Blue Heelers
For cops in Mt. Thomas, life's about more than the badge
Also known as	Boys in Blue (Working Title)[1]
Format	Police, Drama, Crime
Created by	Tony Morphett Hal McElroy
Starring	See Main cast
Country of origin	Australia
No. A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development usually a Film, Novel Police are agents or agencies usually of the executive, empowered to enforce the law and to effect public and social order through the legitimatized use of force Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment Tony Morphett (born 10 March 1938 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) created many Australian television series including Blue Heelers was a long-running Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of the police officers stationed at the fictional Mt Blue Heelers was a long-running Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of the police officers stationed at the fictional Mt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. of seasons	13
No.  of episodes	510 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s)	Victoria, Australia
Running time	approx 50 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	Seven Network
Picture format	576i (SDTV), 576p (EDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital 2. Overview Season 1 (1994 See also Blue Heelers (season 1 Season 2 (1995 See also Blue Heelers (season 2 Season 3 (1996 For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. 576i is a standard-definition video mode used in (former PAL and SECAM countries 576p is the shorthand name for a video mode The p stands for Progressive scan, i Enhanced-definition television, extended-definition television, or EDTV is a CEA marketing shorthand term for certain Digital television Dolby Digital is the marketing name for a series of lossy audio compression technologies developed by Dolby 0 Stereo
Original run	18 January 1994 – 4 June 2006
Chronology
Related shows	City Homicide Sea Patrol
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Common rating
Australia	PG/M

This article is about the Australian television programme. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. City Homicide is an Australian television drama series that premiered on Seven Network Sea Patrol is an Australian Television Drama, set onboard a fictional Royal Australian Navy Armidale class patrol boat, For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For the dog breed, see Australian Cattle Dog. The Australian Cattle Dog, also known as the Queensland Heeler, Blue Heeler and Red Heeler is a breed of Herding

Blue Heelers is a long-running Australian police drama series which focuses on the lives of police officers stationed in fictional rural location of Mt. Thomas, a typical Victorian small town. Blue Heelers, which is produced by Southern Star Entertainment for the Seven Network, remains to this day one of Australia's best-loved dramas and, over its original 13-season run, earned numerous awards, including 25 Logie Awards, 5 of these have been the Gold Logie, the most coveted television award in Australia. Southern Star Entertainment is an Australian based Television production company The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards which have been presented annually since 1959 The Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960 ^[2] It first aired on 18 January 1994 and last aired, in its 13th season and 510th episode, on 4 June 2006. Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Events 781 BC - The first historic Solar eclipse is recorded in China. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. It is, to this date, Australia's most popular drama, at its peak drawing 2. 5 million viewers,^[2] and Australia's longest running weekly primetime drama series equalling Homicide in 2006, in terms of episodes aired (510);^[3][4] however, Homicide lasted one calendar month longer. For the American series see Homicide Life on the Street. Homicide was an Australian Police procedural Blue Heelers has also gained recognition in Britain, Ireland, New Zealand and Canada where it has a strong following in syndication. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In Broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast Radio shows and Television shows to multiple individual stations without going through

Blue Heelers has launched the careers of many Australian actors such as Lisa McCune, Grant Bowler, Ditch Davey, Rachel Gordon, Tasma Walton, Charlie Clausen and Jane Allsop. Lisa McCune (born 19 February 1971 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is a four time Gold Logie Award winning Grant Bowler is an actor best known for his many Television roles in Australia and New Zealand. Ditch Davey (born 30 July 1975, in Melbourne) is an Australian actor Rachel Gordon (born 10 May, 1976 in Brisbane, Australia) Tasma Walton (born 1974 in Geraldton, Western Australia) is an Australian Actress. Charlie Clausen (born 31 July 1977 in Melbourne) is an Australian actor most known for his role as Jake Harrison on McLeod's Daughters in Jane Allsop (born July 3, 1975 in Oxford, England) is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish Many of these are still best-known for their character on Blue Heelers. Many major actors have also been able to call Mt. Thomas home; these include Hugh Jackman, Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, Peter O'Brien and John Howard. Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October, 1968) is an Tony Award -winning and Emmy Award -winning Australian Actor Life and work As an adolescent Tingwell was encouraged by his father to be an accountant but failed the entrance exam Peter O'Brien (born March 25, 1960 at Murray Bridge, South Australia, Australia) is an Australian Actor John Howard (born 22 October 1952 in Corowa, New South Wales) is an Australian stage and screen Actor. Then there are the Blue Heelers veterans, John Wood and Julie Nihill have been with Blue Heelers during its entire 12 year run and played Snr. Sgt. Tom Croydon and publican Chris Reilly. John Wood (born 14 July 1946 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a Gold Logie Award -winning Australian actor best known for Julie Nihill (born 1955 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian actress. Thomas Arthur Croydon (more simply known as Tom Croydon) is a Fictional character in the long running Australian television police drama Blue Heelers Christine Bridget "Chris" Riley is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers played by Julie Nihill.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Main cast 3 Recurring/semi-regular cast 4 Production 4.1 Conception and Development 4.2 Filming Locations 5 Reception 5.1 Maggie and PJ: "the kiss" 5.2 Maggie's Death 5.3 2004 Revamp: The Station Bombing 5.4 Axing 6 Episodes 7 DVD releases 8 Awards 9 Broadcasting 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

