1996: April 20-26

tvweek_200496Angel’s baby — it’s a girl!
Home And Away‘s newest addition is born in episodes to go to air this week. Angel (Melissa George) gives birth to daughter Shane — named after the baby’s recently-deceased father. Of course, the baby’s birth — already 10 weeks premature — is in dramatic circumstances. Summer Bay is hit by a flood and attempts to get Angel to hospital are hampered by the rising waters. She manages to get to Pippa’s in time to give birth, just as Pippa (Debra Lawrance) receives the news that her husband Michael (Dennis Coard) has died in the flood. “It was all very intense and amazing,” George told TV Week of the episodes. “We had three night shoots in a row until 6am, and it was very exciting, and in the end it came out a masterpiece.”

mauriefields_0001Memories of Maurie
The late Maurie Fields (pictured), who passed away in December 1995, is to be inducted into the TV Week Logie Awards Hall Of Fame. Fields, whose wife Val Jellay will accept his award, had a showbusiness career dating back over 50 years and appeared on television from its very early days. A performer on variety show Sunnyside Up, Fields later moved into acting, with credits including Hunter, Homicide, Bellbird, Division 4, Matlock Police, The Sullivans, Bobby Dazzler, A Town Like Alice, Skyways, Prisoner and Neighbours. He starred alongside Jellay in the long-running series The Flying Doctors. Since Fields’ sudden passing, Jellay has been overwhelmed by the public response. “The overseas fan clubs — particularly the European ones (where The Flying Doctors was a hit) — are still writing. And the number of cards and flowers that have arrived is just amazing,” she told TV Week.

Logies online!
The 38th annual TV Week Logie Awards is going online! The website, designed and hosted by Melbourne-based company InfoWeb, is best viewed on the Netscape 2.0 browser using either Windows 95 or Windows NT. The website features photos and information about all the nominees for the upcoming Logies presentation, plus a Logies history and a sneak peek at this year’s telecast. Java technology has also been used to build an interactive game, with successful players entered into the draw to win a personal home page and a 12-month subscription to TV Week.

martinhendersonSusie makes Martin sweat!
Swimming champion Susie O’Neill has taken some time out of her pre-Olympics training schedule to offer some tips to actor Martin Henderson (pictured), who is playing the part of swimmer Tom Nash in the new Network Ten series Sweat. “He looks pretty good,” she told TV Week. “But his butterfly needs a bit of work.” The 13-part series debuts on Network Ten this week. “The timing is perfect with the Olympics coming up,” Henderson told TV Week. “I learned a lot about the lives of athletes. My character’s life is based on winning, but often his relationships suffer as a result.”

Briefly…

  • Former Blue Heelers star Grant Bowler has made a surprise move to a role in Nine‘s late-night soap Pacific Drive. He plays the part of Garth Stephen, the brother of Adam (Mark Constable). “Garth is a mysterious character, who arrives in Pacific Drive, leather-clad, on a motorbike,” a Nine Network spokesperson told TV Week.
  • Foxtel‘s new soap opera parody Shark Bay is set to feature a host of celebrities making cameo appearances. The first is set to be Vulcan from Gladiators — according to a keen viewer who spied the lycra-clad star doing publicity shots with the show’s cast at a Melbourne beach.
  • katefischer_0002The Nine Network has ordered another ten episodes of the lifestyle program Time Out For Serious Fun. The series, produced by Don Burke‘s production company and hosted by Kate Fischer (pictured), is expected to also feature London-based Jonathan Coleman.
  • Gloria Reuben, from the hit US series ER, is to join Hollywood actress Holly Hunter as a celebrity guest at this week’s TV Week Logie Awards.
  • Beyond 2000, noted a few weeks ago as being quietly bumped out of Ten‘s Saturday evening schedule, has since returned at the even earlier time of 3.30pm.

TV’s Top 20 (Week Commencing 31 March 1996): 

Rank Program Network Day(s) Viewers
1 Blue Heelers Seven Tue 2404000
2 National Nine News Nine Sun 1809000
3 60 Minutes Nine Sun 1790000
4 JAG Seven Mon 1767000
5 Better Homes And Gardens Seven Tue 1761000
6 National Nine News Nine M-F 1686000
7 A Current Affair Nine M-F 1663000
8 The Great Outdoors Seven Tue 1625000
9 Our House Nine Wed 1622000
10 Burke’s Backyard Nine Fri 1601000
11 Chicago Hope Seven Wed 1600000
12 Pride And Prejudice ABC Sun 1572000
13 The Nanny Ten Sun 1567000
14 Lois & Clark The New Adventures Of Superman Nine Tue 1563000
15 National Nine News Nine Sat 1535000
16 Weddings Nine Wed 1523000
17 Sale Of The Century Nine M-F 1511000
18 Movie: Major League Ten Sun 1452000
19 Seven Nightly News Seven Sun 1439000
20 Gladiators Seven Sat 1419000

Program Highlights (Melbourne, April 20-26):
Saturday: In the series debut of Sweat (6.30pm, Ten), swimmer Tom Nash (Martin Henderson) has to face the reality of losing a race because he was over-confident, while also contending with his budding relationship with gymnast Tats (Inge Hornstra).

logies_1996Sunday: AFL Sunday includes West Coast Eagles versus Geelong (2pm, Seven), live from Perth, followed by highlights of Richmond versus Sydney Swans (5pm, Seven) from the MCG. Daryl Somers hosts the 38th annual TV Week Logie Awards (8.30pm, Nine) from the Melbourne Park Function Centre. The awards presentation features guest star Holly Hunter and performances by John Farnham and Kate Ceberano. Sunday night movies are the 1963 classic The Great Escape (repeat, Seven) and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (Ten). Nightly coverage of highlights of the Olympic Swimming Selection Trials begins from Homebush, Sydney (11.05pm, Nine).

Monday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Karl (Alan Fletcher) tries to come to terms with the fact that Tom (Bob Hornery) is not his real father; while Andrew (Christopher Uhlmann) confides with Susan (Jackie Woodburne) about his relationship with another man. In Water Rats (7.30pm, Nine), the woman whose boyfriend was shot dead by Rachel Goldstein (Catherine McClements) is released from jail on parole and keeps turning up wherever Goldie happens to be.

Tuesday: In The Great Outdoors (8pm, Seven), Frankie J Holden enjoys the quiet pleasures of a Perth wine tasting cruise about the ship Mystique. In GP (8.30pm, ABC), a school teacher is accused of having a sexual relationship with a ten-year-old student.

Wednesday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Andrew (Christopher Uhlmann) faces innuendos from students about his homosexuality. Lucky Grills (Bluey) guest stars in Fire (9.30pm, Seven).

angryandersonThursday (Anzac Day): Special Anzac Day programming includes live coverage of the Anzac Day March (9.05am, ABC); and later a special one-hour edition of A Current Affair (6.30pm, Nine) featuring a team of celebrities, led by Angry Anderson (pictured) and including Colette Mann, Grant Kenny, Dr Kerryn Phelps and Dermott Brereton, retracing the 100 kilometre Kokoda Trail. In Home And Away (7pm, Seven), Fisher (Norman Coburn) proposes marriage to Marilyn (Emily Symons). Science and technology series Quantum (8pm, ABC) makes its return.

Friday: Friday Night Football (8.30pm, Seven) features Fremantle Dockers versus Melbourne, live from Perth.

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide. 20 April 1996. Pacific Publications Pty Ltd.

 

 

 

Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2016/04/1996-april-20-26.html

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.