Paradise Beach
Encyclopedia
Paradise Beach is an Australia
n television
series made by Village Roadshow Pictures. It is associated with New World Television for the Nine Network
that aired between 1993 and 1994. The series is set around characters living and working on Queensland
's Gold Coast
and was filmed largely on location, offering views of crashing waves, golden beaches and scantily clad young women and men. Paradise Beach was intended not only as a rival to Australian soaps Neighbours
and Home and Away
but also to be the first breakthrough Australian soap to make it in America
.
). Also appearing from the start were Robert Coleby
(Chopper Squad
, The Young Doctors
) as Tom Barsby, and another familiar face was Andrew McKaige
(Sons and Daughters
, Prisoner
) as Tom's younger brother Nick.
The rest of the original cast consisted of unknown actors all in their first acting roles. These included Ingo Rademacher
, now famous for his separate roles in American series Titans
and General Hospital
. Here, he played Sean Hayden. His on-screen sister Tori, was played by Megan Connolly
. Sadly, the actress died on 6 September 2001 of a drug overdose, following short stints in Breakers
and Home and Away
. Finally, Raelee Hill
was cast as scheming Loretta Taylor, Jaason Simmons
was cast as bronzed lifeguard Harry Tait, Manu Bennett
(credited as Jon Bennett) was cast as Kirk Barsby, son of Tom and his sister Cassie was played by Kimberley Joseph
from Neighbours
as Emily Harris, and former-E Street
regular Melissa Tkautz
arrived as Vanessa Campbell. However, after two seasons, Nine Network eventually cancelled Paradise Beach after just 260 episodes.
After the series ended, Jaason Simmons
joined the cast of Baywatch the following year. Kimberley Joseph
featured in a recurring role in the cult-TV hit Lost
as air hostess Cindy Chandler.
and Beverly Hills, 90210
, the soap failed to make an impression in America. It was scheduled against The Oprah Winfrey Show
at 3.30pm and failed to make any impact at all. It was a similar disastrous launch in Australia, where it aired at 5.30pm, and even in the UK where Australian soaps of any quality are generally very popular, it flopped in an early evening 6.30pm timeslot, this may have been down to the fact it was broadcast on Sky Television
, which unlike most of the other popular shows were seen on BBC
or ITV
.
in September 1993 in the 6.30pm time slot with a 1pm repeat the following afternoon. Sky moved the more popular, but recently axed E Street
to a weekend slot, but when Paradise Beach flopped in Britain as well as Australia, Sky moved E Street back to weekdays and Paradise Beach was screened at 6pm and mid day, creating an 'Aussie Soap Hour' for a few months until August 1994. During 1996 the series was broadcast on the some ITV compaines, which included Grampian Television
.
Paradise Beach was screened in Venezuela by RCTV (Radio Caracas Television) on their matinal block of soap operas with a low rating. The series, named in Spanish "Playa Paraíso", was also screened in Chile by C13 (Canal 13).
The series was broadcast in Italy on Rai Due
in 1994/1995 at around 2:30 pm.
The series started on 27 September 1993
The series was also broadcast in France during 1993/1994.
The series started on 5 January 1998
. Emphasized was the poor acting, the formulaic plot and characterization, characters dancing every time rock-and-roll music was played, and the cash-in mentality of filming the soap series at a beachside studio complex. Several times throughout the sketch the characters would, in unison, point offstage and exclaim "Hey! Warner Brothers Movie World!
".
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series made by Village Roadshow Pictures. It is associated with New World Television for the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
that aired between 1993 and 1994. The series is set around characters living and working on Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
and was filmed largely on location, offering views of crashing waves, golden beaches and scantily clad young women and men. Paradise Beach was intended not only as a rival to Australian soaps Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
and Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
but also to be the first breakthrough Australian soap to make it in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Production
Veteran Australian producer Jock Blair was the driving force behind Paradise Beach, with Nick McMahon as Executive Producer, and the first episodes of the soap were aimed at the American audience. Australian actress Tiffany Lamb used an American accent in her role as Lisa Whitman, and her opening storyline revolved around her childhood sweetheart Cooper Hart (played by Olivia Newton John's husband Matt LattanziMatt Lattanzi
Matt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
). Also appearing from the start were Robert Coleby
Robert Coleby
Robert Coleby is a British actor who has spent most of his career in Australia. Active since the 1970s, he has over 70 film and television credits to his name. Coleby has acted on stage in numerous productions for Queensland Theatre Company based in Brisbane, Australia.Robert's real name is Robert...
