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Blue Heelers (season 4)
Encyclopedia
The fourth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network
on 10 February 1997 and aired on Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 25 November 1997.
Semi-regular cast members for this season included:
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
.
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
.
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.
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
on 10 February 1997 and aired on Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 25 November 1997.
Casting
Main cast for this season consisted of:- John WoodJohn Wood (Australian actor)John Wood is a Gold Logie Award-winning Australian actor, best known for his role as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon in the Seven Network's long running police drama Blue Heelers.-TV career:...
as Sergeant Tom CroydonTom CroydonThomas Arthur Croydon is a fictional character in the long running Australian television police drama Blue Heelers. He is one of two characters to appear in all thirteen seasons, 1994 to 2006, and is an original character...
[full season] - Julie NihillJulie NihillJulie Nihill is an Australian actress.-Biography:After early roles in 1980s soap operas such as The Young Doctors, Prisoner and Sons and Daughters and the miniseries Bodyline .Nihill was cast in the role for which she became a household face: as bartender and local councilor Chris...
as Christine 'Chris' RileyChris Riley (Blue Heelers character)Councillor Christine Bridget "Chris" Riley is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers played by Julie Nihill. She is one of only two characters who were in the show from 1994 to 2006. She is good friends with Tom Croydon and his late wife Nell....
[full season] - Martin SacksMartin SacksMartin Colin Sacks is an award-winning Australian actor, chiefly known for his 12-year role on Blue Heelers from 1993–2005.-Career:...
as DetectiveDetectiveA detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Senior Constable Patrick Joseph 'P.J.' HashamPatrick Joseph 'P.J.' HashamP.J. was a fictional character in Australia's police series Blue Heelers.He was an original character in 1994 and left in 2005.He was portrayed by Martin Sacks....
[full season] - Lisa McCuneLisa McCuneLisa McCune , is a four-time Gold Logie Award winning Australian actress, best known for her role as Senior Constable Maggie Doyle in Blue Heelers, and as Lt...
as Constable Margaret 'Maggie' Doyle [full season] - William McInnesWilliam McInnesWilliam McInnes is an Australian film and television actor and writer.-Television:After a recurring role on A Country Practice in 1990, McInnes appeared in series such as Bligh, Ocean Girl, and Snowy before making his name as Senior Constable Nick Schultz on Blue Heelers in 1994...
as Senior Constable Nicholas 'Nick' Schultz [full season] - Damian Walshe-HowlingDamian Walshe-HowlingDamian Walshe-Howling is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Andrew "Benji" Veniamin in the Australian underworld drama, Underbelly, for which he won the Best Supporting or Guest Actor in a Drama Series at the 2008 AFI Awards.-Biography:He also starred on Blue Heelers as Constable Adam...
as Probationary Constable Adam Cooper [full season] - Tasma WaltonTasma WaltonTasma Walton is an Australian television and film actress.-Acting career:Walton joined local radio station 6GE and trained as a production assistant and copy writer in her home town...
as Probationary Constable Deirdre 'Dash' McKinleyDeirdre 'Dash' McKinleyDash McKinley was a fictional character from Blue Heelers. She entered the series in 1996 and left in 1999, as she resigned from the police force. One of her major storylines occurred during the 1998 season, when she was diagnosed with cancer. Dash was the youngest of nine children. She had a kind...
[full season]
Semi-regular cast members for this season included:
- Peta DoodsonPeta DoodsonPeta Doodson is an Australian television actress. She was more commonly known as playing the hardlined Inspector of police, Inspector Monica Draper, on the hit TV show Blue Heelers....
as Inspector Monica Draper - Beth BuchananBeth BuchananBeth Buchanan is an Australian actress. She is best known for the television roles of Gemma Ramsay in Neighbours, in the early '90s, and Susan Croydon in Blue Heelers from 1994. She is also a long-standing member of the Ranters Theatre company.-Early life:Buchanan is the daughter of musician Tony...
as Susan Croydon - Michael IsaacsMichael IsaacsMichael Isaacs is an Australian actor best known for his semi-regular role as the intellectually disabled Clancy Freeman in the TV series Blue Heelers ....
as Clancy Freeman
- Axl Taylor as Len the barman
- Dennis MillerDennis Miller (Australian actor)Dennis Miller is an Australian film and television actor. Miller has acted in television shows including a recurring role on Blue Heelers as Ex-Sergeant Pat Doyle .He was also married to actress Elspeth Ballantyne.- External links :...
as Ex-Sergeant Pat Doyle - Jeremy KewleyJeremy KewleyJeremy Leo Kewley is an Australian actor, based in Melbourne, who made his professional acting debut at the age of 14 in the feature film The Devil's Playground .-Early life:...
as Tony Timms - Reg EvansReg EvansReginald "Reg" Evans was a British-born actor active in Australian television, theatre, and cinema from the 1960s....
as Keith Purvis - Terry GillTerry GillTerry Gill is a British-born actor who carved a nichè in Australian television playing police officers.He was a recurring cast member in the women's prison drama Prisoner as Det. Insp. Jack Grace, a regular cast member as Sgt...
as SuperintendentSuperintendent (police)Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
Clive Adamson - Karen DavittKaren DavittKaren Davitt is an Australian actress, best known for her performance as Zoe Hamilton in Blue Heelers from 1995–1998.She was born 1 January 1963 in London.-Filmography:Filmography*MDA as Dr. Gerry Mitchell *Ned Kelly as Anne Jones...
