sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
produced by Gary Reilly Productions, originally airing from 1987 to 1994 on the
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
.
Synopsis
Architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
Martin Kelly singlehandedly raises his children: Simon, Debbie, and Jenny. His wife, Margaret, had died three years before the series' start.
Martin runs his own
architectural
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
business from the family home in the
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
suburb of Chatswood. He employs his wife's cousin Betty Wilson, a good-natured ditz from the
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
country town of
Walgett
Walgett is a town in northern New South Wales, Australia, and the seat of Walgett Shire. It is near the junctions of the Barwon and Namoi Rivers and the Kamilaroi and Castlereagh Highways. In 2016, Walgett had a population of 2,145.
In the 2 ...
, as his secretary.
Many episodes deal with the daily stresses Martin faces as the family patriarch, such as settling arguments amongst his children. He frequently endures Betty's elaborate excuses for tardiness and is constantly frustrated with her delayed productivity at work. Simon's best friend is Gerald "Nudge" Noritas, a neighbour who constantly helps himself to whatever food he can find in the Kellys' kitchen.
In early episodes, the show briefly examines how the characters are struggling to deal with the absence of Margaret from their lives. Martin also
breaks the fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...
several times to deliver sarcastic one-liners to camera, although this is discontinued after the first 12 episodes.
Character replacements
As the series progressed, the original characters left one by one. Replacement characters were introduced to maintain the balance of the show's cast. The roles of two of Martin Kelly's children—Simon and Jenny—were recast during the show's run after the original actors left the series.
Early in season 5, Debbie Kelly moves to
Dunk Island
Dunk Island, known as ''Coonanglebah'' in the Warrgamay and Dyirbal languages, is an island within the locality of Dunk in the Cassowary Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It lies off the Australian east coast, opposite the town of Missio ...
to work as a waitress. She is replaced by new character Sam Kelly, Martin's niece from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
who moves in. Nudge departs after the conclusion of season 5. No explanation is given in the show's story to explain his disappearance. From season 6, schoolboy Arthur MacArthur is the new neighbour who regularly visits. At the end of season 6, Simon moves out, leaving his friend Ben to move into Simon's room. At the end of season 12, Martin leaves for a $300,000-per-year contract to design and build a deep water port and mini-city in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. He leaves the house and the business in the care of friend Greg Russell. Sam moves to Adelaide soon after, opening the door for Greg's daughter Tracy to move in.
At the end of the series, Betty and Jenny are the only remaining original characters. Jenny is portrayed by a different actress by this stage. Betty's portrayer Julie McGregor is the only original cast member to remain through the entire series.
Final episode
In the
series finale
A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...
, the regular characters are held hostage in the house by a fugitive bank robber. The robber places a bomb in the family's
VCR
A videocassette recorder (VCR) or video recorder is an electromechanical device that records analog audio and analog video from broadcast television or other source on a removable, magnetic tape videocassette, and can play back the recording. ...
, as leverage with the police. After the hostage drama has been resolved and the robber arrested the family remembers there is a bomb in the VCR, but they do not know how to re-program it. Betty observes that "this is just like '' E Street''... at the end, where they all got blown up", but Greg responds that "That doesn't happen in sitcoms” (Greg's portrayer Mark Owen-Taylor had acted in ''E Street).''The characters panic as they count down the seconds to the expected explosion and the screen fades to black. The cast are then shown in a curtain call as the credits roll. The curtain call includes former regular cast members Christopher Truswell and Sarah Monahan who do not otherwise appear in the episode, series producer and writer Gary Reilly and writer
John Flanagan John Flanagan or Jack Flanagan may refer to:
Sportspeople
* Jack Flanagan (footballer) (1902–1989), English footballer
* John Flanagan (hammer thrower) (1868–1938), Irish-American three-time Olympic champion in athletics
* John Flanagan (Limeri ...
.
Cast
Main characters
* Martin Kelly — Robert Hughes (1987–1993; episodes 1–265)
* Betty Wilson —
Julie McGregor
Julie Anne McGregor (born 26 November 1948) is an Australian television actress and comedian, noted for her roles in comedy.
