| Blue Heelers | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seven Network |
| Original release | 12 February – 26 November 1996 |
| Season chronology | |
The third season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 12 February 1996 and aired on Monday nights, and later, Tuesday nights, at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 26 November 1996. All main cast members from the previous season returned. Tasma Walton was introduced in episode 107 as Dash McKinley.
With Grant Bowler's exit from the show, Ann Burbrook also returned to Blue Heelers to temporarily reprise her role as Roz Patterson.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Australian air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 1 | "Once Only Withdrawal (1)" | Riccardo Pellizzeri | Tony Morphett | 12 February 1996 | |
The Mt Thomas district is engulfed by bushfires and the police are being kept busy. Maggie and Wayne encounter an armed robber while trying to keep a local farmer up to date with the situation. After taking the offender to the station he injures himself and must be taken to the mostly closed local hospital. While Wayne is guarding the operating theatre, the offenders accomplices take the entire hospital, including Wayne Patterson as their hostages. | ||||||
| 88 | 2 | "Once Only Withdrawal (2)" | Gary Conway | Tony Morphett | 12 February 1996 | |
The team desperately try to bring a safe end to the hospital siege, but with fires blocking access to the town, they have no way of getting any back-up. | ||||||
| 89 | 3 | "Second Innings" | Richard Jasek | Howard Griffiths | 13 February 1996 | |
It is time for the annual cricket clash, between the Imperial Hotel and the Federal Hotel. Meanwhile the captain of the Imperial's side has most of the stock stolen from his butcher's shop. Is it an inside job? The Heelers investigate, while also preparing to play. | ||||||
| 90 | 4 | "Spider Man" | Chris Martin-Jones | Ysabelle Dean | 20 February 1996 | |
The body of a small girl is found in a farmer's dam. Investigations quickly lead the police to a suspect but without enough evidence they are forced to release him. After losing their tail on him, another young girl goes missing. They have to find the missing girl before it is too late. | ||||||
| 91 | 5 | "Day of Reckoning" | Richard Sarell | Susan Hore | 27 February 1996 | |
The coronial inquest into the death in custody of Vincent Platt begins and it appears that Nick is not showing any interest in defending himself. So the rest of the station get to work to find the evidence to clear his name. | ||||||
| 92 | 6 | "Sex and Death" | Kevin Carlin | Michaeley O'Brien | 5 March 1996 | |
Adam fights for his life after a drag-racing incident. During the subsequent investigation the Heelers find out that Adam has been keeping quite a few secrets from them. | ||||||
| 93 | 7 | "Not in my Backyard" | Chris Martin-Jones | Cassandra Carter | 12 March 1996 | |
Feelings run high when a prison is proposed in Mount Thomas. | ||||||
| 94 | 8 | "All Part of the Service" | Richard Sarell | Dave Worthington | 19 March 1996 | |
Tom creates a monster and has to deal with explosive consequences. | ||||||
| 95 | 9 | "Dog Days" | Richard Jasek | David Allen | 26 March 1996 | |
Mount Thomas is out hunting for a phantom sheep killer, while Wayne plays the field at home. | ||||||
| 96 | 10 | "An Act of Random Violence" | Chris Langman | Peter Gawler | 2 April 1996 | |
The Heelers are on alert after Joe Kenny escapes from prison. This is especially problematic for Wayne as he previously had an affair with Joe's wife. Meanwhile Wayne proposes to Gabe Greenway, his latest love interest, but with news about Joe and the reason for his interest in Wayne, she starts to question whether Wayne Patterson is a man she wants her children to know. Final appearance of Constable Wayne Patterson | ||||||
| 97 | 11 | "Unfinished Business" | Steve Mann | Peter Dick | 9 April 1996 | |
Roz returns to town for Wayne's funeral, much to Nick's dismay and the aftermath of Wayne's death sees each officer coming to terms with their grief and at the same time out to clear his name. | ||||||
| 98 | 12 | "Happy Families" | Gary Conway | John Wood | 16 April 1996 | |