(Chopper Squad
Chopper Squad
Chopper Squad is an Australian television series produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation for the 0-10 Network .The series was based around the work of a helicopter rescue team operating on Dee Why beach in Sydney...
, The Young Doctors
The Young Doctors
The Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff, screened on the Nine Network from Monday, 8 November 1976 until Wednesday, 30 March...
) as Tom Barsby, and another familiar face was Andrew McKaige
Andrew McKaige
Andrew McKaige is an Australian actor.In addition to being an original cast member of the 1980s soap opera Sons and Daughters , he is the second actor to play the role of Marty Jackson in Prisoner – succeeding Ronald Korosy and preceding Michael Winchester.More recently, he has appeared in Paradise...
(Sons and Daughters
Sons and Daughters (Australian TV series)
Sons and Daughters was a Logie Award winning Australian soap opera created by Reg Watson and produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation between 1981 and 1987. The first episode aired in December 1981, during the Christmas/New Year non-ratings period, and the official broadcast date of the final...
, Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
) as Tom's younger brother Nick.
The rest of the original cast consisted of unknown actors all in their first acting roles. These included Ingo Rademacher
Ingo Rademacher
Ingo Rademacher is a German-born US-based Australian television actor. He has played the role of Jasper "Jax" Jacks on the American daytime soap opera General Hospital almost continuously since 1996.-Career:...
, now famous for his separate roles in American series Titans
Titans (TV series)
Titans is a short-lived American prime time soap opera that debuted on October 4, 2000 on NBC. Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which eleven were actually aired. Produced by Aaron Spelling, the series was initially marketed as a "Dynasty for the new millennium," attempting to emulate the style of...
and General Hospital
General Hospital
General Hospital is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest-running American soap opera currently in production and the third longest running drama in television in American history after Guiding Light and As the World Turns....
. Here, he played Sean Hayden. His on-screen sister Tori, was played by Megan Connolly
Megan Connolly
Megan Jennifer Connolly was an Australian actress.-Career:Connolly's film debut was 1990's The Crossing with Russell Crowe. She later played Tori Hayden in the soap opera Paradise Beach Later she hosted the television shows The Zone and Body Corp...
. Sadly, the actress died on 6 September 2001 of a drug overdose, following short stints in Breakers
Breakers
Breakers may refer to:*Coal breakers, an industrial mechanism for breaking chunks of coal into smaller chunks*Breakers , a 1996 fighting arcade game by Visco*Breakers , from the Dark Tower books...
and Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
. Finally, Raelee Hill
Raelee Hill
Raelee Hill is an Australian actress best known for her roles in some of her country's most successful television series...
was cast as scheming Loretta Taylor, Jaason Simmons
Jaason Simmons
Jaason Simmons is an Australian actor best known for the role of Logan Fowler on the TV series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
was cast as bronzed lifeguard Harry Tait, Manu Bennett
Manu Bennett
Manu Bennett is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in television series and movies.- Early life :Born in New Zealand, Bennett's mother was an Australian bikini model, his father a New Zealand singer. The family moved to Australia when Bennett was a few months old...
(credited as Jon Bennett) was cast as Kirk Barsby, son of Tom and his sister Cassie was played by Kimberley Joseph
Kimberley Joseph
Kimberley Joseph is a Canadian-Australian actress who is based in the United States. Joseph was born in Canada, raised on the Gold Coast in Australia, and educated in Switzerland. After returning to Australia, she began a degree at Bond University but dropped out at the age of 19 when she was cast...
Retooling
When Paradise Beach was taken off the air in America, all traces of Americanism were removed and the producers concentrated on making the series work in its homeland and Europe. Matt Lattanzi departed, but not before Olivia Newton John made a brief cameo, beaming down from the entrance of an aeroplane. Further additions to the cast included more experienced actors from other soaps including Melissa BellMelissa Bell (actress)
Melissa Bell is an Australian actress and singer. She was the third actor to play Lucy Robinson in soap opera Neighbours....
from Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
as Emily Harris, and former-E Street
E Street
E Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by the Ten Network from 1989 to 1993.Whereas Neighbours is set in a middle-class suburb, Home and Away in a seaside town, and Richmond Hill a semi-rural ordinary community, E Street was set in a tough inner-city...
regular Melissa Tkautz
Melissa Tkautz
Melissa Natalie Tkautz is an Australian-Maltese actress, singer, songwriter and model of Austrian and Maltese heritage. Tkautz was married on Friday 6 February 2009 to her partner of 5 years, Kwesi Nicholas.- Early career :...
arrived as Vanessa Campbell. However, after two seasons, Nine Network eventually cancelled Paradise Beach after just 260 episodes.