Career
In the 1970s, McGregor appeared in the Australian sketch comedy ''The Naked Vicar Show''. In the 1980s McGre ...
(1987–1994; episodes 1–291)
* Simon Kelly — Paul Smith (1987; episodes 1–39), Christopher Mayer (1988–1991; episodes 40–187)
* Debbie Kelly —
Simone Buchanan
Simone Louise Buchanan is an Australian film and television actress, and television director. She is best known for her television roles as Debbie Kelly in the situation comedy '' Hey Dad..!'' and Samantha Fitzgerald in the soap opera ''Neighbou ...
(1987–1990, 1994; episodes 1–165, 268)
* Jennifer Kelly —
Sarah Monahan
Sarah Monahan (born 12 April 1977) is an Australian former child actress. Best known for her role as Jenny Kelly on '' Hey Dad..!'', she also appeared in '' Sons and Daughters'' and ''Home and Away''.
Early career
Monahan got her start in the ...
(1987–1993; episodes 1–227),
Angela Keep
Angela Keep (born 1981) is an Australian actress.
Career
Keep's television debut on the sitcom ''Hey Dad..!''. She played Jenny Kelly, taking over the role from Sarah Monahan, on the show for two seasons, from 1993 until 1994. In 1997, she star ...
Christopher Truswell
Christopher Truswell (born 31 January 1966), is an English-born Australian actor, musician and voice-over best known as Gerald "Nudge" Noritas in the Australian TV sitcom '' Hey Dad..!'' He voiced the character of Rune Haako in the film '' Star ...
(1987–1991, 1994; episodes 1–174, 291)
* Samantha Kelly —
Rachael Beck
Rachael Elizabeth Beck (born 9 February 1971) is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, '' Hey Dad..!'', as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all three ...
(1991–1994; episodes 166–267)
* Arthur MacArthur —
Matthew Krok
Matthew Krok (born 8 March 1982) is a former Australian child actor best known for playing the role of schoolboy Arthur McArthur on the Australian sitcom '' Hey Dad...!'' from 1991 to 1994. He also appeared in a popular Sorbent toilet paper advert ...
(1991–1994; episodes 169, 178–291)
* Ben Hubner —
Ben Oxenbould
Ben Oxenbould is an Australian actor and comedian. His brother Jamie Oxenbould is also an actor, as is Jamie's son, Ed Oxenbould.
Early career
He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School. In 1980, Oxenbould was cast as "Hubert 'Fatty' Fi ...
(1991–1994; episodes 177–291)
* Greg Russell —
Mark Owen-Taylor
Mark Owen-Taylor (born 27 January 1962) is an Australian actor, who has also worked variously as a narrator and voice-over He was best known for his role as school teacher Peter Manning in A Country Practice in 1986–1987, appearing for 88 epi ...
(1993–1994; episodes 263–291)
* Tracy Russell —
Belinda Emmett
Belinda Jane Emmett (12 April 1974 – 11 November 2006) was an Australian actress and singer. She was best known for her roles in the TV drama series ''Home and Away'' and '' All Saints'' as well as the sitcom '' Hey Dad..!''. She was married ...
(1994; episodes 266–291)
Recurring characters
* Stan Hickey —
Bill Young
Charles William Young (December 16, 1930 – October 18, 2013) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 until his death in 2013. A Republican from Florida, Young served as chairman of the Hou ...
Moya O'Sullivan
Moya O'Sullivan Macarthur (8 June 1926 – 16 January 2018) was an Australian-born actress who worked both locally and briefly in the United Kingdom. She was best known for her long-running role as the popular character Marlene Kratz in the soap ...
Joanne Samuel
Joanne Samuel (born 5 August 1957) is an Australian film and television actress, who is best known for her role as the screen wife of Mel Gibson's title character in the 1979 film ''Mad Max''.
Biography and career
Samuel was born in Camperdow ...
Tina Bursill
Tina Bursill (born 24 July 1951) is an Australian actress. She played Louise Carter on the television series '' Skyways'' (1979–1981) and Sonia Stevens on ''Prisoner'' (1983–1984). She played Meryl Knight in the Nine Network drama series ...
