The Power, The Passion
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television production |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Seven Network |
| Fate | Discontinued due to low ratings |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Daytime soap opera |
Number of employees | Cast and crew of 168 episodes |
The Power, The Passion is an Australian daytime soap opera that was produced by the Seven Network during 1989.
Designed as a rival to American soap operas such as The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless, this series was discontinued after 168 episodes due to insufficient viewer ratings.
Production
In April 1988, the Seven Network revealed plans to create a new half-hour daytime drama, originally named Love, Passion And Desire, scheduled for weekday broadcasts from 12:00 to 1:30 pm. The intention was to provide competition against American soaps that were dominating Australian daytime television. This marked Seven's first venture into locally produced daytime soaps in two decades, following earlier series like Autumn Affair, The Story of Peter Grey, Until Tomorrow, and Motel. The production was handled by Seven's Drama Unit—also responsible for Home and Away and Rafferty's Rules—with executive producer Alan Bateman at the helm, who saw the show as a strategic lead-in for daytime scheduling.
The storyline focused on affluent businessman Gordon Byrne (portrayed by Kevin Miles), who returns after a five-year absence, yearning for a male heir while navigating complicated relationships with his three daughters: the sophisticated Anna Wright (Suzy Cato), psychiatrist Kathryn Byrne (Tracey Tainsh), and middle-class Ellen Edmonds (Olivia Hamnett). The plot incorporated traditional soap opera elements such as romance, betrayal, and blackmail. The cast also featured Danny Roberts, Ian Rawlings as Ryan, and marked Australian television debut of Julian McMahon. Filming commenced in late 1988 at Seven's Melbourne studios, with the show premiering in 1989 at 1 pm immediately following The Bert Newton Show.
Cast
- Kevin Miles – Gordon Byrne
- Jill Forster – Sarah McAllister
- Ian Rawlings – Ryan McAllister
- Tracy Tainsh – Kathryn Byrne
- Suzy Cato – Anna Wright
- George Mallaby – Justin Wright
- Danny Roberts – Samuel Wright
- Libby Purvis – Rebecca Wright
- Olivia Hamnett – Ellen Edmonds
- Alan Cassell – Dr. Andrew Edmonds
- Julian McMahon – Kane Edmonds
- Neil Grant – Adam Edmonds
- Lucinda Cowden – Danni Edmonds
- Susan Ellis – Talia Edmonds
- Jacqui Gordon – Susan Walsh
- Nick Carrafa – Nick Casalla
- Ross Thompson – Thomas
- Jane Clifton – Carla Graham
- Chelsea Brown - Chanteuse
- Jon Finlayson – William Somerset
- John Higginson – Sonni Davis
- Gerard Maguire – David
- Joe Spano – Steven
A notable aspect of the series was the inclusion of a gay male character named Steven (Joe Spano), who was removed from the storyline after a few months.