After the series ended, Jaason Simmons
Jaason Simmons
Jaason Simmons is an Australian actor best known for the role of Logan Fowler on the TV series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
joined the cast of Baywatch the following year. Kimberley Joseph
Kimberley Joseph
Kimberley Joseph is a Canadian-Australian actress who is based in the United States. Joseph was born in Canada, raised on the Gold Coast in Australia, and educated in Switzerland. After returning to Australia, she began a degree at Bond University but dropped out at the age of 19 when she was cast...
featured in a recurring role in the cult-TV hit Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
as air hostess Cindy Chandler.
Reception
The series was largely savaged by the critics. With negative comparisons to the American shows BaywatchBaywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
and Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, the soap failed to make an impression in America. It was scheduled against The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
at 3.30pm and failed to make any impact at all. It was a similar disastrous launch in Australia, where it aired at 5.30pm, and even in the UK where Australian soaps of any quality are generally very popular, it flopped in an early evening 6.30pm timeslot, this may have been down to the fact it was broadcast on Sky Television
Sky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
, which unlike most of the other popular shows were seen on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
or ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
.
International broadcast
In the UK, the soap was launched in a blaze of publicity on Sky TelevisionSky Digital (UK & Ireland)
Sky is the brand name for British Sky Broadcasting's digital satellite television and radio service, transmitted from SES Astra satellites located at 28.2° east and Eutelsat's Eurobird 1 satellite at 28.5°E. The service was originally launched as Sky Digital, distinguishing it from the original...
in September 1993 in the 6.30pm time slot with a 1pm repeat the following afternoon. Sky moved the more popular, but recently axed E Street
E Street
E Street is an Australian television soap opera created by Forrest Redlich and produced by the Ten Network from 1989 to 1993.Whereas Neighbours is set in a middle-class suburb, Home and Away in a seaside town, and Richmond Hill a semi-rural ordinary community, E Street was set in a tough inner-city...
to a weekend slot, but when Paradise Beach flopped in Britain as well as Australia, Sky moved E Street back to weekdays and Paradise Beach was screened at 6pm and mid day, creating an 'Aussie Soap Hour' for a few months until August 1994. During 1996 the series was broadcast on the some ITV compaines, which included Grampian Television
Grampian Television
Grampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
.
Paradise Beach was screened in Venezuela by RCTV (Radio Caracas Television) on their matinal block of soap operas with a low rating. The series, named in Spanish "Playa Paraíso", was also screened in Chile by C13 (Canal 13).
The series was broadcast in Italy on Rai Due
Rai Due
Rai 2 is one of the three main television channels broadcast by Italian public television company RAI alongside with Rai 1 and Rai 3. Rai 2 first started transmissions on November 4, 1961...
in 1994/1995 at around 2:30 pm.
The series started on 27 September 1993
The series was also broadcast in France during 1993/1994.
The series started on 5 January 1998
Parody
Paradise Beach was parodied extensively in the popular Australian comedy series The Late ShowThe Late Show (Australian TV series)
The Late Show was a popular Australian comedy show, which ran for two seasons on ABC from 18 July 1992 to 30 October 1993.-Cast:The Late Show has its roots in the 1980s comedy group, The D-Generation...
. Emphasized was the poor acting, the formulaic plot and characterization, characters dancing every time rock-and-roll music was played, and the cash-in mentality of filming the soap series at a beachside studio complex. Several times throughout the sketch the characters would, in unison, point offstage and exclaim "Hey! Warner Brothers Movie World!
Warner Bros. Movie World
Warner Bros. Movie World is a popular movie related theme park on the Gold Coast in Australia. It is owned and operated by Village Roadshow since the take over from Time Warner and is the only movie related park in Australia...
".
Cast
- Emily Harris - Melissa BellMelissa Bell (actress)Melissa Bell is an Australian actress and singer. She was the third actor to play Lucy Robinson in soap opera Neighbours....
- Kirk Barsby - Manu BennettManu BennettManu Bennett is an actor from New Zealand who has appeared in television series and movies.- Early life :Born in New Zealand, Bennett's mother was an Australian bikini model, his father a New Zealand singer. The family moved to Australia when Bennett was a few months old...
- Paula Taylor - Zoe BertramZoe BertramZoe Bertram is an Australian actress, whose first major role was in the teen-oriented television soap opera The Restless Years as Olivia Baxter from 1977 to 1981.Bertam has guested in numerous television series and appeared in movies, as well on stage...
