{{Short description|Australian television series}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Use Australian English|date=September 2011}} {{Infobox television | image = BellbirdTitleCard.png | genre = {{ubl|[[Soap opera]]|[[Serial (radio and television)|Serial]]}} | creator = Barbara Vernon | writer = {{plainlist| *Barbara Vernon *[[Alan Hopgood]] *[[Michael Wright (writer)|Michael Wright]] }} | director = [[James Davern]]<br />[[Oscar Whitbread]] | producer = [[Brett Porter]]<ref name="tage"/> |starring = See cast list | country = Australia | language = English | num_seasons = 10 | num_episodes = 1,697<ref name="bbinfo"/> | list_episodes = | runtime = {{plainlist| *Episodes 1–1508 (15 minutes (excluding commercial)) *Episodes 1509–1592 (1 Hour) *Episodes 1563–1697, (3x half-hour weekly)<ref name="bbinfo"/> }} | network = [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] | first_aired = {{Start date|1967|08|28|df=y}} | last_aired = {{End date|1977|12|23|df=y}} | related = ''[[Country Town|Country Town]]'' (film version) }} '''Bellbird''' is an Australian [[soap opera|soap opera serial]] broadcast in [[primetime]] by the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]] created and co-written by [[Barbara Vernon (writer)|Barbara Vernon]], it screened for 10 seasons between 1967 and 1977, and spanned 1,697 episodes. The series centered on the residents of the small fictional [[Victoria (state)|Victorian]] rural township of the series title.<ref name="bbinfo">{{Cite web |title=Bellbird |url=http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714182609/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html |archive-date=2018-07-14 |access-date=2015-09-01 |website=Aussie Soap Archive}}</ref>
Bellbird has the distinction of being the longest-running soap opera/serial ever produced by the ABC. It ended the same year as commercial broadcast series ''[[Number 96 (TV series)|Number 96]]'' and ''[[The Box (Australian TV series)|The Box]]'', which had run for six and four years respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-03 |title=Prisoner stars before Prisoner |url=https://televisionau.com/2019/03/prisoner-stars-before-prisoner.html |access-date=2020-07-13 |website=Television.AU}}</ref>
==Production and broadcasting== The series was produced by the ABC at their Ripponlea Studios in Melbourne, with the opening titles filmed at nearby [[Daylesford, Victoria|Daylesford]]. Bellbird screened from 28 August 1967 to 23 December 1977 and, although it was not Australia's first television serial (the first was [[Network Seven]]'s ''[[Autumn Affair]]''), it was the first successful soap opera and even spawned a feature film and tie-in novel.
The show's ratings were modest but it had a devoted following, especially in rural Australia, akin to the ABC's long-running radio drama ''[[Blue Hills (radio serial)|Blue Hills]]''. During most of its 10-year production run, 15-minute episodes of ''Bellbird'' screened from Monday to Thursday nights, leading in to the 7:00 pm evening news bulletin. In 1976, the series was screened as a single one-hour episode each week, before switching to three half-hour instalments per week during its final season.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Moran |first=Albert |title=Moran's guide to Australian TV series: your complete guide to every drama series, children's show and sitcom |publisher=Australian Film Television & Radio School |year=1993 |isbn=978-0-642-18462-7 |location=North Ryde, NSW |page=77}}</ref>
==Storylines== The show's storylines followed the lives of the residents of the small fictional country town that gave the show its title. While the series plots concentrated mainly on small-scale interpersonal, domestic and local relationships, issues and conflicts, there were occasional moments of high drama. One of the most celebrated was the death of the local stock and station agent, Charlie Cousens, played by foundation cast member [[Robin Ramsay (actor)|Robin Ramsay]]. When Ramsay decided to leave the series in 1968, his character was written out in dramatic fashion, with Cousens plunging to his death from the top of a wheat silo. The death scene has figured prominently in retrospectives of great moments in [[Television in Australia|Australian television]], and its celebrity meant that it became one of the few segments from the early years of the series that has survived.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}
Other notable deaths during the course of the series included those of local farm girl, Hagar Grossark (Barbara Ramsay), who drowned during a flood, and the 1974 death of major character Rhoda Lang, played by foundation cast member [[Lynette Curran]], who was killed when her car was struck by a train at a level crossing.
