New Australian soap replaces old

Press, 7 February 1986, Page 15

New Australian soap replaces old

The pilot of the new Australian drama serial, “Sons and Daughters,” on Sunday signals the beginning of the end for two other long-running soaps on Two. “The Sullivans” ended on Wednesday and “The Young Doctors,” now screening on weekdays at 6 p.m. will take over “The Sullivans” slots — an hour each on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6.30 p.m. “Sons and Daughters,” will then fill “The Young Doctors” former slots, five evenings a week.

Between them these' three serials represent Australian television’s most successful exports. In addition to New Zealand, all three are now screening in both Britain and the United States.

“Sons and Daughters” is the story of two families whose lives are inextricably interwoven, in particular the son of one and the daughter of the other. The storyline is unique to Australian television drama series and is based on the lines of the Hamiltons from Sydney and the Palmers from Melbourne.

Although separated by very different lifestyles they are linked by emotional bonds and personal relationships.

The two families have totally diverse backgrounds; the Hamiltons are rich, sophisticated and glamorous, and live in a mansion; the Palmers are working class, battlers, and sincere, and live in a suburban bungalow.

“Sons and Daughters” was the brainchild of Reg

Watson, who also devised “The Young Doctors” and “Prisoner.”

The search for the cast involved one of the most exhaustive audition sessions ever undertaken by Grundys. For the initial programmes 550 people were auditioned in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The final selection was a cast of experienced people mixed with some exciting new talent. The formula obviously worked as “Sons and Daughers” became Australia’s top-rated television drama, each episode being watched by more than five million viewers.