| Blue Heelers | |
|---|---|
| Season 8 | |
| No. of episodes | 42 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Seven Network |
| Original release | 21 February – 28 November 2001 |
| Season chronology | |
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.
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2008) |
Jack is beginning to get the hang of his legs again after the 5% operation was a success. Tess begins to have feelings for Jack up to a point where they start a secret relationship in the episode "Manly Art". Their relationship is going somewhere until a case comes up about an old time drug dealer who just got out of prison. Jack begins to put his emotions in front of the job and will do anything to get his own justice. Jack is suspect for murder by Killing the drug dealer. Tess says one of them should get a transfer to St Davids because they could never work together if they can't trust one another. Jack then admits he could have saved the guy but instead watched him fall to his death. Jack is charged and dismissed from the force. While Tess is feeling sad the members are disappointed by the fact he did kill the guy and didn't admit the truth earlier. New probationary Constable Jones has arrived with a secret plot to find out what really happened in his father's death. Tess and Jo quickly take a liking to him but Tess remembers what happened to her last secret relationship with Jack and doesn't want to relive that moment so she keeps it to herself and gets on with her job as a sergeant. After all Tess knows not to mix work with play. Jonesy suspects a local building contractor, Les Anderson, of murdering his father. After a DDT poisoning is connected to Anderson, Jonesy inserts himself into the investigation. Commander Jones, Jonesy's adoptive father, halts the investigation as Jonesy realizes there's been a coverup in his father's case. Anderson is then implicated in a death on his building site and later he's found very seriously assaulted. Before he dies, he confesses privately to Jonesy that he did kill Jonesy's father. By the time the team has solid evidence of the crime, Anderson has died and Jonesy has to decide if he will stay in the police force. Tess finds a child from a troubled home has slept in overnight in her car. More trauma touches the family when Tess makes an error in professional judgement, and when things don't go well for the child in her new placement, Tess adopts her. Tom starts a relationship with Grace Curtis, the new Anglican minister, but her son's bad behavior is too great a strain on the relationship.
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2008) |
Ratings in the 8th season began to decline slowly, with many fans disliking Maggie's absence, or the absence of the so-called "McCune-Factor". [1]
| Year | Nominee | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisa McCune | Most Popular Personality on Australian Television | Nomination | |
| John Wood | Most Popular Personality on Australian Television | Nomination | |
| John Wood | Most Popular Actor | Nomination | |
| Martin Sacks | Most Popular Actor | Win | |
| Blue Heelers | Most Popular Programme | Nomination | |
| Caroline Craig | Most Popular New Female Talent | Nomination |
| Year | Nominee | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Day (ep. 322) | Best Actor in a Guest Role in a TV Drama Series | Win | |
| Carol Burns (ep. 297) | Best Actor in a Guest Role in a TV Drama Series | Nomination |
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Australian air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 295 | 1 | "The Blame Game (1)" | Grant Brown | Bill Garner | 21 February 2001 | |
A woman rushes into the station claiming a man has kidnapped her children, and Ben's work starts to mirror his private life. | ||||||
| 296 | 2 | "The Blame Game (2)" | Declan Eames | Bill Garner and Harriet Smith | 28 February 2001 | |
The father of the children appears in court with a bomb stapped to his body and abducts Ben. | ||||||
| 297 | 3 | "Deadly Fascination" | Kevin Carlin | David Boutland | 7 March 2001 | |
A crime fiction writer is asking a lot of questions about the death of a baby 25 years ago. | ||||||
| 298 | 4 | "Letter of the Law" | Chris Langman | Tony Morphett | 14 March 2001 | |
Tess and Tom must choose a new policeman for nearby Widgeree. | ||||||
| 299 | 5 | "A Bit on the Side" | Grant Brown | Dave Worthington | 21 March 2001 | |