PJ investigates a local suspected drug dealer. Maggie's brothers and father arrive to celebrate her 25th birthday. Heroin from PJ's investigation goes missing from the station, and the only people who could be responsible are the station full of police. During a dawn raid of the drug dealer's house, PJ, Maggie, Adam and Maggie's dad Pat make a terrible discovery. Meanwhile, after 5 long years, Tom's eldest daughter Anna shows up, with a surprise grandchild on the way. | ||||||
| 99 | 13 | "Priorities" | Karl Steinberg | Fred Clarke | 23 April 1996 | |
The Mount Thomas staff are understaffed and overworked, the computers are down, Inspector Faulkner turns up, a stolen car with a baby still in it, and the station finally boils over, with devastating and near tragic consequences for a young man who considers committing suicide. | ||||||
| 100 | 14 | "A Fair Crack of the Whip (1)" | Chris Langman | Tony Morphett | 30 April 1996 | |
Wayne's replacement finally arrives: Detective Jack Woodley. The team investigates a local string of robberies and the town is flooded with people performing in and attending the annual rodeo. Tom deals with his daughter Anna's pregnancy. | ||||||
| 101 | 15 | "A Fair Crack of the Whip (2)" | Steve Mann | Annie Beach | 7 May 1996 | |
The investigation into the assault of an elderly woman causes P.J. to suffer a crisis of confidence. | ||||||
| 102 | 16 | "Under Pressure" | Gary Conway | Margaret Plum | 14 May 1996 | |
The Heelers investigate a dispute between two sheep shearers. As soon as it appears that the dispute is settled, one of the shearers is found dead in a bale of wool. PJ leaves the murder investigation for Jack to deal with and instead investigates a case of alcohol contamination at the Pub. | ||||||
| 103 | 17 | "Fight Dirty" | Karl Steinberg | David Boutland | 21 May 1996 | |
Maggie is set to prosecute the Dean Crocker Case but P.J. has doubts about the credibility of evidence supplied by his new partner, Jack Woodley. With the case only hours away, P.J. must find new evidence to ensure a conviction while simultaneously proving why Jack's evidence is tainted. | ||||||
| 104 | 18 | "Art of Deception" | Chris Langman | David Allen | 28 May 1996 | |
The Mount Thomas Festival of the Arts causes headaches for Tom and Chris. Nick attempts to break down the fence between two feuding neighbors and P.J. is trying to find the source behind the influx in beatings that appear to be drug-related. | ||||||
| 105 | 19 | "Old Sins, Long Shadows" | Steve Mann | Jennifer Rowe | 4 June 1996 | |
Maggie discovers a homicide on the sly and Adam deals with a complaint from a high school principal about pornography | ||||||
| 106 | 20 | "In Unity Is Strength" | Richard Sarell | Dave Worthington | 11 June 1996 | |
Adam is upset after he and Nick discover the dead body of a teenager who has died from alcohol abuse. Chris' dismissal of a cellarman results in a strike at the Imperial | ||||||
| 107 | 21 | "The Kremin Factor" | Richard jasek | Peter Gawler | 18 June 1996 | |
A young woman arrives in town claiming to be the same girl that went missing 18 years earlier. Everybody had come to accept that the girl had died, except for her mother. It is now up to the Heelers to get to the bottom of what happened 18 years earlier, and to prove the true identity of the woman. Deirdre 'Dash' McKinley arrives for her first day, much to Adam's pleasure and Tom's annoyance. First appearance of Constable Deirdre McKinley | ||||||
| 108 | 22 | "Shelter from the Storm" | Chris Langman | Cassandra Carter | 25 June 1996 | |
Nick and Maggie witness a car drive into a dam. The driver is Rachel Freeman, the elderly mother of local disabled man Clancy. The investigation leads Nick to suspect an attempted suicide and things take another turn after Mrs Freeman is rushed to Hospital after taking an overdose of pain medication. Meanwhile Tom must find somewhere for Clancy stay and Dash must deal with her own prejudices. | ||||||
| 109 | 23 | "Principle of the Thing" | Richard Sarell | John Banas | 2 July 1996 | |
As the Heelers necessarily become involved with the high school, Tom realises his own problems are nothing in comparison to the school principal's. | ||||||
| 110 | 24 | "Mind Games" | Kevin Carlin | Susan Hore | 9 July 1996 | |
A childhood friend of Anna Croydon's recovers painful long forgotten memories and accuses her father, a local G.P. of molesting her as a child. P.J. and Maggie have to examine the events of the past as the victim continues to remember more details. | ||||||
| 111 | 25 | "Duty of Care" | Richard Jasek | Peter Dick | 16 July 1996 | |
Dash and Nick are called to an old farmhouse, where they discover a vandalised room, a terrified child, and a lamb hanging from the light fitting. | ||||||
