''Jack Irish'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on ABC TV on 14 October 2012. The series stars

Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young (Neighbours), Mike Young in ...

as the title character, a former

criminal lawyer A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various ...

turned

private investigator A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

and

debt collector Debt is an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor. Debt is a deferred payment, or series of payments, which differentiates it from an immediate purchase. The ...

. Much of the action is set in the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

suburb of

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

. Adapted from the

crime fiction Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...

novels by author

Peter Temple Peter Temple (10 March 1946 – 8 March 2018) was an Australian crime fiction writer, mainly known for his ''Jack Irish'' novel series. He won several awards for his writing, including the Gold Dagger in 2007, the first for an Australian. He w ...

, the telemovies and series ''Jack Irish'' were developed by Andrew Anastasios,

Matt Cameron Matthew David Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who is the drummer for the rock band Pearl Jam. He first gained fame as the drummer for Seattle-based rock band Soundgarden, which he joined in 1986. He appeared on each of ...

and Andrew Knight. They began as three feature-length movies, before being adapted into three six-episode series, the final one airing from June 2021. All three movies were directed by Jeffrey Walker, while

Kieran Darcy-Smith Kieran Darcy-Smith is an Australian actor, film director, and screenwriter. He is best known for starring in the films '' The Cave'', '' The Square'', '' Animal Kingdom'', and '' The Reef''. He made his feature film directing debut with 2012 fil ...

serves as lead director on the series. ''Bad Debts'', the first of the three feature-length movies, was watched by an average of 950,000 Australian viewers, ranking as the sixth most watched programme of the week. ''Black Tide'', the second movie, was watched by an average of 851,000 Australian viewers, ranking as the thirteenth most watched programme of the week. ''Dead Point'', the third and final movie, was watched by an average of 780,000 Australian viewers, ranking as the eleventh most watched programme of the week. The first series of six episodes broadcast from 11 February to 17 March 2016. The second series broadcast from 8 July to 12 August 2018. The second series was dedicated to the memory of Peter Temple, who died in March 2018. The third and final series, ''Jack Irish: Hell Bent'', premiered on ABC TV and

ABC iview ABC iview is a video on demand and catch-up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Currently iview video content can only be viewed by users in Australia. As of 2016, ABC iview attracts around 50 million plays monthly and ac ...

on 13 June 2021.

Cast

Main

as Jack Irish, a criminal lawyer turned debt collector and troubleshooter. Jack is still troubled over the murder of his wife by a deranged ex-client. He also works as an apprentice cabinet maker for Charlie Taub. *

Marta Dusseldorp Marta Dusseldorp (born 1 February 1973) is an Australian stage, film and theatre actress. Her television credits include ''BlackJack'', ''Crownies'' (and its spin-off '' Janet King''), ''Jack Irish'' and '' A Place to Call Home''. Early life an ...

as Linda Hillier, a determined reporter. She starts an on-off romantic relationship with Jack, becoming embroiled with many of Jack's investigations. *

Aaron Pedersen Aaron Pedersen is an Aboriginal Australian television and film actor. He is known for many film and television roles, in particular as Detective Jay Swan in the film '' Mystery Road'', its sequel '' Goldstone'', and spin-off television series. ...

as Cam Delray. Tough, but kind hearted, Cam is Harry Strang's right-hand man and one of Jack's closest friends. Cam often uses his spare time to help Jack out in his cases. *

Roy Billing Roy Harwood Billing (born 1947) is a New Zealand television actor, now based on Waiheke Island, New Zealand. He was brought up in Ruawai, Northland, New Zealand. Billing spent almost three decades living and working in Australia. He became wid ...

as Harry Strang, a racing aficionado who often enlists the aid of Jack and Cam. *

Shane Jacobson Shane Jacobson (born 18 March 1970) is an Australian actor, director, writer, and comedian, best known as the "Dunny Man" for his performances as the eponymous character Kenny Smyth, a plumber working for a portable toilet rental company, in the ...

as Barry Tregear, a gruff, overweight cop who reluctantly helps with Jack's investigations. * Damien Richardson as Drew Greer, Jack's former law partner who still occasionally assists him in solving cases.

