Police Rescue
| Police Rescue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Also known as |
'Police Rescue – Gefährlicher Einsatz (Germany), "Noodroep" (Afrikaans - South Africa), Polizia Squadra Soccorso (Italy) Sydney Police (France) Záchranáři (Czech Republic) |
| Written by |
Christopher Lee Debra Oswald Philip Cornford |
| Directed by |
Peter Fisk (1989-1993) Michael Carson (1991–1993) Scott Hartford-Davis (1995–1996) |
| Starring |
Gary Sweet Sonia Todd Steve Bastoni John Clayton Tammy MacIntosh Belinda Cotterill Jeremy Callaghan Doug Scroope Steve Bisley Frank Holden Marshall Napier Tim McKenzie Peter Browne Ada Nicodemou Salvatore Coco Leah Purcell |
| Composer(s) |
Martin Armiger Garry Hardman |
| Country of origin |
Australia United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 61 + pilot |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
Penny Chapman Kim Williams Errol Sullivan |
| Producer(s) |
John Edwards Sandra Levy |
| Production location(s) | New South Wales, Australia |
| Cinematography |
Steve Arnold Russell Bacon Stephen Windon |
| Editor(s) | Various |
| Running time |
50 minutes 90 minutes (pilot) |
| Production company(s) |
Australian Broadcasting Corporation British Broadcasting Corporation Southern Star Xanadu |
| Distributor | Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | PAL (576i) |
| Audio format | Stereophonic |
| First shown in | Australia |
| Original release | 15 March 1989 – 22 November 1996 |
Police Rescue is an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC.[1]
Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pilot episode (first screened in 1989) as well as a feature film in 1994, starring Zoe Carides.
The series dealt with the New South Wales Police Rescue Squad based in Sydney and their work attending to various incidents from road accidents to train crashes. The show was very well received for the first four series, however a decline in ratings by the commencement of the 1996 series saw the cancellation of the show, following an almost epitaph in the final three episodes.
Police Rescue was shown in the United Kingdom first on BBC1 and later on Sky One, in the Czech Republic as Záchranáři on TV Nova, in South Africa as "Noodroep" (dubbed in Afrikaans), in parts of Italy as Polizia Squadra Soccorso on T9, in France on TF1 as Sydney Police, in Germany on VOX as Police Rescue – Gefährlicher Einsatz, in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark on the United Kingdom-based TV3, and in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ.
Major cast
- Sergeant Steve "Mickey" McClintock - (Gary Sweet) (1989–1996)
- Senior Constable/Sergeant Georgia Rattray - (Sonia Todd) (1989–1996)
- Constable/Senior Constable Yiannis "Angel" Angelopoulos - (Steve Bastoni) (1990–1996)
- Senior Sergeant Peter "Ridgy" Ridgeway - (Tim McKenzie) (1989–1990)
- Inspector Bill Adams - (John Clayton) (1989–1996)
- Sergeant Fred "Frog" Catteau - (Marshall Napier) (1989–1992)
- Constable Trevor "Sootie" Coledale - (Peter Browne) (1989–1990)
- Constable Percy "Ptomaine" Warren - (Doug Scroope) (1989–1993)
- Senior Sergeant Kevin "Nipper" Harris - (Steve Bisley) (1992–1995)
- Sharyn Elliott - (Belinda Cotterill) (1992–1994, 1996)
- Constable Kathy Orland - (Tammy MacIntosh) (1992–1995)
- Constable Brian Morley - (Jeremy Callaghan) (1992–1995)
- Senior Sergeant Glenn "Spider" Webb - (Frank Holden) (1994–1996)
- Anastasia Skouras - (Ada Nicodemou) (1994–1995)
- Constable Joe Cardillo - (Salvatore Coco) (1995–1996)
- Constable Tracy Davis - (Leah Purcell) (1995–1996)
- Constable Lorrie "Flash" Gordon (Zoe Carides) (1994 feature film)
Recurring minor cast
- Bronwyn Catteau (Deborah Kennedy) (1990–1992)
- Des McClintock (Kerry Armstrong) (1990–1991)
- Maria Mellick (Debbie Byrne) (1990–1992)
- Tony Fuller (NARC detective) (Harold Hopkins) (1990–1992)
- Helena Angelopoulos (Gia Carides) (1992–1993)
- David Goldberg (Lani John Tupu) (1992)
- Constable Lohmeier (Daniel Rigney) (1993)
In mid-1989, Southern Star Xanadu broadcast the pilot episode of Police Rescue via the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The 90-minute telemovie established the background of the protagonist of the series, Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock. Several issues were raised in the pilot, such as women's discrimination, sexism and street violence. The plot evolved around the entrance of the first woman member to the Police Rescue Squad, Constable Georgia Rattray and then the search for a missing boy in Sydney's sewer system.[2]
The telemovie was well received and spawned the series of Police Rescue, which carried on shortly after the pilot.
