Cirrus@Austlit

Akin to other Australian television programs such as Falcon Island (1981) and The Henderson Kids (1985), Secret Valley revolved in part around the attempts of a group of children to protect a ghost town and its valley from the depredations of developers. In this instance, the children form the land into a weekend holiday camp, at which they both work and play; in this sense, Secret Valley is, as Moran notes in his Guide to Australian TV Series, something of a successor to Roger Mirams's first Australian production, The Terrific Adventures of the Terrible Ten. Another group of children, led by Spider McGlurk, also live in Secret Valley (in Spider Cave), leading to a number of confrontations.

Secret Valley began as a made-for-television film, and was expanded into a twenty-four-episode series.

Moran notes that the program 'wore its Australianness well, even down to having the Secret Valley soundtrack lyrics imposed on "Waltzing Matilda".' Despite being (in part) a Grundy production, the program first aired on the ABC in Australia, and was sold into Spain, the United Kingdom (where it was a commercial failure when it aired on ITV), and the Netherlands.

Two brothers escape the killing of five Australian journalists in Timor in 1975, but, two years later, they are still dealing with the after-effects of the trauma.

'[Chard] Hayward plays Mason, a neurotic gardener whose mind lights up "Tilt" when a TV crew wrecks his beloved garden.

'The TV crew has been shooting a jungle-themed commercial at the home of Mason's employer, highly-strung superstar Marie Coleby (Ms Coulls).

'After the crew have left, the now completely loopy Mason snuffs out Marie's rather tinselled life. As Mason is disposing of the body, the Les Foxcroft character surprises him, and he cops a bop on the head with a shovel for his trouble.

'You'd think poor old Mason had enough troubles, but suddenly Marie's sister Jenny (Ms Howitt) enters stage left, intent on spending a few quiet days at her sibling's isolated beach home.

'Jenny discovers dead goldfish in the lounge, a stained carpet and a dead dog in the surf. Too late (yeek), she realizes that Mason–shudder–is after her.'

Source:

Greg Flynn, 'Lady Stay Dead', Australian Women's Weekly, 16 September 1981, pp.132S-133S.

Returning, after his father's death, to the town named in honour of his ancestors, Dr Andrew Murcheson takes over the family medical practice, renews his relationship with an old flame, and stirs up long-forgotten family secrets.

Source: MemorableTV.com (http://www.memorabletv.com/australia/tvam2.htm). Sighted: 7/10/2011

Described as a Western, despite the Australian setting, Inn of the Damned follows a couple who run an inn in late nineteenth-century Victoria, and slaughter their guests, until the arrival of an American bounty hunter puts an end to their activities.

A children's television series in which the child protagonists (Catch and Kate Kandy) go into hiding, believing that they've accidentally killed their abusive uncle (and guardian).

According to Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, 'Each episode was self-contained although in the final episode the overall story was brought to an end. Catch Kandy was an attractive series, visually pleasing, with a suitably engaging narrative in each episode'.

A woman is stalked by a crazed hermit after she crashes her car on a lonely road.

Series exploring the covert activities behind Japanese lines of covert operatives working from a secret headquarters in Sydney.

According to Don Storey, in his Classic Australian Television, Mirams determined not to dwell on Japanese treatment of prisoners of war nor to show the Australians as incorruptible heroes, but did intend to counter the idea that the war was won entirely by American soldiers.

According to Storey,

Mirams could only provide money for the pilot. Each episode cost approximately $23,000 for a return of only $18,000, which over 42 episodes amounted to a loss of almost a quarter of a million dollars. At one stage cash flow became so tight that Thompson and Sumner went 'on strike' until they got paid. To cover his debts Mirams sold his rights in the series to Paramount Pictures. Consequently, Mirams made nothing from the show despite excellent overseas sales.

Albert Moran, in his Guide to Australian Television Series, notes of script-writer Ron McLean that 'McLean was never one to get precious about originality and Spyforce cheerfully plundered such stories as Callan, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, the James Bond stories and The Bridge on the River Kwai for many of its narratives.'

Storey sums up Spyforce as follows: 'The show improved as it went on - the episodes became tighter and faster, and the directing proved more imaginative. The lead cast gave excellent performances, and the special effects got better - all testimony to the short-cuts and improvisation which the series is legendary for.'

Two mercenaries are hired to undertake a political assassination.

Dividing their time between a communal farm and their father's fishing boat, two brothers come into conflict with each other and with their father over the affections of his new young wife.