Blue Heelers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Blue Heelers | |
|---|---|
 2004 Cast - Julie Nihill, Rachel Gordon, Martin Sacks, Samantha Tolj, John Wood, Ditch Davey, Geoff Morrell, Danny Raco, Paul Bishop and Simone McAullay. |
|
| Genre | Drama/Crime |
| Running time | approx 0:45 (plus commercials) |
| Creator(s) | Tony Morphett |
| Starring | John Wood Julie Nihill Martin Sacks Lisa McCune Rachel Gordon Paul Bishop Tasma Walton Jane Allsop Grant Bowler |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original channel | Seven Network |
| Original run | January 18, 1994–June 4, 2006 |
| No. of episodes | 510 |
| IMDb profile | |
Blue Heelers(1994 - 2006) was a long-running Australian police drama series set in a Victoria Police station in the fictional small town of Mt. Thomas, Victoria. The show premiered in January 1994, and ended in June 2006.
Blue Heelers tied with Homicide as the longest running Australian primetime television series. (See: Records below).
Contents |
[edit] Main cast
Note: If any character has two rankings beside their name, this means they upgraded rankings while on the show
- John Wood
as Sergeant / Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon (1994 - 2006) - Julie Nihill
as Christine 'Chris' Riley' (1994 - 2006) - Martin Sacks
as Detective Senior Constable / Senior Detective Patrick Joseph 'P.J.' Hasham (1994 - 2005) - Lisa McCune
as Constable / Senior Constable Margaret 'Maggie' Doyle (1994 - 2000) - William McInnes
as Senior Contable / Sergeant Nick Schultz (1994 - 1998, 2004, 2005) - Grant Bowler
as Constable Wayne Patterson (1994 - 1996) - Ann Burbrook
as Roz Patterson (1994, 1996) - Damian Walshe-Howling
as Constable Adam Cooper (1994 - 1998, 2006) - Tasma Walton
as Probationary Constable / Constable Deirdre 'Dash' McKinley (1996 - 1999) - Paul Bishop
as Senior Constable / Sergeant Benjamin 'Ben' Stewart (1998 - 2004) - Jane Allsop
as Constable / Senior Constable Joanna 'Jo' Parrish (1999 - 2004) - Rupert Reid
as Constable Jack Lawson (1999 - 2001) - Caroline Craig
as Sergeant Teresa 'Tess' Gallagher (2000 - 2003) - Ditch Davey
as Constable / Senior Constable / Detective Senior Constable Evan 'Jonesy' Jones (2001 - 2006) - Simone McAullay
as Constable / Senior Constable Susie Raynor (2003 - 2006) - Geoff Morrell
as Sergeant Mark Jacobs (2004 - 2005) - Rachel Gordon
as Detective Senior Constable Amy Fox (2004 - 2006) - Samantha Tolj
as Probationary Constable Kelly O'Rourke (2004 - 2006) - Danny Raco
as Probationary Constable Joss Peroni (2004 - 2006) - Charlie Clausen
as Leading Senior Constable / Acting Sergeant Alex Kirby (2005 - 2006) - Matthew Holmes
as Constable Matthew 'Matt' Graham (2005 - 2006)
[edit] Recurring/semi-regular cast
- Karen Davitt as Doctor Zoe Hamilton (1995 - 1998)
- Beth Buchanan as Susan Croydon (1994 - 2006)
- Peta Doodson as Senior Sergeant / Inspector Monica Draper (1994 - 2006)
- Michael Issacs as Clancy Freeman (1994 - 2004)
- Dennis Miller as Pat Doyle (1994 - 2000)
- Nick Waters as Inspector Ted Faulkner (1994 - 1996)
- Helen Trenos as Celia Donald (1994 - 1996)
- Dale Stevens as Senior Constable Rose Egan (1994 - 1995)
- Terry Gill as Superintendent Clive Adamson (1995 - 1998)
- Reg Evans as Keith Purvis (1995 - 1999)
- Rachel Blakely as Gina Belfanti (1995 - 1997)
- Beverley Evans as Harriet Keppel (1995 - 1996)
- Don Bridges as Charlie Clarke (1996 - 2003)
