Punishment (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Punishment is an Australia
n television
soap opera
made by the Reg Grundy Organisation
for the Ten Network in 1981.
Set in a fictional men's prison, the series attempted to present a male version of the successful soap Prisoner
. Attempts by the show's makers to differentiate the series from Prisoner saw Punishment imbued with greater realism; however, the formula did not attract high viewing figures. Network Ten deemed the new series a failure after only three episodes had gone to air, and it was quickly removed from the schedules. The remainder of the 26 episodes produced were shown out-of-ratings later that year. Unusually for a soap opera, the series was taped using the single camera technique .
The regular cast featured many notable Australian actors including Brian Wenzel
, Barry Crocker
, Michael Preston
, Ross Thompson, Anne Haddy
, George Spartels
, Cornelia Frances
, Lisa Peers and Julie McGregor
. Mel Gibson
played a prisoner in the first episode. The programme was produced and directed by Alan Coleman
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
made by the Reg Grundy Organisation
Reg Grundy Organisation
The Reg Grundy Organisation was an Australian television production company founded in 1959 by businessman Reg Grundy . It has since branched out into Europe and the USA. The company first produced game shows, before branching into soap operas in 1973...
for the Ten Network in 1981.
Set in a fictional men's prison, the series attempted to present a male version of the successful soap Prisoner
Prisoner (TV series)
Prisoner is an Australian television soap opera which was set in the Wentworth Detention Centre, a fictional women's prison. The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and ran on Network Ten for 692 episodes from 27 February 1979 to 11 December 1986.The series was inspired by the 1970s...
. Attempts by the show's makers to differentiate the series from Prisoner saw Punishment imbued with greater realism; however, the formula did not attract high viewing figures. Network Ten deemed the new series a failure after only three episodes had gone to air, and it was quickly removed from the schedules. The remainder of the 26 episodes produced were shown out-of-ratings later that year. Unusually for a soap opera, the series was taped using the single camera technique .
The regular cast featured many notable Australian actors including Brian Wenzel
Brian Wenzel
Brian Wenzel is an Australian character actor, most famous for his long run as Police Sergeant Frank Gilroy on television program A Country Practice. He was an original cast member and remained along with Shane Porteous through the entire series, winning a Silver Logie for the role...
, Barry Crocker
Barry Crocker
Barry Hugh Crocker OAM is a popular Australian singer, with a crooning vocal style.-Biography:...
, Michael Preston
Michael Preston
Michael Preston is an international film and television actor, sometimes credited as Mike Preston.-Career:...
, Ross Thompson, Anne Haddy
Anne Haddy
Anne Haddy was an Australian film and television actress, best known for her role in the long-running soap opera, Neighbours.-Early and personal life:...
, George Spartels
George Spartels
George Spartels is an Australian actor of Greek descent, who is best known for his role on the television soap opera Neighbours, playing Benito Alessi. He was married to actress Elizabeth Alexander....
, Cornelia Frances
Cornelia Frances
Cornelia Frances is a British-born actress based in Australia since the early 1970s. Frances is best known for her recurring role as judge Morag Bellingham on Home and Away.-Early life and personal life:...
, Lisa Peers and Julie McGregor
Julie McGregor
Julie McGregor is an Australian television actor.-Career:McGregor is best known to Australian audiences as Betty Wilson, the dim-witted secretary in the Australian television comedy series, Hey Dad...!, and its short-lived spinoff Hampton Court...
. Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
played a prisoner in the first episode. The programme was produced and directed by Alan Coleman
Alan Coleman
Alan Coleman is a prolific TV series writer, director and producer, primarily in the southern hemisphere where he worked on soap operas The Young Doctors , The Restless Years, Punishment, Neighbours and Shortland Street. He was originally the head of children's programming at ATV in the UK until...
.