Police Rescue was an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
series which originally aired on
ABC TVABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 10 May 2004. On 9 July 2004 it was launched on Telewest's digital...
between 1989 and 1996. It was producted by
ABCThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
and
Southern Star XanaduSouthern Star Entertainment is an Australian-based television production company. It describes itself as "Australia's largest independent creator and producer of television programming"...
in association with the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
.
Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute
pilot episodeA television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. It is an early step in the development of a television series, much like pilot lights or pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity, or pilot holes prepare the way for larger holes. Networks use pilots to...
(first screened in 1989) as well as a feature film in 1994, starring
Zoe CaridesZoe Carides is an Australian film and television actress who is best known for her roles in the television series G. P. as Dr. Sonia Kapek and Grass Roots as Liz Murray. Carides was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
.
The series dealt with the
New South Wales Police Rescue SquadThe New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is an agency of the Government of New South Wales within the New South Wales Ministry for Police...
based in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
and their work attending to various incidents from road accidents to train crashes.
Police Rescue was an
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
n
televisionTelevision is a widely used telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images, either monochromatic or color, usually accompanied by sound. "Television" may also refer specifically to a television set, television programming or television transmission...
series which originally aired on
ABC TVABC1 was a United Kingdom based television channel from Disney using the branding of the Disney owned American network, ABC.The channel initially launched exclusively on the British digital terrestrial television platform Freeview on 10 May 2004. On 9 July 2004 it was launched on Telewest's digital...
between 1989 and 1996. It was producted by
ABCThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
and
Southern Star XanaduSouthern Star Entertainment is an Australian-based television production company. It describes itself as "Australia's largest independent creator and producer of television programming"...
in association with the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
.
Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute
pilot episodeA television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. It is an early step in the development of a television series, much like pilot lights or pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity, or pilot holes prepare the way for larger holes. Networks use pilots to...
(first screened in 1989) as well as a feature film in 1994, starring
Zoe CaridesZoe Carides is an Australian film and television actress who is best known for her roles in the television series G. P. as Dr. Sonia Kapek and Grass Roots as Liz Murray. Carides was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
.
The series dealt with the
New South Wales Police Rescue SquadThe New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is an agency of the Government of New South Wales within the New South Wales Ministry for Police...
based in
SydneySydney is the largest city in Australia, and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney has a metropolitan area population of approximately 4.34 million and an area of approximately 12,000 square kilometres. Its inhabitants are called Sydneysiders, and Sydney is often called "the Harbour City"...
and their work attending to various incidents from road accidents to train crashes. The show was very well received for the first four series, however a decline in ratings by the commencement of the 1996 series saw the cancellation of the show, following an almost
epitaphAn epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
in the final three episodes.
Police Rescue was shown in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
and aired on
Sky OneSky1 is a British Sky Broadcasting entertainment channel in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the UK, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
, in parts of Italy as
Polizia Squadra Soccorso on T9, in
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
on
TF1TF1 is a private French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 25-35% makes it the most popular domestic network.TF1 is the largest European television channel by its audience...
as
Sydney Police, in
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
on VOX as
Police Rescue – Gefährlicher Einsatz, in
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
and
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe and the senior member of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries; southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and it is bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark borders both the Baltic and the North Sea...
on the United Kingdom-based TV3, and in in the
Republic of IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
on
RTÉRTÉ One is Ireland's oldest and most popular television channel, operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann...
.
Major cast
- Sergeant Steve "Mickey" McClintock - (Gary Sweet
Gary Sweet is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in Alexandra's Project , Police Rescue, Cody, Big Sky, The Battlers, Bodyline and Stingers....
) (1989-1996)
- Senior Constable/Sergeant Georgia Rattray - (Sonia Todd
Sonia Todd is an Australian actress.She studied at the National Institute of Dramatic Art and starred in Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann.Todd is married to Rhett Walton and has two sons ....