PJ is faced with the opportunity to move back to the city when two detectives turn up. | ||||||
| 300 | 6 | "Tough Nut" | Declan Eames | Cassandra Carter | 28 March 2001 | |
Tess takes on more than her job demands when she tries to help the three children of a local woman. | ||||||
| 301 | 7 | "The Fine Print" | Raymond Quint | Peter Dick | 4 April 2001 | |
PJ's mother comes to stay and trouble quickly follows. Can he keep a professional distance while allowing his mother to play a vital role in solving the case? | ||||||
| 302 | 8 | "Family Reserve" | Kevin Carlin | Jo Merle and John Banas | 11 April 2001 | |
Jo is under pressure when her parents arrive in town to find their "princess" another career. | ||||||
| 303 | 9 | "Chop Chop" | Chris Langman | David Allen | 18 April 2001 | |
PJ's plans for an illegal tobacco raid are blown. | ||||||
| 304 | 10 | "Blood" | Roger Hodgman | Deborah Parsons | 25 April 2001 | |
Mick Boyce has just finished doing time. What is he doing in Mount Thomas? Jack decides to make him feel unwelcome and Tess tires of his apologies and begins to doubt him as an objective member of the team. | ||||||
| 305 | 11 | "They Don't Make Them Like They Used To" | Raymond Quint | Chris Corbett | 2 May 2001 | |
Jo takes on a case involving Mount Thomas' only cinema which goes back 30 years. | ||||||
| 306 | 12 | "Love and Money" | Graham Thorburn | David Boutland | 9 May 2001 | |
Arnie Briggs is out of prison and Jack is after him dragging Tess into a highly volatile situation. | ||||||
| 307 | 13 | "Fowl Play" | Peter Sharp | Bill Garner | 16 May 2001 | |
Jo takes on a case as an amusing diversion from paperwork, only to find it could have life threatening consequences for the people of Mount Thomas. | ||||||
| 308 | 14 | "Fooling Around" | Kevin Carlin | Michaeley O'Brien | 23 May 2001 | |
Ben's love of drink and woman lead him into dangerous terrain - both personally and professionally. | ||||||
| 309 | 15 | "Death By Flight" | Chris Langman | David Worthington | 30 May 2001 | |
A plane crashes into a farmhouse, killing three people, and P.J. and Ben face emotional barriers while investigating a complex case. | ||||||
| 310 | 16 | "A Friend Indeed" | Richard jasek | Yuki Asano and Caroline Stanton | 6 June 2001 | |
Jo defends a simple young man who appears manipulated by so called friends, willing to let him be the fall guy, and in the process questions her own ideas of friendship and betrayal. | ||||||
| 311 | 17 | "The Manly Art" | Kevin Carlin | Caroline Stanton | 13 June 2001 | |
P.J. plays cupid in helping Jack form a romantic bond with Tess. | ||||||
| 312 | 18 | "Falling Part 1" | Peter Sharp | Tony Morphett | 20 June 2001 | |
Tess is forced to confront her worst fears - that Jack will do anything, even lie to her, in order to carry out his own version of justice. | ||||||
| 313 | 19 | "Falling Part 2" | Grant Brown | John Banas | 20 June 2001 | |
Jack's and Tess' romance is on full throttle, but neither of them are aware of what lies ahead professionally, and how far Jack is prepared to go in order to see his own version of justice done. Final appearance of Constable Jack Lawson | ||||||
| 314 | 20 | "Winners And Losers" | Aarne Neeme | David Allen | 27 June 2001 | |
Tess must put Jack out of her mind when her attempts to rescue a kidnapped boy placing her own life in danger. | ||||||
| 315 | 21 | "No Place Like Home" | Riccardo Pelizzeri | Deborah Parsons and David Allen | 11 July 2001 | |
P.J. must confront his deepest beliefs when a desperate young man needs his help. | ||||||
| 316 | 22 | "Dragged" | Peter Sharp | Bill Garner | 18 July 2001 | |
Tess must accept the help of Jonesy, the rebellious new constable, when a young suspect becomes bent on revenge. First appearance of Constable Evan Jones | ||||||
| 317 | 23 | "Baby Love" | Steve Mann | Cliff Green | 25 July 2001 | |
Jonesy's preconceptions about the sanctity of parenthood are challenged when he befriends a young mother in trouble. | ||||||
| 318 | 24 | "An Inspector Calls" | Roger Hodgman | Dave Worthington | 1 August 2001 | |
Jo and Falcon-Price have no choice but to work as a team when both their lives are threatened. | ||||||
| 319 | 25 | "Dinosaurs" | Steve Mann | Chris Corbett | 8 August 2001 | |
Tom is faced with one of the toughest decisions of his career when two old friends are suspected of theft. | ||||||
| 320 | 26 | "Charming" | Esben Storm | Cassandra Carter | 15 August 2001 | |