- Ken Hayden - Michael CatonMichael CatonMichael Caton is an Australian television, film and stage actor, and television host, best known for playing Uncle Harry in the Australian television series, The Sullivans, playing Darryl Kerrigan from 1997's low budget hit film The Castle and playing in the popular Packed to the Rafters. He is...
- Tom Barsby - Robert ColebyRobert ColebyRobert Coleby is a British actor who has spent most of his career in Australia. Active since the 1970s, he has over 70 film and television credits to his name. Coleby has acted on stage in numerous productions for Queensland Theatre Company based in Brisbane, Australia.Robert's real name is Robert...
- Tori Hayden - Megan ConnollyMegan ConnollyMegan Jennifer Connolly was an Australian actress.-Career:Connolly's film debut was 1990's The Crossing with Russell Crowe. She later played Tori Hayden in the soap opera Paradise Beach Later she hosted the television shows The Zone and Body Corp...
- Anna Ritchie - Deborah Coulls
- Joan Hayden - Paula DuncanPaula DuncanPaula Margaret Duncan is an Australian actress. She is prominent mainly in the genre of soap opera. Her sister is fellow soap actress Carmen Duncan....
- Karen Wolfe - Rebekah ElmaloglouRebekah ElmaloglouRebekah Elmaloglou is an Australian actress who is best known for portraying the role of Sophie Simpson on the long-running Australian soap opera Home and Away from 1989 to 1993 and again on a recurring basis from 2002 to 2005...
- Robyn Devereaux - Isla FisherIsla FisherIsla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
- Brooke Bannister - Gabrielle FitzpatrickGabrielle Fitzpatrick-Biography:Fitzpatrick was born in Brisbane, Australia. Fitzpatrick first appeared on television on a Outback Steakhouse commercial. After, she got her first professional job as a model, later becoming a successful actress...
- William "Grommet" Ritchie - Anthony HayesAnthony Hayes (actor)Anthony Hayes is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Jack McLeod in the acclaimed Australian series McLeod's Daughters....
- Loretta Taylor - Raelee HillRaelee HillRaelee Hill is an Australian actress best known for her roles in some of her country's most successful television series...
- Roy McDermott - John Holding
- Sam Dexter - Richard Huggett
- Cassie Barsby - Kimberley JosephKimberley JosephKimberley Joseph is a Canadian-Australian actress who is based in the United States. Joseph was born in Canada, raised on the Gold Coast in Australia, and educated in Switzerland. After returning to Australia, she began a degree at Bond University but dropped out at the age of 19 when she was cast...
- David Finn - Tayler KaneTayler KaneTayler Kane is an Australian actor.A one-time model, he made his television debut playing Andrew Stevens in the soap opera, Families. He subsequently was a regular cast member on the series, Fire....
- Lisa Whitman - Tiffany Lamb
- Cooper Hart - Matt LattanziMatt LattanziMatt Lattanzi is an American actor and dancer.-Personal life:While filming Xanadu, he met Olivia Newton-John, whom he married in 1984. The couple has one daughter, Chloe Rose Lattanzi, born in 1986...
- Nick Barsby - Andrew McKaigeAndrew McKaigeAndrew McKaige is an Australian actor.In addition to being an original cast member of the 1980s soap opera Sons and Daughters , he is the second actor to play the role of Marty Jackson in Prisoner – succeeding Ronald Korosy and preceding Michael Winchester.More recently, he has appeared in Paradise...
- Chris Quinn - Scott MichaelsonScott MichaelsonScott Michaelson is an Australian actor and manager who is most famous for playing Brad Willis in Neighbours...
- Kurt Barsby - Daryn Sibley
- Craig Ritchie - Eric OldfieldEric OldfieldEric Oldfield is an Australian actor, who remains best known for his role in the soap opera The Young Doctors as Dr. Ben Fielding....
- Patrick Worthing - Doug Penty
- Sean Hayden - Ingo RademacherIngo RademacherIngo Rademacher is a German-born US-based Australian television actor. He has played the role of Jasper "Jax" Jacks on the American daytime soap opera General Hospital almost continuously since 1996.-Career:...
- Harry Tait - Jaason SimmonsJaason SimmonsJaason Simmons is an Australian actor best known for the role of Logan Fowler on the TV series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
- Alex Harding - Emma Skinner
- Vanessa Campbell - Melissa TkautzMelissa TkautzMelissa Natalie Tkautz is an Australian-Maltese actress, singer, songwriter and model of Austrian and Maltese heritage. Tkautz was married on Friday 6 February 2009 to her partner of 5 years, Kwesi Nicholas.- Early career :...
- Pam So Oy - Theresa Wong
- Voice Over - Simon James