1 9 8 4 (Australia)
7 x 60 minute episodes
This seven-part Australian miniseries from the Kennedy-Miller production team presented a dramatisation of the 1932/33 Ashes cricket series between England and Australia.
Played in Australia, the series gained notoriety in cricketing history for the fact that the English team – headed by captain Douglas Jardine (Hugo Weaving in his first major role) – applied an intimidatory bowling technique called “leg theory” (or “bodyline” as the Australians call it) to curb Donald Bradman’s freakish batting and win back the Ashes.
The technique involved bowling the ball directly at the batsman’s body, resulting in many of the Australian team receiving injuries, with batsman Bert Oldfield (Les Dayman) sustaining a cracked skull and creating much anger and resentment towards the English team within Australia.
A large amount of dramatic license is taken with the facts, and the $5 million series was criticised by those who had participated and were still alive.
If you’re not interested in cricket or don’t understand it, this series has nothing for you.
Douglas Jardine
Hugo Weaving
Donald Bradman
Gary Sweet
Harold Larwood
Jim Holt
Pelham Warner
Rhys McConnochie
Percy George Fender
John Gregg
Edith
Heather Mitchell
Bill Woodfull
John Walton
Eddie Paynter
Alan David Lee
Bob Wyatt
Terry Bader
Nawab of Pataudi
Ashok Banthia
Bill Voce
Richard Carter
Les Ames
Peter Dahlsen
Gubby Allen
John Doyle
Herbert Sutcliffe
Mark Hope
Maurice Leyland
Michael Jay
George Duckworth
Bernard Ledger
Wally Hammond
Doug Middleton
Hedley Verity
Ron Stephenson
Bill Bowes
Bill Young
Bert Oldfield
Les Dayman
Alan Kippax
Stewart Faichney
Leo O’Brien
Robert Giltinan
Bill O’Reilly
Ross Hall
Tim Wall
Scott Lowe
Jack Fingleton
Ned Manning
Richardson
Michael O’Neill
Grimmett
Peter Philpott
Bill Ponsford
John Sheerin
Stan McCabe
Michael Winchester
Harvey
Simon Burvill-Holmes
Prime Minister Lyons
Vincent Ball
Master Clements
Alan Becher
Arthur Carr
Jerry Carter
George
Basil Clarke
Mr Bradman
John Clayton
Mrs Bradman
Colleen Fitzpatrick
Vic Bradman
Noel Hodda
Young Bradman
Mark Kounnas
Lord Jackson
Colin Croft
Mrs Larwood
Celia De Burgh
Mr Jardine
Arthur Dignam
Mrs Jardine
Jane Harders
Wigram
Reg Gillam
Oxlade
Peter Gwynne
Chapman
Frank Haines
Lord Hailsham
Edward Howell
Packer
Brian McDermott
Bert Ironmonger
Laurie Moran
Jeanes
Bruce Myles
Jessie
Julie Nihill
Sinclair Lewis
Dean Nottle
Captain Longford
Norman Phillips
Andrew Lang
John Spicer
Crutchley
Bruce Stewart
Lord Harris
Frank Thring
Sir Reevers Randall Rogers
Tony Wager
Lady Randall Rogers
Bettina Welch
Lord Hawke
George Whaley
Robertson
Peter Whitford