Plot

For more information on each season, see the individual season pages

The series focuses primarily on the police officers of the Mt. Thomas Victoria Police station and the inhabitants of the small town with the high crime rate, Mt. PJ was a Fictional character in Australia's police series Blue Heelers. Thomas Arthur Croydon (more simply known as Tom Croydon) is a Fictional character in the long running Australian television police drama Blue Heelers Maggie Doyle is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers. Mount Thomas is the fictional setting for the Australian Police Drama television series Blue Heelers, which ran from 1994 Thomas. There is always something happening in Mt. Thomas and the cops always have a big job sorting out the town's problems, from trivial things such as land and fencing disputes to more serious homicides and assaults. The small town experienced many things, including bank robberies, escaped criminals, police shootings, murders, kidnapping and an endless supply of deluded criminals; the fictional police station even being bombed in the show's 11th season. With all these events happening, the cops, or "The Heelers", are forever kept busy but, they can always call on the assistance of the police in nearby, larger town of St. Davids, home of the resident police inspector, Russel Falcon-Price who, when not trying to find a reason to give the Mt. Thomas sergeant "the push", is looking for a reason to close the entire station. Termination of employment is the end of an Employee 's duration with an Employer. Along with their police work, the Heeler's personal lives regularly make their way into the series and, the most well-known of these, is the relationship between colleagues Maggie and PJ which ended in Maggie's death; one of the most watched moments on Australian television to this day. Maggie Doyle is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers. PJ was a Fictional character in Australia's police series Blue Heelers. Deep down, the whole station is just like a family where everybody usually gets on but, like families, there are always disagreements. These are usually settled over a beer at the bar at the Imperial Hotel, the copper's pub, where Chris Riley is always ready to listen to anything. Christine Bridget "Chris" Riley is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers played by Julie Nihill.