Supporting

Damien Garvey Damien Garvey is an Australian actor and former musician known for his film and television roles. Early life Garvey graduated from Padua College in 1982. Career Garvey had guest roles in several drama series in his early part of his act ...

as Stan (bar owner) *

Terry Norris Terry is a unisex given name, derived from French Thierry and Theodoric. It can also be used as a diminutive nickname for the names Teresa or Theresa (feminine) or Terence or Terrier (masculine). People Male * Terry Albritton (1955–2005), Ame ...

as Eric *

John Flaus John Flaus (born 1934) is an Australian broadcaster and actor. Filmography *''Rake'' (2014) *''Tracks'' (2013) *''Jack Irish'' (2012-2021) - 3 films and 15 episodes as Wilbur *''Pinion'' (2010) *''I Love You Too'' (2010) *''Mary and Max'' (2 ...

as Wilbur *

Ronald Falk Ronald "Ron" William Thompson Falk (born 23 August 1935 – 27 June 2016) was an Australian actor and production designer. He was perhaps best known as the voice of the Coruscant Diner chef, Dexter Jettster in '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of ...

as Norm *

Kate Atkinson Kate Atkinson may refer to: * Kate Atkinson (actress) (born 1972), Australian actress * Kate Atkinson (writer) Kate Atkinson (born 20 December 1951) is an English writer of novels, plays and short stories. She is known for creating the Jac ...

as Simone * Bob Franklin as Brendan O'Grady *

Deborah Mailman Deborah Jane Mailman (born 14 July 1972) is an Australian television and film actress, and singer. Mailman played the character Kelly Lewis on the Australian television series ''The Secret Life of Us'' and Cherie Butterfield in the Australian c ...

as Cynthia *

Vadim Glowna Vadim Glowna (; 26 September 1941 – 24 January 2012) was a German actor and film director. Since 1964 he appeared in more than 150 films and television shows. He directed the 1983 film ''Dies rigorose Leben'', which won an Honourable Ment ...

/ David Ritchie as Charlie Taub *

Jacek Koman Jacek Koman (born 15 August 1956) is a Polish actor and singer. Early life Koman was born in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, to actors Halina Koman (née Dobrowolska; born 3 January 1923) and Adam Koman (24 December 1922 – 1 December 2005), and ca ...

as Orton * Ivy Mak as Cherry Blossom *

Neil Melville Neil Melville is an Australian actor. He was born in Sydney, but spent most of his childhood in Apollo Bay, Victoria. In the early 1970s he was lead singer of Geelong rock band "The Iliad". Melville graduated from Adelaide's Flinders Universit ...

as Ricky Kirsch * Emma Booth as Isabel Irish

''Bad Debts'' (2012)

Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is a Scottish-born Australian actor of theatre, TV and film and presenter Early life Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television) ...

as Garth Bruce *

Nicholas Bell Nicholas Bell (born 15 August 1958) is an English actor who has worked in Australia for more than 20 years. He works regularly with the Melbourne Theatre Company as well as with all the major television broadcasters in Australia, most notably th ...

as Martin Scullin *

Steve Bisley Steve Bisley (born 26 December 1951) is an Australian writer, film and television actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Mad Max'' and ''The Great Gatsby''. On TV, some of his better-known roles include Detective Sergeant Jack C ...

as Kevin Pixley *

Tottie Goldsmith Caroline "Tottie" Goldsmith (born 27 August 1962) is an Australian actress and singer. Career Television In the early 1980s, Goldsmith acted in the Australian television series ''The Young Doctors'', '' Starting Out'', ''Prisoner'', '' Saturd ...

as Jackie Pixley *

Colin Hay Colin James Hay (born 29 June 1953) is a Scottish-Australian musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He came to prominence as the lead vocalist and the sole continuous member of the band Men at Work, and later as a solo artist. Hay's music ha ...

as Tony Baker *

Fletcher Humphrys Fletcher Humphrys (born 1 April 1976) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Brett 'Brick' Buchanon in ''McLeod's Daughters'' and as Alex Kearns in '' All Saints''. Career Humphrys made his acting debut in 1993, appearing in ...

as Wayne Milovich * Alicia Gardiner as Sue McKillop * Simon Russell as Danny McKillop *

Marshall Napier James Marshall Napier (22 October 1951 – 14 August 2022) was a New Zealand-born character actor, playwright and graphic artist. He is known for a succession of strong supporting roles in Australasian films and television shows. He has also h ...

as Father Gorman

''Black Tide'' (2012)

Don Hany Don Hany (born 18 September 1975) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role in the series ''White Collar Blue'', Dr. Chris Havel in ''Offspring'', and the leading role of Zane Malik in the SBS series '' East West 101''. He is also ...

