''Mother and Son'' is an

Australian television Television in Australia began experimentally as early as 1929 in Melbourne with radio stations 3DB and 3UZ, and 2UE in Sydney, using the ''Radiovision'' system by Gilbert Miles and Donald McDonald, and later from other locations, such as Bris ...

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 ...

that was broadcast on the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

(ABC) from 16 January 1984 until 21 March 1994. The show stars

Ruth Cracknell Ruth Winifred Cracknell AM (6 July 1925 – 13 May 2002) was an Australian character and comic actress, comedienne and author, her career encompassing all genres including radio, theatre, television and film. She appeared in many dramatic as we ...

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

Henri Szeps Henri Szeps OAM, (born 2 October 1943) alternatively Henry Szeps, is an Australian character actor of theatre and television. He has also featured in films and worked in voice roles, and has worked in productions in the United Kingdom. Early ...

and

Judy Morris Judith Ann Morris (born 17 February 1947) is an Australian character actress, as well as a film director and screenwriter, well known for the variety of roles she played in 58 different television shows and films, starting her career as a child ...

. It featured many Australian actors of the time in guest roles. It was created and written by

Geoffrey Atherden Geoffrey John Atherden , credited also as Geoff Atherden, is an Australian television screenwriter and playwright, especially of comedy. He is best known for creating the sitcom ''Mother and Son''. Early life and education Atherden attended the U ...

. Its theme song features the

Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). History The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestr ...

, playing to "I Want a Girl", a jazz standard which was recorded by

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...

in the 1920s. A stage version of ''Mother and Son'' was written by

and premiered at the

Comedy Theatre, Melbourne The Comedy Theatre is a 1003-seat theatre in Melbourne's East End Theatre District. It was built in 1928, and was designed in the Spanish style, with a Florentine-style exterior and wrought-iron balconies. It is located at 240 Exhibition Street ...

on 18 July 2014. In November 2022, it was announced the series will be given an eight-episode remake with

Denise Scott Denise Margaret Scott (born 24 April 1955) is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, television and radio presenter. Career Scott has appeared frequently on Australian television since her regular slot on ABC TV's ''The Big Gig'' in 1990, an ...

and

Matt Okine Matthew Okine (born 12 April 1985) is a stand-up comedian, author and radio presenter from Brisbane, Australia. Okine is of Ghanaian and European descent, born to his father, Mack Okine, and his mother Roslyn, who died of breast cancer when he w ...

set to play Maggie and Arthur, respectively.

Premise

The plot of the show addresses the problems of ageing and caring for somebody with increasing memory loss, with an often sharp-edged humour which carried with it a tinge of sadness. Despite its unlikely subject matter for a comedy, the show was a favourite with audiences. Maggie's and Arthur's relationship was presented with a fascinating complexity—Maggie's cruel attacks on and emotional manipulation of Arthur disguised her deep dependence on and need of him, and Arthur's dutiful love of Maggie was constantly in conflict with his guilty frustration at the huge limitations for his own life which looking after his mother entailed. The performance of Cracknell, a famous stage actress, as Maggie was particularly lauded as one of the finest characterisations on Australian television. The series itself became extremely popular and has screened in constant re-runs, particularly by

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 ...

. Garry McDonald and Ruth Cracknell in character would appear in television adverts for Dynamo laundry liquid.

Main characters

Maggie Beare

Maggie (

), full name Margaret May Lapsley Beare, is the widow of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

veteran Leo, mother of Robert and Arthur, sister to Lorna and grandmother to Damien and Teonie. Maggie is apparently in the early stages of some form of dementia and her younger son Arthur lives with and takes care of her. However, despite being increasingly forgetful, Maggie is lucid enough to manipulate Arthur when she wants to, usually for something devilish that will seriously inconvenience him. Maggie was a former nurse and met Leo while treating him for war wounds.

Arthur Beare

Younger son of Maggie and Leo, brother of Robert, uncle to Damien and Teonie and recent ex-husband of Deidre, Arthur (

) is an

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

and

journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...

for a newspaper. When he is not working, he is usually at home attending to the demands of his impish and increasingly confused mother. He drives a 1955

Morris Minor The Morris Minor is a British economy family car that made its debut at the Earls Court Motor Show, London, in October 1948. Designed under the leadership of Alec Issigonis, more than 1.6 million were manufactured between 1948 and 1972 in th ...

Series II Tourer convertible that is constantly breaking down, has trouble bringing dates back to the house because of his mother's deliberate interference, and is almost always thwarted by Maggie whenever he attempts to socialize with his work friends. Maggie frequently excoriates Arthur, labelling all his would-be girlfriends as "floozies", Arthur is nicknamed "Artie" by brother Robert.

Robert Beare

Elder son of Maggie and Leo, brother of Arthur, husband to Liz and father of Damien and Teonie, Robert (

) is a successful dentist who takes many holidays and has extramarital affairs. He does so by disguising his overseas holiday trysts as dental research conferences. His mother tells him off for his womanising and says that it is the reason he failed medical school, much to the disappointment of his late father. He is a 'man of leisure' who is adept at providing excuses as to why it is Arthur and not he that must take the primary care of their elderly mother. Robert loves to play tennis and golf, listening to

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, and throughout the show owns three cars: a

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus '' Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the th ...

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

and a BMW. When Arthur asked him for a loan to buy a new car, all Robert would offer him was a seriously impaired Volvo at a discount.