Main cast

Actor/Actress	Character	Tenure	Position
John Wood	Tom Croydon	1994-2006 Ep. The first season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 18 January 1994 and aired The thirteenth and final season of the Australian police drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 1 April 2006 and aired on Saturday John Wood (born 14 July 1946 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a Gold Logie Award -winning Australian actor best known for Thomas Arthur Croydon (more simply known as Tom Croydon) is a Fictional character in the long running Australian television police drama Blue Heelers 1 - 510	Sergeant, Senior Sergeant
Julie Nihill	Christine 'Chris' Riley	1994-2006 Ep. Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries police forces and other uniformed organizations around the world Julie Nihill (born 1955 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian actress. Christine Bridget "Chris" Riley is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers played by Julie Nihill. 1 - 510	Civilian (Publican)
Martin Sacks	Patrick Joseph 'P.J.' Hasham	1994-2005 Ep. A civilian under International humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her Country 's Armed forces. Martin Colin Sacks (born 16 October 1959, Sydney) is a well-known Australian Actor, chiefly known for his 11-year role on PJ was a Fictional character in Australia's police series Blue Heelers. 1 - 484	Detective Senior Constable, Senior Detective
Lisa McCune	Maggie Doyle	1994-2000 Ep. Lisa McCune (born 19 February 1971 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is a four time Gold Logie Award winning Maggie Doyle is a fictional character in the long running police show Blue Heelers. 1 - 255	Constable, Senior Constable, Acting Sergeant
William McInnes	Nick Schultz	1994-1998, Ep. A constable is a person holding a particular office most commonly in law enforcement. A constable is a person holding a particular office most commonly in law enforcement. William McInnes (born 10 September 1964 in Redcliffe Queensland) is an Australian film and television actor. Nick Schultz was a fictional character from Blue Heelers. He was portrayed by William McInnes. 1 - 207 2004 (guest), 2005 (guest)	Senior Constable, Sergeant, Detective Sergeant
Grant Bowler	Wayne Patterson	1994-1996 Ep. Grant Bowler is an actor best known for his many Television roles in Australia and New Zealand. Wayne George Patterson was a character on the long-running Australian police drama Blue Heelers and was played by actor Grant Bowler. 1 - 96	Constable
Ann Burbrook	Roz Patterson	1994, Ep. Ann Burbrook, sometimes credited as Annie Burbrook, (born 23 November 1965 in Jesselton, Sabah, Malaysia, is an Australian Introduction Roz Patterson was a character in the Australian police drama series ‘ Blue Heelers ’ 1 - 30 1996 (guest)	Civilian (Mt. Thomas police station admin. officer)
Damian Walshe-Howling	Adam Cooper	1994-1998, Ep. In Business, administration consists of the performance or management of business operations and thus the making or implementing of major decisions Damian Walshe-Howling (born January 22 1970) is an Australian Actor, best known for his role as Constable Adam Adam Cooper was a character in the Australian police drama series Blue Heelers. 34 - 211 2006 (guest)	Probationary Constable, Constable
Tasma Walton	Deirdre 'Dash' McKinley	1996-1999 Ep. Tasma Walton (born 1974 in Geraldton, Western Australia) is an Australian Actress. Dash 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 107 - 236	Probationary Constable, Constable
Paul Bishop	Benjamin 'Ben' Stewart	1998-2004 Ep. Paul Bishop, born in 1966 in Gladstone Queensland is an Australian Actor of Television and Theater, a Presenter and MC and Company Benjamin 'Ben' Stewart was a fictional character in the long running police series Blue Heelers. 198 - 451	Detective Sergeant, Senior Constable, Sergeant
Jane Allsop	Joanna 'Jo' Parrish	1999-2004 Ep. Jane Allsop (born July 3, 1975 in Oxford, England) is an Australian actress, best known for her role as Jo Parrish Clive Adamson Superintendent Clive Adamson was a fictional character in the long running Australian police drama Blue Heelers. 239 - 440	Constable, Senior Constable
Rupert Reid	Jack Lawson	1999-2001 Ep. Rupert Reid is an Australian actor He is best known for his role as Constable Jack Lawson on the Australian TV show Blue Heelers from 1999 to Jack Lawson was a character from Australia's police series Blue Heelers 212 - 313	Probationary Constable, Constable
Caroline Craig	Teresa 'Tess' Gallagher	2000-2003 Ep. Caroline Craig (b June 1, 1976 in Abbotsford Victoria, Australia) is an Australian TV and film actress Tess Gallagher was a Blue Heelers character that lasted from 2000 to 2003 270 - 407	Sergeant
Ditch Davey	Evan 'Jonesy' Jones	2001-2006 Ep. Ditch Davey (born 30 July 1975, in Melbourne) is an Australian actor Evan 'Jonesy' Jones is a Fictional character from Blue Heelers. 316 - 510	Constable, Senior Constable, Detective
Simone McAullay	Susie Raynor	2003-2006 Ep. Simone McAully (born 1976 is an Australian actress McAullay was born on 14th April 1976 in Perth, Australia Susie Raynor is a fictional character in the long running teleivison show Blue Heelers. 409 - 510	Constable, Senior Constable
Geoff Morrell	Mark Jacobs	2004-2005 Ep. Geoff Morrell (born Australia 1958 is an Australian Film and Theatre Actor. Mark Jacobs is a character from the long-running Australian police drama series Blue Heelers 441 - 489	Sergeant
Rachel Gordon	Amy Fox	2004-2006 Ep. Rachel Gordon (born 10 May, 1976 in Brisbane, Australia) 441 - 510	Detective
Samantha Tolj	Kelly O'Rourke	2004-2006 Ep. Samantha Tolj (born 12 June 1982 in Perth Western Australia) is an Australian Actress, who previously starred in Blue Heelers Kelly O'Rourke was a character from Blue Heelers. She came into the show in 2004 after the bombing of the Mt Thomas Station and stayed until the show finished in 2006 442 - 510	Probationary Constable, Constable
Danny Raco	Joss Peroni	2004-2006 Ep. Danny Raco (born December 24, 1979) is an Australian Actor and director known for his Television work Joss Peroni is a fictional character that came into Blue Heelers in 2004 and stayed until the show ended in 2006 442 - 510	Probationary Constable, Constable
Charlie Clausen	Alex Kirby	2005-2006 Ep. Charlie Clausen (born 31 July 1977 in Melbourne) is an Australian actor most known for his role as Jake Harrison on McLeod's Daughters in Alex Kirby is a Fictional character from Australia's long running Police Series Blue Heelers He was portrayed by Charlie Clausen. 461 - 510	Leading Senior Constable, Acting Sergeant
Matthew Holmes	Matt Graham	2005-2006 Ep. This article is about the Australian actor For the football (soccer player see Matty Holmes. Matt Graham was a Blue Heelers character portrayed by Matthew Holmes. 490 - 510	Constable

Recurring/semi-regular cast

Main article: List of recurring Blue Heelers characters

Many well-known Australian and international actors have had recurring and semi-regular parts on Blue Heelers over its 13-season run. Clive Adamson Superintendent Clive Adamson was a fictional character in the long running Australian police drama Blue Heelers. These include Terry Gill,^[5] Neil Pigot,^[6] Frankie J. Holden,^[7] Catherine Wilkin,^[8] Debra Lawrance,^[5] Emily Browning^[9] and Josh Lawson. Terry Gill is a British -born actor who carved a nichè in Australian Television playing police officers Neil Pigot (born December 28, 1961 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian Actor, best known to audiences as Frank Holden, also known as Frankie J Holden, (born Peter Brian December 18, 1952) is an Australian entertainer Catherine Wilkin (born 22 August 1945 in England, UK) was a New Zealand -based actor later active in Australia. Debra Lawrance is an Australian Actress best known for her role as Pippa Ross on Home and Away, which Emily Jane Browning (born 7 December 1988 is an Australian award winning actress and model, probably best known for her role as Violet Baudelaire Joshua Lawson (born December 16 1981) is an Australian actor He grew up in Brisbane, Queensland, and attended St ^[10] Many other notable actors have also had guest parts in Blue Heelers including Shane Bourne,^[11] Hugh Jackman,^[12] Gerard Kennedy,^[13] David Wenham,^[14] Marcus Graham,^[15] Peter O'Brien,^[16] Gary Sweet^[17] and Vince Colosimo. Shane Bourne (born 24 November 1949 in Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian stand-up Comedian and Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October, 1968) is an Tony Award -winning and Emmy Award -winning Australian Actor Gerard Kennedy (born 8 March 1932) is an Australian Actor and two-time Gold Logie winner David Wenham (born 21 September 1965 is an Australian actor who has appeared in movies Television series and Theatre productions Marcus Graham (born 11 October 1963) was born in PerthHe is an Australian television and stage actor who has also starred in several films including Mulholland Peter O'Brien (born March 25, 1960 at Murray Bridge, South Australia, Australia) is an Australian Actor Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957 in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian Film and Television actor known for his roles in Vince Colosimo (born 11 November 1966 in Melbourne) is an Australian stage and screen actor of Italian descent ^[18]