Ben's protective instincts threaten to overcome him as he races to save a young girl from certain harm. | ||||||
| 321 | 27 | "The Sins of the Father" | Fiona Banks | Carol Williams | 22 August 2001 | |
Jo must confront her prejudices when a local politician dies under suspicious circumstances. | ||||||
| 322 | 28 | "Poisoned Fruit Part 1" | Denny Lawrence | Tony Morphett | 29 August 2001 | |
Jonesy risks everything to avenge his father's death. | ||||||
| 323 | 29 | "Poisoned Fruit Part 2" | Roger Hodgman | Tony Morphett | 5 September 2001 | |
As Jonesy fights to discover the truth, the Commander's reputation is placed against the wall. Have his protective instincts allowed a murderer to walk free? | ||||||
| 324 | 30 | "Fifteen Minutes" | Fiona Banks | Abe Pogos | 19 September 2001 | |
Jo's vanity threatens to undermine her ability to do her job. | ||||||
| 325 | 31 | "Copping The Flak" | Declan Eames | Caroline Stanton | 26 September 2001 | |
Ben and Jonesy's essential differences threaten to complicate an investigation. | ||||||
| 326 | 32 | "Strays" | Chris Langman | Philip Dalkin | 3 October 2001 | |
Tess questions her own happiness when that of a little girl is threatened. | ||||||
| 327 | 33 | "The Lord Giveth" | Declan Eames | John Banas | 10 October 2001 | |
An investigation into a nobly motivated burglar leads Tom to discover the identity of a mysterious and attractive woman. | ||||||
| 328 | 34 | "Credit Limit" | Daina Reid | Dave Worthington | 17 October 2001 | |
Jonesy's inexperience and good intentions place lives at risk. | ||||||
| 329 | 35 | "A Hard Call" | Aarne Neeme | Bill Garner | 17 October 2001 | |
Tess' actions are placed under scrutiny when she makes a life and death decision. | ||||||
| 330 | 36 | "Role Model" | Chris Langman | David Allen | 24 October 2001 | |
Tom questions the role of a mentor when a burglar's bid to impress leads to a serious crime. | ||||||
| 331 | 37 | "A Safe Bet" | Declan Eames | John Banas and Karen Altman | 31 October 2001 | |
Jo fights to help a young man when he lacks the strength to help himself. | ||||||
| 332 | 38 | "A Matter of Faith" | Riccardo Pellizzeri | Ysabella Dean | 7 November 2001 | |
Jo marvels at the human capacity for forgiveness when a faith healer is assaulted. | ||||||
| 333 | 39 | "Who Can You Trust?" | Fiona Banks | Caroline Stanton and Piers Hobson | 11 November 2001 | |
Jonesy risks Tess' trust when she suspects him of influencing a witness to suit his own prejudice. | ||||||
| 334 | 40 | "Best Eaten Cold" | Chris Langman | Tony Morphett | 21 November 2001 | |
Jonesy must reevaluate his place on the force when he learns the truth about his father's death. | ||||||
| 335 | 41 | "The Real Santa" | Steve Mann | Caroline Stanton | 28 November 2001 | |
Does Ben's hunger for the perfect Christmas place his children's happiness at risk? | ||||||
| 336 | 42 | "Dreaming of a White Christmas" | Roger Hodgman | Michaeley O'Brien | 28 November 2001 | |
It's Christmas and everyone celebrates it or avoids it in their own way. | ||||||
On 9 August 2001, a special episode of The Weakest Link featuring the actors from Blue Heelers went to air. [6] The results were as follows:
| Main Rounds | Final Round | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round: | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final | |||
| Voted Out: | Peta 5/9 Votes | Caroline1 3/8 Votes | Paul 4/7 Votes | Jane 4/6 Votes | Suzi2 2/5 Votes | Jeremy 3/4 Votes | Ditch 2/3 Votes | – | John (Winner) Neil (Runner-up) | |||
| Money Banked: | $7,500 | $5,500 | $3,500 | $0 | $3,200 | $4,000 | $1,200 | $3,500 x 3 | $35,400 TOTAL | |||
| Contestant | Votes | |||||||||||
| John | Peta | Caroline | Paul | Jane | Suzi | Jeremy | Ditch | Won | ||||
| Neil | Peta | Caroline | Ditch | Jane | Suzi | Jeremy | Ditch | Lost | ||||
| Ditch | Peta | Jeremy | Paul | Jane | Jeremy | Jeremy | John | |||||
| Jeremy | Peta | Suzi | Paul | Jane | Suzi2 | John | ||||||
| Suzi | Peta | Ditch | Jeremy | Jeremy | Jeremy | |||||||
| Jane | Jeremy | Caroline | Paul | John | ||||||||
| Paul | Jeremy | Jeremy | John | |||||||||
| Caroline | Jane | Jeremy | ||||||||||
| Peta | Jane | |||||||||||
1 Jeremy and Caroline tied with three votes each, but as Neil was the strongest link, he opted to vote Caroline off.
2 Jeremy and Suzi tied with two votes each, but as Jeremy was the strongest link, and could not vote himself off, he opted to vote Suzi off, though he originally voted for Neil who was not part of the tie.