) (1989-1996)
- Constable/Senior Constable Yiannis "Angel" Angelopoulos - (Steve Bastoni
Steve Bastoni is an Italian Australian actor.Bastoni is best known for his role in Police Rescue as Constable Yannis 'Angel' Angelopoulos and as Steve Parker in Neighbours. He has also appeared in many other Australian series such as Wildside, Prisoner and Stingers...
) (1990-1996)
- Senior Sergeant Peter "Ridgy" Ridgeway - (Tim McKenzie) (1989-1990)
- Inspector Bill Adams - (John Clayton) (1989-1996)
- Sergeant Fred "Frog" Catteau - (Marshall Napier
Marshall James Napier is a New Zealand actor. He is the father of actress Jessica Napier and the uncle of actor James Napier.Before becoming an actor, Napier worked variously as an art student, factory worker and truck driver...
) (1989-1992)
- Constable Trevor "Sootie" Coledale - (Peter Browne) (1989-1990)
- Constable Percy "Ptomaine" Warren - (Doug Scroope) (1989-1993)
- Senior Sergeant Kevin "Nipper" Harris - (Steve Bisley
Steve Bisley is an Australian film and television actor, who attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art .-Acting career:...
) (1992-1995)
- Sharyn Elliott - (Belinda Cotterill) (1992-1994, 1996)
- Constable Kathy Orland - (Tammy MacIntosh
Tammy MacIntosh is an Australian actress who currently plays the role of Dr. Charlotte Beaumont in TV medical drama, All Saints....
) (1992-1995)
- Constable Brian Morley - (Jeremy Callaghan
Jeremy Callaghan is an Australian actor whose portrayal of the cute and shy Constable Brian Morley on the popular TV drama Police Rescue ensured international attention...
) (1992-1995)
- Senior Sergeant Glenn "Spider" Webb - (Frank Holden
Frank Holden, also known as Frankie J. Holden, , is an Australian entertainer and actor. For Return Home Holden was nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role at the 1990 AFI Awards.- Singing career :...
) (1994-1996)
- Anastasia Skouras - (Ada Nicodemou
Ada Nicodemou is a Greek Cypriot actress currently living in Australia, best known for her role as Leah Patterson-Baker in the soap opera Home and Away.-Early life:...
) (1994-1995)
- Constable Joe Cardillo - (Salvatore Coco
Salvatore Coco is an Australian film and television actor.-Biography:Coco was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and is of Sardinian decent. He performed with Australian Theatre for Young People where he developed his talents in acting, singing, guitar, dance and cabaret. He is also a...
) (1995-1996)
- Constable Tracy Davis - (Leah Purcell
Leah Purcell is an Australian actress from Murgon in the Kingaroy district of Queensland.She is an accomplished film, television and theatre actor, singer, director and playwright....
) (1995-1996)
- Constable Lorrie "Flash" Gordon (Zoe Carides
Zoe Carides is an Australian film and television actress who is best known for her roles in the television series G. P. as Dr. Sonia Kapek and Grass Roots as Liz Murray. Carides was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
) (1994 feature film)
Recurring minor cast
- Bronwyn Catteau (Deborah Kennedy
Deborah Kennedy is an Australian actress recognised for several television and film roles, and for her appearance in a famous advertisement.Kennedy began her acting career on the stage, with the Marion Street Theatre, appearing in The Trojan Woman and Macbeth...
) (1990-1992)
- Des McClintock (Kerry Armstrong
Kerry Michelle Armstrong is an Australian actor on film, television, and stage. She is one of only two actors to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year. Armstrong's 2001 awards were for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Lantana, and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a...
) (1990-1991)
- Maria Mellick (Debbie Byrne) (1990-1992)
- Tony Fuller (NARC detective) (Harold Hopkins
Harold Horace Hopkins FRS was a renowned British physicist. His Wave Theory of Aberrations, , is central to all modern optical design and provides the mathematical analysis which enables the use of computers to create the wealth of high quality lenses available today...
) (1990-1992)
- Helena Angelopoulos (Gia Carides
Gia Carides is an Australian actress.Carides was born in Sydney, Australia, to a Greek father and an English mother. An actress since the age of 12, she has won awards for her films Strictly Ballroom and Brilliant Lies from the Australian Film Institute...