Rescue Pilot Movie
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Pilot | "Rescue" | 15 March 1989 |
| The 90-minute telemovie established the background of the protagonist of the series, Sergeant "Mickey" McClintock. Several issues were raised in the pilot, such as women's discrimination, sexism and street violence. The plot evolved around the entrance of the first woman member to the Police Rescue Squad, Constable Georgia Rattray and then the search for a missing boy in Sydney's sewer system. | |||
Season 1
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Mates" | 14 February 1991 |
| A highly successful businessman who threatens suicide makes mickey realize how lucky he really is. | |||
| 2 | 2 | "Angel After Hours" | 21 February 1991 |
| A visiting psychologist learns to respect the RESCUE team when he joins them for a rugged night shift and angel is forced to share his family crisis with Mickey. | |||
| 3 | 3 | "LPG" | 28 February 1991 |
| LPG A liquid petroleum gas tanker crashes with another vehicle trapping one driver and his young son, as the tankers are parted for rescue to begin its noticed that there are chlorine pellets on the floor which if they get wet will have cause a thermal explosion. To make matters worse a LPG plant is just down the road the whole area is cordoned of as rescue set about extracting the driver and his son. Mean while back at base one of the team struggles with past addictions due to the death of his beloved pet dog. | |||
| 4 | 4 | "The Cosmic Lightbeam" | 7 March 1991 |
| A lock-out, a break-in, and a police trainee spell trouble for 'Mickey'. | |||
| 5 | 5 | "Mad Dog" | 14 March 1991 |
| A prison guard strike leads to the male members of the squad being sent to substitute and an escape. | |||
| 6 | 6 | "Saturday Night" | 21 March 1991 |
| On a fishing trip Ridgy gets washed ashore while trying to rescue another man from drowning. | |||
| 7 | 7 | "Reunion with Snake" | 28 March 1991 |
| Two boys gets chemical burns after playing in a tunnel. | |||
| 8 | 8 | "Raid" | 11 April 1991 |
| While 'Mickey' and 'Angel' are in competition for the new hire's attention, the squad is tasked to work with Special Operations to go after a gangster for murder. | |||
| 9 | 9 | "One for Dad" | 18 April 1991 |
| Mickey and Frog spends a long night in a swamp while looking for a missing girl. | |||
| 10 | 10 | "Hostage" | 25 April 1991 |
| Mickey and Georgia get caught up in a shoot out by a bank robber who has taken a hostage. | |||
| 11 | 11 | "Up a Tree" | 2 May 1991 |
| Animal rescue to riot control - a typical day for the Police Rescue Squad,,,or is it? | |||
| 12 | 12 | "Saving the Princess" | 16 May 1991 |
| Mickey stands by Georgia when she makes an unpopular decision on an MVA call. | |||
| 13 | 13 | "By the Book" | 13 June 1991 |
| The squad gets called out to free a man trapped during a building demolition but end up finding Romeo and Juliet. | |||
Season 2 (1992)
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | "The Right Stuff" | 3 September 1992 |
| Constable Tom 'Bomber' Young (Russell Crowe), a footy hero, joins the squad with disastrous results. | |||
| 2 | 15 | "Off the Track" | 10 September 1992 |
| When a car and commuter train collide, it's an emotionally and physically draining shift for the entire squad. | |||
| 3 | 16 | "The Hard Way" | 17 September 1992 |
| Georgia finds a car crash involving a couple suspicious and wonder if the woman tried to kill her husband. | |||
| 4 | 17 | "The Big Canary" | 24 September 1992 |
| ... | |||
| 5 | 18 | "Judgement Day" | 1 October 1992 |