- Pauline Terry-Bietz as Beth McKinley (1996 - 1999)
- Alexandra Sangster as Anna Croydon (1996)
- Neil Pigot as Inspector Russell Falcon-Price (1997 - 2006)
- Jeremy Kewley as Tony Timms (1997 - 2000, 2004)
- Kevin Harrington as Charlie McKinley (1997 - 1999, 2003)
- Catherine Wilkin as Sally Downie (1998 - 2000)
- Grant Piro as Tim Ryan (1998 - 1999)
- Roy Billing as Senior Constable Ian Goss (2000 - 2003, 2006)
- Debra Lawrance as Reverend Grace Curtis (2001 - 2004)
- Darcy Bosner as Nelson Curtis (2001 - 2004)
- Kane McNay as Daniel Curtis (2001 - 2003)
- Daniel Fredrikson as Dr. Josh Carmichael (2002 - 2003)
- Heidi Arena as Marissa Craddock (2003 - 2004)
- Stephanie Millar as Dr. Sophie Ash (2006)
- Joshua Lawson as David Murray (2006)
- Louis Corbett as Rory Hayes (2006)
[edit] Season Synopses
[edit] Season 1
Blue Heelers first aired on January 18, 1994. The show aired on Tuesday nights at 7:30 PM. The first episode, "A Woman's Place" introduced us to Constable Maggie Doyle, who arrived for her first day of work at the Mt. Thomas police station. The other police present were Sergeant Tom Croydon who ran the station with an almost grandfatherly watch over his co-workers, Constable Wayne Patterson - an old love of Maggie's who was now married to the ambitious Roz, Senior Constable Nick Schultz, a sarcastic and yet good-hearted cop, and Senior Detective Patrick Joseph "P.J." Hasham: a charismatic and somewhat chauvinistic detective who soon found himself very interested in Maggie. Also around, and constantly providing information, gossip and advice was Christine "Chris" Riley who ran the Imperial pub.
Storylines of the first season included:
- Roz assisting the cops,
- Maggie becoming a trial lawyer for the police,
- Tom's family problems, ending with the death of his wife Nell in a car accident,
- Tom's relationship with his daughter Susan (Beth Buchanan),
- Roz witnessing a murder, and subsequently returning to Melbourne,
- The arrival in town of ambitious and contentious young cop Constable Adam Cooper,
- and Maggie's relationship with her retired cop father Pat (Dennis Miller).
The show was a success, and by the end of its 45-episode first season the PJ-Maggie shippers had quickly amassed. Roz was written out of the show before season's end, because the producers thought that they could do more with another police character, rather than a civilian. This allowed for the introduction of Adam Cooper to the group.
Notable guest stars for the season included Radha Mitchell, Kate Keltie, Petra Jared, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Raelee Hill, Libby Tanner, Gerard Kennedy, Anne Phelan, Ian Smith, Olivia Hamnett, Lois Collinder, Lois Ramsay, Pepe Trevor, David Wenham and Janet Andrewartha.
[edit] Season 2
Season 2 premiered in February 1995, and ran for 41 episodes. The storylines included:
- Adam dealing with an HIV scare,
- Chris and Adam beginning a relationship, despite their age difference,
- Maggie getting a roommate, Gina Belfanti (Rachel Blakely), who quickly fell for Adam,
- Tom's reunion with his troubled daughter Susan,
- Maggie and Wayne going for their Senior Constable exams,
- The introduction of Inspector Monica Draper (Peta Doodson) who kept a close watch on the Mt.Thomas station,
- The arrival in town of Dr. Zoe Hamilton (Karen Davitt), a local doctor who became a secret admirer of Nick's,
- and the growing sexual tension between PJ and Maggie.