Production

Conception and Development

Blue Heelers creator/producer, Hal McElroy, conceived the idea of Blue Heelers when he heard that a young friend of his was to become a police officer, at the age of 18. This intrigued McElroy who continued inquiring into why this young boy, fresh from school, would want to become a police officer. McElroy soon discovered that, at the time, 60% of police officer were under the age of 26. ^[19] This, coupled with McElroy's desire for a country cop show, formed the basis of the programme. McElroy was fuelled on even more when this same officer quit the force only a year later; due to the shooting death of his colleague, fellow graduate and good friend in Sydney. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 ^[20]

McElroy continued his enquiries asking ex-police officer Michael Winter to write down what it was like to be a city cop transferred to a country town. These are the ideas that created the programme. ^[21]

The name of the programme was also conceived by the same ex-police officer Michael Winter who recounted the common names for country police officer: tyre-biters, owed to the fact that country cops are often involved in car chases, and blue heelers, owing to their blue uniforms and overall similar appearance and persona to a Blue Heeler dog. The Australian Cattle Dog, also known as the Queensland Heeler, Blue Heeler and Red Heeler is a breed of Herding ^[19]

From the time that the idea was conceived, three years passed until the show was ready to air.

“	We were doing some further development on Boys in Blue with a bunch of young writers because we hadn't got it right. And we had a young copper in the room and he was telling us about his life. He had been posted to Yass (in New South Wales) and he really loved it up there because the routine was so simple and straightforward-most often you knew the victim and sometimes you knew the culprit, and someone in charge would give them a clip behind the ear and say 'wash the police car' or 'sweep the yard' and 'don't ever do it again', rather then sending a juvenile to jail. I loved it, and I said 'Hey this is great'. But all the writers said, 'No it's boring, we want that gritty, inner-city police stuff'. (We had Boys in Blue set up in Leichhardt is Sydney. ) And I still remember the moment I was driving home up River Road and I thought , 'Then we can have two shows'. I said to this copper 'What are you called in the country? What is your nickname?' And he said they call highway patrol 'tyre biters' and coppers 'blue heelers'. And I thought 'That's the title!' So I rang [scriptwriter] Tony Morphett and said 'Let's do a show about young cops in the country. It's called Blue Heelers. ' It took us ten days, to be honest, to actually put it all together. And the other show, Boys in Blue, which we had been working on arrived and I said to the Network, 'Here it is but I don't like it, I want to do this new one, Blue Heelers'. And they agreed and said 'Let's do it'. So then we shot two pilots, A and B. And they were quite different. Tony wrote both of them. And in the end the Network committed to 13 episodes based on Pilot A which became the first episode, with Maggie's arrival in town. We threw Pilot B away and learnt an important lesson from it, because in that episode we had been 'with' the criminals as they plotted the crime. And that was a mistake, because this was a police show and police have no knowledge of any conversation the criminals have amongst themselves (unless they've wired them). And so that was the lesson-we must never do a story where we are with the criminals. We can see them only briefly. In fact we finished up making a rule where we couldn't have a camera in a room unless there was a copper there as well. And that was a good rule and good discipline for us. The other thing is, right from the first presentation to the Network, I wrote an introductory letter with the concept saying that our coppers would be our heroes, and we would see them make mistakes and we would see them learn and grow from it. The coppers were going to be the people we cared about! And that was my promise. And it became the ethos of the show. And the rest, as they say, is history.	”
—Hal McElroy[20]

By creating the programme, McElroy and Morphett hoped to close the gap between to police and the public. They hoped to show the human side of the police and show that they do have feeling, regrets, aspirations and fears. ^[22] They also hoped that the show would act as a tribute to the officer who risk their lives everyday, never knowing if they'd return home at the end of the day; a tribute to their courage. ^[19]

Filming Locations

Episodes are shot eight to ten weeks ahead. ^[23] Most of the filming, including the scenes in the police station and pub, were filmed inside Seven Studios, in Melbourne;^[24][23] about half of the footage is shot on location. ^[23] Much of the filming on location was carried out in towns such as Williamstown^[24] and the more established parts of Werribee. ^[25] The scenes of the outside of the Mt. Thomas police station were actually filmed at the old, disused Williamstown police station, which was then a private residence. Williamstown ( is one of the oldest suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. Scenes at Mt. Thomas High School were filmed at Williamstown High School. The town of Castlemaine was used as the backdrop for Mt. Thomas, seen in almost every episode. ^[26][27] Although Blue Heelers' pilot was shot in Castlemaine, the cast and crew very rarely returned to shoot more episodes;^[23] the scenes in Castlemaine were usually just generic scenes, where no "action" actually takes place. Chris Riley's fictional Imperial Hotel was actually the real Imperial Hotel in Castlemaine. ^[26][27] Mount Thomas' Commercial Hotel was filmed at the Willy Tavern in Williamstown^[24] The second Mt. Thomas police station, as well as the site of Maggie Doyle's iconic death, is located at Newport Railway workshops^[28]