) (1992-1993)
- David Goldberg (Lani John Tupu) (1992)
- Constable Lohmeier (Daniel Rigney) (1993)
Pilot (1989)
In mid-1989,
Southern Star XanaduSouthern Star Entertainment is an Australian-based television production company. It describes itself as "Australia's largest independent creator and producer of television programming"...
broadcast the pilot episode of
Police Rescue via the
Australian Broadcasting CorporationThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC", is Australia's national public broadcaster. With a total budget of AUD$1.13 Billion annually, the corporation provides television, radio, online and mobile services throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, as well as...
. The 90-minute
telemovieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
established the background of the protagonist of the series, Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock. Several issues were raised in the pilot, such as women's discrimination, sexism, and street violence. The plot evolved around the entrance of the first woman member to the Police Rescue Squad, Constable Georgia Rattray and then the search for a missing boy in Sydney's sewer system.
The telemovie was well received and spawned the series of
Police Rescue, which carried on shortly after the pilot.
Series 1 (1991)
For the first thirteen episodes,
Police Rescue sustained the same cast as the 1989 pilot, with the addition of Constable Yiannis "Angel" Angelopoulos, who would stay with the show for the duration. This series also allowed the character of Constable Percy "Ptomaine" Warren to have a most active role, especially in the episodes
LPG and
The Cosmic Lightbeam. For the subsequent series, Ptomaine had relatively minor roles. In addition, this series was the only one to portray Mickey McClintock's wife, Des, played by
Kerry ArmstrongKerry Michelle Armstrong is an Australian actor on film, television, and stage. She is one of only two actors to win two Australian Film Institute Awards in the same year. Armstrong's 2001 awards were for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Lantana, and Best Actress in a Leading Role in a...
. The episodes are as follows:
- Mates
- Angel After Hours
- LPG
- The Cosmic Lightbeam
- Mad Dog
- Saturday Night
- Reunion With Snake
- Raid
- One for Dad
- Hostage
- Up a Tree
- Saving The Princess
- By the Book
Series 2 (1992)
The character of Sergeant Fred "Frog" Catteau departed the show following the episode
Judgement Day. The following episode,
Stakeout, saw the introduction of Constable Brian Morley. Special guest stars in this series included
Russell CroweRussell Ira Crowe is an Australian actor and musician. His acting career began in the early 1990s with roles in Australian TV series such as Police Rescue and films such as Romper Stomper. In the late 1990s, he began appearing in US films such as the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential...
in
The Right Stuff and Rebecca Cartwright in
Reasons to Live. Although not explicitly explained, Georgia Rattray achieved promotion in this series from 1st Class Constable to Senior Constable to replace the position (in the squad) of Constable Trevor "Sootie" Coledale (Series 1). It was also not explained in the show why Constable Trevor "Sootie" Coledale and Senior Sergeant Peter "Ridgy" Ridgeway had departed. The commencement of the second series had Senior Sergeant Kevin "Nipper" Harris replacing Ridgy, with Nipper remaining with the show until halfway through Series 4. This was also the case for the new characters of Constable Kathy Orland and Brian Morley.
The episodes of Series 2 are as follows:
- The Right Stuff
- Off the Track
- The Hard Way
- The Big Canary
- Judgement Day
- Stakeout
- Sugar
- With a Vengeance
- Reasons to Live
- From This Day Forward
- Angel's Devils
- The Real Meaning
- Heartbeat
Series 3 (1993)
This series saw the continuation of the cast from the end of Series 2. In addition, there was an increase of guest stars; some of which were relatively unknown at the original time of broadcast. Stars included
Cate BlanchettCatherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett is an Australian actress and theatre director. She has won multiple acting awards, most notably two SAGs, two Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTAs, an Academy Award, as well as the Volpi Cup at 64th Venice International Film Festival.Blanchett came to international...
in
The Loaded Boy,
Jeffrey WalkerJeffrey Walker is a bass guitarist and singer from Prescot, UK. He is best known for his work with the death metal / grindcore band Carcass for which he is also the main lyricist. Before Carcass, he played in the punk band the Electro Hippies. After the demise of Carcass, he went on to form...
in
Rush Hour, Frankie J Holden in
Good Buddy and
Martin SacksMartin Colin Sacks is a well-known Australian actor, chiefly known for his 11-year role on Blue Heelers from 1994 to 2005.-Career:...
in
Prodigal Daughter. Viewers also saw the last of Angel's wife in
On a Roll, despite her mentioning later on in the series. This series also showed the pinnacle of Mickey and Georgia's relationship.