as Doctor Zoe Hamilton - Rachel BlakelyRachel BlakelyRachel Blakely is an Australian actress. Her works include films such as Love Until, Young Hercules and Counterstrike, as well as guest appearances on television shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, State Coroner and Flipper; from 2006 to 2007 she starred as Glenda Fry in the Australian...
as Gina Belfanti - Don Bridges as Charlie Clarke
- Marie Trevor as Lelia Clegg
- Pauline Terry-Bietz as Beth McKinley
- Neil PigotNeil PigotNeil Pigot is an Australian actor, best known to audiences as Inspector Falcon-Price on Blue Heelers.Pigot began his career in theatre, and after a long apprenticeship moved to guest starring roles in television shows such as The Games , The Secret Life of Us , Marshall Law and Stingers...
as InspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
Russel Falcon-Price - Adam May as Ellis Corby
- Peter Aanensen as Merv Poole
- Kevin Harrington as Charlie McKinley
- Kate AtkinsonKate Atkinson (actress)Kate Atkinson is an Australian television, film and theatre actress. She is best known for her roles on television series SeaChange as Karen Miller and Offspring as Renee....
as Stacey Norse - Stuart Baker as "Richo"
Notable guest actors this season included Anne Phelan
Anne Phelan
Anne Mary Phelan, OAM , is a much awarded Australian actress, who has appeared prominently in Theatre, Australian television productions and soap operas, including Prisoner where she played the role of 'Top Dog' Myra Desmond and Monica Taylor in Something in the air...
, Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis is an Australian actor, best known for playing the role of Paul Robinson in the soap opera, Neighbours, from its first episode in March 1985 to the present day...
, Vincent Gil
Vincent Gil
Vincent Gil is an Australian film and television actor best known for his portrayal of the character Nightrider in the 1979 film Mad Max. Gil has also starred in many Australian television shows such as Neighbours, A Country Practice and Prisoner.-External links:...
, Alan Dale
Alan Dale
Alan Hugh Dale is a New Zealand actor. As a child, Dale developed a love of theatre and also became a rugby player. After retiring from the sport he took on a number of professions to support his family, before deciding to become a professional actor at the age of 27. With work limited in New...
, Peta Brady
Peta Brady
Peta Brady is an Australian actress. She is best known for playing Cody Willis in the TV soap opera Neighbours. Since she left the show, Brady has appeared in the film Mullet, the TV sitcom Kath & Kim and the SBS series RAN ...
, Brett Climo
Brett Climo
Brett Climo is an Australian actor.His television credits include: Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice, The Flying Doctors, The Man from Snowy River, Pacific Drive, Murder Call, Water Rats, Blue Heelers, Stingers, All Saints and The Elephant Princess.-External links:...
, Wendy Strehlow
Wendy Strehlow
Wendy Strehlow is an Australian actress, probably best known for her role as Sister Judy Loveday in the television soap opera A Country Practice...
, Fiona Corke
Fiona Corke
Fiona Corke is an Australian actress best known for her role as Gail Robinson on the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Career:Corke began her career with a minor role in the film 'I Live with Me Dad'...
and Lesley Baker
Lesley Baker
Lesley Baker is an Australian actress, singer, dancer and comedienne.She is best known for her roles as hulking husband basher Monica Ferguson in Prisoner and Angie Rebecchi in Neighbours.-Filmography:...
.
In the episode, "Fool For Love", Jane Allsop
Jane Allsop
Jane Claire Allsop is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish on Blue Heelers.-Personal life:...
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
Jo Parrish
Joanna "Jo" Parrish was a fictional character on the Australian police series Blue Heelers. She arrived in 1999 and left in 2004 when she was killed in an explosion.She was portrayed by Jane Allsop....
.
Plot
Storylines for season four included:- "Mad Cow Disease"Bovine spongiform encephalopathyBovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
coming to Mount Thomas and Maggie nearly losing her life, - Adam confessing his unrequited love for Dash,
- Chris's niece Leonie marrying Clancy Freeman and them beginning a family together,
- Nick and Zoe growing closer,
- Chris's Irish fiancee being murdered
- the marriage of Adam to Stacey Norse (Kate Atkinson) and Stacey's miscarriage of the baby Adam thought to be his,
- The introduction of two popular recurring characters: Jeremy Kewley as less-than-helpful reporter Tony Timms, and Neil Pigot as Inspector Russell "Rusty" Falcon-Price,
- Chris becoming politically minded and running for local councilLocal governmentLocal government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
, - Tom's daughter Susan's struggle to take up a posting at the school after her troubled past,
- 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 solicitorSolicitorSolicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
Sally Downie (Catherine Wilkin), - and the sexual tension being consummated between PJ and Maggie, leading to them finally starting a secret relationship.
Reception
The 1997 Season was the highest rating for the show; was the number one show on Australian Television for that year: Averaging a mammoth 2,441,000 in the five cities for the year.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.
Awards
Episodes
| DVD Season # | Episode # | Title | Director(s) | Writer(s) | Original airdate (Aust.) |
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DVD release
| The Complete Fourth Season: Part 1 | ||||
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Set Details | Special Features | ||
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| April 6, 2006 | ||||
| The Complete Fourth Season: Part 2 | ||||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| April 6, 2006 | ||||
| The Complete Fourth Season | ||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||
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| Release Dates | ||||
| April 6, 2006 | ||||