1994: January 1-7

Cover: Simon Baker-Denny, Lisa Lackey (Home And Away)

Home And Away: The Movie!
Long-running series Home And Away is set to appear on the big screen. The Seven Network is expected to start pre-production on Home And Away: The Movie this month. “Final details are still being sorted out, but yes we’re doing a feature film,” a Seven spokesperson told TV Week. “We’ll be filming the movie at the same time as the series.” Casting for the movie is yet to be announced, although former series stars Mat Stevenson, Emily Symons and Rebekah Elmaloglou are being listed as possibilities.

Vince cops ACP role
Actor Vince Colosimo, best known from films Moving Out and Street Hero, is joining the cast of the ‘new’ A Country Practice, playing the part of the local policeman. He joins Joan Sydney, Joyce Jacobs, Andrew Blackman, Paul Gleeson and Claudia Black in the revamped series.  Producer James Davern is still looking to cast for the role of the local veterinary surgeon. All Together Now‘s Jane Hall is tipped to be on the short list.

Match-ups, break-ups, mix-ups… and punch-ups!
TV Week has a preview of what’s coming up in the soaps in 1994:

• In Home And Away, the romance between Shane (Dieter Brummer) and Angel (Melissa George) could be headed for stormy ground after Shane’s fiddling with the police computer revealed Angel’s past infidelities. Sarah (Laura Vasquez) is at odds with Alf (Ray Meagher) and Ailsa (Judy Nunn) after her romantic pursuit of Nathan (David Dixon). There is romance between Roxy (Lisa Lackey) and James (Simon Baker-Denny), sparking jealousy from Luke (John Adam). And a new foster child (played by Daniel Amalm) comes under the care of Pippa (Debra Lawrance) and Michael (Dennis Coard).
• GP (ABC) returns for its sixth season in February with a special movie-length episode, also to commemorate its 200th episode. A trip to the country for William (Michael Craig, pictured) sees him on the scene of a fatal car accident. He and the local doctor are forced to make decisions that could divide the community. This leads to William offering the country GP, Dr Martin Dempsey (Damian Rice), a job at the city surgery. Guest stars in early episodes of the returning series include Adrian Lee (E Street), Lucy Bell (Snowy), Lenore Smith (The Flying Doctors) and Alyssa-Jane Cook (E Street).
• In Paradise Beach, the arrival of the mysterious Robyn Deveraux (Isla Fisher) causes issues between Nick (Andrew McKaige) and his fiancee Brooke (Gabrielle Fitzpatrick). Joining the cast of Paradise Beach in the new year will be Scott Michaelson (Neighbours), Jaason Simmons, Andrew McFarlane (The Flying Doctors) and Theresa Wong (GP), and Zoe Bertram returns.
• The arrival of some new, younger faces bring a fresh look to Neighbours. Joining the series in the new year are Peta Brady (taking over the role of Cody Willis), Brett Blewitt and Eliza Szonert. Cody returns to Ramsay Street after two years as an exchange student in America.
• The second series of Law Of The Land will see the character of Kate Chalmers (Lisa Hensley) taking a higher profile as Peter (David Roberts) returns to Merringanee hoping to rekindle their relationship. Meanwhile, a businessman arrives in town with big plans that could change the area forever. Joining the cast in the second series are Ally Fowler, Tessa Humphries, Peter O’Brien and Michael O’Neill (GP), with former Prisoner and Home And Away star Fiona Spence making a guest appearance as the local magistrate.
• Network Ten‘s new series Heartbreak High, the highly-anticipated spin-off to the successful film The Heartbreak Kid, features a cast of diverse characters from various racial and ethnic backgrounds. Alex Dimitriades (pictured), who shot to fame in the original movie, retains the main role of Nick Poulos, while Doris Younane and Nico Lathouris also reprise their movie roles in the series. The role of schoolteacher Christina, played in the movie by Claudia Karvan, is now played by Sarah Lambert. Heartbreak High is due to debut in February.
• Rafferty’s Rules star John Wood leads the cast in Seven‘s new police drama, Blue Heelers. The 13-episode series features William McInnes, Martin Sacks, Julie Nihill, Grant Bowler, Ann Burbrook and newcomer Lisa McCune. The series focuses on life in a fictional country town, Mount Thomas, and the police charged with maintaining law and order.

