Bellbird (soap opera)
| Bellbird | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Serial |
| Created by | Barbara Vernon |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 11 |
| No. of episodes | 1,562 |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Original release | 28 August 1967 – 23 December 1977 |
Bellbird was an Australian soap opera serial set in a small Victorian rural township. The series was produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at its Ripponlea TV studios in Elsternwick, Melbourne, Victoria. The opening title sequence was filmed at Daylesford, Victoria.
The series was produced between 28 August 1967 and December 1977. Though Bellbird was not Australia's first serial, (its first which was Network Sevens, Autumn Affair]], it was the first successful soap opera and even spanned a feature film and tie-in novel.The show's ratings were modest but it had a devoted following, especially in rural Australia. During its 10-year production run, 15-minute episodes of Bellbird screened from Monday through to Thursday nights during the lead in to the 7 pm evening news bulletin. In 1976 the series was screened as one one-hour episode each week, before switching to three half-hour installments per week during its final season.
The show's storylines followed the lives of the residents of the small country town that gave the show's title.
Principal cast members included:
Future General Hospital star Tristan Rogers also acted in the series.
The cast of Bellbird, became well-known household names to the viewing audiences, that many went on to further appear in soap opera, in 1979, two years after Bellbird ended its run, Elspeth Ballantyne, Patsy King, and Sheila Florance would work together once again in the iconic series Prisoner playing guard Meg Jackson Morris; prison governor, Erica Davidson and inmate Lizzie Birdsworth, respectively. Gerda Nicolson and Maurie Fields would also join Prisoner in the later years of the series as Governor Anne Reynolds and corrupt guard Len Murphy, respectively.
Ian Smith and Anne Charleston, who would appear in smaller roles in Prisoner, would go on to appear as husband and wife long term characters in the Australian TV show "Neighbours" as Harold Bishop and Madge Bishop.
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