as Dave *

Diana Glenn Diana Glenn (born 1974) is an Australian actress with many credits in television, film, and theatre. Early life and education Glenn has an English father, Greek mother and three siblings. She attended Melbourne Girls Grammar School and studi ...

as Lyall Cronin *

Martin Sacks Martin Colin Sacks (born 16 October 1959) is an Australian actor who is chiefly known for his 12-year role on ''Blue Heelers'' from 1993 to 2005. Life and career Sacks was born in Sydney. He got into acting after a bit part in an episode of ' ...

as Steve Levesque *

Alexandra Schepisi Alexandra Schepisi ( ) is an Australian actress. Early life Schepisi was born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. She is the daughter of filmmaker Fred Schepisi and Australian Casting director Rhonda (nee Finlayson) Schepisi]. She ob ...

as Meryl Canetti *

Lachy Hulme Lachy Hulme (born 1 April 1971) is an Australian actor and screenwriter. He has written several films and has appeared in a number of successful Australian and US film and television productions. Early life Hulme was born in Melbourne, Victori ...

as Dean Canetti * Ronald Jacobson as Des Connors * Nicholas Coghlan as Gary Connors *

Rhys Muldoon Rhys Muldoon (born 17 October 1965) is an Australian actor, writer and director who has worked extensively in film, television, music, theatre and radio. Since 2012 he has starred as Mark Oliver in '' House Husbands''. Career Television Muldoo ...

as Rod Pringle

''Dead Point'' (2014)

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film prod ...

as Justice Loder *

Madeleine Madden Madeleine Madden (born 29 January 1997) is an Australian actress. She is best known for playing Egwene al'Vere in the Amazon Prime series ''The Wheel of Time''. Early life Madden grew up around Redfern, a Sydney inner city suburb, and attended ...

as Marie *

Kat Stewart Katherine Louise Stewart (born 30 November 1972) is an AACTA and Logie Award-winning Australian actress who has made numerous appearances in television series, movies and on-stage. Early life Kat Stewart is the daughter of Tony and Kitty Stewar ...

as Ros *

Vince Colosimo Vincenzo Colosimo (born 11 November 1966) is an Australian AFI Award winning stage, television and screen actor. He has worked in both Australia and the United States. He is of Italian descent and lives in Melbourne, Australia. He was previousl ...

as Mike Cundall *

John Jarratt John Jarratt is an Australian television film actor, producer and director and TV presenter who rose to fame through his work in the Australian New Wave. He has appeared in a number of film roles including '' Picnic at Hanging Rock'' (1975), ' ...

as Senior Sgt Laurie Olsen *

Kate Beahan Kate Beahan (born 12 October 1974) is an Australian film actress. Beahan was born in Perth. She appeared mostly in movies and TV series in Australia. Her best-known American film role was playing Sister Willow Woodward in the 2006 horror remak ...

as Susan Ayliss *

Ben Gerrard Ben Gerrard (born 15 August 1988) is an Australian actor. He is known for his role as Toby in the ABC television series '' Outland'' (2012). He also appeared as Constable Brian O'Connor in ''Wolf Creek 2'' (2013) and as multiple characters on the ...

as Xavier * Sarah Roberts as Lorna

Series 1: Blind Faith (2016)

Claudia Karvan Claudia Karvan (born 19 May 1972) is an Australian actress, producer and scriptwriter. As a child actor, she first appeared in the film, '' Molly'' (1983) and followed with an adolescent role in ''High Tide'' (1987). She portrayed a teacher in ...

as Sarah Longmore *

Roz Hammond Rosalind Hammond, often credited as Ros or Roz, is an Australian actress and writer with an extensive career in theatre, film and television. Career Hammond's television appearances include the role of Claudia in the award-winning drama '' The ...

as Sue Shields *

John Bach John Bach (born 5 June 1946) is a British-born New Zealand actor who has acted on stage, television and film over a period of more than four decades. Though born in the United Kingdom, he has spent most of his career living and working in New Z ...

as Senator Michael Longmore *

Marcus Graham Marcus Graham (born 11 October 1963) is an Australian film, television (including both serials and mini-series) and stage actor and director, with roles including ''Mulholland Drive'' and '' Josh Jarman''. He was known as a teenage heartthrob i ...

as Rob Shand *

Brooke Satchwell Brooke Kerith Satchwell (born 1980) is an Australian actress, model and environmental spokesperson. Early life Satchwell lived in Teesdale, Victoria, for most of her life and has one sibling. She attended Toorak College. Career Satchwell start ...

