Draft:Nudity in Television

Nudity on television was quite rare in the early days of the medium, but starting in the 1960's, a few shows made tentative forays into showing nude scenes. After the creation of pay television channels in the 1980's offered via cable, satellite or later online streaming, some networks included more nude scenes.

Australia
In March 1972, 0-10 Network began broadcasting Number 96, an evening soap opera following the lives of residents of an apartment at 96 Lindsay Street. Early seasons were filmed in black and white, but the last two were in colour, and featured a character Miss Hemingway played by Deborah Gray who insists on walking around naked when she comes to see her psychiatrist who works in the building.

Canada
In fall of 1970, CBC Television began airing the BBC comedy sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus. September 29, 1972, the newly formed Citytv station in Toronto began airing a program called The Baby Blue Movie showing TV shows such as Australia's Number 96 and movies such as Radley Metzger's Therese and Isabelle with nudity and sexual themes. In September 1974, the French language station CFVO-TV in Hull, Quebec, next to Ottawa, began broadcasting a program called Cinérotique showing erotic films.

In 1980, the CTV Television Network began airing Bizarre a comedy sketch show with actresses such as Jennifer Dale appearing topless. First airing in 1983, the TV show The Hitchhiker was filmed in Vancouver, Toronto and Paris, France, aired on First Choice in Canada, HBO in the U.S., and featured actresses such as Virginia Madsen and Shannon Tweed in nude scenes.

In 1997, the first episode of the science fiction TV show Stargate SG-1 filmed in Vancouver guest-starred American actress Vaitiare Bandera who plays Daniel Jackson's wife Sha're. She is stripped naked before a symbiote is implanted inside her by the Goa'uld. The nude scene was shown during broadcast on Citytv and Space in Canada, but was removed for the Children of the Gods DVD.

In 1999, following an idea pioneered by Russia's The Naked Truth, the Naked Broadcasting Network in Toronto started airing episodes of Naked News from their website. In 2002, it was picked up for TV in Australia, and then in 2003, Toronto's Citytv started airing it on their channel late at night. At the same time, Citytv began running Barely Cooking a show where the two chefs, one man and one woman each wear only an apron. It aired in the time slot after Naked News.

In 2013, Canada's Temple Street Productions produced the first episode of Orphan Black wherein the star, Canadian actress Tatiana Maslany strips naked.

Japan
From 1960 to 1961, the newly formed Fuji Television broadcast Pink Mood Show (ピンクムードショウ) from 10:45 p.m. Monday nights. In the first four shows, music hall dancers dressed in only bikini bottoms would dance to sultry jazz using globes or baskets to hide their naked breasts. A watchdog group complained, and so from the fifth episode the nudity was stopped. The word 'pink' in the Japanese notion of 'pink films' probably stems from this show. Although the show was soon cancelled, in the following years Japan Victor released a series of LP records with 'Pink Mood' in the title with the same jazz music and suggestive voiceovers.

In July 1965, the first installment of Jikan desu yo (時間ですよ) was broadcast, and then from 1970 it became a regular series lasting multiple seasons. It tells the story of a family that run a local bath house in Tokyo. It is mainly a drama/comedy, but many scenes take place at the entrance to the baths, and occasionally characters go into the baths where ladies (played by extras) are bathing naked.

From November 1965 to 1990, Nippon TV and Yomiuri TV ran a variety show called 11PM. On Tuesdays, one corner featured an actress performing nude yoga on the beach, and another corner had an actress visit a hot spring spa where she would bathe naked, and explain the attractions of the spring.

In 1974, Nippon TV broadcast a detective series, Kizu darake no tenshi (傷だらけの天使, Angels covered in scars). In the early episodes, the main character would come across a nude dancer or such (played by a guest actress) in the course of their investigation.

Tamori Club was a comedy variety show that ran from 1982 to 2023 on TV Asahi. Occasionally, it would run segments where one of the reporters would encounter a nude actress.

In 1983, Hitomi Takahashi played an ongoing role as a callgirl in the drama Fuzoroi no ringotachi (ふぞろいの林檎たち, Non-matching Apples).

In 1990, Nippon TV, Yomiuri TV replaced the show 11PM with EX Terebi (EXテレビ), another late night variety show. In one segment, Shinsuke Shimada and his fellow hosts sit around chatting while a naked woman sits on the seat above them legs spread around their shoulders with her private parts hidden by the comedians' heads. In 1994, EX-terebi was replaced by Donmai Varietyshow and Sports with a different cast, but similar sexy segments. By 1996, this type of show gave way to more regular sports programming.

From 1991 to 1999, TV Tokyo aired a comedy variety show Gilgamesh Night late Saturday nights, featuring a wide range of 'sexy' actresses such as Kei Mizutani, Reiko Hayama and adult video actresses such Ai Iijima and Asami Jo. They appeared in cooking segments dressed wearing just an apron, or reviewed movies from a bubble bath. The cancellation of Gilgamesh coincided with a move away from showing nudity on broadcast television. Nudity is now mainly seen on pay satellite or subscription streaming channels such as Wowow, BS-Fuji or Netflix.

In 1993, up and coming actress Takako Tokiwa opted to play a callgirl for the drama Akuma no kiss (悪魔のKISS, the Devil's Kiss), appearing topless in one scene.

In 2000, Wowow released three installments of Futari Ecchi the story of a newlywed couple trying to connect, based on the manga of the same name.

On and off since 2004, BS-Fuji has aired Onsen ni ikou (温泉に行こう！ Let's go to a hot spring), a travel program where an actress bathes naked in a hot spring.

In 2012, popular actress Masami Nagasawa appeared topless in a love scene in the Wowow drama Bunshin (分身 literally offshoot, sometimes translated as Dead Ringers).

In 2019, Netflix began airing The Naked Director a series based on the autobiography of the adult video director Toru Muranishi.

United Kingdom
In 1966, BBC aired Isadora Duncan, the Biggest Dancer in the World with Vivian Pickles portraying Isadora, and doing a nude dance. In 1969, BBC began airing the Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy sketch series with actresses such as Sheila Sands appearing topless in the first season.

In 1970, ITV aired Manhunt, a drama set during World War II. Actress Cyd Hayman plays a part-Jewish resistance spy. In episode 10, she is made to strip naked during an interrogation by a Nazi.

In 1971, BBC2 began airing the Casanova series with actresses such as Zienia Merton appearing topless. In 1976, BBC aired the I, Claudius series with actresses such as Beth Morris appearing nude.