''Don't Blame Me'' is an Australian children's television program. In the United Kingdom, the show is known as ''Don't Blame the Koalas''. The series was originally aired on the Nine Network and is also currently shown on

ABC3 ABC Me (stylised as ABC ME) is an Australian English language children's free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was officially launched by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on 4 December 2009 as ABC3. Hist ...

(the latter channel airing under the UK title).

Series overview

The show is set in Wallaby Park, an Australian

wildlife park A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial drive-in tourist attraction where visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals. A safari park ...

in the Ku-ring-gai National Park where the King family arrive from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

to live with their Australian relatives after going bankrupt. Before they arrive they believe they have inherited a large cattle ranch, but on arrival are disappointed to meet a largely unprofitable, slightly run down wildlife park. Most of the comedy in the series is slightly surreal in a

Round the Twist ''Round the Twist'' is an Australian children's comedy television series based on stories by author Paul Jennings that follows the supernatural adventures of the Twist family. The series was created and produced by Patricia Edgar, and develope ...

Driven Crazy ''Driven Crazy'' is an Australian children's television series, based on the short stories by author Paul Jennings. It first aired in 1998 on Network Ten, and was the second television series based on his works. Plot Driven Crazy follows the ...

style way. Special effects and sounds are used to convey the characters actions mixed in with slightly speeded up footage when walking. Many of the characters frequently

break the fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

. Having to do whatever means to keep the wildlife park up to building code standards for visitor's, Vinnie – played by Anh Do – has a dark past that he must call upon his old friends still involved in the Golden Triangle to save the day.

Cast

*Liam Hess – Gregory King * Hollie Chapman – Gemma King *

Basia A'Hern Basia A'Hern is a former Australian film, television, and stage actress. On stage, Basia has played the role of Little Cosette in the Sydney leg of the 1997–1999 Les Misérables Australasian Tour. A'Hern made her television debut in 2001, gue ...

– Kate King *

Shaun Loseby Shaun is an anglicized spelling of the Irish name Seán. Alternative spellings include Shawn, Sean and Shawne. Notable persons with the given name include: People *Shaun (musician) (born 1990), South Korean musician * Shaun (YouTuber), British ...

- Mark King *

Henry Nixon Henry Nixon is an Australian actor. Nixon was born at St Margaret's Hospital in the inner-Sydney suburb of Surry Hills. As a child he lived in Elanora Heights, Paddington and Wollstonecraft in Sydney with his father, Gerald Nixon, a Recordin ...

– Chris King *

Fiona Terry Fiona is a feminine given name. The name is associated with the Gaelic traditions of Ireland and Scotland (through the poetry of James Macpherson), but has also become popular in England.. It can be considered either a Latinised form of the Gae ...

– Gabrielle King * Anh Do – Vinnie

Season 1

Production

Filming

Much of the filming for Don't Blame the Koalas was done on location in various parts of the Thirty Mile Zone around Los Angeles. Unike '' Malcolm in the Middle'', studio filming for ''Don't Blame the Koalas'' took place on Stage 21 at Nine Network Australia, 1 Denison Street, North Sydney. Like '' Malcolm in the Middle'', hallmarks of the series' filming and structure, many of which heavily influenced later programs, included the following: * A 1 and a half second

whip pan A whip pan is a type of pan shot in which the camera pans so quickly that the picture blurs into indistinct streaks. It is commonly used as a transition between shots, and can indicate the passage of time or a frenetic pace of action. Much like th ...

as a transition from one scene to another. * Frequent pieces to camera delivered by the King family.

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0341741, Don't Blame Me Australian children's television series Children's comedy television series Nine Network original programming 2002 Australian television series debuts 2003 Australian television series endings Television series by Endemol Australia