Beth Buchanan
Beth Christine Buchanan (born 10 March 1972) is an Australian actress and Social Worker. She is best known for the television roles in sitcom ''Hey Dad!'', Gemma Ramsay in ''Neighbours'', and Susan Croydon in ''Blue Heelers''. She was also a l ...
Naomi Watts
Naomi Ellen Watts (born 28 September 1968) is a British actress. After her family moved to Australia, she made her film debut there in the drama '' For Love Alone'' (1986) and then appeared in three television series, '' Hey Dad..!'' (1990), '' ...
Nikki Coghill
Nicola Vicars Coghill (born 4 January 1964) is an Australian actress. She is best known for playing the roles of Sister Jackie Crane in ''The Flying Doctors'', and Miranda Parker in ''Neighbours''.
Career
Coghill was born in Melbourne. She has ...
(episodes 193, 203)
* Bruno —
Rod Zuanic
Rod, Ror, Ród, Rőd, Rød, Röd, ROD, or R.O.D. may refer to:
Devices
* Birch rod, made out of twigs from birch or other trees for corporal punishment
* Ceremonial rod, used to indicate a position of authority
* Connecting rod, main, coupling, ...
(episodes 197, 213)
* Dave Woodlock — Peter Braunstein (episodes 233, 239)
* Glenda the Bag Lady — Julie Haseler (episodes 262, 282)
Production
The ''Hey Dad..!'' pilot was recorded in September 1985. The project stalled for several months as network executives were initially reluctant to commission the series. Twelve episodes were then recorded in mid-1986. The series was very close to being cancelled before it was even aired. The
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
ultimately bought the series, airing the first episode on 11 February 1987.
One episode was taped each week. Rehearsals generally started on a Tuesday, and were held each day until Saturday, when taping would take place before a studio audience at ATN Channel 7 Studios in
Epping Epping may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Epping, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Epping railway station, Sydney
* Electoral district of Epping, the corresponding seat in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
* Epping Forest, Kearns, a he ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
. The same episode was recorded twice on the same night in front of two different audiences. The taping with the better overall performance and more enthusiastic audience response was usually selected as the one to be aired. Sometimes the best takes from both tapings would be combined in post-production.
Production took a temporary break in mid-1991 when ''
Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...
'', another
Gary Reilly
Gary Reilly (born New Zealand, 1945) is an Australian radio and television producer and writer. He is known for his work on a variety of comedy series such as ''The Naked Vicar Show'', ''Kingswood Country'', '' Hey Dad..!'' and ''Bullpitt!''. He ...
sitcom featuring Betty Wilson, was produced. ''Hey Dad..!'' production resumed afterwards. Seven decided not to renew ''Hampton Court'' for a second season.
''Hey Dad..!'' often used the same studio as another Seven Network series ''
Home and Away
''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...
''. The night before ''Hey Dad..!'' was to be recorded in front of an audience, the crew would work overnight to take down the ''Home and Away'' set, replacing it with the ''Hey Dad..!'' set. After the ''Hey Dad..!'' tapings concluded on Saturday night, the ''Hey Dad..!'' set would be dismantled and replaced with the ''Home and Away'' set once again. This was a regular occurrence for the entire run of the series.
The exterior shots of the Kelly house were filmed using a
miniature model
A scale model is a physical model which is geometrically similar to an object (known as the prototype). Scale models are generally smaller than large prototypes such as vehicles, buildings, or people; but may be larger than small prototypes ...
constructed by British artist and designer Mike Worrall. Recording of the exteriors took place in-studio over the course of a two-day period, undergoing a range of lighting situations to re-create various weather conditions and times of day. Producers often found themselves taking phone calls from people wanting to know the address of the house, with the hope of purchasing it and moving in. After the series ended, the model was stored by the producers, as no museums were able to take it at the time. However, the model eventually disintegrated while in storage, and is no longer in existence.