The season ended with Gina being raped. The only witness, a mentally disabled man named Clancy Freeman (Michael Isaacs, who would recur until the 11th season), was uncertain of what he had seen, and so Maggie was used as bait to trap the rapist. In the aftermath, she and PJ shared their first kiss.
Notable guest stars included Robert Grubb, David Field as Maggie's brother Michael, Maxine Klibingaitis, Rebecca Rigg, Hugh Jackman, Libby Tanner, Kris McQuade, Janet Andrewartha, Kerry Armstrong, Terry Gill, Reg Gorman, Lois Collinder, Jon Concannon, Kristian Schmid and Gerard Kennedy.
[edit] Season 3
By the time the 42-episode third season began, Blue Heelers was hailed as the most successful Australian drama on television, also seeing significant changes in life at the station. Storylines included:
- Maggie discovering her brother Robbie (now played by Brett Climo) was on drugs,
- Wayne's death, paving the way for his untrustworthy replacement (Frankie J. Holden), who eventually was caught falsifying evidence and replaced by strong, independent Constable Deirdre "Dash" McKinley,
- Tom dealing with his young daughter Anna (Alexandra Sangster)'s pregnancy,
- PJ and Maggie - who had decided that their kiss meant nothing - were torn apart when Maggie fell for her professor Roman Kellerman (Geoff Paine). While PJ's suspicions about Kellerman proved correct, it severely affected his friendship with Maggie and he chose to leave the station. His charismatic replacement, Detective Johnny Kowalski (Jack Finsterer) proved to be no picnic - wooing both the women of the station. When PJ eventually returned, with Kowalski gone, relations between him and Maggie were strained. In the season finale, Maggie saved him from being prosecuted for the murder of a local woman - despite the false allegations of the woman's son Luke Darcy (Jonathon Brooks) - and the season ended with renewed hope for all of the cops.
Notable guest stars included Frances O'Connor, Marg Downey, Lee Kernaghan, Radha Mitchell, Terry Gill, Raelee Hill, Louise Siversen, Rhys Muldoon, David Wenham, Norman Yemm, Andrew Blackman, Frankie J. Holden, Anne Phelan and Andrew McKaige.
[edit] Season 4
The fourth season ran for 42 episodes. Storylines included:
- Plague coming to Mt. Thomas, with Maggie nearly losing her life,
- Adam confessing his unrequited love for Dash,
- Chris's niece Leonie marrying Clancy Freeman,
- Nick and Zoe growing closer,
- the marriage of Adam to Stacey Norse (Kate Atkinson),
- The introduction of two popular recurring characters: Jeremy Kewley as less-than-helpful reporter Tony Tims, and Neil Pigot as Inspector Russell "Rusty" Falcon-Price,
- Chris becoming politically minded and running for local council,
- Tom's daughter Susan taking up a posting at the school,
- Adam facing the fact that his wife had lied and cheated on him,
- Maggie attempting to protect her drug-addicted brother from the law,
- Luke Darcy, PJ's nemesis, attempting to ruin his life once and for all,
- The attraction of Tom to local solicitor Sally Downie (Catherine Wilkin),
- and the sexual tension being consummated between PJ and Maggie, leading to them finally starting a secret relationship.
Two of the most popular episodes remain the two-parter "Gold" and "Fool's Gold", in which PJ and Maggie are trapped down a mine shaft and release their sexual tension. In the episode, "Fool For Love", Jane Allsop guest starred. She impressed the producers so much that they would later invite her back to the show in a main role as Jo Parrish.
Notable guest actors this season included Anne Phelan, Stefan Dennis, Vincent Gil, Alan Dale, Peta Brady, Brett Climo, Wendy Strehlow, Fiona Corke and Lesley Baker.
[edit] Season 5
The 41-episode fifth season saw the show move to Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM, allowing it to explore new storylines that weren't available in an earlier timeslot. Ratings continued to climb.
