Jenny and I spend many a happy hour watching
McLeod's daughters. A television drama set on a farm in South Australia.
The most interesting thing about McLeod's Daughters is the honesty portrayed by the show. Wherever you are in the world, living in the coutry side is so very differnt from living in the city. Living in the country however is the same the world over. I grew up in the country and so did my wife Jenny. Maybe thats the reason we love the show so much. It reminds us of who we are and who we love to be.
McLeod's Daughters was launched on the Nine Network in August 2001 and was the third most watched Australian TV drama series in 2002.
Series one of McLeod's Daughters was sold to the giant American cable network Hallmark, who successfully debuted it in the UK in October 2001, and throughout Asia in March 2002.
The series was also been picked up by TVNZ in New Zealand, where it became an instant hit with viewers.
Creator Posie Graeme-Evans developed the original concept for McLeod's Daughters for a successful and high-rating 1996 Nine Network telemovie, and it has been in development since as a series.
Posie says a photograph depicting "blue skies and quintessentially Aussie girls' faces with big wide grins under the broad brim of a classic RM Williams hat" inspired her.
Anecdotes by country friends and Posie's love of South Australian landscapes, as depicted in Sir Hans Heysen paintings, also contributed to the McLeod's Daughters concept.
While the series was being developed, Kingsford, the property featured in the original telemovie, was put on the market. The Nine Network seized the opportunity to purchase the property in 1999, knowing that being able to film on a working farm would be fundamental to the success of the series.
Although the location remains the same as the telemovie, the characters in the series of McLeod's Daughters have been developed considerably and are played by a different cast.
Bridie Carter, who plays Tess Silverman McLeod, was a newcomer at the beginning of the series but has become a household name along with fellow cast newcomers Rachael Carpani and Myles Pollard. Simmone Jade Mackinnon, who joined the cast at the end of 2003, is fast becoming a recognised name. The highly talented Michala Banas joined the core cast in 2004.
Sonia Todd and Aaron Jeffery complete the core cast and bring diverse experience in both television and features films - contributing immeasurably to what Posie refers to as "a well-balanced cast". They are supported by experienced actors Marshall Napier and John Jarratt who play regular guest cast roles.
The four female leads carry the heart of each story throughout the series, which Posie believes reflects much of the truth of what's happening in Australia.
"The timing was right for this type of show - a rural-based series which showcases a predominately female cast and tells stories that reflect the lives and desires of contemporary Australian women," said Posie.
McLeod's Daughters is the first prime-time drama series to be filmed entirely in South Australia. The series, which is currently filming its fith series (August 2004 - June 2005 ), is a co-production between Millennium Television and Nine Films and Television, produced with the assistance of the South Australian Film Corporation.
