Holiday Island
| Industry | Television production |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Television series |
Holiday Island was an Australian TV series created by Crawford Productions for Network Ten. It aired twice a week during a single season spanning 1981 to 1982 but was discontinued after just two months due to unfavorable audience response.
Series synopsis
Modeled after Crawford's earlier short-lived project Hotel Story, Holiday Island followed a Love Boat-inspired format, set within an upscale tropical resort located in Queensland. The narrative centered on recurring characters—comprising hotel employees and island inhabitants—who welcomed new guest stars each episode. Plotlines incorporated events such as a cyclone, kidnappings, a hostage crisis, drug smuggling, biker gang violence, and the sudden death of a politician from a heart attack at the resort.
The show became infamous for its subpar production quality and the mismatch of shooting a tropical-themed drama amidst Melbourne’s cold winter climate. The majority of interior and exterior footage was filmed at Network Ten’s studios in Nunawading, Melbourne, with extensive use of awnings to hide the cloudy sky. Efforts to prevent visible breath during outdoor scenes frequently failed. Location filming in Queensland at Tangalooma Island Resort encountered difficulties due to inexperienced local crews and ongoing rainfall. The "Tangalooma Ship-Wrecks" were often digitally inserted as backdrops in studio shots using chroma key techniques.
Guest actor Ray Meagher humorously dubbed the series Horror Day on Iceland, alluding to its challenging production circumstances.
Main / regular
- Nick Tate portraying Neil Scott
- Tom Oliver as Wally Simmons
- Peter Mochrie playing Tony 'Zack' Zackarakis
- Alyson Best as Lisa Kendall
- Frank Wilson in the role of Banjo Paterson
- Patricia Kennedy as Emily Muldoon
- Caz Lederman portraying Angela Scott
- Steven Grives as Jason Scott
- Gaynor Martin playing Kylie McArthur
- Marilyn Mayo as Dusty Davis
- Brian James acting as George Tippett
- Olga Tamara in the role of Victoria Buckland
- Ronne Arnold as Alex Utalo
- John Blackman portraying Russell Parker
- Tracy Mann as Wendy Robinson
Cancellation
After producing 64 episodes, Holiday Island was discontinued. Subsequently, its set was transformed into the Lassiter's Complex, which became a prominent location in the soap opera Neighbours.
Reruns
The original broadcaster, Network Ten, re-aired Holiday Island briefly in early 1990 during a weekday 4:00am time slot. The series did not return to screens until WIN Television broadcast the entire series from 2006 to 2007 during early morning hours (2:00am to 3:00am), as part of their Crawford's Australian Classics lineup.
Reception
Robert Fidgeon of the Herald Sun included Holiday Island among "Australia's All-time Top 50 TV Turkeys," labeling it a "shocker Melbourne soap" about guests and staff at a Queensland island resort starring Nick Tate. Although initially planned for 64 one-hour episodes, it was cancelled within two months.
External links
- Articles with short description
- 1980s Australian drama television series
- Network 10 original programming
- Television shows set in Queensland
- Australian television soap operas
- 1981 Australian television series debuts
- 1982 Australian television series endings
- Television series by Crawford Productions
- Australian English-language television shows