Delta (Australian TV series)
Delta is a 1969 Australian TV series, produced and broadcast by ABC-TV in 1969-70. The title is the name of the fictional independent research organisation featured in the series, a freelance scientific consultancy which is called in to provide scientific investigators and troubleshooters in a wide range of situations, including pollution, forgery, mining, conservation, and the recovery of a lost satellite.
The series focusses on the exploits of one of Delta's mobile laboratories, and initially featured three lead regular characters, investigative scientist Jeff Mallow, his assistant Inger Petri and science specialist Brian Fitch. A fourth regular character, scientist Jackie Stuart was added for the second season.
The series was one of the first major in-house productions from the ABC's recently established Drama Unit. It was devised by Colin Free and overseen by ABC Head of Drama David Goddard, who also was producer and occasional co-director for the series.
It broke new ground in Australian TV drama as the first local series to cover topical issues like pollution and conservation from a scientific and investigative viewpoint. The relatively high budget and the wide-ranging premise of the series allowed for extensive use of locations, and the entire series was shot entirely on film – also unusual for the period, since most Australian series at the time were either videotaped in the studio or had an integrated production that combined videotaped interiors and filmed exteriors.
Cast
Main
- John Gregg as Jeff Mallow
- Kirrily Nolan as Inger Petri
- Kevin Miles as Brian Fitch
- Patsy Trench as Jackie Stuart
Guests
- as Glenda
- Alister Smart as Paul Falstone-Green
- Ben Gabriel as Lawson
- Carmen Duncan as Diane
- Chips Rafferty as Sawtell
- Dina Mann as Daphne
- Dinah Shearing as Hannah Thompson
- Edward Howell as Lawler
- Elke Neidhart as Claudia
- Enid Lorimer as Hilda
- Harold Hopkins as Alan Tibbett
- James Smillie as Derek
- Jeanie Drynan as Jennifer McKenzie
- John Derum as Staines
- John Meillon as Jim Garrick
- Judy Morris as Girl
- Lyndall Barbour as Maria
- Lyndel Rowe as Jenny
- Max Phipps as Tony Spencer
- Michael Pate as Leo Falstone-Green
- Moya O'Sullivan as Margaret
- Nigel Lovell as Major Brunning / Ronnie
- Owen Weingott as McCrainor
- Peter Collingwood as Peter Carpenter
- Peter Gwynne as Len Reeves / Wilson
- Peter Sumner as Bill Kegan / Dr Brian Dawe
- Reg Livermore as Saxon
- Richard Meikle as Bill Prescott
- Steve Dodd as Buck / Melodie
- Stewart Ginn as Rankin
- Wynn Roberts as Rand / Janosek
Episodes
Series 1
- The Devil Take the Bluetongue Fly - w Colin Free d Brian Faull
- Stresspoint - w Colin Free d Wolfgang Storch
- Wish Upon a Fallen Star - w Colin Free
- A Pocketful of Bones - w Colin Free
- Welcome To Sunhaven - w Colin Free d Wolfgang Storch
- The Trouble with Daisy - w Colin Free
- There's a Lot of It About - w Colin Free
- The Initiates -w Tony Morphett. GS Tristran Rogers, Frank Thring
- Delicate Balance - w Colin Free d Tom Jeffrey
- A Beautiful Burn - w Colin Free d Oscar Whitbread
- D Is for Destruction - w John Kiddell d Tom Jeffrey
- R.I.P. - d David Goddard. GS Chips Rafferty. First episode with Patsy Trench
Series 2
- The Short Sell - w Martin Stormill d Wolfgang Storch. GS John Meillon, Ron Randell
- Look Thy Last - w John Martin d Tom Jeffrey
- The Fatted Calf - d David Goddard. GS Michael Pate.
- Hannah
- Death Walk - w Robert Peach d Wolfgang Storch
- A Bite of History - d Frank Arnold
- A Touch of DFP - w Tony Morphett
- The Honeywind Blows - d Frank Arnold
- Blackout - w John Martin d Tom Jeffrey script ed Barbara Vernon
- Too Many Masters - d Frank Arnold
- Overkill - w Colin Free