Reception

Described by critics before its launch as A Country Practice meets Cop Shop,^[21] Blue Heelers was not anticipated by critics to become a popular programme; it was definitely not expected to the hit TV show it evolved into. A Country Practice was one of the longest-running Australian Television drama series Cop Shop is also an informal term for a Police station Cop Shop was an Australian police drama Television series

The series covered much new ground when it was introduced dealt with many controversial and difficult subjects. The series was also the first to examine the stressful world of young police who are invariably "thrown into the deep end where they are left to sink or swim". ^[22] It depicts the real-lives of the inhabitants of a typical country town. It shows the lives of everyday country coppers, farmers and families and all they have to endure; their battles and problems.

Blue Heelers was very popular in Australia and, at its peak, was drawing around 2. 5 million viewers. ^[2] Throughout its broadcast, until its axing in 2006, it was drawing a strong audience and was regularly the top-rating regular programme in Australia.

Viewership of Blue Heelers never dropped below 1 million viewers. ^[29]

“	Much of the success of Blue Heelers has been attributed to one of the best ensemble casts of any drama on television, with most every cast member becoming a household name. . . The basic vocation for the show has always been about shedding a little light on the human condition, something Australian audiences have readily identified with. The show epitomises and represents the Australian ethos in a way that truly reflects Australian life.	”
—Blue Heelers' Executive Producer, Gus Howard, January 13, 2006. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [29]

Maggie and PJ: "the kiss"

The episodes 'Gold' and 'Fool's Gold' (episodes 140 and 141) during season 4 were two of the most popular Blue Heelers episodes and drew a massive 2. 5 million viewers; this was considered a huge achievement in 1997 and is still a massive achievement today.

Maggie's Death

The first 10 episodes of Blue Heelers' 7th season (Loose Ends - Out of the Shadows) are the most watched in the programme's history. These episodes, some of the most watched in Australia's history, focus of the death of Maggie Doyle (played by Lisa McCune). These episodes, particularly episode 255: One More Day, are considered one of the biggest moments in Australian television history when Maggie is shot and left for dead.

2004 Revamp: The Station Bombing

After low ratings in 2003 and 2004, Blue Heelers underwent a huge revamp, starting with the broadcast of a live episode which, although a success, did not cause a continued increase in ratings. This episode was followed by the introduction of new characters and the story changed its focus from the old Mt. Thomas police station to the new one that was used until the show's axing in 2006. The Seven Network feared that in the modern post-9/11 world, a show about country police was no longer what the audience wanted. ^[30] The producers of the show hoped that this revamp would appeal to a wider audience.

The show's main revamp started in July 2004 in the episode End of Innocence when the old police station is bombed, killing main character Snr. Const. Jo Parrish who was portrayed by Jane Allsop and mentally handicapped man Clancy Freeman. In the proceeding five episodes, 4 main characters were introduced and storylines focused on the bombing of the station.

Seven's last-ditch attempt at "Jumping the shark" proved a gamble that would pay off and resulted in a fair ratings increase for the series. Jumping the shark is a Colloquialism used by TV Critics and fans to denote that point in a TV show or movie series' history where the plot veers

Axing

It was announced on 13 January 2006 that Blue Heelers was to be axed after 12 years, 510 episodes and 24 Logies. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. At this time, the show was still drawing 1. 2 million viewers per week on average, down from the 2. 5 million it was drawing at its peak. This announcement was front-page news on nearly all of Australia's major newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney's Daily Telegraph, The Melbourne Herald Sun, The Melbourne Age and Brisbane's Courier Mail. The Sydney Morning Herald ( SMH) is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia The Daily Telegraph is a Tabloid Newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News The Herald Sun is a morning Tabloid Newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia The Age is a Broadsheet daily Newspaper, which has been published in Melbourne, Australia since 1854 The Courier-Mail is a daily Newspaper published in Brisbane, Australia. ^[31]

All during 2005, speculation was rife that Blue Heelers may be cancelled but, in the hope that viewing would increase, an 11-episode season in 2006 was commissioned by the Seven Network. It soon became apparent that ratings were not increasing and the show was cancelled. Two different endings were shot for the final episode which finished filming on 20 December 2005, one wrapping up all the show's storylines and another which would leave the show open for another season; the first was used. Events 69 - Vespasian, formerly a general under Nero, enters Rome to claim the title of Emperor. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Blue Heelers is believed to be a casualty of Seven's AFL broadcast which saw Seven invest $780m for the 5 year broadcasting rights of the game. The Australian Football League (AFL is both the professional Australian national competition in the Sport of Australian Rules Football and its highest ^[4]

Even though the show had been axed, people still remained dedicated, shown by the Bring Back Blue Heelers Petition Site, launched by then 17-year-old Ashley Bentley which was signed by some 27,500 people. Bentley launched his campaign petition for Blue Heelers to be returned to the air and for Paramount to release the remaining season of Blue Heelers on DVD. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California. DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is

For Blue Heelers' final season, it was moved from its Wednesday night timeslot to the lower-rating Saturday night spot with the finale aired on the high rating Sunday night time slot.

