TV
TV: A drama every day
Nearly 20 years ago, when I was a struggling sitcom writer, someone at Channel 7 told me that a new production company called Screentime was looking for an afternoon teen soap. My then co-writer Steve recalls that by the time I had driven from Epping (Sydney) to the city centre for coffee, I had nutted […]
Crash Palace: Bonking, Boozing Backpackers
CRASH PALACE, 65 episodes of sex, drugs and soap, set in a Kings Cross, Sydney, backpackers hostel was – as they say – seen all over the world. But then, any Australian show is going to turn up filling a slot somewhere on the TV schedules of the planet, even if it is at 2am […]
Rain Shadow – Outback Gothic
This is without a doubt the biggest and best thing I have done in my career so far. The production – co-created and co-written with my very dear friend Tony Morphett, godfathered by Scott Meek, produced by the brilliant Gus Howard and EP’d with just the right firmness of touch by Miranda Dear and, later, […]
My TV CV
MY AGENT: Curtis Brown, Sydney. TELEVISION CV (Writer, except where noted) 2007 RAIN SHADOW Co-Creator/C-Writer (with Tony Morphett)/Southerm Star/ABC 2006 SONG FOR THE SOCCEROOS Creator/Associate Producer/ Writer Screentime/SBS 2005 FALCONIO TELEMOVIE Screentime/Ch 10/Power (UK) 2004 THE GREATEST AUSTRALIAN ABC TV 2003 LOOKING AFTER No 1 Telemovie for Seven Network 2002-2003 Script Development. Fox Australia. 2000-2001 […]
It’s an honour just to be nominated … not
The funny thing about awards is that when you tell people that you’ve been nominated what you’re really saying is you’ve lost – you don’t talk about nominations when you’ve got a trophy sitting on top of your telly. With that in mind, I’ve been nominated three times for sitcom writing Awgies (the Australian Writers […]
Crash Palace – boozing, bonking backpackers
CRASH PALACE, 65 episodes of sex, drugs and soap, set in a Kings Cross, Sydney, backpackers hostel was – as they say – seen all over the world. But then, any Australian show is going to turn up filling a slot somewhere on the TV schedules of the planet, even if it is at 2am […]
Comedy disaster planning
This is passed on from a friend of a friend who was at a TV comedy writing workshop in LA. It was taught by a 23-year veteran of network sitcoms. If the original author objects to this being on the website, drop me a line (jimmyt@ozemail.com.au) and I’ll remove it. But I’m thinking, since I […]
Adventures in the (small) screen trade
Since I last wrote this intro, I co-created and co-wrote (with my good friend Tony Morphett) Rain Shadow, a six-part drama series for the ABC which went to air in late 2007. It starred Rachel Ward and relative newcomer, the sensational Victoria Thaine, as two vets in drought-stricken rural Australia. Click on the pic on […]