==Cast== ''Bellbird'' featured a regular cast of 46 actors over its 10-year run. The [[National Archives of Australia]] holds a collection of prints from 1977, identifying over 30 actors involved from that time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=C612 Bellbird |url=https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=60102650&isAv=N |access-date=2022-08-10 |website=National Archives of Australia}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2024}}
===Main / regular=== {|class="wikitable" ! Actor ! Character ! Eps. |- | [[Alan Hopgood]]<ref name="ATV"/> || Matthew Reed || 870 episodes (1972–1977) |- | [[Anne Charleston]]<ref name="ATV"/> || Wendy Robinson || 524 episodes (1971–1973) |- | [[Anne Lucas]] {{citation needed|date=January 2025}}|| Glenda Chand || 67 episodes (1967) |- | [[Anne Phelan]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Kate Ashwood || 523 episodes (1974–1977) |- | [[Anne Scott-Pendlebury]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} || Cathy || 143 episodes (1970) |- | [[Bob Maza]]<ref name="ATV">{{cite web|url= https://www.atvtoday.co.uk/65046-bellbird/ |title= Classic soap flashback: Bellbird |website= www.atvtoday.co.uk |first= Darren |last= Gray |date= 31 January 2015}}</ref> || Gerry Walters || 174 episodes (1971) |- | [[Brian Hannan]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Roger Green || 1182 episodes (1970–1977) |- | [[Brian James (actor)|Brian James]] {{citation needed|date=January 2025}} || Ian Bennett || 667 episodes (1970–1973) |- | [[Briony Behets]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-briony-a-bit/169230152/|title=Briony – a bit of Class|date=17 February 1975|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|access-date=31 March 2025|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}{{free access}}</ref> || Claire || 52 episodes (1975) |- | [[Bruce Barry (actor)|Bruce Barry]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} || Michael Foley || 67 episodes (1967) |- | Bryon Williams || Adam Lockhart || 870 episodes (1972–1977) |- | Carl Bleazby<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Coloniel Jim Emerson || 1506 episodes (1968–1977) |- | Carmel Millhouse<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Marge Bacon || 1556 episodes (1967–1977) |- | Clive Winmill<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Tony Buckland || 92 episodes (1977–1978) |- | [[Dennis Miller (Australian actor)|Dennis Miller]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Constable Des Davies || 986 episodes (1968–1974) |- | Dorothy Bradley<ref name="bbinfo"/>|| Rose Lang || 1224 episodes (1967–1974) |- | [[Elspeth Ballantyne]]<ref name="bbinfo"/>|| Laura 'Lori' Chandler || 157 episodes (1967–1971) |- | Gabrielle Hartley<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Maggie Emerson || 1011 episodes (1969–1974) |- | [[Gerda Nicolson]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Fiona Davies || 1059 episodes (1968–1974) |- | Gregory Ross || Chris Lang || 321 episodes (1974–1975) |- | [[Ian Smith (actor)|Ian Smith]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Russell Ashwood || 523 episodes (1974–1977) |- | [[Jeremy Kewley]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.jeremykewley.com.au/biog/ |title= Jeremy Kewley's biography |website= www.jeremykewley.com.au |access-date= 11 October 2025}}</ref> || Ken Stratton || 125 episodes (1976–1977) |- | [[Jill Perryman]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}} || Cheryl Turner || 326 episodes (1971–1975) |- | [[John Stanton (actor)|John Stanton]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://tvtonight.com.au/2025/08/nostalgia-week-john-stanton-on-homicide-the-dismissal-that-2000-olympics-mistake.html#:~:text=Moving%20to%20Melbourne%20and%20getting%20an%20agent,Radio%20plays%20before%20Bellbird%20as%20Leo%20Hill. |title= Nostalgia Week: John Stanton on Homicide, The Dismissal & that 2000 Olympics mistake |website= [[TV Tonight]] |first= David |last= Knox |date= 21 August 2025}}</ref> || Leo Hill || 174 episodes (1972) |- | [[Julia Blake]]<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/relishing-her-dream-of-a-role-20121102-28nju.html |title= Relishing her dream of a role |first= Cris |last= Kennedy |date=3 November 2012 |work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]}}</ref> || Elaine Thomas || 675 episodes (1972–1975) |- | Keith Eden<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Gilbert Lang || 528 episodes (1967–1970) |- | [[Ken Shorter]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Duncan Ross || 83 episodes (1968) |- | [[Kris McQuade]] {{citation needed|date=January 2025}} || Gail Bennet || 173 episodes (1974) |- | Louise Philip || Christine Jackson || 174 episodes (1971) |- | [[Lynda Keane]]{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}|| Ruth Grossark || 465 episodes (1967–1971) |- | [[Lynette Curran]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Rhoda Lang || 1102 episodes (1967–1974) |- | [[Maggie Millar]]<ref name="ATV"/> || Georgia Moorhouse || 684 episodes (1972–1977) |- | [[Maurie Fields]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || John Quinney || 1235 episodes (1969–1977) |- | [[Michael Preston]] || Father John Kramer || 396 episodes (1974–1976) |- | Moira Charleton<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Olive Turner || 1142 (1969–1977) |- | [[Penne Hackforth-Jones]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Ginny Hill || 347 episodes (1972–1974) |- | [[Penny Downie]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Kelly Jameson || 71 episodes (1976) |- | Peter Aanensen<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Jim Bacon || 1381 episodes (1968–1976) |- | [[Robin Ramsay (actor)|Robin Ramsay]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Charlie Cousens || 82 episodes (1967–1968) |- | [[Rod Mullinar]] || Scott Leighton || 365 episodes (1973–1975) |- | [[Ross Thompson (actor)|Ross Thompson]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Terry Hill || 438 episodes (1972–1974) |- | [[Sean Scully (actor)|Sean Scully]] || Ron Wilson || 353 episodes (1968–1971) |- | [[Sheila Florance]] || Dossie Rumsey || 174 episodes (1972) |- | Stella Lamond<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Molly Wilson || 589 episodes (1969–1973) |- | [[Syd Conabere]] || Bernie Austin || 491 episodes (1970–1972) |- | [[Terry McDermott (actor)|Terry McDermott]] || Max Pearson || 836 episodes (1969–1973) |- | [[Terry Norris (actor)|Terry Norris]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Joe Turner || (1967–1968) |- | [[Tom Oliver]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Tom Gray || 83 episodes (1969) |}
