Welcome to CLASSIC AUSTRALIAN TELEVISION.
This site features information and episode details for most drama series (including children's series and sit-coms) from the first twenty-one years of Australian television. Serials (including mini-series and soap operas), anthologies, plays, pilots and telemovies will not be covered here.
'Series' are defined as programmes of more than three episodes which have self-contained narratives.
'Serials' are defined as programmes having a continuous narrative spanning three or more episodes. 'Serials' includes 'mini-series' and 'soap operas' - 'mini-series' have a predetermined set length, and 'soaps' have an indefinite length.
So what does all that mean? Classic drama such as Homicide, Hunter, Boney and Rush are covered here, along with sit-coms such as My Name's McGooley and The Last Of The Australians, plus children's series including Adventures Of The Seaspray, Barrier Reef and the like. What isn't featured are serials such as Power Without Glory and Seven Little Australians, or soaps such as Bellbird and The Box.
The column on the right has links to all the shows. Each series usually covers two pages (feature article and episode details), but some larger entries (eg Homicide) will have more. Should you be baffled by some of the terms used in the episode details, each of those pages has a link to an explanation page on the left. For a complete listing of all series and serials produced in Australia up to 1977, check the Chronology page.
1977 has been chosen as a convenient cut-off point, as from that time on there was a pronounced shift in emphasis from series to serials. Throughout the 1980's, most drama production was in two extreme forms: high quality mini-series and low-quality soaps, the latter by far the most dominant. From the mid-1990's the trend has balanced out and series (albeit with a higher 'soap' content) once again occupy a major role in programming schedules. Also, many programmes from the 1980's and 1990's are still screened or available on DVD, and information about them is more accessible. Individuals can easily find out what they want to know about most shows, thus obviating the need for them all to be featured here.
UPDATES
Research is ongoing and updates are made on a regular basis as new information comes to light, particularly in relation to individual episode details. However, there have been no major additions since March 2008 when the last remaining feature articles were added, as every series intended to be covered is now included.
SITE NAVIGATION
It should be fairly easy to find your way around this site. The major sections are detailed as follows, and each page has links in the left margin (the coloured bit) to every other major section.
HOME
This page, which provides links to all the shows that have been treated in detail. If you are a regular visitor, this is the page you should bookmark, as URL's for the other pages may change. The URL for this page is:
www.classicaustraliantv.com
CHRONOLOGICAL OVERVIEW
A brief table of all Australian drama series and serials (including children's series and sit-coms) produced until 1977.
INTERVIEWS
This section features the interviews with cast and crew members that originally appeared in TV Eye magazine during the 1990's.
F.A.Q.
Frequently asked questions.
LINKS
Links to other Australian TV related sites.
HUNTER ON DVD
Hunter has been released on DVD. It is only available direct from the Crawfords website, and has not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
BLUEY ON DVD
The complete series of Bluey has been released on DVD. It is only available direct from the Crawfords website, and has not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
MATLOCK POLICE ON DVD
Matlock Police has been released on DVD in a series of 26-episode volumes. They are only available direct from the Crawfords website, and have not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
DIVISION 4 ON DVD
Division 4 has been released on DVD in a series of 26-episode volumes. They are only available direct from the Crawfords website, and have not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
HOMICIDE ON DVD
Homicide has been released on DVD in a series of 26-episode volumes. They are only available direct from the Crawfords website, and have not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
CASH & COMPANY / TANDARRA ON DVD
The complete series of Cash & Company and Tandarra have been released on DVD. Both are available in stores and through on-line retailers.
SPYFORCE ON DVD
The complete series of Spyforce has been released on DVD. It is available in stores and through on-line retailers.
SKIPPY ON DVD
The complete series of Skippy has been released on DVD in various packages. It is available in stores and through on-line retailers.
RYAN ON DVD
The complete series of Ryan has been released on DVD. It is only available direct from the Crawfords website, and has not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
SOLO ONE ON DVD
The complete series of Solo One has been released on DVD. It is only available direct from the Crawfords website, and has not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
THE LAST OF THE AUSTRALIANS ON DVD
The complete series of The Last Of The Australians has been released on DVD. It is only available direct from the Crawfords website, and has not been distributed to retail stores. Check the Crawfords website for further details: http://www.crawfordsdvd.com.au/
CONTACT
If you want to send me an e-mail, point your mouse over here which will show my e-mail addy. Please note that I cannot guarantee a response. The problem is time - I don't have any! Also, please check the FAQ page before asking me a question - it may already be answered.
This site is researched, written, designed and maintained by Don Storey.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following individuals and organisations for information and assistance (in no particular order):
David Lee, Chris Keating, John McCallum, National Film And Sound Archive, Crawfords Australia, Don Samulenok, Tony Ward, Gary Day, Leonard Teale, Norman Yemm, Ian Jones, Roger Mirams, Wally Ritter, Anton Baker, Jim Brown, David Lyle, Ian Crawford, Gary Gray, Denzil Howson, John Drew, Frank Van Straten, the Grundy Organisation, the Nine Network, the Seven Network, the Ten Network and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
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