| 112 | 26 | "Other People's Lives" | Chris Langman | John Banas | 6 August 1996 | |
P.J. and Maggie investigate the death of a young ballet dancer but P.J. is upset by Maggie's pas de deux with her varsity tutor. | ||||||
| 113 | 27 | "A Gift From God" | Kevin Carlin | Tony Morphett | 13 August 1996 | |
A paraplegic farmer is found battered and Tom suspects a water diviner; however, little does he know that the stranger is the father of Anna's baby, who has been traveling the countryside searching for them. | ||||||
| 114 | 28 | "Waiting to Happen" | Richard Sarell | David Phillips | 20 August 1996 | |
Nick is surprised by Dash's unprofessional behaviour at the scene of an accident until he learns that both the victims were friends of hers. Dash insists she can cope but Nick feels that there is more to it. P.J. investigates Roman, Maggies Tutor-turned-boyfriend, and discovers that he is married. | ||||||
| 115 | 29 | "Bewitched" | Richard Jasek | Cassandra Carter | 27 August 1996 | |
The Heelers are led into the world of witchcraft after a local woman is victimised by a local pastor. Things take a turn for the worse when that same pastor's teenage daughter is found dead in mysterious circumstances. P.J. and Maggie must investigate together. | ||||||
| 116 | 30 | "Mud Sticks" | Steve Mann | David Boutland | 3 September 1996 | |
P.J. has gone on leave and a new detective arrives to temporarily take his place: Detective Constable Johnny Kowalski. Tom places Baby Sam into a child care center but that same center becomes the target of rumours and gossip after a small girl is found to have bruises. Dash is quite taken by Johnny but soon realises he is not quite the gentleman that she thought he may have been. | ||||||
| 117 | 31 | "The Angel's Share" | Kevin Carlin | John Banas | 10 September 1996 | |
Maggie and Johnny investigate after thousands of liters of wine are stolen from a family owned winery. Johnny does not miss the chance of wooing Maggie, regardless of whether or not Maggie is interested. | ||||||
| 118 | 32 | "Something for Nothing" | Raymond Quint | David Allen | 17 September 1996 | |
The team investigate a burglary from a local woman the night before her garage sale. Dash is desperate to raise enough funds to buy the car she wants so Adam loans her the money. Chris installs Poker machines at the Imperial Hotel. | ||||||
| 119 | 33 | "Winner Takes All" | Gary Conway | Ysabelle Dean | 24 September 1996 | |
A horse endurance race presents problems for the Heelers with both a thief and a saboteur on the loose and Dash and Maggie can't escape Johnny Kowalski's womanising. | ||||||
| 120 | 34 | "I Spy" | Karl Steinberg | Susan Hore | 1 October 1996 | |
PJ returns from leave but before he can settle back in, he takes a phone call from a 3 year old child who can't wake up his mother and doesn't know where he lives. The race is on to find out where they are and who beat up the child's mother, before he comes back to finish the job. | ||||||
| 121 | 35 | "Reality Bytes" | Steve Mann | Dave Worthington | 8 October 1996 | |
A series of break-ins occur, the perpetrator is caught but is found to be working on a tip off from a computer generated phone call. Meanwhile Dash and Adam damage the station computer while playing on-line video games at night. To avoid trouble with Tom, they get the computer fixed outside official channels which results in the station computer acting strangely. | ||||||
| 122 | 36 | "In The Gun (1)" | Kevin Carlin | Tony Morphett | 15 October 1996 | |
The Darcy family causes trouble for the Heelers, ending in a fatal police shooting. | ||||||
| 123 | 37 | "In The Gun (2)" | Raymond Quint | Michael Winter | 22 October 1996 | |
The aftermath of the shooting looks to bring one of the Heelers down. | ||||||
| 124 | 38 | "Buck Naked" | Gary Conway | Dave Marsh | 29 October 1996 | |
Dash uncovers the truth about her brothers fiancée. | ||||||
| 125 | 39 | "Friendly Fire" | Steve Mann | Cassandra Carter | 5 November 1996 | |
An old friend of Nick's is in town, running an adult adventure camp in the hills. It all goes wrong when a city law firm is on the camp for a bonding exercise and their boss is shot with something more sinister than a paintball. | ||||||
| 126 | 40 | "Half a Second" | Graham Thorburn | Anthony Ellis | 12 November 1996 | |
