Tag: Prisoner

Obituary: Reg Watson

Reg Watson, the creator of Neighbours and many other successful soaps, has died at the age of 93. Born in Maryborough, Queensland, in 1926, Watson’s career started as a radio actor and announcer and he had also dabbled in theatre. By the mid-1950s, he had moved to the United Kingdom and in 1956 was appointed …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/10/obituary-reg-watson.html

Obituary: Bryan Marshall

Bryan Marshall, the British actor with a string of Australian credits, passed away last week at the age of 81. London-born Marshall was a familiar face in British television dramas as far back as the 1960s, with early credits including No Hiding Place, Dr Finlay’s Casebook, The Forsythe Saga, Vanity Fair, Z Cars and The …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/07/obituary-bryan-marshall.html

Seven’s battle for high noon

In the 1980s one of the Nine Network‘s many strengths was its early afternoons. The Mike Walsh Show, which became Midday with Ray Martin, followed by US soaps Days Of Our Lives and The Young And The Restless constantly beat anything thrown at them by rival commercial networks Seven and Ten. When Christopher Skase took …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/03/sevens-battle-for-high-noon.html

Prisoner stars before Prisoner

Last week marked the 40th anniversary of the debut of Prisoner. Most of the actors from the series had come from established acting backgrounds, though for many it was Prisoner that made them household (and even international) names even though they were not necessarily strangers to television. So what were some of the Prisoner cast …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/03/prisoner-stars-before-prisoner.html

40 years of Prisoner

It is 40 years ago this week that Prisoner first graced our screens, and a thankful 0-10 Network was relieved to have a ratings hit. In an era where it was almost mandatory for a commercial network to have two hit soaps on the go, the struggling network had teen drama The Restless Years and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/02/40-years-of-prisoner.html

Magda Szubanski in Australia Day Honours

Writer, comedian, actress and activist Magda Szubanski is among the hundreds to be honoured this Australia Day. Szubanski has been awarded Officer in the Order of Australia (AO) “For distinguished service to the performing arts as an actor, comedian and writer, and as a campaigner for marriage equality.” Szubanski started in the comedy series The …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2019/01/magda-szubanski-in-australia-day-honours.html

Obituary: Terry McDermott

Actor Terry McDermott, one of the founding cast members of the long-running series Homicide, has died at the age of 91. He featured in early TV dramas including The Adventures of Long John Silver, Whiplash and Consider Your Verdict. He appeared in the pilot episode of Crawford Productions‘ proposed series Homicide. A year had passed …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/12/obituary-terry-mcdermott.html

Obituary: Judy McBurney

Judy McBurney, best known for roles in The Young Doctors and Prisoner, has died at the age of 70 after a four-year battle with cancer. With an early career in modelling, she moved into acting with appearances in Catwalk, Barrier Reef, Seven Little Australians, Behind The Legend, The Box, Homicide, Bluey and Bellbird. In 1973 …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/12/obituary-judy-mcburney.html

A Country Practice headed for a re-boot?

Media gossip today suggesting that the classic 80s and 90s soap A Country Practice could be coming back. Reports indicate that production company Fremantle has bought the rights to the series that ran for over a decade on the Seven Network and also had a brief reprisal on Ten. Fremantle has of course had success …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/10/a-country-practice-headed-for-a-re-boot.html

The 1970s Price Is Right

In the history of Australian television very few game shows have generated as much enthusiasm from contestants and studio audiences as The Price Is Right. The Price Is Right was not a new format to Australia in the 1970s. There had been earlier versions in the 1950s and 1960s, but the 1973 revision marked a …

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Permanent link to this article: https://televisionau.com/2018/10/the-1970s-price-is-right.html