Episodes
International versions
The series was sold to over 20 countries worldwide. Having been translated and dubbed into several different languages, the show was highly popular in France, Spain, and throughout
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
in the 1990s. A significant portion of its international fanbase was in Germany. German voice over artist
Arne Elsholtz
Arne Elsholtz (August 14, 1944 – April 26, 2016) was a German voice actor and dialogue director. He was one of the most well-known dubbing actors in Germany and he was also responsible for directing the German dubs of some international produc ...
received critical praise for his work as translator, while also voicing Martin in the German version of episodes 1 to 149. The show was also aired on
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
channel
Asianet Asianet may refer to:
Disney Star channels
*Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star
**Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel
**Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...
in 1994.
Parodies
A spoof by Peter Broelman titled ''Hey Dud!'' appeared in issue 291 of ''
MAD Magazine
Mad, mad, or MAD may refer to:
Geography
* Mad (village), a village in the Dunajská Streda District of Slovakia
* Mád, a village in Hungary
* Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, by IATA airport code
* Mad River (disambiguation), several r ...
s Australian edition, featuring characters such as Barfin' Killjoy, Petty, Simple, Dunny, Junky and Bludge. Coincidentally, 291 would also become the eventual number of episodes aired in the series.
In the late 1980s, the series was also parodied in a comedy sketch on the popular TV program ''
The Comedy Company
''The Comedy Company'' was an Australian comedy television series first aired from 16 February 1988 until about 11 November 1990 on Network Ten, Sunday night and was created and directed by cast member Ian McFadyen, and co directed and produced ...
''. The title of the show was again lampooned as ''Hey Dud!''. The sketch featured series regulars
Glenn Robbins
Glenn Maxwell Robbins (born 30 December 1957) is an Australian comedian, writer, actor, television and radio presenter. Robbins has appeared on '' The Panel'', ''Thank God You're Here'' and ''Have You Been Paying Attention?''. He is best known ...
Mary-Anne Fahey
Mary-Anne Fahey (born 19 August 1955 as Mary-Anne Waterman) is an Australian actress, comedian and writer.
Biography
Fahey has starred in and written for numerous comedy programs including ''The Comedy Company'', ''Kittson Fahey'' (the first Au ...
as Debbie, Christine Keogh as Betty and
Russell Gilbert
Russell Gilbert (born 17 October 1959) is an Australian comedian and actor from Footscray, Victoria, best known for his radio and television appearances, on programs such as ''The Comedy Company'', ''Hey Hey It's Saturday'' and ''Thank God You're ...
as Nudge, along with child actor
Rebecca Smart
Rebecca Elizabeth Smart (born 30 January 1976) is an Australian actress, who began acting for television at the age of eight. Her first movie role was one year later in ''The Coca-Cola Kid''. She played the lead in the 1988 film '' Celia'' and ...
(who was making a guest appearance in that week's episode) as Jenny. During the course of the sketch, an exasperated Jenny fired Betty, sent Nudge home, demanded that her two siblings find jobs, and then announced that the show would be renamed ''Hey Jenny!''
In 1992, Christopher Truswell briefly reprised the role of Nudge in an episode of another popular TV comedy series, ''The Late Show'', in which he appeared as part of the fictitious
supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to:
* Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields
* Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry
* Supergroup ...
of "Grassby, Grills, Nudge & Plumb" (a parody of
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) were a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby and Stephen Stills and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member ...
, which also included politician
Al Grassby
Albert Jaime Grassby, AM (12 July 192623 April 2005) was an Australian politician who served as Minister for Immigration in the Labor Whitlam Government. He completed reforms in immigration and human rights, and is often known as the father o ...
, actor/comedian
Lucky Grills
Leo Dennis Grills OAM (26 May 1928 – 27 July 2007) professionally billed as Lucky Grills, was an Australian actor and comedian. His best known acting role was in the crime drama TV series '' Bluey'' playing the title role. Grills took his p ...
and actor
Gwen Plumb
Gwendoline Jean Plumb AM BEM (2 August 1912 – 5 June 2002), was an Australian performer of international appeal, actress and comedian active in literally every form of the art genre, (except circus) including revue, pantomime, vaudeville, in ...
appearing as themselves).