| Frog seems to be running out of luck: first while trying to save a girl in a demolished building, then when a man wipe out his whole family and finally climbing down a cliff to rescue a boy. | |||
| 6 | 19 | "Stakeout" | 15 October 1992 |
| When on an assignment with a crashed truck, Mickey and Georgia unintentionally disturb a drug squad shakeout. | |||
| 7 | 20 | "Sugar" | 22 October 1992 |
| After the death of Kathy's brother, she is maybe to quickly back at work and struggles to deal with handling a car crash and an accident at a sugar refinery. | |||
| 8 | 21 | "With a Vengeance" | 29 October 1992 |
| The team is searching for a small missing airplane and finds it hanging on a ledge with two young men trapped inside. | |||
| 9 | 22 | "Reasons to Live" | 8 November 1992 |
| ... | |||
| 10 | 23 | "From This Day Forward" | 15 November 1992 |
| ... | |||
| 11 | 24 | "Angel's Devils" | 22 November 1992 |
| ... | |||
| 12 | 25 | "The Real Meaning" | 26 November 1992 |
| ... | |||
| 13 | 26 | "Heartbeat" | 3 December 1992 |
| Georgina is struggling with wedding planning. When the team is send into a cave to rescue archaeologists caught in a flood, Mickey suddenly vanish. | |||
Season 3 (1993)
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | "Lifeline" | 10 June 1993 |
| A girl calls the rescue team telling she is locked up in a room but she don't know where. A race against time begins for the team to find the girl before her father does. | |||
| 2 | 28 | "Wild Goose Chase" | 17 June 1993 |
| Georgina has cancelled her wedding. The team is searching for a missing man but it feels like an wild goose chase. | |||
| 3 | 29 | "On a Roll" | 24 June 1993 |
| Angel's getting hooked on horse race gambling. | |||
| 4 | 30 | "Prodigal Daughter" | 4 July 1993 |
| ... | |||
| 5 | 31 | "The Loaded Boy" | 8 July 1993 |
| A truck with chemical waste crashes and a can with the possible deadly material goes missing. | |||
| 6 | 32 | "Good Buddy" | 15 July 1993 |
| Brian becomes friends with one of Nippers old mates, private investigater Temple, who isn't who he seems to be. | |||
| 7 | 33 | "Rush Hour" | 22 July 1993 |
| Brian gets challenged with his phobia, when the rescue squad has to search for missing persons in the subway tunnels. | |||
| 8 | 34 | "Speeding" | 29 July 1993 |
| Mickey gets worried about his son after a car with drugged teenagers crashes. | |||
| 9 | 35 | "Lift Sixteen" | 5 August 1993 |
| Nipper gets stuck in an elevator that breaks down due to an earthquake. | |||
| 10 | 36 | "Whirlwind" | 19 August 1993 |
| Kathy gets a little too involved with an adrenalin junkie. | |||
| 11 | 37 | "Cold Snap" | 26 August 1993 |
| Angel's had enough of the rivalry between Mickey and him. After a big row with Mickey, he leaves Police Rescue. He is transferred to Special Operations. 2 Youngsters are stuck on a cliff. One of them is rescued by Georgia by helicopter. Mickey stays with the other one till the chopper returns for them to pick them up. They wait for hours and hours. The weather conditions get worse. The helicopter cannot fly anymore because there is too much fog. It is impossible for Mickey to climb down, because the other guy is too badly injured. The only way to get out of there is ... | |||
| 12 | 38 | "Double Illusion" | 2 September 1993 |
| ... | |||
| 13 | 39 | "The Last to Know" | 8 September 1993 |
| Mickey has anger management issues after his father has a heart attack. | |||
Police Rescue: The Movie (1994)
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Movie | Movie | "Rescue" | 17 March 1994 |
