Zone Australia
Well it’s another New Year and I’ve made two resolutions: the first is to bring you even more Aussie news on a more regular basis and the second is to watch more Aussie TV! And if some British TV channels have anything to do with it, that will be extremely likely…
So far, 2008 has started off with a big injection of Aussie drama to UK screens. Not only is Hallmark showing the latest new series of McLeod’s Daughters, one of the best police dramas ever made in Australia, Water Rats, has been snapped up by the FX channel. Though Channel 5 showed some episodes a few years back, this will be the first time all 177 episodes have been played in the UK. The show started earlier this month, so FX is still showing first season episodes -look out for it at 2pm and 6pm every day!
Is that not enough Aussie fare for you? Well if you want a channel that’s really going to spoil you look no further than Zone Thriller. Hidden away with the movie channels (channel 322 on Sky), Zone Thriller has emptied out the Aussie archives in search of some hidden gems – and they found them! They have snagged the UK premiere of the espionage drama series Secrets, police drama Phoenix, anthology series Twisted and crime miniseries The Great Bookie Robbery.
Secrets stars Marshall Napier (McLeod’s Daughters) and Babs McMillan (Sister Cosgrove from Young Doctors and Cass Parker from Prisoner) and, though not the best Aussie series ever, it is well worth watching as it tells the story of three trainee Australian spies learning their trade. Phoenix is one of the highest regarded Aussie dramas ever and is second to none in terms of quality, reality and excitement. It stars Sean Scully (Jim O’Brien from Sons & Daughters) and Andy Anderson (Jim from The Sullivans) .You’ll find Phoenix weeknights at 7pm and Secrets in the same slot at the weekend. But watch out you don’t get confused if you decide to watch both series as they both star Tony Poli - UK viewers may remember him as the madman who kidnapped Gypsy and burnt down the Nash’s house in Home & Away a few years back.
Twisted is a series of 12 half hour dramas hosted by Bryan Brown that, you guessed it, have a twist in their tail. If you keep a watch out you’ll see many familiar Aussie faces pop up including Kimberley Davies (Annalise from Neighbours), Justine Clarke (Roo from Home & Away) and even Steve Bastoni (Neighbours’ Steve Parker).
The Great Bookie Robbery is the story of a real-life robbery that happened in Melbourne during the 1970s. If you want to see Home & Away’s Alf Stewart (Ray Meagher) as a heavy this is the show for you! It’s a fast paced, exciting drama that you should not miss. Monday nights at 9pm is the time to tune in.
Nude Neighbours
If you’ve ever thought you’d like to see a late night version of Neighbours then Satisfaction may just be the show for you. Though the storyline is very different, this story of six women working in a brothel features many Neighbours actors in a severe state of undress. Shown on Showcase, an Australian cable channel, this edgy show features many shocking sex scenes that are all the more outrageous when you realise the scenes are populated by actors from the more wholesome Neighbours…
Who would have thought that Dee Bliss (Toadie’s one-time wife) would end up working in a brothel? (Okay it’s not Dee, but it is Madeleine West, the actress that portrayed her, so you get my point). And it’s not just the Neighbours women who are getting naked – their male clients leave little to the imagination so this is most certainly not a show for the faint hearted. For old time’s sake, Mark Raffety (Dr. Darcy) even manages to score a nude scene alongside Madeleine, his onetime girlfriend in Neighbours!
Current Neighbours Blair Venn and James Sorenson (who play father and son Richard & Declan Napier) manage to get their kit off in the same episode whilst other actors to strip down include Luke Hemsworth (who played Nathan Tyson and who is the real-life brother of recent cast member Liam Hemsworth who plays Jamie). Talking of brothers, Sullivan Stapleton, sibling of Jacinta Stapleton (who played Amy Greenwood) also gets in on the Satisfaction action. Benji McNair (Mal Kennedy), Anthony Hammer (Leo Hancock), Shane McNamara (Gino Esposito) and Isabella Dunwill (bitchy Geri Hallett) also appear - but manage to keep their clothes on.
And it’s not only the Neighbours cast that have the need to let it all hang out – Martin Dingle-Wall (the first Flynn) keeps the flag flying for Home & Away. With two more episodes to screen and a second series already commissioned, there will undoubtedly be more ‘nude Neighbours’ on the way!
Well that’s you up to date once again – do let me know what you think of some of these new shows - keep those comments coming!