The coronial inquest into the fatal shooting of Raelene Darcy begins. Meanwhile, to make things worse for PJ, new evidence comes to light regarding the first case he investigated in Mt Thomas, the new evidence suggests that the wrong man went to jail so Maggie sets out to clear PJ's name. | ||||||
| 127 | 41 | "Miss Mount Thomas" | Kevin Carlin | Beverley Evans | 19 November 1996 | |
The favourite in the Miss Mount Thomas contest claims she is being stalked and then mysteriously disappears | ||||||
| 128 | 42 | "Dead or Alive" | Steve Mann | David Allen | 26 November 1996 | |
Dash's mother needs an urgent kidney transplant, then when a donor kidney becomes available, it must be transported quickly but the car transporting the precious organ is stolen from outside the hospital. A desperate search begins for the car and the kidney, but will the police find it in time? Also a wanted fugitive is found living with his girlfriend in Mt Thomas. | ||||||
| The Complete Third Season: Part 1 | ||||
 | Set details | Special features | ||
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| Release dates | ||||
 Australia | ||||
| 16 February 2006 [1] | ||||
| The Complete Third Season: Part 2 | ||||
 | Set details | Special features | ||
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| Release dates | ||||
| Australia | ||||
| 16 February 2006 [1] | ||||
| The Complete Third Season | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
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| Release dates | ||||
| Australia | ||||
| 16 February 2006 [1] | ||||
Tasma Walton is an Australian television and film actress.
Water Rats is an Australian TV police procedural broadcast on the Nine Network from 1996 to 2001. The series was based on the work of Sydney Water Police who fight crime around Sydney Harbour and surrounding locales. The show was set on and around Goat Island in Sydney Harbour.
Maggie Doyle is a fictional character in the long-running Australian police drama Blue Heelers, portrayed by Lisa McCune. A feisty young constable from a policing family, Maggie arrived in Mount Thomas during the first episode, which follows her as she meets each of her colleagues in turn. The first female constable to join the station, she is faced with the prospect of not only learning how policing is a little bit different in a country town, but also with overcoming the chauvinism of some of the locals, and of some of her colleagues. She remained with the show for exactly half of its run, departing during the second episode of the seventh season, and was the fifth-longest serving character, appearing in 250 of the 510 episodes to air.
Thomas Arthur "Tom" Croydon is a fictional character in the long-running Australian police drama Blue Heelers, portrayed by John Wood. A long-serving member of the police force, Tom has decades of experience of being a police officer in a small country town, and an attitude which earns him the respect, trust and even affection of his subordinates. As the most senior officer in the country town of Mount Thomas, he frequently acts as a mentor and father figure to the junior members of the station, but eventually a series of personal tragedies put him into a downward spiral which threatens both his personal and professional lives. He is one of two characters, along with Chris Riley, to appear in all thirteen seasons of the show, and is the only character to appear in all 510 episodes to air.
Wayne George Patterson was a fictional character on the long-running Australian police drama Blue Heelers, played by actor Grant Bowler. He starred in the show from its beginning until he was hit by a car and killed in episode 96 in 1996.
Patrick Joseph "P. J." Hasham is a fictional character in the long-running Australian police drama Blue Heelers, portrayed by Martin Sacks. An experienced detective, P. J. served on major task forces and crime squads in Melbourne before the gaming squad he was attached to was disbanded due to corruption and he was transferred to the small country town of Mount Thomas as the only criminal investigator at the local station. Despite his stated preference for staying out of "uniformed matters", he worked far closer with his uniformed colleagues than many visiting detectives, and also preferred to dress down compared to the business dress usually favoured by other detectives. He was the last member of the original cast to leave the show, doing so midway through the twelfth season, and was the third-longest serving character, appearing in 483 of the 510 episodes to air.