| Constable Laurie Gordon transfers from the Drugs Squad to Sydney's elite Police Rescue squad after her partner and lover is killed when a raid goes wrong. When allegations of corruption follow her to Rescue, Gordon must fight to regain the vital trust of the squad and Sgt. 'Mickey' McClintock. This trust is tested when a gunman takes a teacher and kids hostage at a child care centre, and the Rescue Squad is called in to assist. | |||
Season 4 (1995)
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 40 | "On the Outer" | 27 April 1995 |
| Brian is struggling with fitting in and ends up in a couple of dangerous situations. | |||
| 2 | 41 | "Conduct Endangering Life" | 4 May 1995 |
| A bank robbery goes wrong and Nippers wife ends up as a hostage. | |||
| 3 | 42 | "Wrong Side of the Road" | 11 May 1995 |
| By chance Mickey and Nipper are first on site when a bus is found crashed on the side of a mountain road which makes the rescue of the passengers more difficult. | |||
| 4 | 43 | "Something's Got to Give" | 18 May 1995 |
| Senior sergeant Webb's first day on the job isn't without difficulties. Nor for Georgia who hoped for the promotion after Nipper left. | |||
| 5 | 44 | "Guardian Angel" | 25 May 1995 |
| While having problems with his love life, Angel finds relief in taking a young boy under his wing. | |||
| 6 | 45 | "Double Jeopardy" | 1 June 1995 |
| A gas explosion leaves people trapped in the basement of a building. The rescue squad attempt gets even more difficult and dangerous with poisonous fumes and the risk of another explosion. | |||
| 7 | 46 | "Crossing the Line" | 8 June 1995 |
| Georgina tries to help a woman with drug problems and her two young children. | |||
| 8 | 47 | "Damage Control" | 15 June 1995 |
| Kathy has a hard time dealing with a drying man's last words spoken to her in belief she is his wife. | |||
| 9 | 48 | "Public Mischief" | 22 June 1995 |
| Mickey gets hooked up with a couple living life dangerous as base jumpers, while Georgia looks into a factory with a little too many work accidents. | |||
| 10 | 49 | "Breaking Strain" | 29 June 1995 |
| Angel tries to help his old friend, a tow truck driver. | |||
| 11 | 50 | "The Sharp End" | 6 July 1995 |
| When a demolition team gets ready to take down a building, something goes wrong and they get trapped in a really dangerous situation. | |||
| 12 | 51 | "Rescue Me" | 13 July 1995 |
| Angel has difficulties coping with his hated fathers death. Meanwhile Georgia tries to help a friend and her daughter after they were hurt in a gas explosion. | |||
| 13 | 52 | "Wild Card" | 20 July 1995 |
| A cold blooded killer blames Mickey for the death of his brother and wants revenge. | |||
Season 5 (1996)
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 53 | "The Ultimate" | 20 September 1996 |
| The rescue squads three new recruits gets tested to the limit while performing a rescue on a skyscraper. | |||
| 2 | 54 | "Nobby's Place" | 27 September 1996 |
| An old man keeps fishing in a dangerous place and Mickey soon loses his patience. | |||
| 3 | 55 | "The Getting of Wisdom" | 4 October 1996 |
| Joe, the new guy, rescues a woman with psychological problems and gets a little too involved with her. | |||
| 4 | 56 | "The River" | 11 October 1996 |
| Errol and his son Robbie, both big fans of flying, crash into the wilderness. During the search for the victims, Angel falls down into the ravine. The rest of the squad immediately start looking for him. But when it gets too dark, they have to go back to base camp and wait till the next day. They have no other choice than to leave him behind. | |||
| 5 | 57 | "The Ship" | 18 October 1996 |
