ABC’s prime time line-up for Australia Day includes the Governor-General’s Australia Day Message, the Australia Day Live concert from Melbourne and the premiere of the six-part comedy And Here Comes Bucknuckle, starring Peter Curtin, Noni Hazlehurst, John Bluthal and Reg Evans. The series screens over six consecutive nights. Later, there is a repeat of the three-part 1980 drama Players To The Gallery, starring Peter Sumner, Kate Fitzpatrick and Richard Moir.

See also: Monday 26 January 1981 — ADELAIDE

Source: TV Week, 24 January 1981 (SBS: The Age, 22 January 1981)

MELBOURNE
	ABV2	HSV7	GTV9	ATV10	SBS0/28
6AM			6am Rocky And His Friends 6.30 King Leonardo 6.55 Go Health
7AM			7am Cartoons	7am The Early Bird Show
8AM	8am Sesame Street			8.25 Launching Pad 8.30 Fat Cat And Friends
9AM	9am Close 9.30 Play School	9am Moby Dick	9am Here’s Humphrey	9am The Celebrity Game 9.30 Rainbow
10AM	10am Close	10am Romper Room. Miss Helena	10am Untamed World 10.30 The Incredible World Of Adventure	10am Oil Strike North
11AM		11am Cartoons	11pm Cricket: Second Test. Australia v India. Live from Adelaide	11am The New Adventures Of Wonder Woman
12PM		12pm Racing: Australia Day Meeting. Live from Moonee Valley, Melbourne		12pm Movie: Punch And Judy. 1974 [IMDB]
1PM	1pm ABC News, Weather 1.11 Weekend Magazine (Rpt) 1.30 Rowing: 1980 King’s Cup Regatta		1.30pm Snooker: TAA Invitation Snooker Championship	1.30 The Gong Show
2PM	2.10 Football: VFL Grand Final 1980. Collingwood v Richmond (Rpt)		2pm Cricket (cont’d)	2pm Almost Anything Goes
3PM				3pm Marcus Welby MD
4PM	4.35 Greatest Fights Of The Century 4.45 Skating: Canada 1977 Exhibition			4pm Simon Townsend’s Wonder World 4.30 The Red Hand Gang	4.30pm Soccer: Gold Cup Series. Highlights
5PM	5.30 Sam’s Luck 5.58 News Headlines	5pm $50,000 Letterbox 5.30 Sha Na Na		5pm McHale’s Navy (B&W) 5.30 Blankety Blanks
6PM	6pm Seven Little Australians 6.55 Holiday Hazards	6pm Bewitched 6.30 Seven National News	6.30 National Nine News	6pm Eyewitness News	6pm Follow Me 6.30 Pacific Conference Games. Day 2. Highlights
7PM	7pm ABC News 7.30 His Excellency The Governor-General’s Australia Day Message 7.40 Special: Australia Day Live. Barry Crocker	7pm Dick Turpin 7.30 Barry Jones’ Wide World	7pm The Odd Couple 7.30 Fantasy Island	7pm The Restless Years	7.30 Special: Who Are We? (Rpt)
8PM	8.50 Special: Bird Of The Thunder Woman	8.30 Cop Shop	8.30 Kate Loves A Mystery	8pm Special: Crystal Gayle	8.27 News Headlines 8.30 The Way Things Go (Italy)
9PM	9.40 ABC News, Weather 9.50 And Here Comes Bucknuckle PREMIERE	9.30 Skyways	9.30 Family	9pm Movie: Thieves Like Us. 1974 [IMDB]	9.30 Worldwide News
10PM	10.20 Players To The Gallery	10.30 Movie: A Time For Killing. 1967 [IMDB]	10.30 Cricket: Second Test. Highlights		10pm Pillars Of Wisdom (France)
11PM	11.10 World Of Music 11.45 Close		11pm Doctors’ Private Lives	11.25 Movie: The Sea Hornet. 1951 (B&W) [IMDB]	11pm Close
12AM		12.05am Department S	12am Movie: The Lawyer. 1970 [IMDB]
1AM		1.05 Close		1.05am Close
2AM			2.15 Movie: The Gorgon. 1965 [IMDB]
3AM			3.45 Movie: The New Healers. 1972 [IMDB]
4AM
5AM			5.10 Danger Man (B&W) (Continues to 6am)