Here’s a little something I’ve found. The late Brian Naylor (RIP) and his final bulletin ever. I remember seeing him on Seven before and he was just as good if not better back in the day. Very touching little tribute for Brian at the end. May you rest in peace Brian.
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Old commercials from yesteryear from Channel 7 Perth
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20 years ago, Nine had a few version of the iconic Still the One ident in 1997.
This version uses the classic soundtrack (from QTQ)
This is an NBN version using an alternative soundtrack
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Today 40 years ago, 17 April 1977, the legendary mini-series Roots had its Australian debut on TEN in Sydney.
It was still another month – 23 May – before ATV0 followed in Melbourne. In Melbourne’s case Roots screened over 8 consecutive weeknights over 2 weeks.
Newspaper ads via Google News Archive.
Likewise its huge ratings success in America, Roots was a ratings giant in Australia. (Although despite its huge ratings on the east coast it was 1979 before Roots finally got to air in Perth)
At a time when anything rating higher than 20 was ‘okay’ and anything over 30 was exceptional, Roots averaged a rating of 54 in Melbourne and 51 in Sydney. It was easily the highest rating show of the year in Australia – pretty good for the 0-10 Network which was falling back in the ratings after axing The Box and Number 96 earlier in the year.
Apart from Roots, about the only other thing 0-10 had to be pleased about during 1977 was Blankety Blanks.
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The success of Roots can be thanked for Australian producers starting to think about the min-series format.
I think one of the reasons that Sydney and Brisbane didn’t have 8-straight nights was the midweek Amco Cup game.
Absolutely. Seven was probably first to adopt the big budget mini-series format here with Against The Wind in 1978, which they then followed up with The Last Outlaw in 1980. But Ten really owned the genre in the 1980s with its Kennedy-Miller productions. Seven and Nine all did mini-series too, of course, but the Kennedy-Miller ones were extremely successful for Ten.
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Vietnam was one of the best with a young Nicole Kidman with Bodyline and The Dismissal also memorable.
Opening credits (from a repeat screening) incl ABC TV News opener at 2:44
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Vietnam i remember very well. And Bangkok Hilton about 2 years later.
Kennedy Miller I seem to recall eventually went over to Channel 9 but I don’t remember anything to come from them there. By that stage I wonder if TV budgets started shrinking and there wasn’t much call for the big mini series?
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Looking through a few lists on the Internet, I can’t see anything that stands out as being a Nine production. It reminded me of the Jack Thompson series Sports Crazy that they produced for Ten.
Was that one of theirs?? Must have been during a quiet period 
I have a dvd box set of Bangkok Hilton, The Dismissal, Vietnam, The Cowra Breakout, Bodyline and The Dirtwater Dynasty. Well told stories and well acted, but unfortunately the quality of picture didn’t survive.
All the Rivers Run (I & II) and Return To Eden were also huge. From America, I remember V having great teaser promotions and I watched most of it.
After watching Feud on Foxtel, I do miss a good campy mini-series. It’s all too serious these days.
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Some other big ones were The Holocast and The Thorn Birds from the US plus A Town Like Alice.
One of the most memorable for me was The Day After about a nuclear war. One iconic scene shows people in Kansas watching as the ICBMs erupt from their underground solos across the surrounding countryside.
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I was around 11 years old browsing YouTube in 2006 when I came upon these nuclear war films and documentaries on YouTube.
I spent the following year or so, on the edge of my seat, worrying about nuclear war. Every rumble like a plane flying over, I’d be on the verge of dashing to our underground garage for shelter. I was imagining faint air raid sirens in the distance, even though from what I understand, we don’t have any system like that in Australia.
All this despite the fact that nuclear war was probably at its least likely to happen in those years.
Even today, I’ve got a few spare doors in the basement for a makeshift fallout shelter.
The fact that I live near Port Botany means I’ll probably be vaporised within the first few seconds of a nuclear strike, but I guess it’s nice to make a plan…
If I eventually move out to the Newcastle or Central Coast and build my own home, I’d like to make a few plans to put in a nice basement garage that can be used as a fallout shelter.
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I remember watching Cyclone Tracy in 1986. Have since got it on DVD.
And remember having to watch For The Term Of His Natural Life for school in 1983.
Some early ones from Ten included Water Under The Bridge which I don’t think did that well, and Sara Dane.
Sara Dane was a big deal at my primary school, for some reason, when it aired in 1982. They wanted all the kids to watch it and come to school dressed in the convict/colonial theme.
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The convict/colonial thing must have been big in primary schools in the early 80’s. I remember the exact same thing.
I remember being a bit troubled that they wanted me to identify with criminals by coming to school dressed in pyjamas with convict insignia crudely drawn on them with black texta.
I doubt you’d see such a theme in schools today considering how multicultural society has become.
I have no idea what is taught in primary schools these days but “in my day” in the 80’s it was all about anglo explorers (Burke & Wills etc) and convicts. Very little aboriginal or asian history taught.