Storylines included:
- Maggie and PJ hiding their relationship from their co-workers, which landed them in trouble when Organised Crimes specialist Detective Sergeant Ben Stewart came to town to help with a case, falling for Maggie,
- Tom embarking on a relationship with Sally Downie,
- Dash being diagnosed with cancer, and undergoing chemotherapy,
- the cops fighting back against plans to downgrade the station,
- a demoted Senior Constable Ben Stewart returning full time to Mt. Thomas,
- the engagement and marriage of Nick and Zoe,
- and Adam's increasingly disgraceful conduct - including falsifying evidence and punching Tom - seeing him removed from the force.
The season saw Nick and Zoe leave Mt. Thomas after their wedding, with Nick being tired of being held back by his co-workers. In real life, William McInnes had lost patience with the relative lack of storylines he was being given.
Guest actors included Shane Connor, James Condon, John Clayton, Maggie Dence, Peter O'Brien, Grant Piro, Val Lehman, Monica Maughan, Anne Phelan, Dennis Coard, Carol Burns and Sean Scully.
[edit] Season 6
The sixth season of 42 episodes would be the peak of the show's popularity, along with the first episodes of the seventh. Storylines included:
- The arrival of Constable Jack Lawson,
- Ben dealing with his broken marriage and desire to see more of his children,
- PJ and Maggie's relationship being exposed via a security video,
- Chris taking a place on the local council,
- Ben's daughter Emma attempting to get Ben and Maggie together,
- Maggie dealing with the death of her brother Robbie, and her attempts to crack the drug ring that killed him,
- Tom having to let go of his relationship with Sally,
- Dash's promotion and subsequent decision to leave the force,
- Maggie briefly starting an affair with Ben, but ultimately choosing PJ just as Ben was dealt a blow by his ex-wife's decision to move to the other side of the country with their children,
- Jack getting involved with an ex-girlfriend, Molly (Petra Jared), whose wild antics saw him getting in over his head,
- and the arrival in town of Constable Joanna Parrish.
Guest actors this season included Kate Hood, Jason Clarke, Terence Donovan, Lisa Crittenden, Grant Piro, Norman Yemm, Robert Grubb, Margot Knight, Arianthe Galani, Jeremy Angerson, Louise Siversen, Lois Ramsay, Mary Ward and Roger Oakley.
[edit] Season 7
The first episodes of the 41-episode seventh season would be the most watched in Blue Heelers history, and also the start of the show's downfall in the public consciousness. Maggie, aided by PJ and her brother Mick, arrived at the point of cracking the drug ring she had been pursuing for a year and realised that she would have to go into witness protection. To do so, she staged a breakup with PJ and then awaited her escort nervously. PJ, however, realised that she was being tricked and arrived just seconds too late, to see Maggie shot down by a mysterious assailant. The episodes that followed, the "Who Killed Maggie Doyle?" arc, were the most-watched episodes ever. Arrested for Maggie's murder, PJ looked desperately to prove that he was being framed. Ultimately, in episode 263 "Out of the Shadows", he discovered the truth - it was her brother Mick.
Other storylines included:
- The remaining cops dealing with Maggie's death,
- Sergeant Tess Gallagher arriving in town to take Maggie's position, which hurts a depressed Ben,
- Tess being drawn into the plight of three young neglected children, the oldest - Hayley (Emily Browning) - particularly drawing her sympath,
- The new doctor in town, Mel Carter (Suzi Dougherty) quickly learning to fit in,
- and Jack's attempts to woo a local girl ending in tragedy with him being shot and left for dead. In the final episodes of the season, a paralysed Jack started a downward spiral which was only saved by a revolutionary procedure that was to be tested on him, and ultimately saved him.
Guest actors this season included Paul Dawber, Alan Hopgood, Olivia Hamnett, Kate Hood, Ian Rawlings, Andy Anderson, Dennis Coard, Roger Oakley, Betty Lucas, James Condon, Alex Papps, Mary Ward, Tommy Dysart, Maggie Kirkpatrick, Joy Westmore, Alyce Platt, Jeremy Angerson, Sean Scully, Zoe Bertram, Wendy Strehlow and Nicki Paull.
