Cirrus@Austlit

An anthology series produced at the ABC studios in Melbourne. Ten episodes aired in 1972.

Nothing is currently known of the plot of this episode.

Nothing is currently known of the plot of this instalment of Australian Playhouse.

A short children's adventure program, which (according to Moran, in his Guide to Australian TV Series) 'concentrated in a pleasant, innocent fashion on a group of children who created their own make-believe town, taking on such jobs as firefighter, police officer and so on'.

The program was the first Australian production for New Zealand-born Roger Mirams, who had arrived in Australia in 1956 to work as a cameraman for the Olympic Games. After this series, Mirams, in Moran's words, 'became an active force in the industry, especially children's drama, over the next 30 years'.

Chamber musical.

Set in Melbourne in the 1890s, The Ballad of Angel's Alley concerns that era's 'push' or larrikin gang wars. The narrative is peopled with thieves, cut-throats and riff-raff, and the action is presented in several locations, including Angel's Alley, the Thieves Kitchen and Melbourne gaol (both inside and outside). The story concerns the rivalry between two street gangs, one led by Tiddler and the other by Bill Fiddler. When Tiddler dies from influenza rather than in battle his gang is shamed, giving its enemy the upper hand. Matters turn back in their favour, however, when Tiddler's daughter, Maria, arrives on the scene and leads them with great success.

The authors have attempted to capture the quality of the old ballad melodramas by writing it in a mock-serious style.

A sit-com set in a classroom, which, according to Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, was the first drama series produced on Australian television: Crawford Productions drew writers from their radio productions.

Moran notes that 'Because the series went live to air and was not cinescoped for transmission anywhere outside Melbourne, it is unlikely that the series exists even as a memory in the minds of older generations'.