| ... | |||
| 6 | 58 | "Flash the Descent" | 25 October 1996 |
| The team is send out to rescue a couple of climbers stuck on a mountain wall. | |||
| 7 | 59 | "The Holliman Kid" | 1 November 1996 |
| When a little girl disappear every one wonders what happened to her. Meanwhile Georgia learn she's pregnant. | |||
| 8 | 60 | "Tomorrow Never Knows" | 8 November 1996 |
| When Angels younger brother gets killed in a car accident, Angel takes his anger out on the drunk driver, who caused the crash. | |||
| 9 | 61 | "The Only Constant" | 22 November 1996 |
| The team race against time to rescue two little girls trapped in a storm drain which is quickly filling up with water. Meanwhile Angel's taking his leave and Georgia is pondering to do the same. | |||
Police Rescue Specials
Police Rescue: In Action was a 9 March 1994 special hosted by John Edwards and Sandra Levy that aired to promote the series and 1994 Feature Film. It featured interviews with cast members, Gary Sweet, Sonia Todd, Steve Bastoni and Zoe Carides as of 6 October 2017 this special currently isn't available on VHS or DVD.
| Number in series |
Number in season |
Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Police Rescue: In Action" | 9 March 1994 |
| special hosted by John Edwards and Sandra Levy that aired to promote the series and 1994 Feature Film. It featured interviews with cast members, Gary Sweet, Sonia Todd, Steve Bastoni and Zoe Carides | |||
Home media
Re-Release
It was announced on 7 August 2017 that Via Vision Entertainment would be re-release all 5 seasons of Police Rescue on dvd on 22 November 2017.
| DVD name | Ep # | Discs | Region 4 (Australia) | DVD special features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Complete Series 1-5 | 61 | 18 | 22 November 2017 | 90-minute pilot episode |
| The Complete Series 1-5 Part 1 | 21 | 6 | 22 November 2017 | Pilot Movie |
| The Complete Series 1-5 Part 2 | 18 | 6 | 22 November 2017 | None |
| The Complete Series 1-5 Part 3 | 22 | 6 | 22 November 2017 | None |
Original DVD
| DVD name | Ep # | Discs | Region 4 (Australia) | DVD special features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season one | 13 | 4 | 26 November 2006 | 90-minute pilot episode |
| Season two | 13 | 4 | 9 April 2007 | None |
| Season three | 13 | 4 | 9 April 2007 | None |
| Season four (DVD name: Season 4 – Part 1 & 2) | 11 | 3 | 9 July 2007 | None |
| Season five (DVD name: Season 4 – Part 2) | 11 | 3 | 9 July 2007 | None |
VHS
In 1993, ABC Television released selected episodes from Series 1 and Series 2 on VHS format. The 1989 pilot episode was released the previous year.
| VHS name | Ep # | Taps | Region 4 (Australia) | VHS special features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mates and Hostages | Series 1, Episode 1&10 | 1 | 1993 | None |
| Mad Dog and By The Book | Series 1, Episode 5&13 | 1 | — | None |
| Judgement Day and Reasons to Live | Series 2, Episodes 5&9 | 1 | — | None |
| Police Rescue: The Movie | Film | 1 | — | None |
References
- ↑ "Police Rescue – By the Book". AustralianScreen.com.au.
- ↑ Ed. Scott Murray, "Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995", Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p130.
External links
- Police Rescue on IMDb
- Police Rescue at the National Film and Sound Archive
- Police Rescue – "By the Book" at Australian Screen Online
- Police Rescue – "Mates" at Australian Screen Online
- Police Rescue: The Film at Oz Movies
- Rescue Bahawalpur – "By urdu Wikipedia" at Pakistan Screen Online
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