In September 2006,
satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...
comedy
current affairs Current affairs may refer to:
News
* Current Affairs (magazine), ''Current Affairs'' (magazine) a bimonthly magazine of culture and politics.
* Current affairs (news format): a genre of broadcast journalism
* Current Affairs, former name for Behi ...
show ''
Real Stories
''Real Stories'' is an Australian satirical television comedy series produced by Carlton Television for Network Ten. It was created by Hamish Blake and Andy Lee. The series was first broadcast on 22 August 2006.
Eight episodes were produced ...
'' aired a fictional story about an up-and-coming director attempting to make a feature film of ''Hey Dad..!'' The film was to be titled ''Hey Dad..! The Movie'' and was to star
Stephen Curry
Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...
(who made a cameo appearance in the Real Stories episode) as ''Hey Dad..!'' character Nudge.
Airings
* Australia:
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
(original run, 1987–1994);
Network Ten
Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...
(repeats, 1998);
Fox Classics
FOX Classics is an Australian cable and satellite channel that specializes in showing television series and ad-free classic movies, themed movie nights and miniseries from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
History
FOX Classics began as ...
(repeats, 2006–2007)
The Comedy Channel
The Comedy Channel (promoted on air as comedy) is a defunct Australian subscription television channel available on Foxtel, and Optus Television. The channel ceased broadcasting on 1 September 2020.
History
A joint venture between Artist Servi ...
* ''The Betty Wilson Secretarial Companion'' (Paperback) — Written by
John Flanagan John Flanagan or Jack Flanagan may refer to:
Sportspeople
* Jack Flanagan (footballer) (1902–1989), English footballer
* John Flanagan (hammer thrower) (1868–1938), Irish-American three-time Olympic champion in athletics
* John Flanagan (Limeri ...
with
Gary Reilly
Gary Reilly (born New Zealand, 1945) is an Australian radio and television producer and writer. He is known for his work on a variety of comedy series such as ''The Naked Vicar Show'', ''Kingswood Country'', '' Hey Dad..!'' and ''Bullpitt!''. He ...
; Published by
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.
* ''Martin vs Betty — The Best of Hey Dad'' — A CD compilation of audio clips from the show, released by Rich River Records (1991).
* ''The Best of Hey Dad..! Volume 1'' — A collection of 13 episodes released through Shock DVD (18 March 2007).
* ''The Best of Hey Dad..! Volume 2'' — A second set of 13 episodes released through Shock DVD (18 February 2008).
* ''Hey Dad..! Season 1'' — A 5 disc set, released in Germany by Polyband (24 October 2008).
* ''Hey Dad..! Season 2'' — German release by Polyband (27 March 2009).
* '' Hey Dad..! Season 3'' — German release by Polyband (25 September 2009).
* ''Hey Dad..! Season 4'' — German release by Polyband (26 March 2010)
2010 sexual abuse claims
In a March 2010 interview with ''
Woman's Day
''Woman's Day'' is an American women's monthly magazine that covers such topics as homemaking, food, nutrition, physical fitness, physical attractiveness, and fashion. The print edition is one of the Seven Sisters magazines. The magazine was fir ...
'' magazine, regular cast member
Sarah Monahan
Sarah Monahan (born 12 April 1977) is an Australian former child actress. Best known for her role as Jenny Kelly on '' Hey Dad..!'', she also appeared in '' Sons and Daughters'' and ''Home and Away''.
Early career
Monahan got her start in the ...
claimed she had been
molested
Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assau ...
on set during the production of the series.
Although Monahan did not initially name the cast member, in an interview on ''
A Current Affair
''A Current Affair'' may refer to:
* ''A Current Affair'' (Australian TV program), 1971–present Australian current affairs program that airs on Nine Network
* ''A Current Affair'' (American TV program), a 1986–1998 American television news ...
'' that aired on 24 March 2010, Monahan alleged that it was the show's lead actor, Robert Hughes, who had sexually molested her. She claimed that this occurred on several occasions during production of the series. In addition, cast member
Ben Oxenbould
Ben Oxenbould is an Australian actor and comedian. His brother Jamie Oxenbould is also an actor, as is Jamie's son, Ed Oxenbould.
