With Marcus unavailable to continue playing the role of Pav actor Rupert Reid is taking over the role of Pav in the new season.
ABC Upfronts 2020
Welcome back to Arcadia Heights. The Heights returns in 2020 exploring the relationships between the residents of the Arcadia social housing tower and the people who live in the rapidly gentrifying community that surrounds it.
ABC Director of Entertainment and Specialist Michael Carrington has told TV Tonight that season 2, which will have 15 episodes, will air in the new timeslot of 8pm Thursdays, after the current series of Doctor Who concludes in March.
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The Heights - Series 2
From Thursday 12 March at 8pm
Critically acclaimed and refreshingly authentic series The Heights returns to the ABC for Series 2 - with another 30 x 27" episodes, screening weekly on Thursdays at 8pm on ABC and ABC iview.
The ‘slice of life’ drama that explores the relationships, work lives, and everyday challenges faced by the families living in the Arcadia social housing tower and the rapidly gentrifying inner-city neighbourhood that surrounds it - Arcadia Heights.
The community is filled with all the diversity and difference of urban milieu of the inner city, and though that brings with it the usual tensions that arise from the coexistence of the middle-class, working poor, and upwardly mobile, this is a community that sticks together when the chips are down.
However, as rumours spread that the towers are being sold off to developers, a growing sense of tension grows across the neighbourhood. There’s a perpetual sense of shifting sands with the wealthier inhabitants representing the growing threat to the housing tower’s very existence. As the individual characters are confronted by this, outside forces will intrude on this world and threaten the delicate, often fleeting harmony of the community.
But rather than pit neighbour against neighbour as we explore the individual struggles and triumphs of the characters, The Heights will find connections and commonalities that exist between us all. It is not a bleak story about good versus evil or rich versus poor; it’s a joyful look at the very unifying xperience of trying to make one’s way in the world, and the family you surround yourself with, whether by bloodline or by circumstance.
As the series unfolds we’ll see the characters love, hurt, laugh, cry, struggle and then prevail as they pull together to triumph over whatever life throws at them. With a balance of heart, humour and truth, we’ll see relationships strain and falter, friendships be tested, new love blossom, community leaders face grave health threats and as the characters fight to find the courage to be who they really are, we’ll see support come from the most unlikely places.
BBC One acquires hit Australian drama The Heights for daytime
BBC One has acquired the first two series of the critically-acclaimed Australian serial drama The Heights, with the first series confirmed to begin in a daytime slot on 15 June and the second series coming later this year.
Produced by NBCUniversal International Studios’ Matchbox Pictures, in association with For Pete’s Sake Productions, The Heights explores the relationships, work and hurdles faced by six families living in a tower block in a rapidly gentrifying inner-city district.
The show transports viewers into the inner-city neighbourhood of Arcadia Heights following an urban community trying to protect its way of life against the backdrop of the gentrification of its neighbourhood. It also features a medley of characters with different cultures and backgrounds from the tower community, who stick together when the chips are down.
Carla-Maria Lawson, Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak, says: “This slice of life from the melting pot that is urban Australia is loaded with humour and drama and quickly draws you into the very diverse lives of its characters. Daytime viewers love drama with compelling story telling at its heart and The Heights does that brilliantly.”
Alastair McKinnon, Managing Director, Matchbox Pictures, adds: “Australian viewers have taken the diverse mix of families living in Arcadia Heights to their hearts and we are enormously proud of the show. With British viewers’ undoubted enthusiasm for Australian soap operas, we feel very excited about the potential for The Heights on BBC One.”
The Heights was created at Matchbox Pictures by Warren Clarke (Mustangs FC), who also serves as Showrunner, and Co-Creator Que Minh Luu. The show is produced by Peta Astbury-Bulsara (The Marriage of Figaro) and executive produced by Debbie Lee for Matchbox Pictures and Sally Riley and Que Minh Luu for the ABC.
The show was developed and produced with the assistance of the ABC, in association with Screenwest, Screen Australia, Lotterywest and NBCUniversal International Studios, which is a part of NBCUniversal Content Studios. The Heights is produced in Perth and is distributed internationally by NBCUniversal Global Distribution.
It was acquired for the BBC by Sue Deeks, Head of Programme Acquisition.
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That’s a big pick up for the show.
Anyone know what time in the afternoons they’re showing it?
Bit too early to tell. I think it’s either mid morning or 3pm. Knowing how popular Neighbours and Home and Away are on Channel 5, the BBC won’t schedule The Heights against its Aussie rivals.
It might replace one of their local soap operas Doctors or Casualty, while they are on their production break.
1.45pm starting Monday
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Although the ratings of the show have been below par, at least the ABC have kept the show in the same timeslot. Keeping it to some sort of consistency.
But i can’t see it returning next year though. I think the ABC should just stick to dramas, rather than these type of soapies.
Depends if the UK like it.
If so, I’m sure the BBC would chip in a bit extra $$$ for it.
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It’s a bad timeslot, likewise last year when it was on Friday. Thank goodness for iview
Be interesting to see if it gets a 3rd series. I hope it does but with ABC having to carve more money from its budget I think drama production will be a bit lean for the next year
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That’s right up against Neighbours on Channel 5!
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Against a repay from the night before…
I’m surprised the ABC haven’t adopted this into a 6pm wee k day format.
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Agree, it feels like 6pm weekdays on ABC to me
Could be quite lucrative if BBC One pick it up long term which would then lead to more international sales no doubt
No, it’s not a replay. Neighbours first screening is at 1.45pm and the repeat is at 5.30pm.
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I thought that was the idea for season 1 but they went with Think Tank instead.
Just about caught up on season 2 episodes, absolutely loving it. Love Iris, one of the best characters on TV. Hope this show does well in England, better chance of a season 3 renewal.
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Season 2 final is set for Thursday 1 October 8.00pm