Briefly…

• Last week’s report that former Teen Queen member Kellie Hoggart was favourite for a role in Hey Dad! has proved to be incorrect. She was pipped at the post by newcomer Belinda Emmett, who will play Tracy, the daughter of Greg Russell (Mark Owen-Taylor).
• Neil Mercer was signed up by the Seven Network to front their new weekly current affairs program. The new program, with the working title Seven Days, is still yet to get the go-ahead, and is now likely to be without a host if it does happen, but Mercer will be taking up a new role as host of news program Eleven AM while Ann Sanders takes maternity leave.
• Reports a few weeks ago that Angry Anderson was working on a new show for Nine were correct, but it’s not an Australian version of the UK game show Treasure Hunt. Instead, he’s been working on a secret project for Nine called The Challenge. No further details have been made known other than it is set to appear on Australia Day, 26 January, as a one-hour special.
• The new talk show being devised for Mary Kostakidis (pictured) by SBS is believed to be a ploy to stop her going across to the Nine Network. The new program is being put together by the production team of the recently-axed Face The Press. SBS is also planning a new computer and technology show called The Big Byte and is rumoured to be working on a new project featuring The Movie Show co-host Margaret Pomeranz.

Lawrie Masterson: The View From Here

“Next week we launch the 36th annual TV Week Logie Awards, and there will be changes there. For starters, the Logies will be presented in Melbourne in April, about a month later than usual, and they will be held on a Sunday night instead of the traditional Friday. The move to April means the Logies will be clear of various other awards shows, particularly in the US, where we are already working on the availability of some major names to fly to Australia to be our special guests. Sunday night, of course, is the premium viewer night of the week on Australian television, so the Nine Network, which will host the awards this year, believes Sunday is the Logies’ rightful place. This year’s telecast will be held theatre-style, which is not a first for the Logies but it is certainly a break from the usual “cabaret-style” set-up of the show.  And it will be seen on delay, rather than live-to-air. The cream of Australian showbusiness will gather at Melbourne’s World Congress Centre in the early evening with the show itself going to air in the usual prime-time slot of 8.30pm. The delayed telecast will be another first for the Logies, although it is a common practice with some of the big awards shows overseas, particularly the Academy Awards.”

Program Highlights (Melbourne/Regional Victoria, January 1-7):
Saturday: The Hopman Cup continues from Perth (1pm, Seven/Prime). In travel series Summer Holiday (6.30pm, Ten/SCN), Eric Campbell tries paragliding, Katrina Lee visits a spot on the Queensland coast where whales come to frolic, and Patrick O’Neil travels the zig-zag railway. Ann Sanders presents the special The Big Picture (7.30pm, Seven/Prime), highlighting the major news stories from around the world in 1993.

Sunday: The Second Test — Australia v South Africa — begins from the Sydney Cricket Ground (10.50am, Nine/VIC TV), and there’s another day of the Hopman Cup from Perth (1pm, Seven/Prime). Sunday night movies are Tin Men (Seven/Prime), Wilt (Nine/VIC TV) and The Empire Strikes Back (Ten/SCN), up against Sunday Stereo Special (8.30pm, ABC) featuring the New Year’s Day Concert, performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna State Opera Ballet Company.

Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday: The Hopman Cup (evening session only on Wednesday) continues on Seven/Prime, and the Second Test on Nine/VIC TV.

Thursday: The final day’s play in the Second Test from the Sydney Cricket Ground (10.50am, Nine/VIC TV), while the Hopman Cup continues on Seven/Prime (10.30pm). In Beyond 2000 (7.30pm, Ten/SCN), Simon Reeve takes a look at a new 3D camera, and Amanda Keller looks at the CSIRO’s developments into combating air pollution.

Friday: Coverage of the Final of the Hopman Cup (7.30pm, Seven/Prime).

Source: TV Week (Victoria Country edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide.  1 January 1994.  Southdown Press