Parallax (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Parallax is a 2004 Australian and British children's television series that screened on the ABC
and the Nine Network
. It was a 26 part series funded by the Film Finance Corporation Australia and supported by Lotterywest
.
Parallax is about a boy named Ben, who discovers a portal to multiple dimensions, and explores them with his friend, Francis, and newfound sister, Katherine.
The series is filmed in various locations around Perth, Western Australia
. These include Kings Park
, East Perth, and many beach and South West forest locations.
Golden Stave
Ultra Stave
Orbs
Reading Room
The Purple Water
Francis Cam
The Purple eyes
Katherine's World
Francis' World/ Hippie World/Francis' Hippie World
Una's World/Techno World/Una's Techno World
Mundi's World/Forest World/Mundi's Forest World
Garden World
Bush World
Swamp World
2. A Rare Find
3. The Artful Dodger
4. Achey, Breaky Heart
5. Lost In Paradise
6. One Man's Rubbish
7. Artes Veritas
8. The Battle Of Mundi's World
9. The Big Sleep-Over
10. The Martin Crimes
11. The World According To Betti
12. The Curse Of The Incredibly Bad News
13. Decoy
14. Too Many Chiefs
15. Ex-Ben
16. Dad Meets Dad
17. The Krellick War
18. The Reluctant Guardian
19. Seek And You Shall Find
20. Sand Witch
21. My Favourite Martin
22. Cheats Never Prosper
23. Martinmania
24. The Reading Room
25. Clownin' Around
26. It Ain't Over
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
and 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...
. It was a 26 part series funded by the Film Finance Corporation Australia and supported by Lotterywest
Lotterywest
Lotterywest, formerly the Lotteries Commission of Western Australia, is an Australian lotteries corporation run by the State Government of Western Australia. Lotterywest sells lottery tickets and "instant win" scratchcards through a network of newsagents and other authorised retailers...
.
Parallax is about a boy named Ben, who discovers a portal to multiple dimensions, and explores them with his friend, Francis, and newfound sister, Katherine.
The series is filmed in various locations around Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. These include Kings Park
Kings Park, Western Australia
Kings Park is a park located on the western edge of Perth, Western Australia central business district. The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens and natural bushland on Mount Eliza with two thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland. With panoramic views of the Swan...
, East Perth, and many beach and South West forest locations.
Main cast
- David RichardsonDavid Richardson (actor)David Richardson David Richardson David Richardson (born 20 March 1987 in Perth, Western Australia, is an Australian television actor.Richardson has had major roles in two Australian children's television drama series. He was one of the regular cast in Parallax (TV series) in 2004...
as Francis Short/Francis Thief - Joshua Marshall-Clarke as Ben Johnson
- Gillian AlexyGillian AlexyGillian Alexy is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as Tayler Geddes on McLeod's Daughters.-Career:She graduated from the John Curtin College of the Arts in 2000, after doing specialist dance and theatre courses...
as Katherine Raddic - Caroline BrazierCaroline BrazierCaroline Brazier is an Australian actress who is best known for the role of Chrissy Merchant in Packed to the Rafters and the starring roles of Veronica Johnson and her twin sister Betti in the children's television series Parallax...
as Veronica Johnson/Betti - Francoise Sas as Melinda
- Kazimir SasKazimir SasKazimir Sas is an Australian film and television actor. He is best known for his work on children's television series such as Time Trackers, Parallax, Stormworld and The Gift...
as Martin Dunkly - David NgoombujarraDavid NgoombujarraDavid Ngoombujarra was an Indigenous Australian actor of the Yamatji people. Born David Bernard Starr in Meekatharra, Western Australia, his acting career spanned over two decades from the 1980s to the present; he won three Australian Film Institute Awards...
as Otto - Hagen Rieck as paralax ruler
Other cast
- Rebecca McCarthy as Una
- Genevieve McCarthyGenevieve McCarthyGenevieve McCarthy has an extensive background in theatre works, ranging from key roles in the Cameron Macintosh productions of Les Misérables and The Sound of Music....
as Due - Lauren Williams as Mundi
- Luke Hewitt as Jeremy Johnson
- Paris AbbottParis AbbottParis Abbott is an Australian actress.Her first major break was at age 13 when she landed the role of ‘Jasmin’ on the Barron Films children's television series, Wild Kat. Most recently she was cast as "Tiffany" in the TV series Parallax for Great Western Entertainment....
as Tiffany - Igor SasIgor SasIgor Sas is an Australian film, television and stage actor. He is best known for his work on children's television series such as Parallax, Wormwood, Lockie Leonard and The Gift. He has also appeared in a number of films, including Japanese Story.-Career:Sas began his career in 1982 in the...
as Stefan Raddic - Faith Clayton as Mrs Irma Dawes
- Kristian Barron as Spy Kid
Significant objects and locations
Stave- A kind of baton that most Guardians possess. It has various functions including communication over different worlds to other Stave holders, a radio, manipulation of electronic devices and most importantly, the ability to shoot lasers which kill Welkin and Krellicks.
Golden Stave
- Only comes into being when a normal stave is taken to the Reading Room. Able to control the "Wheel of Knowledge". Can also manipulate certain times and events to an extent.
