''Motel'' is an Australian

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

produced by 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 ...

ATN ATN is the Sydney flagship television station of the Seven Network in Australia. The licence, issued to a company named Amalgamated Television Services, a subsidiary of John Fairfax & Sons, was one of the first four licences (two in Sydney, two ...

-7 studios from 1968 to 1969 It was created by Richard Lane

Synopsis

''Motel'', like

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

serial ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'' dealt with a family who ran a motel. In this case the Gillian family running the fictional Greenfields Motel.

Production

The series had a cast of thirteen regulars and required three days in the studio each week. Each episode was thirty minutes and the program screened at midday four days a week, with the episode repeated late at night. The show was shot in black-and-white. It had a run of 135 episodes. Writers included

Creswick Jenkinson Creswick Jenkinson was an Australian writer, producer and director. As a screenwriter, he wrote the film ''Captain Thunderbolt'' (1953) as well as episodes of the TV series '' Skippy the Bush Kangaroo'', '' Autumn Affair'' and ''Motel''. Adaptati ...

Selected cast

Tony Bazell Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

- Mark Jefferies *

Ross Higgins Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...

- Reverend Larcombe *

Jill Forster Jill Forster (born 1936), is an English Australian actress who came to Australia as a model in 1964 and appeared in the Crawford Production series ''Hunter''. She is well known for appearance's in TV series, but has also appeared in made for TV ...

- Gaye Gillian * Brian James - Paul Drennan *

Enid Lorimer May Enid Bosworth Nunn OAM (27 November 188715 July 1982), known professionally as Enid Lorimer and also as a publisher of children's literature under the pen name Ellen Bosworth, was a British-born Australian film, stage, television and radio ...

- Bunty Creighton * Gregory Ross - Chris Gillian *

Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to: Sports *Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City *Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Bright ...

- Bill Burke *

Noel Trevarthen Noel or Noël may refer to: Christmas * , French for Christmas * Noel is another name for a Christmas carol Places *Noel, Missouri, United States, a city *Noel, Nova Scotia, Canada, a community * 1563 Noël, an asteroid *Mount Noel, British ...

- Rod Gillian

Reception

According to creator Richard Lane, who also worked on the series as a writer, the series was very successful as a day time program, which was how it was conceived. But when Channel Seven management "became over enthusiastic and repeated it at nighttime it was a disaster."

Notes

External links

''Motel'' at the National Film and Sound Archive
* {{IMDb title, id=0350433, title=Motel
Clip from Show at YouTube
Seven Network original programming Australian television soap operas 1968 Australian television series debuts 1968 Australian television series endings Black-and-white Australian television shows English-language television shows