[edit] Season 8
Ratings in the 8th season began to decline ever so slowly, with many fans feeling that Maggie's absence and the slightly repetitive storylines were getting in the way of the show's feel.
Storylines included:
- Tess and Jack beginning a relationship which ended when he was arrested and convicted for murder,
- Tess falling for his replacement, Evan Jones - who joined the force to avenge his father's death,
- Tess taking in neglected child Hayley Fulton,(Emily Browning)
- Ben's continuing spiral of depression,
- and Tom finding love in enchanting local reverend Grace Curtis (Debra Lawrance), whose sons were less than thrilled with the match.
Guest actors who appeared in this season included Carol Burns, Richard Cawthorne,Norman Yemm, Val Lehman, David Clencie, Simon Burke, Terry Gill, Alethea McGrath, Gary Sweet, Rhys Muldoon, Gary Day, Lisa Crittenden, Julia Blake, Alan Hopgood, Gerard Kennedy, Lesley Baker and Kirsty Child.
[edit] Season 9
Storylines for the 41-episode ninth season included:
- Susan Croydon, pregnant, returning home only to lose her baby in a hit-and-run designed as a revenge plot on Tom,
- PJ dealing with his mother's death,
- Tess - having lost Hayley to her real family - letting out her feelings for Jonesy,
- and Jo falling for PJ, which faced a snag when Ben's lawyer sister Liz (Kat Stewart) arrived in town taking PJ's heart with her.
- After Liz left town, PJ and Jo ultimately became a couple and moved in together, forcing roommate Ben to deal with his new living situation,
- Tom proposed to Grace, but the week of their wedding saw trouble in the form of her ex-husband, and their respective families,
- Jo sat for - and succeeded in - her Senior Constable exam,
- and Tess began a whirlwind affair with an old friend, attractive Dr. Josh Carmichael (Daniel Fredriksen) which ended with Jonesy distraught, and Tess married. However not before, Tess and Jonesy shared a steamy kiss in the locker room, in the episode 'All You Need I Love'
Notable guest actors this season included Ailsa Piper, Alan David Lee, John Orcsik, Leslie Dayman, Margot Knight, Justine Saunders, Jane Badler, Elspeth Ballantyne, Peter Sumner, Shaunna O'Grady, Kate Jason, Alethea McGrath, Marg Downey, Monica Maughan, Lois Collinder and Annie Jones.
[edit] Season 10
By the 42-episode tenth season, Blue Heelers was in a comfortable but not successful ratings pattern. Storylines included:
- Ben recovering from alcoholism, and then beginning an affair with Inspector Falcon-Price's wife,
- Jonesy proving ulterior motives behind Josh's marriage to Tess,
- Jo and PJ facing relationship troubles,
- Ben falling for, and proposing to, Salvation Army Captain Marissa Craddock (Heidi Arena),
- The arrival in town of Ben's daughter Maddie,
- Tom dealing with his teenage step-son's problems,
- Tess leaving town, pregnant with Josh's child, due to a natal condition,
- and the arrival of Constable Susie Raynor, whose paralysed husband Brad (Matt Passmore) became wrongly suspicious of Ben and Susie's friendship, ending in a confrontation where Ben had no choice but to shoot and kill Brad in front of Susie.
Guest actors this season included Betty Bobbitt, Robert Grubb, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Richard Cawthorne, Lisa Crittenden, Maggie Millar, Betty Lucas, Paul Mercurio, Lynda Gibson, Ian Rawlings, Colette Mann, Ernie Bourne, Lyndel Rowe and Andrew Clarke.
[edit] Season 11
With ratings slipping fast, 2004 became the year in which the producers took a radical approach to shake-up their show. The 39-episode 11th season saw the ratings ascend dramatically. Storylines included:
- the return to Mt Thomas of Luke Darcy, who terrorised PJ and Jo,
- Ben's engagement collapsing, and him having to face Susie over the events of the tenth season finale,
- Jonesy and Susie embarking on a short-lived relationship, and
- the engagement of PJ and Jo, which ended when PJ was haunted by Maggie's memory.
