australian television information archive

Bastard Boys

May 13 and 14, 2007 (ABC)
Produced by ABC, Flying Cabbage Productions Pty Ltd
Executive Producer: Scott Meek
Producers: Ray Quint and Brett Popplewell
Director: Ray Quint
Writer: Sue Smith

On April 7th 1998, at 11.30pm under the cover of darkness and in total secrecy, security men wearing balaclavas, carrying batons and leading dogs, invaded the docks of every port in Australia and forcibly ejected the entire unionised workforce. The subsequent stand off between the head of Patrick Stevedores Chris Corrigan and the wharfies, lawyers and unionists who oppose him will divide the nation.

Starring: Jack Thompson, Colin Friels, Justine Clarke, Rhys Muldoon, Lucy Bell, Geoff Morrell, Daniel Frederiksen, Dan Wyllie, Anthony Hayes, Justin Smith, Helen Thomson

East West 101

Dec 2007 - Jan 2008 (SBS)
Produced by Knapman Wyld Television
Producers: Steve Knapman and Kris Wyld
Director: Peter Andrikidis
Writers: Kristen Dunphy, Kris Wyld, Michael Miller, Kris Mrksa, Michelle Offen

A miniseries about the investigations of the Major Crime Squad in Metropolitan Sydney. It is the story of two detectives - one a Muslim, the other Anglo-Australian, and the battle between them for survival. In a post 9/11 world, it is also a metaphor for the fear that exists between East and West when two men search for love, approval and forgiveness, as their destinies collide.

Emerald Falls

Aired: March 23, 2008 (Ten)
Ratings: 0.836 million viewers (8th)
Produced by Pacific & Beyond and Spider Ink
Created by: Tim Pye and Cathy Strickland
Executive Producers: Sue Masters, Ron Saunders
Producers: Tim Pye, Cathy Strickland
Associate Producer: Georgie Parker
Writers: Tim Pye, Cathy Strickland
Director: Peter Andrikidis

Set in the scenic Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, Emerald Falls mixes warm and idiosyncratic characters into a complex, plot-driven mystery. Seduced by the smell of eucalyptus, and against her ex-husband's advice, Joni Ferguson buys an almost-derelict bed and breakfast and moves there with her 15-year-old son Zac. The murder mystery that unfolds a year after their arrival becomes a surprising catalyst for new understanding between mother and son.

Starring: Georgie Parker, Catherine McClements, Tom Green, Geoff Morrell, Oliver Ackland, Ella Scott Lynch, Vince Colosimo, Rhys Muldoon, Heather Mitchell, Leon Ford, Andrew McFarlane

Gumnutz: A Juicy Tale

Aired: December 24, 2007
Produced by Flying Bark Productions
Executive Producer: Geoff Watson
Producer: John Cook
Writer: Phil Sanders
Directors: Clive Harrison, Margaret Parkes, Jane Schneider

The hero of GUMNUTZ is Claude, a neurotic numbat who is forced to save his uncle's juice factory from the clutches of the villainous Hot Shot Charlie, a crafty fox. Claude has help from his feisty friend Peppa, a fellow numbat and through their adventures they learn the importance of friendship, family and responsibility.

Voice cast: Ian Bliss, Jamie Croft, Ines Vaz De Sousa, Rachel King, Keith Scott, Shane Withington

Joanne Lees: Murder in The Outback

March 12, 2007 (Ten)
Ratings: 1.06 million viewers
Produced by GC Films Pty Ltd
Executive Producers: Sue Masters, Andy Harries
Producer: Sue Masters, Andy Harries
Director: Tony Tilse
Writer: Kate Brooke

This telemovie follows the dramatic story of Joanne Lees, from the night in July 2001 when she stumbled from the edge of the Stuart Highway into the path of an oncoming road train. Driver, Vince Miller, was sure he had killed her but when he stopped and inspected, he found her alive, small, pale and very, very scared. And so follows a dramatic true story, climaxing in the trial of the man accused of abducting Lees and murdering her boyfriend.

