AustLit

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'MICHAEL WILLIAMS. 45, the first murderer. A teacher, he is a clever, dried-up academic, a keen chess player, interested in target shooting. He is involved in an affair with Claudia Jones, a young student teacher, with whom he is deeply in love. Through her, he sees the chance to gain the happiness which his marriage has denied him and he turns to murder as the only practical way to solve the problem of his wife. To protect himself, he is later forced to murder again.

'HELEN WILLIAMS. 39, the first victim, is Michael's wife. She is afaded [sic] homebody, whose whole life revolves around the house and the antique silver she collects. Her marriage has probably turned her into what she is .. a rather pathetic drab.

'EDDIE JACKSON. 50, has a long record for crimes of various kinds. His intelligence is extremely limited .. his straightened circumstances and environment probably made his life in crime inevitable, but he is clumsy and unsuccessful even in that. He is big, shambling, with a violent temper. He is characterised by his great love for his wife, Rose.

'ROGER GREEN. 25, is a young criminal who began his career in Juvenile Courts. He becomes the second victim after he is used by Williams in the set-up to murder his wife and starts to blackmail him. There is very little Green wouldn't do for money. He's essentially a loner.

'CLAUDIA JONES. 24, a kinky spirited young teacher is involved with Williams. She considers herself a "free spirit", and thus takes neither her affair with Williams, nor the ramifications of it too seriously. In fact, she is really experimenting with life trying to find out what she ultimately wants.

'DAISY ROBERTS. 50-ish, is an ex-prostitute now running a boarding house where Green has a room. She is a little flamboyant, a gossip ..... Her long relationship with the police makes her only too anxious to be helpful. Some of her physical attraction has remained with her.

'GEORGE BRENT. 40-50, an ex-crim, is Eddie's cousin. He now runs a Disposal Store. He is neither intelligent nor particularly clean. He helps Eddie, until he departs with his takings.

'JOY. Mac's girlfriend.

'MARY RICE. About 26, is a teacher at Williams' school. Mac learns of Williams' mistress through her. She is rather conservative, not particularly attractive, sympathetic.

'JAMIE REDFORD. 20, is a university student, who, living next to the Williams [sic], is able to help the police in their inquiries. He is slightly impertinent, flamboyantly but not EFFEMINATELY dressed, with good powers of observation. A good kid on the whole.

'THE WARDER. 30-40, in whose care Eddie is released to attend his wife's funeral. He is basically a simple man, but a kind one.

'DOCTOR BROWN. Is called by Williams to examine his wife.

'THE PARSON. Officiates at the funeral of Eddie's wife.

'TWO MOURNERS. At the funeral, a man and a wife.

'CONSTABLE. Who finds the Falcon used in Green's killing.

'DICK TAYLOR. 30-40. A newspaper reporter, arrives at the scene of Green's killing, helps the police.

'AMBULANCE MEN.

'EXTRAS AS BYSTANDERS. At Mac's place when Joy has been injured. (As many as can be afforded).'

The script held in the Crawford Collection in the AFI Research Collection contains the following character notes (excluding regular characters):

'LEIGH GARDINER. 39. A journalist on a daily paper, is a hard-bitten ruthless woman of great attractiveness. She is an indifferent mother, and an unfaithful wife. She is the victim.

'JOHN GARDINER. 44. Leigh's husband, is an industrial chemist. He is a quiet, gentle man, bound up with his career. His marriage has been a failure and he realises this. He is intelligent, well-educated. He is one of the principal suspects. Must be able to drive.

'ANNE GARDINER. 18. Their daughter. She has been neglected by her parents and has become addicted to morphine. She is an Art student at the Tech. She eventually tries to commit suicide....becoming a suspect through her addiction.

'JERRY ROSS. 22. Takes Anne out now and again, but on a casual basis. He therefore feels little loyalty or responsibility towards her. He is a student.

'JANE ADAMS. 45. The murderess, is Leigh's cousin. She has a small private income and does a lot of charity work, has an autocratic disposition. Her love for Anne triggers off the poisonings - she regards the girl as her own daughter. She is practical to the point that she chooses murder as the practical solution to her problems - with no thought to the ethics.

'BETTY ROBINSON. 63. Is Jane Adams' companion, a pensioner of vague disposition, and an inability to manage her own affairs.

'CLIFF HILL. 33. A journalist on Leigh's paper, he had been having an affair with her. He is intelligent, attractive. Had been on a country newspaper.

'DENISE MATTHEWS. 25. His fiancee, is a young journalist who takes over Leigh's column. She is gentle, rather old-fashioned.

'TRAMP. Of indeterminate age, a no-hoper with a love for drink. He manages to extort money from Anne - with his hard luck story.

'ADRIAN JOHNSTON. A chemist, is visited by Anne in her attempt to get hold of some morphine.

'DOCTOR MILER. 50. Called in by Gardiner on the night of Leigh's death. He is talkative, with a love for gardening, has treated the family for some years.

'JOE FINCH. 48. John Gardiner's superior at the laboratory. An academic, he has a dry sense of humour, and a cordial dislike for Leigh.

'SISTER TAYLOR. 40. In charge of the Grandview hospital at which Jane Adams does charity work, and obtains the morphine. She is a fairly typical nurse, practical by nature.

'A VICAR. A gentle, kind man of indeterminate age. He finds Anne after she attempts to commit suicide.

'EXTRA ONLY. A girl who resembles Anne Gardiner in appearance.

'EXTRA ONLY. A young boy.'

Running for twelve years and a total of 510 episodes, Homicide was a seminal Australian police-procedural program, set in the homicide squad of the Victoria Police. According to Don Storey in his Classic Australian Television, it represented a turning point for Australian television, prompting the development of local productions over the purchase of relatively inexpensive American dramas. Indeed, Storey quotes Hector Crawford as saying that his production company intended three outcomes from Homicide: demonstrating that it was possible to make a high-quality local drama series, counteracting criticism of local performers, and showing that Australian audiences would watch Australian-made dramas.

As Moran notes in his Guide to Australian TV Series, the program adopted a narrative structure focusing on crime, detection, and capture, rather than on character studies of the lead detectives. The early episodes were produced by a small crew (Storey notes that the crew was frequently limited to four people: cameraman, grip, director, and assistant director), requiring some degree of ingenuity to achieve a polished result (including, in some cases, the actors performing their own stunts). However, the program received extensive support from the Victoria Police (who recognised, in its positive portrayal of police officers, a valuable public-relations exercise) and, as its popularity grew, from the public.

The program's cast changed extensively over its twelve years on the air, though it remained focused on a small group of male detectives, with the inclusion of irregular characters such as Policewoman Helen Hopgood (played by Derani Scarr), written on an as-required basis to reflect the involvement of women in the police force. In Moran's words, 'The other star of Homicide was the location film work. These ordinary, everyday familiar urban locations were what gave the series a gritty realism and familiarised audiences with the shock of recognition at seeing themselves and their milieus on air'.