as Tina Longmore *

Peta Brady Peta Brady (born 1972) is an Australian actress. She is best known for being the second actress to play Cody Willis, a role instituted by Amelia Frid in the TV soap opera ''Neighbours''. Since she left the show, Brady has appeared in the film ...

as Janine Ballich *

Richard Cawthorne Richard Seymour Cawthorne (born 3 December 1976) is an Australian actor of theatre, film and television. Career Cawthorne has appeared in many film and television productions. His credits include ''Catching Milat'', ''Fat Tony & Co'', '' Bikie ...

as Fraser Boyd * Robert Morgan as Stedman *

Sacha Horler Sacha Horler (born 1971) is an Australian actress. Her parents were lawyers, but co-founded Sydney's Nimrod Theatre Company in the early 1970s. Career Sacha Horler graduated from Sydney's National Institute of Dramatic Arts in 1993 and made ...

as Alli Aquaro * Alvin Anson as Adonis * Jonicka Movido as Fatma

Series 2: Last Rite (2018)

* Tiarnie Coupland as Gus *

Danielle Cormack Danielle Cormack (born 26 December 1970) is a New Zealand stage and screen actress. She was one of the original cast members of the long-running soap opera '' Shortland Street'', though she is also known for her role as the Amazon Ephiny in th ...

as Rory Finch *

Helmut Bakaitis Helmut Bakaitis is a German-born Australian director, actor and screenwriter and playwright. He is best known for his role in ''The Matrix Reloaded'' and ''The Matrix Revolutions'' as the character the Architect (The Matrix), Architect. Early ...

as Thornton Finch * David Whiteley as Phillip Quinn * Rubi Balasingam as Lakshmi * George Zhao as Eddie Chin * Natalia Novikova as Jaeger * Don Bridges as Dougie Smalls * Tony Rickards as Razor Ray

Series 3: Hell Bent (2021)

Gary Sweet Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), '' Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody'' (as Cody), '' Big Sky'' (as Chris Manning), ''Bod ...

as Det. Phil Maitland *

Alison Whyte Alison Whyte (born 1968 in Tasmania) is an Australian actress best known for her roles on the Australian television series '' Frontline'' and '' Satisfaction''. Acting career A former student of classical ballet, Whyte graduated from the Victo ...

as Nina Persky * Matt Testro as Troy * Genevieve Picot as Det. Fran Underwood * Ellen Grimshaw as Casey * Nicole Nabout as Evie Mansour

Telemovies (2012–2014)

Series

Series 1: Blind Faith (2016)

The first season of Jack Irish takes place in both Australia and the Philippines.

Series 2: Last Rite (2018)

The second series of ''Jack Irish'' was written by Andrew Knight, playwright Matt Cameron, Elise McCredie and Andrew Anastasios, and directed by Mark Joffe, Kriv Stenders and Fiona Banks. A foreign student studying in Australia passes away after she is fatally hit by a bus in Melbourne's CBD. Irish, together with his partner in crime Cam Delray, must investigate the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death, including the potential for a stalker who may have been following her.

Series 3: Hell Bent (2021)

The third and final series of ''Jack Irish'' went to air on ABC TV from Sunday 13 June 2021 at 8:30pm. Striking painfully close to home, Jack's obsession with unlocking the secrets of the past brings him face-to-face with an adversary more personal and destructive than any other he has known.

Viewership

''Jack Irish'' is broadcast every Sunday on ABC TV at 8:30pm, AEST.

Series 1 (2016)

Awards

''Jack Irish'' has been nominated for multiple awards since its initial release to audiences.

Pearce Pearce may refer to: Places *Pearce, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb *Division of Pearce, an electoral division in Western Australia *Pearce, Arizona, United States, an unincorporated community *RAAF Base Pearce, the main Royal Australian Ai ...

was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television at the Sichuan TV Festival in 2015 for his portrayal of Jack Irish. Dusseldorp and Mailman were nominated for Best Actress at the

Logie Awards The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

in 2017 and 2019 respectively and were both awarded Silver Logies for their performances. Series writer Andrew Knight won the

Awgie Award The AWGIE Awards is an annual awards ceremony conducted by the Australian Writers' Guild, for excellence in screen, television, stage and radio writing. The awards began in 1967. The awards are judged by over 50 writers, most of whom are previo ...

for Television Series or Miniseries of more than 4 hours duration, and was also nominated twice for the Best Television Drama Series as a part of the

Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) is a professional organisation of film and television practitioners in Australia. The Academy's aim is "to identify, award, promote, and celebrate Australia's greatest achievements i ...