Episodes

Main article: List of Blue Heelers episodes

Blue Heelers aired a total of 510 episodes in 12 full seasons and 1 shortened final season. Overview Season 1 (1994 See also Blue Heelers (season 1 Season 2 (1995 See also Blue Heelers (season 2 Season 3 (1996 This includes 509 hour-long standard episodes and one live episode. This live episode, titled "Reasonable Doubts", was filmed to celebrate Blue Heelers 10th year on the air;^[32] this, something not attempted by a drama in Australian television history for forty years. This was a particularly brave feat considering the actors would be required to act for an entire hour straight; to prepare for this, the cast were given six days to memorise their lines. ^[33]

Season	Ep. #	Season Premiere	Season Finale
Season 1	45	January 18, 1994	November 22, 1994
Season 2	41	February 21, 1995	November 21, 1995
Season 3	41	February 12, 1996	November 26, 1996
Season 4	42	February 10, 1997	November 25, 1997
Season 5	41	February 24, 1998	November 25, 1998
Season 6	42	February 10, 1999	November 24, 1999
Season 7	41	February 9, 2000	November 22, 2000
Season 8	41	February 21, 2001	November 28, 2001
Season 9	41	February 13, 2002	November 20, 2002
Season 10	42	February 12, 2003	November 26, 2003
Season 11	39	February 4, 2004	November 5, 2004
Season 12	42	February 2, 2005	November 26, 2005
Season 13	11	April 1, 2006	June 4, 2006

DVD releases

Further information: see the individual season pages

Currently, only seasons 1-6 of Blue Heelers have been released, although seasons 7 and 8 will be released in mid-late 2008. Blue Heelers DVDs are distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment. Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and Distribution company, based in Hollywood California.

In November 2005, Paramount Home Entertainment released their first Blue Heelers boxed set in Australia in Region 4 DVD format. DVD video discs may be encoded with a region code restricting the area of the world in which they can be played DVD (also known as " Digital Versatile Disc " or " Digital Video Disc " - see Etymology)is They called this 'Blue Heelers – The Complete First Season' and this was shortly followed by 'Blue Heelers – The Complete Second Season: Part 1' and 'Blue Heelers – The Complete Second Season: Part 2 which were released together in December of 2005. These were released in 5 or 6 disc box sets where each season was divided into two parts, with the exception of the first season which was released as one part; this was, presumably, to keep size and cost per unit to a minimum.

However, the "seasons", as defined by the DVD releases, are markedly different to the original seasons as they aired on television. It appears that the episodes are being released according to what year the episodes were "produced" in, as opposed to the year they aired. For example: "The Complete First Season" DVDs contain some episodes from season 1 (1994). "The Complete Second Season" contains the remainder of season 1 (1994) episodes and some from season 2 (1995).

In January 2007, Paramount Home Entertainment announced that they would henceforth release each season of Blue Heelers as one complete boxset, rather than in two parts as they had done prior to this announcement. Each DVD boxset now consists of 10 or 11 discs, rather than 5 or 6 each. They released these on 15 February 2007. Events 590 - Khosrau II is crowned as king of Persia 1637 - Ferdinand III becomes Holy Roman Emperor Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ^[34]

In October 2007, Paramount Home Entertainment stated that they were planning to release Season 7 of Blue Heelers and that they intended it to be released in March/April 2008. They stated that the reason for the delay in its release was due to "contractual negotiations" with the actors of the series and the Seven Network. The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. They claim that all negotiations have been resolved for the release of seasons 7-13. It has now been finalised that season 7 shall be available in August 2008, and season 8 and October 2008.

At this time, Blue Heelers DVDs are only available from retailers in Australia and New Zealand and are in Region 4 DVD Format. DVD video discs may be encoded with a region code restricting the area of the world in which they can be played It is unknown if Paramount Home Entertainment plan to release the DVD sets in any other country or format.

Blue Heelers Initial Season Release Dates for Australia (DVD)
DVD Name	Release Date	Episodes
Complete First Season	November 2, 2005[35]	Season 1 episodes 1 -> 17. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Complete Second Season	December 1, 2005[36]	Season 1 episodes 18 -> 45, Season 2 episodes 46 -> 54. Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Complete Third Season	February 16, 2006[37]	Season 2 episodes 55 -> 86, Season 3 episodes 87 -> 96. Events 1249 - Andrew of Longjumeau is dispatched by Louis IX of France as his ambassador to meet with the Khan of the Mongols Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
Complete Fourth Season	April 6, 2006[38]	Season 3 episodes 97 -> 128, Season 4 episodes 129 -> 139. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
Complete Fifth Season	June 6, 2006[39]	Season 4 episodes 140 -> 170, Season 5 episodes 171 -> 181. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
Complete Sixth Season	August 10, 2006[40]	Season 5 episodes 182 -> 211, Season 6 episodes 212 -> 223. Events 612 BC - Killing of Sinsharishkun, King of Assyrian Empire Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
Complete Seventh Season	July 31, 2008[41]	TBA
Complete Eighth Season	October 2, 2008	TBA