On 21 April, Blue Heelers aired a special event: a live episode. While Paul Bishop did not appear due to film commitments, this theatre-esque event drew large ratings and was the first step in drawing viewers back to the show.
This was followed by the overhaul of the show. Its 440th episode, "End of Innocence", aired on 6 July and saw a new family in town being suspected of ghastly crimes. The Baxter family terrorised Clancy, Jo, Tom and Grace, and shortly thereafter the terror became reality when the station was blown up and Clancy and Jo were killed. Soon after, Grace was found raped and murdered.
Nick Schultz, now in Homicide, returned to investigate, and soon learned that Tom had changed as a result of these events, and was now much harsher and determined to gain vengeance on the Baxters. Four new cops arrived on the scene - the smart Detective Senior Constable Amy Fox, family man Sergeant Mark Jacobs, and ambitious rival trainees, Probationary Constables Kelly O'Rourke and Joss Peroni (whose birthdays just happened to be on the same day). In episode 445, "Checkmate", Barry Baxter was sent to jail for the terror attacks, and Nick departed Mt Thomas leaving his colleagues to face their new situation. The ratings picked up significantly during this time.
Storylines over the second half of the season included:
- moving into the new station and discovering the new power situation,
- Jonesy finding a suspicious girlfriend, Donna (Samantha Healy), after discovering Susie with Ben,
- Tom remaining a changed man after his wife's death,
- Kelly being harassed by new Sgt. Roy Holland,
- Joss beginning a relationship with a much older woman, Fay Tudor (Tottie Goldsmith), and
- PJ and Amy facing tensions with one another.
In the final episodes of the season, a series of attempts on Tom's life saw him suspect Tarni Baxter (Melissa Andersen), the jailed Baxter's daughter. Although there was no proof against her, the closing moments of the season finale saw a crazy-with-rage Tom attempting to drown Tarni in a river.
While some critics and fans were concerned at the new soap opera style that Blue Heelers had embraced, ratings remained high for the rest of the season.
Guest actors included Charles "Bud" Tingwell, Nicki Paull, Bernard Curry, Lesley Baker, Danny Adcock, Alan Hopgood, Frankie J. Holden, Simon Westaway and Jeremy Linday Taylor.
[edit] Season 12
The 12th season ran for 42 episodes.
While the first half of the season, with several high profile guest stars, maintained the high ratings of the previous season; the second half of the year - which saw the show up against ratings success House saw a decrease in ratings, as well as a gradual mixing of critical reaction, which had initially proved mostly positive.
The season also saw the departure of Geoff Morrell and Martin Sacks, who chose to take time off to spend with their families. Sacks's departure left Julie Nihill and John Wood as the only remaining original cast members; and the only cast members to have been on the show since before 2001.
Storylines for season 12 included:
- Tom being suspected of murder, while only Kelly stood by him,
- Nick returning to town briefly to find evidence against Tom, however ultimately realising it was someone framing him,
- The arrival of Mark's friend Acting Sergeant Lindy Schroeder (Sarah Chadwick) and her quick dismissal by a still-bitter Tom,
- Tom going up against a gangster (Gary Sweet),
- PJ and Amy's conflict over a psychiatrist (Vince Colosimo), suspected of being a serial killer,
- Amy confronting her uncle (Shane Porteous) who sexually abused her as a teen
- the arrival of Leading Senior Constable Alex Kirby (Charlie Clausen), who immediatedly fell for Susie, causing conflict,
- The escape from jail of Barry Baxter, threatening Tom's family and seeing a siege situation,
- PJ leaving the station to take a job in Melbourne with Homicide,
- Tensions between Joss and Alex almost resulting in Joss' dismissal from the force and an extension of his probationary period,
- Jonesy taking up detective work with Amy and attempting to prove his worth,
- Joss becoming determined to show Amy that he, also, has what it takes to be a detective,
- Mark beginning an affair with his neighbour (Tara Morice), finally resigning from the police force and leaving to start a new life with her,
- Kelly's new neighbour becoming an obsessive stalker, and terrorising Kelly,
- the arrival in town of former soldier turned police officer Constable Matt Graham, who is forced to deal with his wartorn past after events in town bring back painful memories.
