''Stormy Petrel'' is an early

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n television drama. A period drama, the 12-episode serial told the story of

William Bligh Vice-Admiral William Bligh (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. The mutiny on the HMS ''Bounty'' occurred in 1789 when the ship was under his command; after being set adrift i ...

and aired in 1960 on

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

. It was the first live TV serial from the ABC. It was based on a script by

Rex Rienits Rex Rienits (17 April 1909 – 1971) was an Australian writer of radio, films, plays and TV. He was a journalist before becoming one of the leading radio writers in Australia. He moved to England in 1949 and worked for a number of years there. He ...

adapted from his 1948 radio serial. The radio serial was rebroadcast in 1953. ''Stormy Petrel'' was a critical and popular success and led to the ABC making a number of period drama series set in Australia's past: '' The Outcasts'' (1961), '' The Patriots'' (1962), and ''

The Hungry Ones ''The Hungry Ones'' was an Australian television mini-series. It was a period drama about a pair of husband and wife convicts trying to go straight, consisting of 10 30-minute black-and-white episodes, which aired on ABC. Unlike previous seria ...

'' (1963). It also inspired ATN-7, a commercial station, to make ''

Jonah Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...

'' (1962). Telerecordings (also known as Kinescope recordings) of ''Stormy Petrel'' are held by

National Archives of Australia The National Archives of Australia (NAA), formerly known as the Commonwealth Archives Office and Australian Archives, is an Australian Government agency that serves as the national archives of the nation. It collects, preserves and encourages ...

Premise

The story of William Blighs' governorship of New South Wales leading up to the events of the

Rum Rebellion The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was a ''coup d'état'' in the then-British penal colony of New South Wales, staged by the New South Wales Corps in order to depose Governor William Bligh. Australia's first and only military coup, the name derives from ...

Cast

* Brian James as

* Walter Sullivan as

John MacArthur John MacArthur or Macarthur may refer to: *J. Roderick MacArthur (1920–1984), American businessman *John MacArthur (American pastor) (born 1939), American evangelical minister, televangelist, and author * John Macarthur (priest), 20th-century pro ...

* Delia Williams as Mary Bligh, Bligh's daughter *

Ric Hutton Ric Hutton (1926–1996) was an Australian actor. He worked in Britain, Australia and the United States of America. He was best known in Australia as the voice of "Black Jack Seager" in the hit radio series ''The Castlereagh Line'' written by Ros ...

as John Putland *

Nigel Lovell Nigel Tasman Lovell (27 January 1916 – 13 December 2001) was an Australian stage, radio, film and television actor, and producer of opera and both stage and radio drama. History Lovell was born in Sydney, a son of Tasman Lovell, Professor of ...

as Major Johnston *

Muriel Steinbeck Muriel Myee Steinbeck (21 July 1913 – 20 July 1982) was an Australian actress who worked extensively in radio, theatre, television and film. She is best known for her performance as the wife of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in '' Smithy'' (1946) ...

as Mrs Bligh *

Margo Lee Margaret Stella Lee (20 June 1923 - 16 October 1987) credited as Margo Lee, was an Australian actor and singer of radio, stage, film and TV. She worked briefly in Hollywood. Filmography Film *''Into the Straight'' (1949) *'' The Twelve Pound ...

Elizabeth MacArthur Elizabeth Macarthur (14 August 1766 – 9 February 1850) was an Anglo-Australian pastoralist and merchant, and wife of John Macarthur. Early life Elizabeth Macarthur was born in Bridgerule, Devon, England, the daughter of provincial farmers, ...

*Alistair Duncan *Richard Perry *Charles McCallum as the Minister *

Annette Andre Annette Andre (born 24 June 1939) is an Australian actress best known for her work on British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Early life and early career The daughter of an upholsterer, Annette Andre was born in Drummoyne, Australia, ...

as Ann Bligh *Elizabeth Waterhouse as Elizabeth Bligh *Moray Powell as Dr Warren *Geoffrey King as

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...

*Owen Weingott *Nat Levison *Charles McCallum *Walter Pym as Lt-Gen Keppel

Radio play

The series was based on a radio play which Rex Rienits had written in 1948. Rienits said he believed Bligh "was a great man." He later said that Bligh had "been grossly maligned" and "that Hollywood did a terrible thing in representing him, in the person of Mr. Laughton, as a cruel and brutal despot... However, Bligh undoubtedly had a quick and blustering temper, and it was this temper, rather than any deep-seated viciousness that got him into trouble,both on the 'Bounty' and as Governor of New South Wales'". The story of Bligh was told through the eyes of his wife Elizabeth, then John Hallet, then his daughter Mary. It went for seventy episodes. The play was a great success when broadcast. Rienits sold it to the BBC and the ABC rebroadcast it in 1953. The play was broadcast again on radio in 1959.

TV Production

Early Australian TV drama production was dominated by using imported scripts but ''Stormy Petrel'' was made when the ABC was undertaking what has been described as "an Australiana" drive. It was directed by

Colin Dean Colin Dean (1919-2007) was an Australian producer and director who worked in Australian TV in the 1950s and 1960s. He worked in the UK in the late 1940s, and returned to Australia in the 1950s. Select credits *''The Queen in Australia'' (1954) * ...

who called the Rum Rebellion "virtually the colony's first revolt against what was thought to be the tyranny of government vested in the person of the Governor himself." The sets were designed by Douglas Smith who was on staff at the ABC; he started working on them in December 1959. Smith says it was difficult to get sets to be authentic as while there were plenty of written descriptions there were few pictures so he had to source the latter from the army records in London.

played one of Bligh's daughters. A radio historian said Sullivan "gave the performance of his career" in the show.

Episodes

*Ep 1 "The Assignment" – 15 May (Syd), 29 May (Melb), 26 Jun (Brisb) – Captain William Blight is opposed to his daughter Mary marrying John Putland.

offers Bligh the governorship of NSW. *Ep 2 "The Voyage Out" 22 May (Syd), 5 Jun (Melb) – Bligh takes the boat to Australia with his daughter Mary and her husband Lt. Putland. *Ep 3 "The Arrival" – 29 May (Syd), 12 Jun (Melb) – Bligh, his daughter Mary and Lt Putland arrive in Sydney, they meet MacArthur and his wife. *Ep 4 "Enter John MacArthur" – 5 Jun (Syd), 19 Jun (Melb) *Ep 5 "Storm Clouds" – 12 Jun (Syd), 26 Jun (Melb) *Ep 6 "The Challenge" – 19 Jun (Syd), 3 July (Melb) *Ep 7 "The First Skirmish" – 26 Jun (Syd), 10 July (Melb) *Ep 8 "The Storm Gathers" – 3 July (Syd), 17 July (Melb) – Bligh clashes with MacArthur in a second court action *Ep 9 "The Storm Breaks" – 10 July (Syd), 24 July (Melb) *Ep 10 "Rebellion" – 17 July (Syd), 31 July (Melb) *Ep 11 ' Aftermath" – 24 July (Syd), 7 Aug (Melb) *Ep 12 "The Way Back" – 31 July (Syd), 14 Aug (Melb) – final episode – Bligh returns to England to give evidence at the court martial of Major Johnston. Bligh's widowed daughter Mary becomes betrothed to Macquarie's aide, Maurice O'Connell, while Bligh's secretary, Griffin, who loves Mary, looks on. Bligh is appointed Admiral.

Reception

Critical

Coming at a time when Australia produced few dramatic television series, ''The Age'' called it a "successful serial" and commented "These colorful – and factual – Australian series are a "must" for Australian television." The Sunday ''Sydney Morning Herald'' called it "first rate entertainment." At the end of the series' run ''The Age'' called it "Channel 2's most consistent production... stands head and shoulders above all other Australian-produced drama series." The ''Woman's Weekly'' said Dean was to be "cogratulated on a production (made difficult, I'm sure, by budget-balancing) marked by a simplicity that has been the trademark of some of the B.B.C. adaptations of famous classics. You may cock a snoot at Australian history, but "Stormy Petrel" makes Australian history come alive in absorbing TV." At the end of the series' run the ''Woman's Weekly'' called it "an outstanding production."

Ratings

According to director

"I got the results from Audience Research – the average audience for ''Stormy Petrel'' was the same as a years run in her Majesty's Theatre including matinees. I thought to myself – that is unbelievable. That is what we have been missing. We never had audiences like that before. What a great thing we done!" It was repeated by the ABC in 1974.

Sequel

In November 1960 it was announced that Rex Rienits and Colin Dean would reunite on a sequel that would focus on William Redfern but feature many characters from ''Stormy Petrel''.

Novel

Rienits wrote up the story as a novel, ''Stormy Petrel'', which was published in 1963. The London ''Sunday Times'' said "narrative swings along until Bligh and MacArthur sink with all hands in a bog of litigation."Shorter notices Authors: Philip Day and A. S. Byatt Date: Sunday, 12 Jan. 1964 Publication: The Sunday Times (London, England) Issue: 7339 p 38

References

External links

*
''Stormy Petrel''
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature), usually referred to simply as AustLit, is an internet-based, non-profit collaboration betwee ...

Stormy Petrel
at

National Film and Sound Archive 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 ...

Clip of trailer
at National Archives of Australia {{Colin Dean Australian drama television series 1960 Australian television series debuts 1960 Australian television series endings Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Black-and-white Australian television shows English-language television shows Television series set in the 18th century Television shows set in colonial Australia