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*Barrier Reef*
Barrier Reef
Also known as	"Minus Five"
Genre	Adventure
Created by	Fauna Productions
Developed by	John McCallum and Lee Robinson
Directed by	Brian Faull; Eric Fullilove;
Creative directors	Ron Taylor,; director of underwater photography;
Starring	Joe James; Harold Hopkins; Ken James; George Assang; Rowena Wallace;
Theme music composer	Eric Jupp
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	39
Production
Production locations	North Queensland, Great Barrier Reef
Running time	30 minutes
Production company	D.L. Taffner
Original release
Network	The 0-10 Network
Release	12 February 1971 –; 2 May 1972

Barrier Reef was an Australian television series that was first screened domestically in 1971.^[1] However, 19 episodes had already premiered on British television on BBC1 between 5 October 1970 and 15 February 1971 and four more aired between 5 April and 3 May 1971 in advance of Australian broadcast.

Premise

Barrier Reef was about a group of marine biologists on board a sailing ship called the New Endeavour,^[2] researching around the Great Barrier Reef, off Queensland, Australia. "It was the first series in the world to feature extensive colour underwater filming on location".^[3]

Cast

Main

Joe James as Ted King
Harold Hopkins as Steve Gabo
Ken James as Kip Young
George Assang as Jack Meurauki
Rowena Wallace as Tracey Deane
Helen Morse as Joan Norris
Judy Morris as Gail Smith
John McCallum as Gordon Lewis
Tristan Rogers

Guests

Ben Gabriel as Sergeant Dwyer
Judy McBurney as Annette Conway
Reg Gorman as George
Terry McDermott

Production

Filming for the series began at Hayman Island in September 1969.^[4] The show was almost entirely filmed in North Queensland and at the time the show was reported to be the most expensive series ever produced in Australia and one of the few Australian series to be produced outside Sydney or Melbourne. Barrier Reef was produced by Fauna Productions who also created the uniquely Australian hit TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, using some of the same crew and cast members.^[5]

Like the Skippy series, Barrier Reef showcased iconic Australian locations in colour film as the series was intended for an international audience (despite Australia not broadcasting colour television at that time). The show was screened in many countries across the world, giving international audiences a glimpse of what the stereotypical Australia was like.^[6]

The show was originally called Minus 5.^[7]

Reception

In contrast to TV shows like Riptide or The Outsiders this series was made in Australia, using Australian scripts, featuring Australian leading actors, and covering scientific topics that were uncommon on TV. It was broadcast by BBC, in the US by NBC, and also by TV stations in Canada, Japan, South America, South Africa and numerous European countries.^[3] The series had 39 episodes.^[4] It was re-run in various markets for many years.

In 1976 Robinson said the series had just recovered its costs.^[8]

External links

References

^ Albert Moran, Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, AFTRS 1993 p 74
^ "An adventures series about the crew of a scientific search and recovery team working for General Trust Corporation aboard the barquentine 'New Endeavour', which houses the sophisticated 'Minus Five' electronic equipment". Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Barrier Reef". Classic Australian Television. Archived from the original on 22 April 2011. Retrieved 22 April 2011. Barrier Reef was sold to over fifty countries, including Britain where it was screened by the BBC. In the U.S. it was picked up by NBC, who were impressed by the underwater scenes, which they called 'glug glug'. Other countries that bought the series included Canada, Japan, South America, South Africa and most of Europe.
^ ^a ^b Alexander, Malcolm (30 November 2023). "Barrier Reef: 1970 Australia". Television Heaven. Archived from the original on 15 September 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
^ Denis O'Brien (3 January 1970). "Once more with dignity: Googie and John". Personality. The Bulletin. Vol. 92, no. 4685. p. 14. ISSN 0007-4039. nla.obj-1722018701. Retrieved 4 May 2023 – via Trove.
^ "Who remembers the 1970s TV show 'Barrier Reef'? | State Library Of Queensland". www.slq.qld.gov.au. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
^ "0-10 GETS -5". Now. No. 23. New South Wales, Australia. 10 September 1969. p. 2. Retrieved 4 May 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
^ Robinson, Lee (15 August 1976). "Lee Robinson" (Oral history). Interviewed by Graham Shirley. National Film and Sound Archive. Archived from the original on 16 December 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2024.