AustLit

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.

'... a contemporary action drama series set in a critical incident police unit, providing an insider's view of police under pressure. Our heroes are a mobile squad trained to be smarter, tactically superior and technologically advantaged.'

Source: Australian Television website, www.australiantelevision.net (sighted 08/09/2009)

Based on the original tele-movie, The Alice follows the adventures of a group of people who, drawn to Alice Springs through a series of fateful encounters, find they still have more to do in the town.

The program was cancelled after a single series due to poor viewing figures.

'A man is dead, millions of dollars have been lost and a mafia boss is missing. Someone’s laughing all the way to the bank, but one man is on the hunt to find those who believe they are above accountability. Jon Peregrine (Jason Donovan) is an investigator with a difference—the trail he follows is a paper one, chasing money as it is hidden, laundered and fast-tracked around the world. When his brother-in-law commits suicide after losing thousands of dollars when a share float goes belly up, Peregrine must face his sister’s (Tara Morice) grief at losing her husband and vows to hunt down those responsible. Although mum and dad investors have lost millions, none of the corporate heavyweights have got burnt and no one from the top end of town is talking. His ex-wife Cynthia (Anita Hegh) might hold a piece of the puzzle, but she’s not giving anything away… at least, not officially… and certainly not until Jon looks at the divorce papers she’s been trying to get him to sign for the past few months. Together with his eccentric silent partner Charles (Barry Otto), and genius offsider Bruno (Russell Dykstra), Peregrine works to track down those involved in the deal and bring them to account. Jon smells blood money and he’s not about to give up the chase. Perhaps white-collar crime doesn’t pay like it used to?'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 10/5/2013)

'Set in a small country town, FIREFLIES centres on the townspeople and its rural bushfire brigade. You can measure a township by the commitment of its people. Most of them are volunteers, from the fire brigade to the CWA. Whether you're new in town, or here for generations, when you're facing the driest hottest summer in decades, it pays to belong.'

Source: Screen Australia. (Sighted: 3/12/2013)

'Enter the world of Medical Defence Australia, a medico-legal organisation that exists to defend doctors and where necessary compensate patients. All cases at MDA combine elements of law and medicine so each case is managed by a doctor and a lawyer who agree on how to proceed. It's a unique organisation that delves into morally complex and emotion filled relationships between doctors and patients.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive (http://www.australiantelevision.net/mda/mda.html). (Sighted: 22/2/2013)

Water Rats is an Australian police television series which was broadcast on the Nine Network between 1996 and 2001. The series was based around the men and women of the Sydney Water Police who fight crime across Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney Harbour.