(AACTA) Awards in both 2016 and 2018.

''Jack Irish'' books by Peter Temple

wrote four books under the ''Jack Irish'' franchise, three of which were awarded the

Ned Kelly Award The Ned Kelly Awards (named for bushranger Ned Kelly) are Australia's leading literary awards for crime writing in both the crime fiction and true crime genres. They were established in 1996 by the Crime Writers Association of Australia to rewar ...

for Crime Writing and Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction. ''

Bad Debts ''Bad Debts'' (1996) is a Ned Kelly Award-winning novel by Australian author Peter Temple. This is the first novel in the author's Jack Irish series. Dedication "For Anita and Nicholas : true believers." Awards *Ned Kelly Awards The Ned Ke ...

'' is the first of the four novels, and the first of Temple's crime writing career. It won him the highly prestigious Ned Kelly Award for Crime Writing (under Best True Crime) in 1997. The book has a total of 297 pages and was published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is one of the Big Five English-language publishing companies, alongside Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, and Macmillan. The company is headquartered in New York City and is a subsidiary of News Cor ...

in 1996. ''Bad Debts'' follows former lawyer Jack Irish as he returns to the criminal world, as Irish receives an unfamiliar phone call from ex-client Danny McKillop, whom he defended on a hit-and-run charge when he worked as an attorney. When Danny is found dead soon after he is released from prison, Irish must find out why. ''

Black Tide Black Tide was an American heavy metal band from Kendall, Florida. Formed in 2004, the band last consisted of Gabriel Garcia (lead guitar, lead vocals), Austin Diaz (rhythm guitar) and Cody Paige (drums). They released their debut album, ''Lig ...

'' is the second book in Temple's series, and the only book to have not been nominated for a Ned Kelly Award. It was written in 1999 and has been published into multiple languages, including Dutch. The book has a total of 311 pages, and was published by

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

. In ''Black Tide'', Jack Irish reenters the criminal world when he agrees to search for Des Connors’ missing son, Gary Connors, who also happens to be Irish's last surviving connection to his father. Irish attempts to uncover the truth, as well as any secrets Gary may have been hiding. '' Dead Point'' is the third ''Jack Irish'' novel. Like ''Bad Debts'', ''Dead Point'' was the recipient of the Ned Kelly Award for Crime Writing, in 2001. The book has a total of 275 pages, and was published by Bantam Books in 2000. In ''Dead Point'', Jack Irish is tasked with locating the missing Robbie Colbourne, who later shows up dead in the local morgue. Irish must solve the various mysteries which occur along the way, including the circumstances which led the occasional barman to disappear. '' White Dog'' is Temple's final book in the ''Jack Irish'' series, and the third book in the series to be awarded a Ned Kelly Award for Crime Fiction. Published in 2003 by

Text Publishing Text Publishing is an independent Australian publisher of fiction and non-fiction, based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria. Company background Text Media was founded in Melbourne in 1990 by Diana Gribble and Eric Beecher, along wit ...

, the book has a total of 337 pages. In ''White Dog'', a property developer in Irish's hometown of Melbourne is murdered. His ex-girlfriend becomes one of the main suspects as Irish attempts to solve the murder mystery, unveiling secrets and even more complications along the way. Irish must investigate whether she is as guilty as she seems.

Production

Production of the Jack Irish series was primarily completed in the Melbourne suburb of

, in Australia's state of Victoria. The series was produced by Easy Tiger Productions for ABC in association with Film Victoria and Essential Media & Entertainment. The theme song and music were composed by

David McCormack David Liam McCormack (born 25 October 1968) is an Australian musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as frontman of Brisbane-based rock group Custard,McFarlan'Custard'entry. Retrieved 23 February 2010.Spencer et al, (2007McCormack, D ...

, as well as Antony Partos. The casting for all three series and telemovies were completed by Natalie Wall, Clare Chapman, Kelly Graham, Fiona McMaster and Pearl Mason-Scott.

References

External links

ABC television Jack Irish website
* * * * {{ABC Television programming 2010s Australian drama television series Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming 2010s Australian crime television series 2012 Australian television series debuts 2021 Australian television series endings Detective television series Fitzroy, Victoria Television shows based on Australian novels