Early career
He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School. In 1980, Oxenbould was cast as "Hubert 'Fatty' Fi ...
claimed he discovered Hughes touching a different young girl, who was a guest actor on an episode, in a way that seemed inappropriate.
After Monahan named Hughes, the executive producer, Gary Reilly made a statement to the press in which he stated that he had been unaware of any misconduct towards Monahan, but that he had been aware of rumours in regard to impropriety towards a young actor who joined after Monahan's departure, and that he had acted to provide a chaperone for the actor and had confronted the accused, who later resigned from the series. Reilly said he confronted a man accused of inappropriate treatment of a young cast member hired after Monahan had left the program. In response to Reilly's claim that he was unaware,
Simone Buchanan
Simone Louise Buchanan is an Australian film and television actress, and television director. She is best known for her television roles as Debbie Kelly in the situation comedy '' Hey Dad..!'' and Samantha Fitzgerald in the soap opera ''Neighbou ...
and
Ben Oxenbould
Ben Oxenbould is an Australian actor and comedian. His brother Jamie Oxenbould is also an actor, as is Jamie's son, Ed Oxenbould.
Early career
He was educated at North Sydney Boys High School. In 1980, Oxenbould was cast as "Hubert 'Fatty' Fi ...
came forward and alleged that they had separately approached Reilly during the show about Monahan's allegations towards Hughes, but had been warned to keep quiet. In March 2011, Gary Reilly admitted that he had had "stand-up rows" with Hughes over the alleged abuse of Monahan which had driven Hughes decision to resign from the show. Monahan announced that she intended taking civil action against Hughes and television station executives.
Hughes, confronted by ''A Current Affair'' in Singapore where he was living, denied the claims.
On 29 March 2010, police announced the creation of a task force, codenamed Strike Force Ruskin, to investigate the claims. On 30 March 2010, it was reported that detectives had begun interviewing former members of the show's cast and crew. In September 2010, six months after the allegations were published, it was reported that over a hundred people had been interviewed. Hughes was arrested in London on 9 August 2012 on 11 charges relating to the sexual and indecent assault of five girls in Sydney between 1985 and 1990. On 10 August, Hughes was released on $90,000 bail to appear before an extradition hearing on 19 September which Hughes' lawyers stated they would oppose. At that hearing, Hughes indicated that he intended to return to Australia for questioning. The matter was stood over to 28 September, when Hughes' extradition was approved.
In April 2014, Hughes was found guilty by a unanimous jury verdict of ten sexual offences: two counts of sexual intercourse with a child, seven counts of indecent assault upon a person under the age of 16 and one count of committing an indecent act. Hughes' lawyer stated that he will appeal the conviction. Hughes was sentenced to 10 years and nine months jail on 16 May 2014.
Hughes requested an international prisoner transfer to the UK, due to owning dual British-Australian citizenship; he later withdrew this application and instead renounced his Australian citizenship, allowing to be deported to the United Kingdom once paroled or his sentence completed. As a result, the New South Wales State Parole Authority refused parole in March 2020 as he would be deported and not under supervision, thus presenting an 'unacceptable risk to community safety'. Assessing Hughes' third bid for parole, the NSW State Parole Authority accepted expert evidence that assessed Hughes as a below-average risk of sexually reoffending. On 2 June 2022, Hughes was granted parole to face deportation to the United Kingdom upon his release from prison, no later than 14 June 2022. Under the cover of darkness on the morning of 14 June 2022, Hughes was released into the custody of
Australian Border Force
The Australian Border Force (ABF) is a federal law enforcement agency, part of the Department of Home Affairs, responsible for offshore and onshore border control enforcement, investigations, compliance and detention operations in Australia. Thr ...
officers to ensure he would be flown straight out of the country.
See also
*
List of Australian television series
Future shows
Seven
* ''The 1% Club'' (Seven Network game show 2023–)
* ''Apartment Rules'' (Seven Network reality 2023–)
* '' Animals Aboard with Dr Harry'' (Seven Network reality 2023–)
* ''Armchair Experts'' (Seven Network sports ...