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'The events surrounding the British nuclear tests in Central Australia came alive for Australian television audiences when the ABC screened Operation Buffalo in May and June 2020. The series was inspired by the actual tests at Maralinga, although screen writer and producer Peter Duncan was upfront in announcing that it was a work of ‘historical fiction’, along with a proviso that ‘a lot of the really bad history actually happened’.1 The series was promoted as a ‘captivating drama’ set in Maralinga in a Cold War climate in which ‘paranoia runs rife and nuclear bombs are not the only things being tested as loyalty, love and betrayal are pitted against each other’.2 The characters in Operation Buffalo include the handsome operations manager Major Leo Carmichael who is seduced by visiting British meteorologist Eva Lloyd George, a Russian spy; British General ‘Cranky’ Crankford who befriends Ruby and her Aboriginal family affected by the testing; and nurse Corinne who treats soldiers exposed to deadly nuclear chemicals. Meanwhile the British High Commissioner, key Australian politicians, prostitutes and ASIO agents weave in and out of the drama that includes visiting dignitaries observing the explosion of a nuclear device from a viewing platform.' (Introduction)
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Last amended 2 Dec 2021 09:05:26
Subjects:
- Operation Buffalo 2020 series - publisher film/TV
- Maralinga, North West South Australia, Far North South Australia, South Australia,
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