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations for Blue Heelers

Blue Heelers has been the recipient of many awards over its years of broadcast including 25 Logie Awards, five of which are the prestigious Gold Logie, 3 AFI Awards, 3 People's Choice Awards, and 1 AWGIE Awards. Events 30 BC - Battle of Alexandria: Mark Antony achieves a minor victory over Octavian 's forces but most of his army subsequently 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards which have been presented annually since 1959 The Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960 The Australian Film Institute (AFI established in 1958 is an organisation that promotes Australian film and television through the annual AFI Awards, a membership The Australian People's Choice Awards winners 1999;Favourite TV Star Winner Lisa McCune, Blue Heelers The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG is the professional association for all performance Writers, that is writers for Film, Television, Radio ^[42][43]

In terms of awards, Blue Heelers is regarded as one of the most successful programmes on Australian television^[44] and is currently in third place in the Logie wins tally, with a total of 25 Logie wins. This includes the four Gold Logies Lisa McCune won for her portrayal of Maggie Doyle - the role which rocketed her into view of the public and made her one of Australia's most successful actresses^[45] - and the Gold Logie John Wood won.

Blue Heelers award summary[46]
Award	Won	Nominated
Gold Logie Awards[47]	5	3
Silver Logie Awards[48]	20	35
AFI Awards[49]	3	4
AWGIE Awards[50][51]	1	1
People's Choice Awards[52][53]	3	6
Australian Screen Editors' Awards[46]	0	1
TOTAL	32	50

Broadcasting

Blue Heelers has a strong following not only in Australia, but also worldwide; it has been sold to 108 territories. The Gold Logie Award has been awarded annually to the Most Popular Personality on Australian Television at the TV Week Logie Awards since 1960 The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards which have been presented annually since 1959 The Australian Film Institute (AFI established in 1958 is an organisation that promotes Australian film and television through the annual AFI Awards, a membership The Australian Writers' Guild (AWG is the professional association for all performance Writers, that is writers for Film, Television, Radio The Australian People's Choice Awards winners 1999;Favourite TV Star Winner Lisa McCune, Blue Heelers ^[29]

 Australia

From 1994, Blue Heelers originally aired on Tuesday nights at 7:30pm on the Seven Network and thus was limited to a PG content level restriction. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. When the series was hailed as a success, it began the transition from this timeslot to the 8:30pm timeslot on the same day, thus allowing the writers to explore a more diverse amount of storylines and restricted the show to an M rating. In its third season, it was temporarily moved to the Monday night 8:30pm timeslot, but was moved back to its original slot before season's end. In its fifth season, Blue Heelers moved to the Wednesday night 8:30pm timeslot which it occupied for most of its run, from then until the end of its twelfth season. This move was made to make way for hospital drama All Saints, which still occupies this slot to this day. All Saints is a Logie Award -winning Australian Medical drama which airs on the Seven Network, and various international networks

Starting in 2004, the Seven Network aired Blue Heelers in their weekday "early days drama" slot at 2pm in the afternoon. They aired all episodes of Blue Heelers, starting from its first season. In this slot, Blue Heelers was a replacement for the broadcast of the early episodes of Home and Away. Home and Away (also commonly abbreviated in writing to H&A) is a Logie Award -winning Australian Soap opera that has been Blue Heelers concluded airing in this slot in 2007, with the broadcast of its final episode, and made way for the broadcast of early episodes of All Saints.

Blue Heelers also re-ran on The Hallmark Channel in Australia at 12. The Hallmark Channel is an Australian Cable and Satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription 00am.

 New Zealand

In New Zealand, Blue Heelers screened on TV One in a popular timeslot. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island For other uses see TV1 disambiguation TV One is a New Zealand national television network owned and operated by state-owned media However, as of January 2008, it was moved to an off-peak late-night timeslot. It aired its final episode on TV One on 20 March 2008. Events 1600 - The Linköping Bloodbath takes place on Maundy Thursday in Linköping, Sweden. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common

 Ireland

Irish broadcaster RTÉ originally aired Blue Heelers on Friday afternoons from 1994 - 2000. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. These episodes were one season (42 episodes approx. ) behind the Australian broadcast. The series then took a break before re-commencing in a five-day-week timeslot at 10. 30am in early 2002. As a result of the 5 episode a week output, the show was quickly catching up with the Australian broadcast once again. The show was then dropped back to the original one episode a week in 2004 and moved to a late night Thursday/early Friday morning timeslot, typically about 1:00am. Season 12 is currently being screened on RTÉ 1, as at October 2007. RTÉ has aired the series since 1994, in the original unedited version directly from Australia. It proves very popular in Ireland and rates very well.

 United States

Blue Heelers aired briefly in the U.S. in the early 2000s on the short-lived cable channel, Trio (carried primarily by DirecTV). The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Trio (or TRIO) was an American cable and Satellite television channel DirecTV (trademarked as "DIREC' TV' " is a Direct broadcast satellite (DBS service based in El Segundo California, USA, that was founded No episode after 76 was ever shown in the United States and when Trio changed their programming in 2004, Blue Heelers was dropped from the schedule.