Peta was first eliminated for not answering enough questions correctly. Caroline was next on a countback also for not answering enough questions correctly. Paul followed for being too big a threat to the team. Jane was voted out for not answering any questions correctly. Suzi was eliminated on a countback for not answering enough questions correctly. Jeremy was next also for not answering enough questions correctly. Ditch was voted out for not banking anything nor answering any questions correctly. In the end, John defeated Neil in the head-to-head round.
The final total won was $35,400, which John donated to the Red Cross Australia.
Similarly to the release of Blue Heelers' seventh season, the eight season was also postponed due to the contractual negotiations. However, everything was finalised for a 1 October 2008 release. [7] Like the seventh season, "The Complete Eight Season" will be released as a complete boxset.
| The Complete Eighth Season: Part 1 | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
|
| |||
| Release dates | ||||
 Australia | ||||
| 1 October 2008 [7] | ||||
| The Complete Eighth Season: Part 2 | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
|
| |||
| Release dates | ||||
| Australia | ||||
| 1 October 2008 [7] | ||||
| The Complete Eighth Season | ||||
| Set details | Special features | |||
|
| |||
| Release dates | ||||
| Australia | ||||
| 1 October 2008 [7] | ||||
The Weakest Link is a British television quiz show, mainly broadcast on BBC Two and BBC One. It was devised by Fintan Coyle and Cathy Dunning and developed for television by the BBC Entertainment Department. The game begins with a team of nine contestants, who take turns answering general knowledge questions within a time limit to create chains of nine correct answers in a row. At the end of each round, the players then vote one contestant, "the weakest link", out of the game. After two players are left, they play in a head-to-head penalty shootout format, with five questions asked to each contestant in turn, to determine the winner.
Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted the everyday lives and relationships of the residents of Mount Thomas, a fictional small town in Victoria.
Big Brother 2001, also known as Big Brother 1, was the first season of the Australian reality television series Big Brother. It is based upon the Dutch series of the same name, it premiered on Network Ten on 23 April 2001 and lasted twelve weeks until the live finale on 16 July 2001. Big Brother 1 proved to be an early ratings success. In total, the season averaged 1.4 million viewers, thus making it the fourth highest rated season to date. This season aired for a total of 85 days, with evictions occurring once every week beginning with the second week. In total, fourteen Housemates competed in Big Brother 1. The original twelve entered on the first night, with two intruders entering at a later date. Ultimately, Housemate Ben Williams was later announced as the winner of the series, with Blair McDonough becoming the Runner-Up.
Weakest Link is an American television game show that made its debut in 2001. It is an adaptation of the British television series of the same name.
The Weakest Link is an Australian game show based on the UK format, which aired from 5 February 2001 until 22 April 2002 and was originally broadcast on the Seven Network. Presented by Cornelia Frances, the show featured nine contestants competing for a potential prize of $100,000. Airing twice weekly in primetime, on Mondays and Thursdays or Fridays, it received modest ratings until its cancellation in April 2002. The show was produced in the Seven Network's South Melbourne headquarters.
Benjamin 'Ben' Stewart was a fictional character in the long-running Australian police series Blue Heelers. He was portrayed by Paul Bishop.
Tess Gallagher is a fictional character from the Australian police procedural television series Blue Heelers, portrayed by Caroline Craig. She made her debut in the seventh series episode "On the Road", broadcast on 24 May 2000.
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 thirteenth and final season of the Australian police drama Blue Heelers premiered on the Seven Network on 1 April 2006 and aired on Saturday nights at 8:30 pm. The 11-episode season concluded 4 June 2006, due to its cancellation by the Seven Network as a result of its sharp decline in ratings. When, in late 2005, the time came to renew Blue Heelers, Seven commissioned eleven further episodes to be produced, but its future after this was still undecided.
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 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 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.
The fourth season of the long-running Australian medical drama All Saints began airing on 13 February 2001 and concluded on 27 November 2001 with a total of 43 episodes.
Weakest Link is a television game show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000 and originally ended on 31 March 2012 when its host Anne Robinson completed her contract. The original British version of the show is still aired around the world on BBC Entertainment and domestically on Challenge. The game begins with a team of eight or nine contestants who take turns answering general knowledge questions within a time limit to create chains of correct answers in a row. At the end of each round, the players vote one contestant, "The Weakest Link", out of the game. Once two players are left, they play in a head-to-head contest, with five questions asked to each contestant in turn, to determine the winner.