Liz Beare

Wife of Robert, mother to Damien and Teonie, the long-suffering Liz (

) is well aware of her husband's affairs but finds it difficult to prove any of them, because of Robert's well-honed skill at covering them up. So in the meantime, Liz compensates by spending Robert's money and socialising with her equally rich, bored and unhappy friends. She occasionally seeks consolation from Arthur, using behaviour that could suggest that she is attracted to him. She is frequently, however, just as insensitive and selfish as Robert is and just as eager to put Maggie in a home. Liz has a verbal drawl, and is frequently heard to say "Oh Gawd" or "You're weird, Arthur".

Recurring characters

Deidre Beare: Ex-wife of Arthur. Appears in five episodes. Deidre seems to want the best for her ex-husband Arthur and dislikes him looking after his mother. Maggie resents the fact that Arthur had divorced. They end up getting back together in the final episode. Aunty Lorna: Sister of Maggie. Appears in three episodes. She is married to Stan and has three children—Colin, Dawn and Murray. Lorna is the "younger and prettier" sister, much to Maggie's chagrin. Stan, Colin, Dawn and Murray do not appear in the show, and are only mentioned by name. In the second episode in which she appears it is revealed that Stan has died. Dr. Holloway: (3 episodes) the family's doctor, who apparently suffers from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

Cast

Main *

as Maggie Beare *

as Arthur Beare *

as Robert Beare *

as Liz Beare Recurring * Suzanne Roylance as Deidre Beare (5 episodes) *

Melissa Jaffer Melissa Jaffer (born 1 December 1936) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her stage and television roles, but has also appeared in many films. Career Jaffer started her career in theatre productions in the mid 1950s has made many a ...

as Aunty Lorna (3 episodes) *

Martin Vaughan Martin Kevin Vaughan (5 June 1931 – October 2022) was an Australian stage, television and film actor and musician. He is best known for appearing in the film Phar Lap as trainer Harry Telford and the lead role in the award-winning 26-part 1976 ...

as Dr. Holloway (3 episodes) * Roslyn Gentle as Wendy (2 episodes) *

Warwick Moss Warwick Tennant Moss is an Australian actor, television personality and presenter and dramatist and playwright as well as New South Wales Premier's Literary Award winning writer for the stage. Early life Moss was born in Sydney and attended Ne ...

as Fireman (2 episodes) *

Ron Haddrick Ronald Norman Haddrick (9 April 1929 – 11 February 2020) was an Australian actor, cricketer, narrator and presenter. In 2012, he received the Actors Equity Lifetime Achievement Award for his long and distinguished career in media, spanning s ...

as Claude Price (2 episodes) * Constance Lansberg as Helen (2 episodes) * Suzette Williams as Constable (2 episodes)

The house

The house used for outside shots with the cast, built by John Cockerill in 1927, had an auction which was "off the Richter scale with well and truly over 100 people, at least". The house was mainly unknown in connection to the show (with most bidders being too young to know the sitcom) and sold in 2014 for $1.95 million to build a dual-occupancy dwelling with an underground garage and swimming pool. No objections were received, the application was amended and demolition and construction was approved in June 2015.

DVD releases

All six series have been released in Australia. *Vol. 1 (2-disc set), released 10 June 2004 *Vol. 2 (2-disc set), released 3 February 2005 *Vol. 3 (2-disc set), released 7 July 2005 *Vol. 4 (2-disc set), released 6 October 2005 *Vol. 5 (1-disc set), released 7 November 2007 *'The Complete Series 1–6' (6-disc box set), released 7 November 2007 *Series 1, released 1 April 2010 *Series 2, released 1 April 2010 *Series 3, released 1 April 2010 *Series 4, released 1 April 2010 *Series 5, released 1 April 2010 *Series 6, released 1 April 2010

Digital release

In 2016, the show in its entirety was available on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

in Australia. As of 2018, it is on Stan.

Awards and nominations

Gold Logies

*1994: Most Popular Comedy Personality, Ruth Cracknell

Silver Logies

*1993, 1994: Most Outstanding Actress, Ruth Cracknell *1994: Most Outstanding Actor, Garry McDonald

Other awards

*1987: Winner of the Television Drama Award presented by the

Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but opera ...

Stage productions

The stage version of ''Mother and Son'', written by Geoffrey Atherden and starring

Noeline Brown Noeline Mabel Brown (born 3 October 1938), credited also as Noelene Brown, is an Australian actress and comedian. She has appeared in numerous films, television shows, theatrical productions and radio programs dating back to 1959. Life and c ...

, Darren Gilshenan and

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 ...

, premiered at the Comedy Theatre, Melbourne on 18 July 2014. Jally Entertainment was scheduled to tour the stage production, starring

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 ...

and

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 ...

, in June and July 2020 to Caloundra, Wangaratta, Bainsdale, Wonthagi, Sale, Drysdale, Maryborough, Rockhampton, Mackay, Brisbane, Redland, Cessnock, Taree, Newcastle and Queanbeyan.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0088573
John O'Grady filmography
Australian Screen, Australian Film Archive (2007)
''Mother and Son'' – "The Money"
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 ...

''Mother and Son'' – "The Funeral"
at

''Mother and Son'' – "The Clock"
at

* https://web.archive.org/web/20140408223132/http://www.motherandsononstage.com.au/ Australian television sitcoms Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming 1984 Australian television series debuts 1994 Australian television series endings Television shows set in Sydney