Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Drama
    Drama TV Shows - 1990s 3 Mins Read

    Phoenix

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 9 2 – 1 9 9 3 (Australia)
    26 x 50 minute episodes

    Set in Melbourne (Australia), this superb police procedural revolved around members of the Major Crime Squad assigned to investigate the bombing of a social event being held by the police that killed a policewoman and a senior detective (loosely based on the real-life event of 27 March 1986 when a  car bomb exploded outside the Russell Street police headquarters in Melbourne).

    Paul Sonkkila was Inspector Jock Brennan, the hard-nosed, humourless, old-fashioned cop leading the Phoenix investigation. His main sparring partner was the balding, beanie-clad head of the State Forensic Laboratory, Ian “Goose” Cochrane (Sean Scully).

    Old fashioned coppers like Jock didn’t understand or appreciate the subtleties of modern high-tech forensic methods.

    Simon Westaway (who was a policeman for several years in real life) starred as Detective Sergeant Peter Faithful, along with Andy Anderson (remembered as Jim Sullivan in The Sullivans) as good-natured Senior Sergeant Lochie Renford. Tony Poli played Senior Detective Laz Carides, an undercover cop who had been out in the cold so long there were doubts about which side he was really on.

    The female contingent was headed by Nell Feeney as Detective Senior Constable Megan Edwards, an accident-prone computer crime analyst and Susie Edmonds as Carol Cochrane, the forensic scientist married to the boss.

    Documentary-style camerawork and the grey, gritty Melbourne landscape set the atmosphere and Phoneix made liberal use of hand-held cameras that followed characters up stairs, into lifts, along corridors and so on.

    Given budget limitations, though, the series had to be shot on videotape rather than film, which provides a higher quality image. The video was then transferred to film and back to videotape, giving the footage the deep, grainy look closer to Hill Street Blues (shot on film) than The Bill (shot on videotape).

    The second series introduced new characters: Faithful’s police officer wife Chris (Vikki Blanche), Inspector Lew Murdoch (Peter McCauley), Detective Robert Howie (David Roberts) and Detective Cath Darby (Jennifer Jarman-Walker) – but without Paul Sonkkila at the helm as Jock Brennan, the series lost an important gravitas that replacement Peter McCauley just didn’t provide.

    Detective Sergeant Peter Faithful
    Simon Westaway
    Inspector Jock Brennan
    Paul Sonkkila
    Ian Cochrane
    Sean Scully
    Senior Sergeant Lochie Renford
    Andy Anderson
    Supt. Jim Wallace
    Peter Cummins
    Detective Senior Constable Megan Edwards
    Nell Feeney
    Carol Cochrane
    Susie Edmonds
    Andrew ‘Fluff’ Saunders
    David Bradshaw
    Boomer
    Bob Halsall
    Adrian Moon
    Stuart McCreery
    Detective Cath Darby
    Jennifer Jarman-Walker
    Docket
    Keith Agius
    Inspector Lew Murdoch
    Peter McCauley
    Mick
    George Vidalis
    Senior Detective Laz Carides
    Tony Poli
    Detective Robert Howie
    David Roberts
    Chris Faithful
    Vikki Blanche

    Related Posts

    • Stingers
      Stingers
      1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 4 (Australia) 192 x 60 minute episodes Former Sons and Daughters star Peter…
    • King's Men
      King's Men
      1 9 7 6 - 1 9 7 7 (Australia) 13 x 60 minute episodes Grundy Television, whose oeuvre until this…
    • Fabian of The Yard
      Fabian of The Yard
      1 9 5 4 - 1 9 5 6 (UK) 39 x 30 minute episodes This legendary British police show from…
    • Cop Shop
      Cop Shop
      1 9 7 7 - 1 9 8 4 (Australia) 582 x 60 minute episodes Described as 'cops and robbers with…
    • Special Squad
      Special Squad
      1 9 8 4 - 1 9 8 5 (Australia) 43 x 60 minute episodes This Crawford cop show screened on…
    • Silent Number
      Silent Number
      1 9 7 4 - 1 9 7 5 (Australia) 1 x 90 minute episode 25 x 60 minute episodes…
    • Mask for Alexis, A
      Mask for Alexis, A
      1 9 5 9 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes Christopher March (David Knight) - a top sales executive for a…
    • Long Arm, The
      Long Arm, The
      1 9 7 0 (Australia) 19 x 50 minute episodes Part cop show, part soap opera, this series from Network Ten…

    Australia
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleWatch This Space
    Next Article Egg and I, The

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Denise LaSalle
      Denise LaSalle (real name Denise Craig) was born in Greenwood, […]
    • Mansun
      Neo-glam space travellers are supposed to be beamed down to […]
    • Pussy Galore
      Pussy Galore was an American garage rock band that formed in […]
    • After Hours
      1 9 5 8 – 1 9 5 9 (UK) 28 x 25 minute episodes After […]
    • Impromptu
      1 9 6 4 (UK) 8 x 30 minute episodes Devised by David Croft and […]
    • Baby I’m Back
      1 9 7 8 (USA) 13 x 30 minute episodes Seven years after he […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    8 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    1 day ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    RIP Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire, who has died aged 67. 😢

    RIP Fred White, drummer with Earth, Wind and Fire, who has died aged 67. 😢 ... See MoreSee Less

    4 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Great band

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.