Love Thy Neighbour In Australia

1 9 8 0 (Australia)
7 x 25 minute episodes

Despite its racially themed name-calling and crude stereotyping, the British comedy series Love Thy Neighbour was a roaring success between 1972 and 1976.

Following the show’s eventual cancellation in Britain, a further seven episodes of the series were made and screened only in Australia.

The episodes showed Eddie Booth (Jack Smethurst), having gone “Down Under” to work, moving into the Sydney suburb of Blacktown (the humour was not overly subtle) to find – surprise, surprise – a problem with his new neighbour Jim Lawson (Russell Newman), who also happens to be the foreman at Eddie’s new workplace.

Smethurst was the only original cast member, with the addition of new characters including Eddie’s landlady Joyce Smith (Sue Jones), her vacuous dill of a husband Bernard (Robert Hughes), a barman called Cyril (Graham Rouse) and Joe Marley (Ken Goodlet) as Eddie’s new boss.

The Australian episodes (made by the 7 Network) dragged out every tired old Australian cliche, from Aborigines and boomerangs to koalas, kangaroos and Toohey’s beer.

The sets looked like sets because of the garish lighting, and the show was basically a shouting match from start to finish, with the two principals delivering their lines with the panache of 17th-century cannons.

Eddie Booth
Jack Smethurst
Jim Lawson
Russell Newman
Bernard Smith
Robert Hughes
Joyce Smith
Sue Jones
Cyril
Graham Rouse
Joe Marley
Ken Goodlet
Charlie 
Kevin Leslie
Liz
Kris McQuade

Episodes

Out of the Frying Pan | A Hard Day’s Night | A Night to Remember | A Rose by Any Other Name | Who’s a Naughty Boy? | The British Disease | Howzat!!

Video