Starring: Joanne Froggatt, Richard Carter, Bryan Brown, John Wood, Laurence Breuls, Asher Keddie, Tom Long

The King: the Story of Graham Kennedy

May 20, 2007 (TV1)
Produced by Crackerjack Productions
Producer: Jason Stephens
Director: Matt Saville
Writers: Kris Mrksa & Jaime Browne

The King is the story of Graham Kennedy, Australia's first and greatest home grown TV superstar. It traces his rise and rise, from working class Balaclava kid, through radio, TV, film, and back to TV again. But against this backdrop of professional success it also tracks Kennedy's personal tragedies ­ the loneliness, the unrealised ambitions and the terrible pressures of being a gay celebrity in the 1950s and 60s. But The King is not just about a man - it's also the story of the birth of television, a cultural phenomenon that has helped define a nation, and make us who we are today.

Starring: Stephen Curry as Graham Kennedy, Garry McDonald as Nicky Whitta, Shaun Micallef as Colin Bednall, Steve Bisley as Harry M. Miller, Stephen Hall as Bert Newton, Jane Allsop as Noeline Brown, Bernard Curry as John Wesley

Rain Shadow

Sun, October 7 - Nov 18, 2007
Executive Producer: Scott Meek
Producers: Gus Howard
Writers: Tony Morphett and Jimmy Thomson
Network: ABC

Dr Kate McDonald (Rachel Ward) is married to the small farming community of Paringa, where she's been the vet for 15 years. For most of that time she's been hiding a secret, and as a result, refuses to allow anyone to get close to her. Needless to say, she has problems keeping an assistant, something she desperately needs.
Kate's newest assistant, Dr Jill Blake (Victoria Thaine), is 24 and keen to widen her veterinary experience with farm animals. She's 'by the book', enthusiastic, and ready to try new techniques.
But it doesn't take her long to realise that she's made a huge mistake in leaving the city for Paringa. Her boss is the rudest person she's ever met and Paringa is not exactly the idyllic country town of her dreams. Somehow, these two opinionated women must find a way to come to terms with each other and the difficulties they encounter in supporting the failing district and Kate's overstretched veterinary practice.

Starring: Rachel Ward, Victoria Thaine

Valentine's Day

Produced: 2007
Aired: Sunday, July 06, 2008 (ABC)
Ratings: 1.037 million viewers (10th for the night)
Produced by December Films Pty Ltd
Producer: Tony Wright
Director: Peter Duncan
Writer: Peter Temple

Valentine's Day tells the story of Ben Valentine who drifts into the small Victorian country town of Rushworth. He quickly finds himself in trouble with the law. As a famous Aussie Rules footballer fallen on hard times, he is given 200 hours of community service coaching the town's 'no-hoper' football team. But is he in fact who he seems to be?
Teetering on the brink of demise, The Mighty Bears (aka The Growlers) need to win three out of the four next games or they will be forced to merge with their arch rivals, Lucan. Worse still, the town's beloved pie factory, Dicks, which was recently bequeathed to the Bears, will have to be sold.
For the proud, close-knit community the future is looking bleak. Embraced heart and soul by the townsfolk, this one-time drifter learns how to live and hope again - as does the town.

Starring: Rhys Muldoon, Michael Tuahine, Anita Hegh, Freya Stafford, Roy Billing, Terry Norris, Bruce Kerr, Steve Rodgers, Jacinta Stapleton, Lulu McClatchy, Patrick Harvey, Marley Sharp, Adam Zwar, Simon Lyndon, Nathan Bocskay, Donal Forde, Nikolai Nikolaeff, Frances Hutson, Judy Johnson, Andrew S Gilbert, Luke Ryan, Louise Siversen, Victoria Eagger, Andrew Blackman, Steve Kimm, Warwick Sadler, Rob Disckson