===Recurring / guests=== {|class="wikitable" ! Actor ! Character ! Eps. |- | [[Alwyn Kurts]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Wes Lewis || 6 episodes (1977) |- | [[Chuck Faulkner]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Captain Doug Daly || 6 episodes (1977) |- | [[Gerard Kennedy (actor)|Gerard Kennedy]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Edward Grey || 3 episodes (1977) |- | [[John Meillon]] || || 16 episodes (1971) |- | [[Marion Edward]] || Harriet Downs || 3 episodes (1976) |- | [[Terence Donovan (actor)|Terence Donovan]]<ref name="bbinfo"/> || Neil Farrar || 3 episodes (1977) |}
==Foundation creative team== The show was based on a short treatment by [[Colin Free]] then developed by original story editor [[Barbara Vernon (writer)|Barbara Vernon]]. The original story team included Vernon, [[Alan Hopgood]] and [[Michael Wright (writer)|Michael Wright]]. The first executive producer was [[Brett Porter]].<ref name="tage">{{cite news|newspaper=The Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121895891/?terms=%22brett%2Bporter%22|date=23 July 1970|title=TV Pioneers|page=38}}</ref> The original directors were [[James Davern]] and [[Oscar Whitbread]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|magazine=Filmink|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/forgotten-australian-television-plays-boy-with-banner-objector-and-watch-it/?fbclid=IwAR0OTtx-FMLFPi2Wpk58-tsnRoz_WET2AJdAgot7iLLqlymBeldzdCm8ZOE|date=29 August 2023|title=Forgotten Australian Television Plays: Boy with Banner, Objector and Watch It}}</ref>
==International screenings== Episodes of ''Bellbird'' were screened briefly in the United Kingdom in 1972. After the initial 52 episodes had been screened, [[Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance|Actors Equity]] in Australia insisted the ABC increase the price of the episodes so as to pay the actors more. As a result of the price increase, the UK broadcaster purchased no further episodes.<ref name="great-unwashed">{{Cite news |last=Mercado |first=Andrew |date=2004-11-27 |title=Soap: It's just what the great unwashed need |url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121023081418/http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Soap-The-great-unwashed/2004/11/25/1101219663320.html?from=storyrhs |archive-date=2012-10-23 |work=[[The Age]]}}</ref>
==Episodes== Although an extensive selection of episodes survive and reside with the [[National Archives of Australia]], it was reported that the ABC taped over the master tapes of the series, which was a common practice of the time<ref name="great-unwashed" /> something which series cast member Alan Hopgood had complained about in a ''[[TV Times (Australia)|TV Times]]'' article in 1976: "They just wiped [them] off and another episode [was] run over them .... This failure to preserve the program is criminal, to my way of thinking."<ref>{{Cite news |date=11-17 December 1976 |title=Home-Truths From Bellbird |work=[[TV Times (Australia)|TV Times]] |page=10}}</ref>
One complete [[black and white]] episode is available to be viewed at the Australian Mediatheque at the [[Australian Centre for the Moving Image]] in Melbourne, while several colour episodes are known to exist in the hands of private collectors.
==Film and novel == The series was the first soap opera in Australia to spin off into a feature film version and tie-in novel, entitled ''[[Country Town]]'' (1971). It focused on Bellbird's problems during a severe drought. Many future soaps followed suit, spawning their own film versions, including ''[[Number 96 (TV series)|Number 96]]'' and ''[[The Sullivans]]''.
==Ratings== In 1971, ''Bellbird'' was the fifteenth most popular show in the country.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1971-05-06 |title=TELEVISION RATINGS |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article131805241 |access-date=2017-09-20 |work=[[The Canberra Times]] |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |page=8 |via=National Library of Australia |volume=45 |issue=12,803}}</ref>
== See also == * [[List of Australian television series]] * [[List of programs broadcast by ABC (Australian TV network)]]
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html Aussie Soap Archive: Bellbird] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714182609/http://members.ozemail.com.au/~fangora/bellbird.html |date=14 July 2018 }} – Overview and review * {{IMDb title|id=0166034|title=Bellbird}} *[http://colsearch.nfsa.afc.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Bellbird;querytype=;resCount=10 ''Bellbird''] at the [[National Film & Sound Archive]]
{{Oscar Whitbread}}
[[Category:1967 Australian television series debuts]] [[Category:1977 Australian television series endings]] [[Category:Australian television soap operas]] [[Category:Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming]] [[Category:Television shows set in Victoria (state)]] [[Category:Black-and-white Australian television shows]] [[Category:English-language Australian television shows]] [[Category:Works by Barbara Vernon]] [[Category:Works by Alan Hopgood]]