 Italy

In Italy was broadcasted on Italia 7, from the 1st to th 6th season. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest

 United Kingdom

The series has also had international success including various regions of the United Kingdom where the series was broadcast on most stations on the ITV Network. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Independent Television (generally known as ITV) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters set up under the Independent Many companies tended to screen the show as hour-long episodes in the afternoon (occasionally with necessary edits to suit the time slot) whereas Central Television started with a late night 11. Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central and now legally ITV Central Ltd, is the British Independent Television contractor 40pm slot before following other regions with a typically 2. 20pm slot.

In Britain, several periods, including the last batch of episodes that they ran, Carlton Television showed the episodes in two halves as was common with other Australian soap operas in London such as A Country Practice. Carlton Television is the British ITV franchisee for London and parts of the surrounding counties from 925am every Monday to 5 London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Several regions including Yorkshire Television and Tyne Tees Television chose not to import the show. Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for the Yorkshire franchise Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. When the ITV contractors reformated as one company in 2002, regionally-run programmes such as Blue Heelers (which were at different points of the series in each region) disappeared from screens. No ITV region screened the series in full.

The show also aired on UK cable channel Carlton Select in the late '90s, stripping the early episodes daily, and then in a weekly slot Fridays at 8pm as episodes became more recent. Carlton Select was the second oldest Carlton channel carried on cable - launching six months after Carlton Food Network when it replaced SelecTV - and ONdigital channel They showed episodes through the later part of the 1997 season, before dropping the series. It is entirely possible the channel intended to bring the series back after a break, however it ceased broadcasting in 2000.

ITV Regional Schedule
ITV Region	Programme Schedule Pattern
	Start Date	Days Screened	End Date
Central Television	February 1995	Tuesdays, 23. Central Independent Television, more commonly known as Central and now legally ITV Central Ltd, is the British Independent Television contractor 40-00. 35, from February 1995 effectively replacing the repeat run of Prisoner which was cancelled after episode 95 in January. Prisoner is an Australian television Soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre a fictional women's Prison Blue Heelers was not particularly successful in this timeslot and it moved to Monday afternoons from July 1995 at 1350-1450. Then half-hour episodes on Thursdays and Fridays at 1450-1520 from 1998. Last episodes screened on Central were from Season 6 (1999), still in the edited half-hour format.	2002 (around episode 220)
Yorkshire Television (YTV)	Never bought	Never screened	Never screened
Granada Television	???	???	???
Meridian Television	???	Typically Mondays at 14. Yorkshire Television is the ITV contractor for the Yorkshire franchise Granada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England. Meridian Broadcasting (now legally known as ITV Meridian is the holder of the ITV franchise for the south and south east of England. 20; some episodes also aired in a morning slot during school holidays	???
Westcountry Television	Tuesday 3 January 1995 14. Westcountry Television, is the ITV franchise holder in the South West of England replacing its predecessor TSW (Television South West, on 1 January 1993 Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 50	Mondays to Wednesdays at 14. 50 from January 1995 for half episodes. Then ???	???
Channel Television	As Meridian	As Meridian	As Meridian
Carlton Television	Tuesday 3 January 1995 14. Channel Television is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television (ITV contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962 Carlton Television is the British ITV franchisee for London and parts of the surrounding counties from 925am every Monday to 5 Events 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 50	Mondays to Wednesdays at 14. 50 from January 1995 for two-part half hour episodes. Then switched to 14. 20 on Mondays for hour-long episodes for much of the regions run, then ??(several day changes, later reverting back to two-part half hour episodes)??	2002 (mid-Season 7)
Anglia Television	???	???	???
Tyne Tees Television	Never bought	Never screened	Never screened
Scottish Television (STV)	???	Hour-long episodes, airing on Fridays after Home and Away, and then replacing A Country Practice on Tuesdays. } Anglia Television is the ITV station for the East of England which has been broadcasting since 27 October 1959. Tyne Tees Television is the ITV television contractor for North East England. Scottish Television (now legally known as STV Central Ltd and referred to on-air as STV) is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the Dropped after episode 106 for more repeats of Murder, She Wrote. Murder She Wrote is a television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher.	???
Grampian Television	???	???	???
HTV Wales	???	???	???
HTV West	???	???	???
Border Television	???	???	???
Ulster Television (UTV)	Early 1995	Initially 3 times a week. Grampian Television (now legally known as STV North Ltd and referred to on-air as STV) is the ITV franchisee for the North of Scotland based HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales and West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England. HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales and West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England. Border Television (now legally known as ITV Border is the ITV franchisee for the border region between England and Scotland (including the south of Scotland much of Cumbria For other uses of the UTV acronym see UTV (disambiguation UTV (formerly Ulster Television) is a Television channel based Monday, Wednesday & Friday afternoons at 1. 50pm after Home and Away. Then moved to 2. 20pm slot later in the series, a few episodes also ran at 11. 40pm on Thursday nights as they were considered unsuitable for daytime viewing.	1998

See also

• List of Australian television series
• Mt. Thomas
• Victoria Police
• List of Blue Heelers episodes
• List of recurring Blue Heelers characters

References

External links

• Blue Heelers at the Australian Television Information Archive
• Blue Heelers at the National Film and Sound Archive
• Blue Heelers at the TV IV wiki

A wiki is a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content using a simplified Markup language.

---

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic