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''The Stranger'' is an Australian science fiction children's television series which first screened on the
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 ...
in 1964 to 1965. It was produced by the
Australian Broadcasting Commission 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-owned ...
. It is notable as Australia's first locally produced science fiction television series and one of the first Australian TV series to be sold overseas.


Synopsis

A schoolmaster finds an unconscious young man on his doorstep, takes him in, and looks after him. A firm friendship develops between the stranger and the headmaster's children Bernard and Jean, and their friend Peter, leading them to discover the stranger's secret: that he is from another planet and has been sent to find a new home on Earth for his people. The stranger, Adam, is joined by fellow alien Varossa. They live in a society without books where they memorize everything. In the second series the children have to enlist the help of the Australian Prime Minister when Peter is kidnapped by the alien, and a procession of intrigues eventually leads them to the aliens' home planet of Soshuniss.


Production

''The Stranger'' began life as a six-part radio series, broadcast on the
BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...
from December 1963. This was written by New Zealand-born author G.K. Saunders and starred
David Spenser David Spenser (''né'' De Saram; 12 March 1934 – 20 July 2013) John Tydemanbr>David Spenser obituary ''The Guardian'', 1 August 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013 was a British actor, director, producer and writer. Spenser played the title role ...
as "The Stranger", Adam Suisse. The Australian TV version followed four months later, again scripted by Saunders, produced by
Storry Walton Storry Walton is an Australian academic, writer, producer and director. He produced and directed many television plays and serials, including ''My Brother Jack''. He has directed ABC documentaries on art and on rural matters. While based in London ...
and directed by
Gil Brealey Gilbert John Brealey (9 April 1932 – 1 April 2018) was an Australian television and film director, producer and writer. Brealey was born in Melbourne, and studied at the University of Melbourne, where he made his first amateur films around th ...
, with production design by
Geoffrey Wedlock Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the m ...
. Two series of six episodes each were produced in 1964 and 1965. It was a major hit in Australia and was sold back to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. The first series (episodes 1 – 6) were broadcast on BBC1 on consecutive Thursdays at 17:25, from 25 February to 1 April 1965 but never repeated. Series 2 (episodes 7–12), have never been shown on network terrestrial television in the UK. The series starred leading stage and radio actor
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 "The Stranger"; the children were played by Janice Dinnen and Bill Levis as Jean and Bernard (Bernie) Walsh and Michael Thomas as their friend Peter Cannon. The supporting cast include
John Faassen
as Mr. Walsh an
Jessica Noad
as Mrs. Walsh,
Owen Weingott Owen Ash Weingott (21 June 1921 – 12 October 2002) was an Australian actor, director and drama teacher. Although primarily working in theatre, he appeared on radio and television in serials and made for television films and voice overs. Weingo ...
as Professor Mayer,
Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death ...
as the Prime Minister, Reg Livermore as Varossa and Mary Mackay as the female Soshun and
Ben Gabriel Ben Gabriel (25 February 1918 – 25 April 2012) was an Australian actor, director, voice artist and theatre founder. Gabriel had numerous appearances in stage and radio roles and in film and television. Biography He was born as James Vernon Gab ...
as the male Soshun. Other actors include Ronne Arnold (Dr. Kamutsa – UN), Henry Gilbert (Hutchins – UN), Bernie Baia (Dr. Matoula – UN), Bill Levey, Ivor Bromley as Colonel Nash, and British actor Grant Taylor as Detective Inspector Chisholm and Jeffrey Hodgson as Detective Howell. Other minor roles are as follows:
Robert McDarra Robert Bundy McDarra (1931– 23 December 1975) variously credited as Robert McDara and Bob McDara was an Australian stage, television and film actor. He won the 1973 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his work on the film '' 27A'' ...
plays the Squadron Leader, Denys Burrows is the Chief Police Inspector, Keith Buckley is John Robinson,
Stewart Ginn Stewart Ginn (born 2 June 1949) is an Australian professional golfer. Early life Ginn was born in Melbourne. He grew up behind the twelfth green of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Early in his life "he used to caddy at Royal Melbourne." He t ...
is Senator Anderson and
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 ...
plays Group Captain Ponsonby. John Fegan (
Homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...
) and Douglas Morgan play Police officers. Alex Cann plays Rudolph Lindenberger, Dennis Carroll is Edward Mayer, and Don Philps is Wilson. Notable actors playing Soshuniss Elders include Max Phipps and
Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Biography Evans started drama while ...
. Istosin, the pilot of the guide ship, was played by John Unicomb and the pilot of the saucer later in the series is Scott Taylor. Judy Nunn plays a minor role in episode 7. The Lord Mayor was played by Gordon Glenwright, the Lady Mayoress by
Thelma Scott Thelma Marjorie Scott (17 June 1913 – 23 November 2006) was an Australian character actress whose six-decade career in theatre, radio, film and Australian made her one of her country's most recognisable and beloved personalities. Having st ...
and the Town Clerk by Barry Ross. The series was also notable for the fact that Saunders devised a special language that the aliens spoke amongst themselves and, like later science fiction series such as ''
Babylon 5 ''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...
'', they spoke English with a "foreign" accent; in the story Adam can speak German and French, and this leads to the children's father's initial assumption that he is from Switzerland (whence his surname; Adam comes from Adam and Eve). The series was made with cooperation from the
CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentar ...
with pivotal scenes shot on location at the
Parkes Observatory Parkes Observatory is a radio astronomy observatory, located north of the town of Parkes, New South Wales, Australia. It hosts Murriyang, the 64 m CSIRO Parkes Radio Telescope also known as "The Dish", along with two smaller radio telescopes. ...
and the facility's radio telescope featured in the iconic opening title sequence. The CSIRO were also consulted on the design of the alien spacecraft that lands on the steps of the Sydney Town Hall where the aliens are greeted by the Prime Minister, played by veteran Australian screen star
Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death ...
. In 2019 the entire series was digitally restored by the ABC and in January 2020 was released on their on demand service
iview IView or iView may refer to: * ABC iview, a video on demand and catch up TV service run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * IrfanView, an image viewer, editor, organiser and converter program * iView Media IView or iView may refer to: * A ...
and th
ABC TV & iview YouTube channel


Cast


Main Cast

*
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 Adam Suisse, the titular Stranger *Janice Dinnen as Jean Walsh *Bill Levis as Bernie Walsh *Michael Thomas as Peter Cannon *John Faassen as Mr. Walsh *Jessica Noad as Mrs. Walsh *
Owen Weingott Owen Ash Weingott (21 June 1921 – 12 October 2002) was an Australian actor, director and drama teacher. Although primarily working in theatre, he appeared on radio and television in serials and made for television films and voice overs. Weingo ...
as Professor Mayer * Reg Livermore as Varossa


Supporting Cast

* Mary Mackay as the female Soshun *
Ben Gabriel Ben Gabriel (25 February 1918 – 25 April 2012) was an Australian actor, director, voice artist and theatre founder. Gabriel had numerous appearances in stage and radio roles and in film and television. Biography He was born as James Vernon Gab ...
as the male Soshun * Grant Taylor as Detective Inspector Chisolm *Jeffrey Hodgson as Detective Howell *Ivor Bromley as Colonel Nash * Ronne Arnold as Dr. Kamutsa *Alex Cann as Rudolph Lindenberger *Dennis Carroll as Edward Mayer *
Chips Rafferty John William Pilbean Goffage MBE (26 March 190927 May 1971), known professionally as Chips Rafferty, was an Australian actor. Called "the living symbol of the typical Australian", Rafferty's career stretched from the late 1930s until his death ...
as the Prime Minister


Episodes


Series 1 (1964)


Series 2 (1965)


Adaptation

Over a decade after the series was produced, Saunders wrote a book adaptation which was published by
Whitcombe & Tombs Whitcoulls is a major New Zealand book, stationery, gift, games & toy retail chain. Formerly known as Whitcombe & Tombs, it has 54 stores nationally. Whitcombe & Tombs was founded in 1888, and Coulls Somerville Wilkie in 1871. The companies mer ...
in 1978.


References


External links


''The Stranger'' on ABC iview
*
''The Stranger'' on YouTube

''The Stranger, Australia's answer to Doctor Who, premieres on ABC iview after decades in the vaults''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stranger, The Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Australian science fiction television series Australian children's television series 1964 Australian television series debuts 1965 Australian television series endings Black-and-white Australian television shows 1960s children's television series