Episodes of Series 3 include:
- Lifeline
- Wild Goose Chase
- On a Roll
- Prodigal Daughter
- The Loaded Boy
- Good Buddy
- Rush Hour
- Speeding
- Lift Sixteen
- Whirlwind
- Cold Snap
- Double Illusion
- The Last to Know
Series 4 (1995)
Nipper departed from the series following the episode
Wrong Side of the Road in order to spend more time with his family and take over on his sister's farm. The position was filled by Senior Sergeant Glenn "Spider" Webb, a replacement which has often been described as the "beginning of the end" of
Police Rescue. Sharyn, the receptionist, was also temporarily replaced without explanation by Anastasia Skouras (
Ada NicodemouAda Nicodemou is a Greek Cypriot actress currently living in Australia, best known for her role as Leah Patterson-Baker in the soap opera Home and Away.-Early life:...
), who seemed to play an almost identical role to Sharyn. This was also the final series for characters Kathy and Brian, with a highly dramatic departure at the end of the episode
Wild Card. Special guests included
Judith McGrathJudith McGrath or Judy is an Australian actress. She spent many of her formative years training at Brisbane Arts Theatre and was a company member of Twelfth Night Theatre under theatre director, Joan Whalley....
in
Wrong Side of the Road as well as
Miranda OttoMiranda Otto is an Australian actress. The daughter of actors Barry and Lindsay Otto and the sister of Gracie Otto, she began acting at age nineteen, and has performed in a variety of low-budget and major studio films....
and
Delta GoodremDelta Lea Goodrem is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002, starring in the popular Australian soap Neighbours as Nina Tucker, and this assisted her in establishing an international music career. With 8 number 1#...
in
On the Outer. The episodes for Series 4 are as follows:
- On the Outer
- Conduct Endangering Life
- Wrong Side of the Road
- Something's Got to Give
- Guardian Angel
- Double Jeopardy
- Crossing the Line
- Damage Control
- Public Mischief
- Breaking Strain
- The Sharp End
- Rescue Me
- Wild Card
Series 5 (1996)
The final series had only nine episodes, in comparison to the thirteen of the previous four series. With brand new cast members to fill the roles of the two junior squad members, the series began to take a new direction, adopting an almost
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on television or radio. The name "soap opera" stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers such as Procter & Gamble,...
style of show . The final three episodes acted as an epitaph for the major cast members, with the final episode acting as the final word of
Police Rescue.
The episodes of this series include:
- The Ultimate
- Nobby's Place
- The Getting of Wisdom
- The River
- The Ship
- Flash the Descent
- The Holliman Kid
- Tomorrow Never Knows
- The Only Constant
Video and DVD releases
In 1993,
ABC TelevisionABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcaster, the ABC provides two main channels within Australia as well a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas.- History :...
released selected episodes from Series 1 and Series 2 on
VHSVideo Home System, better known by its abbreviation VHS, was a video tape recording standard developed during the 1970s. It was released to the public during the latter half of the decade. During the late part of the 1970s and the early 1980s it formed one-half of the VHS vs Betamax war, which it...
format. The 1989 pilot episode was released the previous year.
In early November 2006,
WarnerVision announced the release of complete Series 1. In Australia it was released on the 24 November 2006. The four disc "collector's box set" included all thirteen episodes from Series 1, including the 90-minute pilot episode as bonus material. Series 2 and 3 were released on 9 April 2007. They contain episodes 14 to 39, devoid of any bonus features or extras. Series 4 and 5 were released in a two part DVD set on 9 July 2007.
External links