''Halifax f.p.'' is an Australian television crime series produced by

Nine Network The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...

from 1994 to 2002. The series stars

Rebecca Gibney Rebecca Catherine Gibney (born 14 December 1964) is a New Zealand actress known for her roles on Australian television in ''The Flying Doctors'', ''Halifax f.p.'', ''Packed to the Rafters'', ''Winter (TV series), Winter'' and ''Wanted (2016 Aus ...

as Doctor Jane Halifax, a

forensic psychiatrist Forensic psychiatry is a subspeciality of psychiatry and is related to criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry. According to the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, it is defined as "a subspecialty of psychiatr ...

investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or victims. The series is set in Melbourne. The producers of the film were Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier; Australian Film Finance Corporation and aired on the Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd. The budget for each episode was an average of AU$1.3 million. Funding came in part from the Australian Film Finance Corporation and Film Victoria.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p72 The show was a set of 21 stand alone television films, spread over six series. Each was between 90 and 120 minutes long, with a new "episode" airing roughly every few months during its eight-year run. The series aired in more than 60 countries. In August–October 2020, a short weekly revival of the series, called '' Halifax: Retribution'', was also aired.

Background

The series follows the career of Dr. Jane Halifax (

), a forensic psychiatrist. Her qualifications in the series are listed as

MBBS Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...

(Melb.) and FRANZCP. Halifax is Melbourne-based and is shown living at Jensen House on Swanston Street opposite the

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the ...

. Her offices are shown as located in Causeway House on

Little Collins Street Little Collins Street is a minor street in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The street runs parallel to and to the north of Collins Street and as a narrow one way lane takes on the name of the wider main ...

. An only child, her mother, Angela Halifax, lives alone, and her deceased father, John Halifax (1935-1991), was a barrister who enjoyed magic as a hobby. In episodes 1-7 and 9, she owns and drives a

Jaguar Mark 2 The Jaguar Mark 2 is a mid-sized luxury sports saloon built from late 1959 to 1967 by Jaguar in Coventry, England. The previous Jaguar 2.4 Litre and 3.4 Litre models made between 1955 and 1959 are identified as Mark 1 Jaguars.Eric Dymock, The ...

(although she drives a modern convertible in episode 8 and later a Saab 900 NG). In episode 1, a book she wrote as an undergraduate (''The Preppie Rapist'') is mentioned in a court case where she appears as an expert. In episode 5, Halifax mentions returning from a stint in the US helping out the FBI. In episode 6, it is mentioned that she was 'burnt' by a relationship she had with a married professor while studying in the US. In episode 16, Halifax undergoes a

colposcopy Colposcopy ( grc, κόλπος, kolpos, hollow, womb, vagina + ''skopos'' "look at") is a medical diagnostic procedure to visually examine the cervix as well as the vagina and vulva using a colposcope. The main goal of colposcopy is to prevent c ...

and a

cone biopsy Cervical conization ( CPT codes 57520 (Cold Knife) and 57522 (Loop Excision)) refers to an excision of a cone-shaped sample of tissue from the mucous membrane of the cervix. Conization may be used for either diagnostic purposes as part of a biopsy ...

due do abnormal cell growth (a medical issue common in her father’s family).

Episodes

Telemovies listed chronologically by series, with release dates by the Australian Television archive.

Series 1

Series 2

Note: Episode 2 was aired after 3.

Series 3

Series 4

Note: Episode 2 was aired after 3.

Series 5

Series 6

Reception

The show went on to be nominated for and win a number of AFI awards.

AACTA Award for Best Telefeature, Mini Series or Short Run Series The AACTA Award for Best Miniseries or Telefeature is an award that has been handed out to producers annually since 1986 by the Australian Film Institute (AFI), since 2011 the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). History The ...

: * 1995 The Feeding (Winner); Hard Corps (Nominated); Lies of the Mind (Nominated) * 1996 Cradle and All (Nominated) * 1998 Afraid of the Dark (Nominated) * 1999 Swimming with Sharks (Nominated) * 2000 A Person of Interest (Nominated) * 2002 Takes Two (Nominated) Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama: * 1995 (Hard Corps) Colin Friels & Steven Vidler (Winner); (The Feeding) Steve Bisley (Nominated); (Lies of the Mind) Richard Roxburgh (Nominated) * 1998 (Afraid of the Dark) Shane Connor (Nominated) * 1999 (Swimming with Sharks) David Tredinnick (Nominated) Best Performance by an Actor in a Telefeature or Mini Series: * 2000 (A Person of Interest) Andy Anderson (Winner); (A Hate Worse Than Death) Nicholas Eadie (Nominated) Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Television Drama: * 1995 (Lies of the Mind) Jacqueline McKenzie (Winner); (Lies of the Mind) Rebecca Gibney (Nominated) * 1998 (Afraid Of The Dark) Rebecca Gibney (Nominated) * 2002 (Takes Two) Mary Docker (Nominated) Best Performance by an Actress in a Telefeature or Mini Series: * 2000 (The Spider And The Fly) Essie Davis (Nominated); (A Person Of Interest) Rebecca Gibney (Nominated) Best Screenplay in a Television Drama: * 1995 Lies of the Mind (Nominated); The Feeding (Nominated) * 1998 Afraid of the Dark (Nominated) * 2000 A Person of Interest (Nominated) * 2002 Takes Two (Nominated)

Home media

References

External links

Australian Television archive
*
List of ''Halifax f.p.'' episodes
at

epguides epguides is a website dedicated to English language radio and television shows. Established in 1995 as The Episode Guides Page, it originally offered fan-compiled episode guides for hundreds of United States and United Kingdom series. In 1999, t ...

.com.
''Halifax FP'' - "Afraid of the Dark"
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

{{AACTA Award TeleFilmMiniSeries 1990–2009 Nine Network original programming 1994 Australian television series debuts 2002 Australian television series endings Television shows set in Victoria (Australia) 1990s Australian crime television series 2000s Australian crime television series Television series by Beyond Television Productions