Bodyline (miniseries)
| Company type | Television miniseries |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television, Entertainment |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | George Miller, Byron Kennedy, Terry Hayes (producers) |
Area served | Australia, United Kingdom |
Key people | Denny Lawrence, Lex Marinos, George Ogilvie, Carl Schultz (directors); Robert Caswell, Lex Marinos, Denny Lawrence, Terry Hayes (screenplay); Chris Neal, Phillip Scott (music); Dean Semler, Andrew Lesnie (cinematography) |
| Products | Television miniseries |
Bodyline is a 1984 Australian television miniseries that dramatizes the 1932–33 English Ashes cricket tour in Australia. The title references the contentious bodyline bowling strategy devised by the English team to challenge Australian batsman Don Bradman.
Plot
The narrative explores the lead-up to the 1932–33 Ashes series and England's deployment of aggressive bowling tactics targeting the batsman, a method that ignited considerable debate within international cricket circles.
Production
The miniseries was produced by George Miller, Byron Kennedy, and Terry Hayes. Directing duties were shared among Denny Lawrence, Lex Marinos, George Ogilvie, and Carl Schultz. The screenplay was crafted by Robert Caswell, Lex Marinos, Denny Lawrence, and Terry Hayes. Musical scores were composed by Chris Neal and Phillip Scott, while cinematography was handled by Dean Semler and Andrew Lesnie.
Historical inaccuracies
- Early in the series, England captain Douglas Jardine is shown encouraging a bowler to Mankad an opponent without warning, with Lord Harris justifying this as standard practice. However, there is no documented evidence that either Jardine or Harris endorsed such tactics as captains, nor are there records of this occurring in first-class cricket.
- The depiction of the third Test at Adelaide highlights strained relations, particularly when Bert Oldfield is struck on the head facing Harold Larwood. In truth, Oldfield inadvertently top-edged the ball into his face, and Larwood was not employing Bodyline bowling at that time. Oldfield reportedly acknowledged, "My own fault," upon regaining consciousness and missed only one Test match.
- In the fourth Test at Brisbane, Eddie Paynter is portrayed overcoming illness to clinch victory with a six in the second innings. Although accurate in result, his innings was brief—scoring 14 not out with only three scoring shots—contrasting with his substantial first innings score of 83.
- While Jardine’s decline in popularity by 1934 is accurately depicted, the series omits that during the 1933 West Indies tour he himself encountered leg theory bowling and achieved a personal best score of 127.
- The series inaccurately shows Jardine placing The Ashes urn inside Lord’s trophy cabinet; however, the urn remains a permanent exhibit at the MCC Cricket Museum and has never been awarded as a trophy.
- It is suggested that Jardine’s Test career ended following a contentious India tour amid protests over similar bowling tactics. Yet Wisden records no such protests, noting instead that slow bowler Hedley Verity was England’s most successful bowler on that tour, with leg theory employed by both teams.
- Harold Larwood is primarily depicted as a scapegoat for the hostility during the series but later emigrated to Australia, where he became well-regarded from 1950 until his death in 1995.
Broadcast
The miniseries achieved significant ratings success in Australia, securing a 40% audience share.
In the United Kingdom, the $5 million Bodyline miniseries premiered on BBC2 across five consecutive nights from 3 to 7 June 1985. This presentation featured the original uncut extended version in a 4:3 aspect ratio. BBC2 segmented it into five episodes ranging from 85 to 89 minutes each, totaling 436 minutes (7 hours 16 minutes).
When initially aired on Australia's Channel 10 in July 1984 over four nights—including commercial breaks—the total broadcast duration was about 10 hours; excluding advertisements, it matched the BBC2 version's length of 7 hours and 16 minutes. The official Australian DVD release offers a significantly edited, restructured widescreen (16:9) edition running approximately 330 minutes (5 hours 30 minutes) divided into seven episodes averaging around 47 minutes each.
Consequently, the original BBC2 airing exceeded the Australian DVD version by roughly 1 hour and 46 minutes. This extended cut was rebroadcast on BBC1 in late 1986 and again on BBC2 during mid-1991 before transmission rights reverted to Network 10 and Kennedy-Miller for DVD distribution.
References
- The Dictionary of Performing Arts in Australia — Theatre . Film . Radio . Television — Volume 1 by Ann Atkinson, Linsay Knight, and Margaret McPhee — Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd., 1996
- The Australian Film and Television Companion edited by Tony Harrison — Simon & Schuster Australia, 1994
- Bodyline TV miniseries 1985 – original BBC2 broadcast recordings from 3–7 June 1985
- Don Bradman: Challenging the Myth - Chapter 4: Bodyline and Myth – Page: 62 by Brett Hutchins, 2002
External links
- Articles with short description
- Network 10 original programming
- 1984 television films
- 1984 films
- Historical television series
- Cricket on television
- Cultural depictions of Australian people
- Cultural depictions of English people
- Cultural depictions of cricketers
- Cultural depictions of Don Bradman
- 1980s Australian television miniseries
- 1984 Australian television series debuts
- 1984 Australian television series endings
- Films scored by Chris Neal (songwriter)