Cirrus@Austlit

'One of my favourite stories concerns two Liberal Party politicians, both of whom were later knighted. One of them was arguably Australia's most hopeless and devious prime minister, William ("Billy") McMahon. He was in office from March 1971 until December 1972, when the coalition lost office to Labor under Gough Whitlam - who had famously described McMahon as "Tiberius with a telephone". The second was James ("Jim") Killen, who liked more than an odd beer on a hot day and had served as Minister for the Navy under John Gorton. When McMahon became PM, he dropped Killen from the ministry.' (Introduction)

'The eighth book in the Grafton Everest series sees the hapless ex-President of the Republic of Australia, Dr Professor Grafton Everest, caught up in a web of international espionage and intrigue that he is hopelessly ill-equipped to handle.
'Abandoned to his own inadequate devices when his wife Janet departs on a world tour, with his home invaded by his now broke daughter and son-in-law, Grafton accepts an assignment with the United Nations to investigate electoral fraud in Russia. The reason is not only to get out of the house; an old letter from his mother, addressed to someone in the Soviet Union fifty years ago, suggests that Grafton may not be the only child that he always thought he was.
'Grafton’s mission to Moscow and his search for this mysterious sibling take him far from the Russian capital, deep into the icy wastes of Siberia and even deeper in a tangled conspiracy whose roots extend back to the Cold War and even as far back as the Russian Revolution.' (Publication summary)

'In this 7^th book of the highly acclaimed Grafton Everest Series, our indolent hero, Professor Dr Everest, former lecturer in Lifestyles and Wellbeing at the University of Mangoland, is surprised to find himself President of the newly minted Republic of Australia. He is also concerned when he learns that, due to a drafting error, it is to be an American-style executive presidency. Luckily he manages to avoid any actual work or duties, save heading the newly created Department of Wellbeing, and leaves on a goodwill tour of the United States.

'Here, to his further surprise, he is hailed as a political guru and even a messiah by a population still reeling from the incumbency and assassination of president Ronald Thump. Adulation for his even most off-the-cuff comments leads to Grafton being courted by both Democrats and Republicans as a possible US Presidential candidate, something which seems impossible until he discovers a well-kept secret about his true citizenship. After further discoveries, including a secret society of retired spies and bionic clones, he returns to Australia to find that the Department of Wellbeing has become a ruthless dictatorship that has brought the nation to a stop. It is now up to Professor Dr Everest to save the country …'  (Publication summary)

'Bumbling Mangoland academic, Professor Dr Grafton Everest, has been elected to the Australian Senate, without really knowing why, and due to the influx of weird Independents, finds himself holding the balance of power. Despite this, his personal life is a train wreck. A prostatectomy has left him impotent, his daughter is staging a theatrical event with an outlaw motorcycle gang and he suspects his wife is planning to have him put to sleep. On top of it all, Australia is facing natural disaster from Tectonic Change. Can Grafton save his family, his country and himself?'

Source: Publication summary.

This British/Australian co-production comedy/adventure series spins off the character of the robotic dog K9 from the British television series Doctor Who. Because the programme is not a BBC production, it cannot make direct references to Doctor Who. Similarly, K9 was radically redesigned for this show, because although Bob Baker (creator of K9 and co-creator of the original character) owns the character rights to K9, the BBC owns the rights to the original character design.

The concept for K9 was developed by Australian writers Shane Krause and Shayne Armstrong, who also serve as primary writers for the programme. Other Australian writers involved in the show include Queensland-based writer Jim Noble and comedian Ian McFadyen.

The programme is filmed and produced in Brisbane, Australia, but set in near-future London.

'WICKED! features step-brother and -sister Rory and Dawn in their struggles to outwit the Appleman as he tries to spread a deadly virus round their town. Rory and Dawn have to overcome their dislike for each other and work together to counter the devious Appleman before he contaminates everything.'

Source: Screen Australia.

'The death and subsequent State funeral of a former Prime Minister puts the Feds in charge of security for all visiting Heads of State. What nobody anticipates, except for a visiting German policeman is the white extremist bomber who comes on a special mission, targeting the visiting South African president.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 17/6/2013)