The Librarians (2007 TV series)

The Librarians
The Librarians title card
GenreSituation comedy
Created byWayne Hope
Robyn Butler
Directed byWayne Hope
Tony Martin
StarringRobyn Butler
Roz Hammond
Heidi Arena
Stephen Ballantyne
Keith Brockett
Bob Franklin
Wayne Hope
Nicole Nabout
Kym Gyngell
Josh Lawson
Opening theme"A Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie
ComposerJames Black
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes20
Production
Production companyGristmill
Original release
NetworkABC TV
Release31 October 2007 (2007-10-31) –
1 December 2010 (2010-12-01)

The Librarians is an Australian television comedy series which premiered on 31 October 2007 on ABC TV. In the Republic of Ireland, the show aired on RTÉ Two. The series is produced and written by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope who are also the principal cast members. Hope is also the series' director. The first series comprised six half-hour episodes. The second series with another six episodes began airing on 5 August 2009 and was filmed at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.

The series centres on the trials and tribulations of Frances O'Brien, a devoutly Catholic, sexless, inept, humorless, blithely racist, self-important and insensitive Head Librarian. Her life unravels when she is forced to employ her ex-best friend, Christine Grimwood – now a petty drug dealer who needs a character reference – as the Children's Librarian. Frances must do all she can to contain her menacing past and concentrate on the biggest event of the library calendar – Book Week.

Filming on a third and final series took place in early 2010[1] and aired on ABC1 later that year. The theme music for The Librarians is an upbeat variation on the popular jazz tune "A Night in Tunisia" by Dizzy Gillespie.

The Librarians was rated M in New Zealand for offensive language, sexual references and drug use.

Episodes

Season 1: 2007

Episode Title Original airdate Viewers Nightly
rank
1 "Should old Acquaintance be Forgot?" 31 October 2007 1292000[2] 5
2 "Repeat Offender" 7 November 2007 1084000[3] 14
3 "4 Kilos to Book Week" 14 November 2007 1006000[4] N/A
4 "Unholy Matrimony" 21 November 2007 1040000[5] 13
5 "Amnesty" 28 November 2007 988000[6] 12
6 "And Nothing but the Truth" 5 December 2007 1001000[7] 10

Season 2: 2009

Episode Title Original airdate Viewers Nightly
rank
1 "Just Returned" 5 August 2009 1053000[8] 11
2 "This Little Piggy" 12 August 2009 1028000[9] 13
3 "Cut to the Quick" 19 August 2009 843000[10] 19
4 "Romeos And Juliets" 26 August 2009 877000[11] 17
5 "Deliverance" 2 September 2009 827000[12] 16
6 "My Rock" 9 September 2009 936000[13] 15

Season 3: 2010

Episode Title Original airdate Viewers Consolidated Viewers Nightly
rank
1 "Mother Pearl" 13 October 2010 726000 788215 15
2 "Quid Pro Quo" 20 October 2010 541000 596098 26
3 "Tsukiji" 27 October 2010 595000 661706 25
4 "Dark Before Dawn" 3 November 2010 582000 642233 20
5 "Kerching Kerching" 10 November 2010 572000 615530 24
6 "Milk, Not Cheese, Moon" 17 November 2010 534000 564685 25
7 "Pearl of Wisdom" 24 November 2010 489000 520072 25
8 "Power and the Passion" 1 December 2010 658000 710174 19

Cast

Main cast

  • Robyn Butler as Frances O'Brien
  • Roz Hammond as Christine Grimwood
  • Heidi Arena as Dawn McConnichie, in a wheelchair, thanks to Frances' inattention
  • Stephen Ballantyne as Matthew Bytnskov
  • Keith Brockett as Ky Lee
  • Bob Franklin as Neil Slider, attracted to Christine
  • Wayne Hope as Terry O'Brien, in love with his wife, who ignores him
  • Nicole Nabout as Nada al Farouk, smart Muslimm lady, target of Frances' intolerance
  • Kim Gyngell as Father Harris, irritated by Frances' religiosity
  • Josh Lawson as Lachie Davis (Series 1)
  • Fiona Harris as Jane (Series 2 and 3)
  • Victoria Eagger as Pearl O'Leary (Series 3)

Guests

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Series Result Ref
2009 Australian Film Institute Awards Best Performance in a Television Comedy Robyn Butler Series 2 Nominated [14]
2011 Equity Awards Most Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Cast
 —
 Won [15]

Series 1 DVD & Blu-ray release

The Librarians
Set details Special features
  • 6 Episodes
  • 16:9 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: Yes
  • English (2.0 Stereo)
  • Total running time: approx. 172 minutes
  • Audio commentary by Robyn Butler and Wayne Hope
  • Photo board
  • ABC promo interview
  • Alternative ending for Episode 4
  • Deleted scene from Episode 6
Release date
Region 4 5 December 2007

Series 2 DVD & Blu-ray release

The Librarians Series 2
Set details Special features
  • 6 Episodes
  • 16:9 Aspect Ratio
  • Subtitles: Yes
  • English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
  • Total running time: approx. 223 minutes
  • Audio commentary by Robyn Butler, Wayne Hope, Roz Hammond and Heidi Arena
  • The Making of The Librarians
  • Frances' unheard library opening speech
  • Christine's Ante Natal Classes
  • Neil's Online Assignments
  • Deleted scene
  • Outtakes
Release date
Region 4 1 October 2009 (Series 1&2 Blu-ray also released)

See also

References

  1. ^ Filming starts on series 3 of The Librarians – ABCTV Blog, 29 April 2010.
  2. ^ "Ratings Week 44". 28 October 2007.
  3. ^ "Ratings Week 45". 4 November 2007.
  4. ^ "Ratings Week 46". 11 November 2007.
  5. ^ "Ratings Week 47". 18 November 2007.
  6. ^ "Ratings Week 48". 25 November 2007.
  7. ^ "Week 49". 3 December 2007.
  8. ^ "Week 32". 2 August 2009.
  9. ^ "Week 33". 9 August 2009.
  10. ^ "Week 34". 16 August 2009.
  11. ^ "Week 35". 24 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Week 36". 30 August 2009.
  13. ^ "Week 37". 7 September 2009.
  14. ^ Knox, David (28 October 2009). "2009 AFI Awards: Nominees". TV Tonight. TV Tonight. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Equity Awards 2011: Winners announced". Equity Foundation. Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA). 29 April 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.