''Tanamera – Lion of Singapore'' was a 1989 Australian drama serial which was a co-production between

Central Independent television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the ITV (TV network), Independent Television franchisee in Midlands, the English Midlands ...

and Grundy in 1989.Australian Television and International Mediascapes By Stuart Cunningham P125 , 9780521469746

Plot

The lives of two leading families of

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

, the Dexters and the Soongs, become intertwined when John Dexter falls in love with Julie Soong.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995'', Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p241 Action takes place between 1935 and 1948. The series is based on the novel ''Tanamera'' by Noel Barber. "Tanamera" is the name of the house built by Grandpa Jack, the patriarch of the Dexter family; it is derived from '' Tanah Merah'', Malay for "Red Earth". The grounds of the huge Tanamera bungalow consisted largely of red soil.

Cast

Christopher Bowen Christopher Bowen (born 20 October 1959) is a British actor. Bowen was educated at the Cathedral School, Llandaff, Radley College, and Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He trained at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol and spent thre ...

as John Dexter *

Khym Lam Khym Lam (born 1963 or '64) is a Singaporean Australians, Singaporean-born Australian actress. Biography Lam was born in Singapore to a Malayan father and a Eurasian mother—her grandparents were Charles Davis, a Welsh engineer who married Ma ...

as Julie Soong *

Anthony Calf Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He had recurring roles in the television medical drama ''Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and ''New Tricks'' as D ...

as Tim Dexter *

Gary Sweet Gary Sweet (born 22 May 1957) is an Australian film and television actor known for his roles in ''Alexandra's Project'' (as Steve), ''Police Rescue'' (as Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock), ''Cody (TV series), Cody'' (as Cody), ''Big Sky (Australian ...

as Tony * John Jarratt as Neil Forbes * Anne-Louise Lambert as Irene *

Penne Hackforth-Jones Penne Hackforth-Jones (5 August 194917 May 2013) was an American-born Australian actress and biographer. Early life Penelope Beatrix Hackforth-Jones was born in August 1949 in Greenwich, Connecticut, to Paul and Susan Felicity (née Gullett) ...

as Mama Jack *

Ed Devereaux Edward Sidney Devereaux (27 August 192517 December 2003), better known professionally as Ed Devereaux, was an Australian actor, director, and scriptwriter who lived in the United Kingdom for many years. He was best known for playing the part of ...

as Grandpa Jack * Tushka Bergen as Natasha * Lewis Fiander as Papa Jack *

Bruce Spence Bruce Robert Spence (born 17 September 1945) is a New Zealand-born Australian actor. Spence has amassed over 100 film and television credits and has also acted in theatre. Career Spence won an AFI Award for Best Actor for his role in the 197 ...

as Hammond *

Bryan Marshall Bryan Marshall (19 May 1938 – 25 June 2019) was a British actor, with a number of major credits in film and television to his name, in both Britain and Australia. Early life Marshall was born in Battersea, south London. He was educated at th ...

as Chalfont *

Betty Lucas Betty Helen Lucas (31 May 1924 – 7 April 2015), also known as Betty Lucas Peterson, was an Australian character actress and theatre director, known for her numerous roles on stage and television, starting from the post-WWII years in 1945. Ear ...

as Lady Bradshaw *

Wallas Eaton Wallas Eaton (18 February 1917 – 3 November 1995), sometimes credited as Wallace Eaton or Wallis Eaton, was an English film, radio, television and theatre actor. He is perhaps best remembered for his voice roles between 1949 and 1960 in th ...

as Shelton Thomas * Darren Yap as Paul *

Robert Coleby Robert Coleby (born 1947) is a British actor who has spent most of his career in Australia. Active since the 1970s, he has over 70 film and television credits to his name. Coleby has acted on stage in numerous productions for the Queensland The ...

as Bonnard * Anthony Wong as Miki *

Ned Manning Ned Manning is an Australian playwright, actor and teacher. His film credits include the lead role in '' Dead End Drive-In'' (1986), and television credits include '' The Shiralee'' and ''Prisoner'', and '' Brides of Christ''. His plays include ...

as Ray *

Terry McDermott Terence McDermott (born 8 December 1951) is an English former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Nicknamed "Terry Mac", he is best known as a member of the Liverpool team of the 1970s and early 1980s, where he won three Europe ...

as Fire Chief

Broadcast

The series was first shown in the United Kingdom, and from April 1989, Albania, Finland, New Zealand and America as well.

References

External links

*
BFI.org''Tanamera Lion of Singapore''
at

AustLit AustLit: The Australian Literature Resource (also known as AustLit: Australian Literature Gateway; and AustLit: The Resource for Australian Literature) is a national bio-bibliographical database of Australian literature. It is an internet-based, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanamera - Lion of Singapore 1980s Australian television miniseries 1980s Australian drama television series Network 10 original programming 1989 Australian television series debuts 1989 Australian television series endings 1989 British television series debuts 1989 British television series endings 1980s British drama television series Television series produced by The Reg Grundy Organisation Television series by ITV Studios ITV television dramas 1980s British television miniseries British English-language television shows Television shows produced by Central Independent Television