New ABC series seeks same-sex couple

If you think your relationship with that special someone could be improved a little or a lot, you and your partner could perhaps be just the sort of people producers of a new show to air next year on ABC1 are looking for.

Making Australia Happy – Couples will follow four long-term Sydney couples who may be experiencing a bad patch in their current relationships, or one too many ups and downs, and downright dramas.

With filming to take place in January and February 2012, series producer Will Parry told SX that they are intent on including at least one same-sex couple.

“We're looking for four unhappy couples who want to learn scientifically proven ways to improve their relationships and are committed to working together to make a change for the better,” Parry says.

“It’s important for us to represent the full diversity of Australian couples, and we really hope that a same sex couple will feature as one of the four who benefit from taking part in the series.”

The show is a sequel to the successful 2010 ABC1 series Making Australia Happy, which took eight unhappy Sydneysiders and used scientifically verified techniques to improve their happiness levels over eight weeks

“They all got a massive boost to their well-being, and they’re still feeling the benefits over a year later,” Parry says.

Cade Buchanan, a gay man who participated in the first series of Making Australia Happy, told SX that he credits his appearance on the show for substantially changing his life and helping make him a better person to be around, and live with.

“I think the fact the show never made an issue of my sexuality was also a very positive aspect of the documentary/reality show, I was treated no differently and certainly not made to feel I was a novelty,” Buchanan says.

“I think any couple, be it gay or straight would benefit amazingly from the experience, even now over 18 months after the experience I feel the benefits, I even gave up smoking after 20 years also which has been a major thing.”

Anyone interested in taking part can contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .