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A ten-part television mini-series adapted from the 1894 novel Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner (q.v.). Set in Sydney in the 1890s, the stories concern Captain Woolcot, an English widower with seven children, who has recently married again. The family lives in their large home 'Misrule,' which lies along the banks of the Parramatta River. As an officer in the New South Wales Regiment, Woolcot attempts to implement regimental discipline but is constantly harassed and embarrassed by the antics of his seven mischievous children: Meg, Pip, Judy, Nell, Bunty, Baby, and 'The General.' Since he is unable to control them, it is his new wife who invariably takes on all the trials of bringing up the children, with the most difficult child being the ring-leader Helen, commonly known as Judy.
Exhibitions
On the Web
- Scene extracts Two digital extracts from the original television broadcast
Notes
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The episodes are:
- 1. 'Fowl for Dinner': Introduces the Woolcot family, with the children interrupting a dinner given for their father's new commanding officer.
- 2. 'What are Fathers for Anyway?': Pip and Judy find themselves in trouble after leaving the General unattended in their father's office at Victoria Barracks.
- 3. 'Consequences': Judy has been sent to boarding school at Mt Victoria, but is determined to return home.
- 4. 'All for the Worst': Bunty is plagued by the lies he tells, Meg makes efforts to be 'grown up,' and Judy makes a tortuous trip home.
- 5. 'Secrets': Judy arrives home worn out and ill, but makes the other children promise not to let Esther or the Captain know for fear of being sent back to school.
- 6. 'Tomorrow do thy Worst': Judy is still ill and the children try to take care of her. However, the Captain's suspicions are aroused and he discovers Judy's hiding place.
- 7. 'Into the Sun': The doctor decides that Judy must recuperate in a warmer climate, but she is unwilling to be parted from the others. An invitation for the family to visit Esther's parents at their country property, Yarrahappini, is accepted as a solution.
- 8. 'Yarahappini': While the Captain spends a lonely time at Misrule, his family enjoy their country holiday. Meg begins to fall in love with the property manager, Dick Gillet, but is disillusioned when she discovers that he is an alcoholic.
- 9. 'The Picnic': On the last day of their holiday at Yarrahappini, Esther accompanies her father to a ball and the children go off for a picnic, which comes to a sad end when Judy is hit by a falling branch.
- 10. 'Going Home': Judy dies, but life goes on for the family at Misrule.
Includes
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1form y
Seven Little Australians [Episode 1]
Fowl for Dinner
1971
single work
film/TV
— Appears in: Close-Up : Scripts from Australian Television's Second Decade 1971; (p. 152-174) Captain Woolcot is embarrassed by the antics of his seven mischievous children--Meg, Pip, Judy, Nell, Bunty, Baby, and 'The General'--when they interrupt a dinner given for Colonel Bryant, the Captain's new commanding officer, and his wife. Sydney : ABC Television , 1973
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Awards
- 1974 winner Logie Awards — Best New Drama
- 1974 winner AWGIE Awards — Television Award — Best Screenplay Adaptation
- Parramatta River, Parramatta area, Sydney, New South Wales,
- 1890s
