In 2009, as part of an afternoon celebrating Waitakere City and West Auckland, Going West guests heard the story of iconic New Zealand television series Outrageous Fortune and the fictional West family of West Auckland.

The multi-award winning creative team of Rachel Lang and James Griffin, along with actor Robyn Malcolm (Cheryl West), were joined in conversation by Auckland Theatre Company founder, actor and director Simon Prast.

This session also celebrated the publication of Outrageous Fortune: the West Family Album, a bookby Rachel Lang, James Griffin and Tim Balme, published by West Auckland publisher Peter Dowling of Oratia Media.

Outrageous Fortune was created for Henderson-based South Pacific Pictures and ran on TV3 from 2005 to 2010. It is the longest running drama series made in New Zealand, and one of the few embraced by an Australian audience. It spawned a US and an English version, and even aired in Eastern Europe.

Starting in 2015, TV3 screened a spinoff series, Westside. Set in the 1970s and 80s, the series followed the younger years of key characters Ted and Rita West. The final episode played on November 16 2020, bringing to a close the West family television saga.

Both Outrageous Fortune and Westside shamelessly championed New Zealand music, starting with its use of Westie favourite Gutter Black (by Hello Sailor) as its theme music.

Both series also featured buildings and locations across West Auckland, including the brick and tile West family residence in Te Atatu South.