- the investigation into several rapes, with ties to a prominent plastic surgeon (Peter O'Brien),
- and the surprising arrival in town of a boy who is searching for his father - who turns out to be Acting Seargent Alex Kirby.
Guest actors included Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Val Jellay, John Brumpton, Joy Westmore, Pepe Trevor, Margot Knight, Tracy Mann, Danny Adcock, Paul Dawber, Lynette Curran, Elspeth Ballantyne and Alethea McGrath.
[edit] Season 13
After the falling ratings of 2005, the network commissioned an abbreviated 13th season of 11 episodes, taking the show's episode tally to 510. On January 13, 2006, the network ended months of speculation when they officially cancelled the series. The news was broken by television critic Robert Fidgeon on radio station 3AW, and was shortly followed by the official announcement 1.
For its final season, Blue Heelers was moved to the lower-rated Saturday night timeslot, which also saw it up against popular British police program The Bill. This move was slammed by cast member John Wood 1.
The season premiered on April 1, 2006, with the show's 500th episode - Only The Lonely. The network chose to discount the pilot as an episode, advertising the season premiere as episode 499, and promoting the next episode - "Boss" - as the 500th. This episode focussed largely on Tom Croydon battling the news that he has prostate cancer. Ratings for these episodes were low, a standard which continued throughout the season.
Storylines for the final season included:
- Alex dealing with his role as a father to son Rory,
- Tom dealing with prostate cancer, and Inspector Falcon-Price's subsequent taking over of the station,
- Falcon-Price's attempts to prove Tom is not up for the job,
- Separate romances for Joss - with a pickpocket victim - and Kelly - with a rival lawyer - and their jealousy of each other,
- Joss's growing gambling debts and the consequences, including being beaten up and becoming homeless,
- The arrival in town of Joss's concerned mother,
- The stabbing of Alex,
- The return to town of ex-Constable Adam Cooper (Damian Walshe-Howling),
- and the closing of the Mt. Thomas police station.
The 2 hour series finale, One Day More, aired on June 4 and a Sunday Night at 8.30 in a Prime Time-slot. The finale focused on Tom's attempts to reconnect with his family, and recover from his illness, whilst dealing with the fact that the Mt. Thomas police station may be closing down. It also featureed the return of former cast member Damian Walshe-Howling.
Guest actors for the season included Roy Billing, Jacinta Stapleton, Elly Varrenti, Marcus Graham, Ian Roberts, Bernard Curry, Spencer McLaren, Kane Alexander and Joshua Lawson.
Two alternate endings were filmed for the finale, which wrapped filming on December 20, 2005. One ending was left open ended, to serve as a lead-in to a possible 14th season. The other ending wrapped up all the show's storylines. This second ending was used. 2
[edit] Records
The show's 510th episode makes Blue Heelers the equal record holder of longest weekly primetime drama series in Australian history, tying with Homicide.
It should be noted that this record covers only the number of episodes aired. Homicide remains the longest running show in terms of years (and months) on air at 12 years and 6 months, having beat Blue Heelers by one month. Also, Homicide had two 90 minute episodes, two 120 minute episodes, and a 150 minute episode, making its overall on-air running time longer.
[edit] DVD releases
Seasons of Blue Heelers have been released on Region 4 DVD. However, the "Seasons" as defined by the DVD releases are markedly different to the original seasons. It appears that the episodes are being released according to what year the episodes were produced as opposed to the year they aired.
