Created by Tony Morphett and Hal McElroy, Blue Heelers was the most successful Aussie cop show of the modern television era.
Set in the fictional semi-rural country town of Mount Thomas, and starring John Wood and Martin Sacks, its alumni include Lisa McCune, William McInnes, Grant Bowler, Damian Walshe-Howling and Tasma Walton.
Police work in Mount Thomas wasn’t about solving murders. Mostly it was about routine enquiries, checking the stories of witnesses and suspected offenders, and keeping the peace.
In the rural setting, the pace of life was slower than in the city, and policing was all about the community.
Every now and then, though, the city’s influence came to town, bringing with it strangers and organised crime.
Major changes in the series during its run included the shift from a 7.30 to 8.30 evening timeslot, allowing more adult storylines. Then a 2004 ‘revamp’ in response to falling ratings included a shift to darker storylines – including a bomb explosion in the police station – cast changes and a landmark live-to-air episode.
Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon (John Wood), who featured in all 510 episodes of the show, was transformed by the trauma of the bombing and murder of his wife from a kind mentor into a vindictive villain.
Exterior shots for the series were filmed at the Victorian towns and suburbs of Wyndham, Williamstown and Castlemaine.
The ‘blue heelers’ of the title are a breed of farm dog as well as Aussie slang for country cops.
Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon
John Wood Detective Patrick Joseph ‘PJ’ Hasham
Martin Sacks Constable Margaret ‘Maggie’ Doyle
Lisa McCune Senior Constable Ben Stewart
Paul Bishop Christine Reilly
Julie Nihill Len (The Barman)
Axl Taylor Senior Constable Nick Schultz
William McInnes Constable Jo Parrish
Jane Allsop Constable Adam Cooper
Damian Walshe-Howling Constable Evan ‘Jonesy’ Jones
Ditch Davey Sergeant Tess Gallagher
Caroline Craig Constable Deirdre ‘Dash’ McKinley
Tasma Walton Constable Jack Lawson
Rupert Reid Constable Wayne Patterson
Grant Bowler