Ultra Stave
- A stave with 1 extra button than a normal stave ;enabling it to control Welkins and Krellicks
Orbs
- Smooth, white spheres. There is one orb for every world whether it be hidden or in possession of the resident Guardian. When not in its original world a person with full Guardian blood touches the orb whatever happened in the world before the removal of the orb will play like a movie on its surface. When the orb is in its original world the person will be transported to the Reading Room thus the orb being its 'keys'. The orbs also act as a defence to the Welkin and Krellicks hiding the blood of a Guardian.
Reading Room
- The central repository of all knowledge of the Parallax. It keeps records of all the bad and good times of the stories and creatures in the Parallax. Although it is not a control room. The weather can't be changed and an election can't be fixed. Also the central hub of all world transportation.
The Purple Water
- The key to Betti's blandishment. Betti pours it into the water supply of a world. It reacts within a person who does not fit into the 17.65% average of that world in the Parallax effectively turning them into water vapour. For example if in Hippie World there is a businessman and he drank the purple water he would be blandished.
Francis Cam
- The form of communication through the Parallax. This is started by Techno World Una and Hippie World Francis. It is a link between four worlds, Techno, Forest, Ben's and Hippie World. The Francis's in each world each have a camera with the exception of Techno World which is patrolled by Una. The Francis Cam is used to report Betti sightings, Spy Boy etc.
The Purple eyes
- Betti's and Spy Boy's alternate eye colour. Their eyes turn purple when they're not telling the truth or if they're getting angry. Its true purpose is not yet known.
Main worlds
Ben's World- The Red world, in which the series starts. Would be considered as the "normal" world. Links to Katherine's World through an old drain and Techno World through a chicken shed. When pushing different points on the parallax at the old drain you can also travel to Forest and Desert World. There is also a portal in Mr. Dawes shed, it links to Garden World, when the right combination is used(1-1-11).
Katherine's World
- The Blue world, where Ben finds a sister he never knew existed. A very formal and organised world with many strict laws. Links to Ben's World via two large rocks and Hippie World by going in between two bookcases at a library. When pushing points on the parallax at the two rocks you can travel to Forest World. There is also a portal on the nearby beach. It leads to the tent owned by Betti in Desert World.
Francis' World/ Hippie World/Francis' Hippie World
- The Yellow world and the Werrinup Thief's home world. This is a very 'mellow' world filled with Hippies, literally. The only place we know where a portal is here is through an old van out the front of this world's Francis' which links to Katherine's World, and Forest World via the right combination.
Una's World/Techno World/Una's Techno World
- The Silver world, first thought to be a hi-tech rubbish tip. Everyone lives well and the world is very advanced in technology. The town's motto is "Tomorrows technology, at yesterday's prices." The portal to get to Ben's World is located at the hi-tech rubbish tip. The other portal is located at an abandoned office building and becomes accessible when a password is typed onto a computer, links to Garden World.
Mundi's World/Forest World/Mundi's Forest World
- The Green world, Ben accidentally stumbles upon this world when he trips onto the Parallax symbol. A world that takes care of its environment, its Werrinup is built on towers above the forest floor to minimise human impact on the eco system. This world is infested by Krellicks and its people are protected through the height of their structures. The tree portal links to Ben's World, Katherine's World, or Techno World, though only when the right combination is hit on the symbol. The rock portal is located outside of Mrs Dawes house on the forest floor. It is currently though guarded by the Krellicks and used as a nest. Links to Bush World.
Other worlds
Desert World- The maron world, Ben's mother sends him to this world as a test him. It becomes a lifeless place of sand and stone. One portal is located over a rock mound and goes to Ben's world via the right combination on the Parallax(7-1). The other portal is at the corner of a tent owned by Betti. It links to Katherine's World.
Garden World
- The purple world, Betti shows Katherine this world as an example of her goal in the Parallax. This world is in its own way perfect, the people who did not fit in have been effectively blandished. One portal is located through a do not enter door, and links to Techno World. The other is at a forked tree and leads to Ben's World.
Bush World
- The brown world, this is the world in which Otto, the lost guardian has escaped to. Only one portal is known. It is in the middle of a river and links to Forest World. The other portal was meant to be down the river.
Swamp World
- Only seen briefly when Ben accidentally stumbles into this place via the Reading Room. No portals through this world are known. It may even be the Hippie world.
Side doors
There are portals known as Side Doors which are like normal portals but once you go through it you cannot go through it the way you came out. Ben and Katherine noticed other portal lights when Ben pressed a button on the stave in the Reading Room. They then asked Mrs Dawes if she knew about Side Doors but she sent them to her brother, Mr Dawes. He told them about Side Doors and the condition if you use one. There is only one known Side Door which is Mr Dawes shed and it links to a seat in Garden World.Episode list
1. One Big Happy Family2. A Rare Find
3. The Artful Dodger
4. Achey, Breaky Heart
5. Lost In Paradise
6. One Man's Rubbish
7. Artes Veritas
8. The Battle Of Mundi's World
9. The Big Sleep-Over
10. The Martin Crimes
11. The World According To Betti
12. The Curse Of The Incredibly Bad News
13. Decoy
14. Too Many Chiefs
15. Ex-Ben
16. Dad Meets Dad
17. The Krellick War
18. The Reluctant Guardian
19. Seek And You Shall Find
20. Sand Witch
21. My Favourite Martin
22. Cheats Never Prosper
23. Martinmania
24. The Reading Room
25. Clownin' Around
26. It Ain't Over