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date (Australia) | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | November 2, 2005 | Includes season 1 episodes 1 - 17. |
| Season 2 | December 1, 2005 | Includes season 1 episodes 18 - 45 and season 2 episodes 46 - 54. |
| Season 3 | February 16, 2006 | Includes season 2 episodes 55 - 86 and season 3 episodes 87 - 96. |
| Season 4 | April 6, 2006 | Includes season 3 episodes 97 - 128 and season 4 episodes 129 - 139. |
| Season 5 | June 8, 2006 | Includes season 4 episodes 140 - 170 and season 5 episodes 171 - 181. |
| Season 6 | August 10, 2006 | Includes season 5 episodes 182 - 211, and season 6 episodes 212 - 223. |
[edit] Logie Awards
The Logie Awards have awarded the following honours to Blue Heelers:
1995 - Winner - Most Popular New Talent - Lisa McCune
1996 - Winner - Most Popular Actress - Lisa McCune
1997 - Nominee - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
1997 - Nominee - Most Outstanding Actor - William McInnes
1997 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - Martin Sacks
1997 - Winner - Most Popular Actress - Lisa McCune
1997 - Winner - Most Popular New Talent - Tasma Walton
1997 - Winner - Most Popular Television Show
1998 - Nominee - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
1998 - Nominee - Most Oustanding Actor - William McInnes
1998 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - Martin Sacks
1998 - Winner - Most Popular Actress - Lisa McCune
1998 - Winner - Most Popular Television Show
1999 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - Martin Sacks
1999 - Winner - Most Popular Actress - Lisa McCune
1999 - Winner - Most Popular Television Show
1999 - Nominee - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
2000 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - Martin Sacks
2000 - Winner - Most Popular Actress - Lisa McCune
2000 - Winner - Most Popular Television Show
2000 - Nominee - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
2000 - Winner - Most Popular New Talent - Jane Allsop
2001 - Nominee - Most Popular Television Show
2001 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - Martin Sacks
2001 - Nominee - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
2002 - Winner - Most Popular New Male Talent - Ditch Davey
2003 - Nominee - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
2003 - Nominee - Most Popular Australian Program
2004 - Nominee - Most Popular Australian Program
2004 - Nominee - Most Popular Australian Drama Series
2005 - Nominee - Most Popular Television Show
2005 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
2005 - Nominee - Most Popular Actress - Jane Allsop
2005 - Nominee - Most Popular New Female Talent - Rachel Gordon
2005 - Nominee - Most Popular New Female Talent - Samantha Tolj
2006 - Nominee - Most Outstanding Actor - John Wood
2006 - Nominee - Most Popular Drama Series
2006 - Winner - Most Popular Actor - John Wood
[edit] Gold Logie Awards
The Gold Logie is the award for Most Popular Television Personality of the year. In 1996, Lisa McCune - who quickly became the darling of the Australian television audience - was nominated for it, and from 1997 to 2000, she was the winner of the award. She was further nominated in 2001. In the twelve months prior to the 2001 awards ceremony she had appeared in just two episodes of Blue Heelers, and the miniseries The Potato Factory. On this occasion she lost out to Georgie Parker of All Saints.
John Wood was nominated for the award every year from 1997 to 2006. From 1997 to 2000, he lost to McCune, then - in 2001 and 2002 - to Parker. From 2003 to 2005, he lost to television host Rove McManus. In 2006, nominated amongst a diverse field of nominees, Wood finally won the Gold Logie.
[edit] Overseas reception
The series has had international success including various regions of the United Kingdom where the series was broadcasted on some stations on the ITV Network. Many companies tended to screen the show as hour-long episodes in the afternoon whereas Central Television started with a late night 11.40pm slot before following other regions with a typically 2.20pm slot. Carlton Television for a period showed the episodes in two halves as was common with other Australian soap operas in London such as A Country Practice. Several regions including Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees Television chose not to import the show and concentrated on Shortland Street instead. When the ITV contractors refprmated as one company in 2002, regional programmes such as Blue Heelers disappeared from screens.
Irish broadcaster RTE aired Blue Heelers on Friday afternoons, before moving it to a Thursday night/Friday morning timeslot, typically about 1:00am.