Deirdre Elaine "Dash" McKinley is a fictional character from the Australian drama series Blue Heelers, played by Tasma Walton. She made her first appearance in "The Kremin Factor", which was broadcast on 18 June 1996. One of her major storylines occurred during the 1998 season, when she was diagnosed with cancer. Dash was the youngest of nine children. She had a kind personality but a big mouth. She and her family always seemed to be the first to know the town's gossip and everyone's business. The character departed on 28 July 1999. She is the eleventh longest serving character after Tom Croydon, Chris Riley, P.J. Hasham, Maggie Doyle, Ben Stewart, Nick Schultz, Jo Parrish, Evan Jones, Adam Cooper and Tess Gallagher.
Jo Parrish is a fictional character from the Australian television police drama Blue Heelers, played by Jane Allsop. She made her first appearance during the sixth season episode "Hello Goodbye", broadcast on 18 August 1999. The character left in the eleventh season on 6 July 2004, after being killed in an explosion. She was the seventh longest serving character behind Tom Croydon, Chris Riley, P.J. Hasham, Ben Stewart, Maggie Doyle and Nick Schultz
The first season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 10 September 1993 and aired on Tuesday nights at 7:30 PM. The 45-episode season concluded on 22 November 1994. It had an average rating of 2.5 million and going to 3.5 million at its peak.
The second season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 21 February 1995 and aired on Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 41-episode season concluded 21 November 1995. The cast for this season was the same as that of the preceding season, without Ann Burbrook as Roz Patterson, and with the introduction of Damian Walshe-Howling as Adam Cooper to take her place. This season of Blue Heelers was released on DVD on 1 December 2005 and was released in a two-part release; and later as a complete set.
The fourth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 10 February 1997 and aired on Tuesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 25 November 1997. The main cast was the same as the previous season, except without Grant Bowler as Constable Wayne Patterson. Like previous seasons, the fourth season was released on DVD as a two part set and as a complete set, both on 6 April 2006.
The fifth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 24 February 1998 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 41-episode season concluded 25 November 1998. The 41-episode fifth season saw the show move to Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM, making way for All Saints on Tuesdays at 8.30 PM.
The sixth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 10 February 1999 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 24 November 1999. The main cast was mostly the same as the previous season with the departure of William McInnes as Nick Schultz and Damian Walshe-Howling as Adam Cooper, and the introductions of Rupert Reid as Jack Lawson and Jane Allsop as Jo Parrish, the latter having previously guest starred in season 4 episode "Fool for Love". As with previous seasons, the sixth season was released on DVD as both a two part and complete set, both on 10 August 2006.
The seventh season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 9 February 2000 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm. The 41-episode season concluded 22 November 2000. The main cast was the same as the previous season except without Tasma Walton as Dash McKinley, and introducing Caroline Craig as Tess Gallagher. This season was released on DVD in a two part set on 31 July 2008.
The eighth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 21 February 2001 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 28 November 2001. The main cast returned from season 7 barring the departure of Lisa McCune as Maggie Doyle and with the introduction of Ditch Davey as Evan 'Jonesy' Jones. Like preceding seasons, the eighth season was released on DVD both as a two part set and a complete set, on 1 October 2008.
The ninth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 13 February 2002 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm. The 40-episode season concluded 20 November 2002. The main cast was unchanged frm the previous season but for the departure of Rupert Reid as Jack Lawson. Similar to previous seasons, the ninth season was released on DVD as a two part set and as a complete set, both released on 3 November 2009.
The tenth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 12 February 2003 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded 26 November 2003. The main cast was the same as the previous season. Simone McAullay was introduced in episode 409 as Susie Raynor. The tenth season was released on DVD as a two part combination set on 4 May 2010.
The eleventh season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 4 February 2004 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 39-episode season concluded 5 November 2004. The core of the main cast remained from previous seasons, with only Caroline Craig as Tess Gallagher departing. There were also several new additions to the main cast, with Geoff Morrell as Mark Jacobs, Rachel Gordon as Amy Fox, Samantha Tolj as Kelly O'Rourke, and Danny Raco as Joss Peroni all being introduced. Like the previous season, the eleventh season was released on DVD as a two part combination set on 5 August 2010.
The twelfth season of the Australian police-drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 2 February 2005 and aired on Wednesday nights at 8:30 PM. The 42-episode season concluded on 16 November 2005 with a double episode. The main cast saw the departure of Paul Bishop as Ben Stewart and Jane Allsop as Jo Parrish, and the introduction of Charlie Clausen as Alex Kirby and Matt Holmes as Matt Graham. The twelfth season was released on DVD as a complete set on 4 November 2010.
