1996: May 25-31

Cover: Gillian Anderson (The X Files)

The Don opens up
Ray Martin talks to Sir Don Bradman in a two-hour special to go to air this week. Martin travelled to South Australia to talk to Sir Don for four hours at the Adelaide Oval — scene of many memorable moments from Bradman. The publicity-shy cricketing great agreed to the interview after Nine Network owner Kerry Packer offered to stage a national prime-time telethon to raise up to $1 million for the completion of the Bradman Museum being built in Bradman’s home town of Bowral, NSW.

Temporary Tempany
Home And Away star Tempany Deckert has had to take time off from the series due to suffering from glandular fever. With scripts and production schedules planned far in advance it was not possible to write out her character, Selina. Producers have since cast Louise Crawford (pictured) as Deckert’s temporary replacement. Crawford was last seen on the Network Ten soap Echo Point and her first episodes as Selina are due to go to air in July. Replacing an actor temporarily is not all that new. Only recently, Neighbours had to temporarily cast Colette Mann for the role of Cheryl Stark after actor Caroline Gillmer fell ill.

Blazing start for kids’ series
Children dodging burning trees and fallen logs as a fire rages through the bush sounds like a dramatic sight — but it’s all in a day’s work for the production of Seven‘s new children’s series The Adventures Of The Bush Patrol. The 26-part series stars former A Country Practice star Wendy Strehlow (pictured) as national park head ranger Maggie Dean, with her two children played by Lisa Laird and Steele Sciberras. “The series is not overly educational,” Strehow told TV Week. “There’s a subtle message in dealing with issues from conservation to the problems of growing up. It’s entertaining and realistic. Park rangers are amazingly dedicated people. The people and issues they come up against are unbelievable. For instance, the stupidity of people who deliberately light fires is what this episode is about.” The Adventures Of The Bush Patrol is being produced by Oscar Whitbread and Zelda Rosenbaum and a second series has already been given the green light by Seven.

Miss Wendy’s new hit
Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush co-host Miss Wendy (Wendy Mooney, pictured) has been working on a top secret pilot which describes as “light-hearted and fun, with a lot of ad-libbing”. But she has been tight-lipped about any other details. “I can’t say too much about it, not even which network it will be on, but it’s looking good.” Meanwhile, she denies rumours that Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush has been axed. “They (Nine) do want it to come back next year, especially now that it won the Logie.”

Briefly…

• Jana Wendt (pictured) has agreed to make a guest appearance on the ABC comedy series Club Buggery, hosted by Roy and HG (John Doyle and Greig Pickhaver). Wendt, host of Seven‘s Witness, is reportedly a big fan of the comedy duo.
• It’s been a long time since it last appeared, but Bush Tucker Man is set to return with a new series — Bush Tucker Man Stories Of Survival — to debut on ABC in mid-June.
• Mercury star Geoffrey Rush (pictured) has been gaining plenty of international attention with roles in two films — Shine and Children Of The Revolution. But even with Hollywood knocking on the door, Rush is not sure that’s where he wants to be. “Shine has sparked a lot of interest,” he told TV Week. “But I labour over my decisions quite carefully. Of course, I’ve got my children’s educations to think about, and acting’s an up-and-down thing.”
• A romantic adventure for Home And Away‘s Shannon (Isla Fisher) and Alex (Nick Freedman) is set to end in disaster when the pair stumble on a cache of bombs in an old World War 2 base on the outskirts of Summer Bay. They return home to report their find to the army authorities, unaware that they had been followed to the site by Sam (Ryan Clark) and a friend, who trigger an explosion when playing at the base just as bomb disposal crews arrive.
• Network Ten‘s new drama Sweat has been rating poorly in its Saturday evening timeslot. A second series appears unlikely.

TV’s Top 20 (Week Commencing 5 May 1996): 

Program Highlights (Melbourne, May 25-31):
Saturday: Beyond 2000 (3.30pm, Ten) looks at the latest medical technique to control irregular heartbeats. Katrina Warren and Gary Eck (pictured) host the new series Candid Camera (6pm, Ten).

Sunday: AFL Sunday includes Sydney Swans versus Brisbane (1pm, Seven), live from Sydney, followed by Fremantle Dockers versus Richmond (4pm, Seven), live from Perth. In Banjo Paterson’s The Man From Snowy River (6.30pm, Nine), Matt (Andrew Clarke) is blinded in a mine explosion; with the incident leading to Colin (Brett Climo) revealing to Matt the circumstances of his mother’s death Sunday night movies are Hot Shots! Part Deux (Seven), Daisies In December (Nine) and A League Of Their Own (repeat, Ten).

Monday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Stonie’s (Anthony Engelman) efforts to win Catherine (Radha Mitchell) over with his environmental concerns don’t appear to faze her. In Water Rats (7.30pm, Nine), a well-known crime figure and an old enemy of Holloway’s (Colin Friels) is identified as the person responsible for a speed boat accident which killed a man. AFL Monday (9.30pm, Seven) features a replay of the Queen’s Birthday Holiday match between Collingwood and Geelong. In Pacific Drive (11.15pm, Nine), in the aftermath of Luke’s (Steve Harman) arrest for the murder of Sonia, Georgina (Kate Raison) tries to keep Adam (Mark Constable) from confessing.

Tuesday: In The Great Outdoors (8pm, Seven), Ernie Dingo takes a train trip through New Zealand’s Taeri Gorge; and Bridget Adams visits Hayman Island. In GP (8.30pm, ABC), Maureen’s (Melissa Jaffer) relationship with her former neighbours is jeopardised when the husband makes a pass at her. In Blue Heelers (8.30pm, Seven), when Nick (William McInnes) tries to help star-crossed lovers, he stumbles across the solution to an unlikely house break-in.

Wednesday: Documentary series Australian Story (8pm, ABC) makes its debut. Ray Martin interviews cricket legend Sir Don Bradman in Don Bradman: 87 Not Out (8.30pm, Nine) — with the program also serving as an appeal to raise funds for the final stage of construction of the Bradman Museum in his home town of Bowral, NSW.

Thursday: In the series return of Getaway (7.30pm, Nine), Lochie Daddo visits the El Nido resort on the Miniloc Island in the Philippines, while Rebecca Harris reports on the Great Victoria Desert Ride — a four-day, 1600 kilometre 4WD and mountain bike trek from Kalgoorlie to Uluru. In Mercury (8.30pm, ABC), Nell (Susan Lyons) takes over the editor’s chair when Bill (Geoffrey Rush) goes to Western Australia.

Friday: In Neighbours (6.30pm, Ten), Cheryl’s (Caroline Gillmer, pictured) disappearance is too much for Lou (Tom Oliver) and Danni (Eliza Szonert). The first annual Legends Of Football match (8.30pm, Nine), Victoria versus The Rest Of Australia, is broadcast from Whitten Oval, Melbourne. The match, a fund raiser for research into prostate cancer, is launched in tribute to former VFL great, the late EJ “Ted” Whitten, who died from the disease in 1995.

Source: TV Week (Melbourne edition), incorporating TV Times and TV Guide. 25 May 1996. Pacific Publications Pty Ltd.