Kingswood Country

RS Productions
Company type	Production company
Industry	Television production
Founder	Gary Reilly, Tony Sattler
Headquarters	Australia
Products	Television shows including Kingswood Country

Kingswood Country is an Australian sitcom that aired on the Seven Network between 1980 and 1984. Developed by Gary Reilly and Tony Sattler under their production company, RS Productions, the show featured performances by Ross Higgins, Judi Farr, Peter Fisher, Laurel McGowan, and Lex Marinos. It originated as a spin-off from comedic sketches on the series The Naked Vicar Show.

The program debuted on Channel 7 at 7:30 pm on 30 January 1980 and spanned six seasons with a total of 89 episodes. It earned Logie Awards for Best Comedy in both 1982 and 1983. A follow-up series titled Bullpitt! was broadcast from 1997 to 1998.

Premise

This family-oriented sitcom revolves around Ted Bullpitt, a traditionalist with a narrow mindset who is devoted to his armchair, his underperforming racing greyhounds Repco Lad and Gay Akubra, and his prized Holden Kingswood, which is later succeeded by a Holden Commodore. His wife Thelma plays the role of a homemaker who feels confined by Ted’s conventional attitudes but occasionally stands up for herself.

Ted's grown children represent more progressive ideals: his son Craig is a sexually active medical student frequently clashing with Ted over social and political issues; his daughter Greta is a feminist married to Bruno Bertolucci, whose Italian immigrant background prompts Ted to use ethnic slurs against him.

The comedic tension arises from the contrast between Ted’s old-fashioned beliefs and his children’s modern perspectives. Signature elements include Ted’s frequent mentions of Neville, an Aboriginal garden statue named after Senator Neville Bonner, who notably appeared during the show’s taping. Other recurring humor stems from Ted’s poorly thought-out get-rich-quick plans, social class differences with his upwardly mobile brother Bob and Bob’s wife Merle, as well as various misunderstandings.

Main characters

Ross Higgins portrays Edward "Ted" Melba Bullpitt, a conservative Australian white male fond of his Holden Kingswood and a WWII veteran. Employed at a putty factory, Ted exhibits immaturity, pettiness, and prejudice against Catholics. Having been captured by Italians during the war, he harbors animosity toward Bruno Bertolucci. Ted enjoys reading Mandrake, relaxing with beer while watching television, and caring for his greyhounds Gay Akubra and Repco Lad. Nicknamed "Big Bum Bullpitt" at the local Catholic school, he fears nuns but holds affection for Sister Maria due to her liking for beer. He claims lineage from Lord Stokely Bullpitt of Kingswood, connecting indirectly to Bruno's Italian ancestor through an illegitimate offspring.
Judi Farr plays Thelma "Thel" Bullpitt, Ted’s spouse and mother to Craig and Greta. She often answers phone calls with catchphrases aimed at winning prizes from TV Week or radio giveaways. Thelma retains receipts to justify purchases made at Myer and frequently offers detailed instructions on household tasks such as coffee preparation. At the conclusion of the fourth season, she leaves for an extended vacation.
Peter Fisher appears as Craig Bullpitt, Ted's only son who studies medicine and later weds his girlfriend Wendy.
Laurel McGowan takes on the role of Greta Bertolucci (née Bullpitt), Ted’s daughter married to Bruno Bertolucci.
Lex Marinos portrays Bruno Bertolucci, Ted’s son-in-law whom Ted derogatorily refers to as "the wog". Originally from "Wagga", Bruno drives a purple Chrysler Valiant, which contrasts with Ted’s loyalty to Holden vehicles. He often teases Ted in a friendly manner but addresses Thelma as "Mrs B" and shows sympathy towards her. Bruno becomes a regular character in later episodes.
Shelia Kennelly plays Rosa Bertolucci, a relative of Bruno who looks after Ted during Thelma’s absence starting from the fifth season. Rosa enjoys cooking and describes herself as a "happy-go-lucky wog".

Recurring characters

Colin McEwan portrays Bob Bullpitt, Ted's brother who works as a used car salesman and is frequently referred to by Ted as a "bloody Datsun dealer." Bob maintains a complex relationship with Ted and Merle, marked by frequent barbs yet underlying warmth, especially towards Thelma. His trademark introduction is, "Hey-dee ho everybody, here comes the party!" which is usually met with Merle's curt reply, "Shut up Bob." The character is suggested to have ongoing romantic liaisons with his secretaries.

Maggie Dence plays Merle Bullpitt, Ted's sister-in-law who aspires to climb the social ladder and is married to Bob. Despite the mutual animosity between Merle and Bob and her open contempt for Ted—whom she labels a "cretin"—she shares a cordial rapport with Thelma. Their marriage persists largely because all significant possessions, including their home, business ventures, finances, and the distinctive purple speedboat, are registered under Merle’s name, a point she often emphasizes to Bob.

