The Games Affair

The Games Affair (1975) was New Zealand's first children's television serial.

A six-part thriller fantasy serial for children shown on NZBC. Three youngsters becomes involved - quite by accident - with the problem of identifying the no good antics a professor and his two assistants are creating during the Christchurch Xth Commonwealth Games. Henry Ropata and his son Chris arrived at Harewood Airport to pick up Australian teenager Alley Jones and Canadian Paul Chapman whom they are billeting during the Commonwealth youth conference, held in conjunction with the Games. They stumble upon attempts by a mad professor who uses his two assistants to shoot powerful enhancer drugs into athletes during the Games.

Production Company: ENDEAVOUR Television productions

Country: NEW ZEALAND

Duration: 6 x 24 minute episodes

Category: Drama

Episodes

Episode 1: A Question of possibility
Episode 2: The Porcelain Runner
Episode 3: A rude awakening
Episode 4: This time we have them
Episode 5: Day of triumph
Episode 6: Back to the beginning

Credits

HEROES: Brent Bullis, Debbie Gowland, Dominic Solia
VILLAINS: John Bach, Herb Gott, Lynsay Laws
PARENTS: Elizabeth McRae, Tom Poata

Director: Bruce Clark
Produced by: Grahame Mclean
Photography: Paul Leach
Story Created by: Bruce Clark, Mathew Simes
Script: Michael Anthony Noonan
Film Editor: Michael Horton
Sound Editor: Norman Elder
Sound Mixer: Don Reynolds
Assistant Film Editor: Dermont McNeillage
Associate Producers: John Barnett, Michael Hirschfield
Assistant Director: Rosslyn Noonan
Production Assistant: Jackie Sullivan
2nd Unit Camera: Alun Bollinger
Lighting: Paul Leach, Alun Bollinger
Assistant Cameraman: Kevan Hayward, Leon Narbey
Sound: Norman Elder
Boom Operator: Michael Horton
Set Construction: Geoff Murphy, Andy Grant
Special Effects: Geoff Murphy
Continuity: Bonny Berry

Some scenes

• An elderly lady watching the athletic events was inadvertently hit with the enhancer when the assistant wielding the dart gun was distracted. The old lady ended up running - and winning - the 100 metres sprint as a result.
• A Traffic officer stopping the scientist's car on the grounds of it being unregistered and unsafe was shot with the enhancer. The officer ended up - after doing several super-fast star-jumps - uncontrollably running away from the scene faster than his motorcycle.
• A high-diver shot with the enhancer ended up crashing through the ceiling, and flying for quite a distance - surprising the passengers of an NAC Boeing 737 - before landing in a river some miles away from the stadium.