to common archival practices of that period which often neglected daytime programming, it is probable that most or all episodes have not been retained.

In Charles Bush’s obituary, Michael Shmith characterized the series as "television at its most sexist."