Guests

Among the notable guest appearances are:

Bruce Spence in the roles of Dentist and Samson
Cornelia Frances as Dr. Hemingway
Henri Szeps portraying Mr. O'Grady and Eric the Postman
Johnny Lockwood as Tony Bertolucci
Noeline Brown playing Janet Green and Elizabeth Windsor
Ray Meagher as Keith Mitchell and Bank Manager
Robert Hughes in the roles of Solicitor and Hamish McDingle
Tom Oliver as Clive Lomas and Gerard Homes

A particularly notable guest star was Graham Kennedy, a friend of creators Reilly and Sattler, who made an appearance as himself in the 1980 episode titled "The Royal Visit" (Series 2, Episode 3).

Catchphrases

In 2009, TV Tonight ranked Ted Bullpitt’s exclamation "Pickle me grandmother!" among the most memorable Australian comedy catchphrases and recognized it as one of the best across all television genres.

Additional well-known catchphrases featured:

"Don’t 'Dad' me boy/girl, I’m your father!" (also expressed as "Don’t 'Mum and Dad' us boy/girl, we’re your parents.")
[upon surprise] "Strewth! Give a man a heart attack!"
"Strike me Catholic!"
[when requesting beer] "Put the money on the fridge!" (occasionally appended with "wog" when Bruno makes the request)
"Someone should blow [object of irritation] up!" for example, "Someone should blow those nuns up!"
"The Kingswood! You’re not taking the Kingswood!..." often followed by excuses such as "I’ve just ducoed the tyres."
"When I was a boy..." leading into lengthy anecdotes, typically met with responses like "Yeah yeah, sure Ted/Dad."
"Hate, hate, vomit!"
[asked about his day] "Bloody shambles, of course!"
Bruno’s derogatory term for a stingy individual: "Grumblebum!"
[mishearing his surname] "No, it’s Bullpitt. Yes, everyone says that."
"Where’s the bloody Kingswood?"
Referring to Sister Maria as: "Attila the Nun"
Other expressions include: "Bloody wogs!", "Bloody woman!", "Bloody nuns!", "Blow ’em all up!", "Watch it, mate!", "No wonder the country’s in a mess", "I win, you lose, and I’m the king of the castle!", "Never marry a woman, mate", and "Where’s my paper?"

Episodes

Series		Episodes	Original broadcast dates
Series		Episodes	Series start	Series end
	1	13	30 January 1980	11 June 1980
	2	13	18 June 1980	24 September 1980
	3	20	18 June 1981	15 October 1981
	4	23	27 May 1982	26 April 1984
	5	10	1984	1984
	6	10	7 July 1984	13 September 1984

Home media releases

Prior to 2019, only 52 out of the 89 episodes of Kingswood Country were available on DVD. The first home video release was a curated "best of" compilation containing thirteen episodes, issued in 2003. This set also included the original sketch from The Naked Vicar Show that inspired the series, along with a blooper reel and an exclusive photo gallery. Subsequent "best of" collections were released in 2006, September 2008, and May 2010, each comprising thirteen episodes.

On 4 December 2019, Via Vision Entertainment introduced a comprehensive Complete Series boxset on DVD, spanning 11 discs. Later, in November 2023, The Ted Bullpitt Collection was launched as an extensive 15-disc set featuring every episode from both Kingswood Country and its follow-up series Bullpitt!.

Title	Discs	Episodes	Special Features	Release Date (Region 4)	Distributor
The Best of Kingswood Country	3	Series 1: Episodes 1, 8, 10, 11 Series 2: Episodes14,16,19 Series3: Episodes16,31 Series4: Episodes7,8,15,16	Original The Naked Vicar Show sketch Blooper reel Photo gallery exclusive to this edition	1 December2003	Shock Entertainment
The Best of Kingswood Country: Volume Two	3	Series1: Episodes12,13 Series2: Episode2 Series3: Episodes4,10,14,19 Series4: Episodes2,14 Series5: Episodes2,8 Series6: Episodes1,10		4 September2006	Shock Entertainment
The Best of Kingswood Country: Volume Three	3	13 episodes		30 August2008	Shock Entertainment
Best of Kingswood Country: Volume Four	3	13 episodes		12 May2010	Shock Entertainment
Best of Kingswood Country: Collection	12	52 episodes (Volumes1-4)		13 October2010	Shock Entertainment
Kingswood Country: The Complete Series	11 discs; All episodes	Original sketch from The Naked Vicar Show Blooper reel	4 December2019	Madman Entertainment/Via Vision Entertainment
The Ted Bullpitt Collection	15 discs; Entire runs of both Kingswood Country and Bullpitt!	Original sketch from The Naked Vicar Show Blooper reel	8 November2023	Via Vision Entertainment

Sequel

A follow-up series titled Bullpitt! was broadcast between 1997 and 1998. Ross Higgins reprised his role as the sole original cast member, with Elaine Lee joining as co-star.

External links