The Truckies

The Truckies is an Australian television drama which first screened on the ABC in 1978.[1]

The Truckies
GenreDrama
Country of originAustralia
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes12
Production
Executive producerOscar Whitbread
ProducerJohn Gauci
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkABC
Original release31 July (1978-07-31) –
16 October 1978 (1978-10-16)

Premise

The Truckies was about the pressures of life on the road for transport driver Chris and his wife Carol.[2]

Cast

Production

It was executive produced by Oscar Whitbread and was made by several of the team behind the TV show Power Without Glory.[3]

Episodes
  1. Running In (31 July 1978) - w Keith Thompson dir John Gauci. Chris and Stokey deal with the Devlin brothers.[4]
  2. Prime Movers (7 Aug 1978) - w Keith Thompson d Douglas Sharp.[5]
  3. Short Haul (14 Aug 1978)
  4. Rear Vision (21 Aug 1978)
  5. Country Music (28 Aug 1978) - w Michael Aitkens d John Gauci.
  6. Road Games (4 Sept 1978) - w Everett de Roche, d Michael Ludbrook.
  7. Hitching Up (11 Sept 1978)
  8. Heat Wave (18 Sept 1978)
  9. Brumby Run (25 Sept 1978)
  10. Road to Naragoona (2 Oct 1978) - Chris and Stokey both find romance when they break down in a small town.
  11. Thunderplain Stallion (9 Oct 1978) - Chris and Stokey escort a racehorse.
  12. Final Payment (16 October 1978) - Chris finds out Carol is pregnant.

Reception

Reviewing the first episode the Sun Herald said "the ABC has gone down market... the people at whom this series is aimed would rarely turn to the ABC."[6]

Critique

John Wood later recalled: "I thought it was a tremendously innovative show, but it came aground on the reef of ABC internal politics. Obviously there were things wrong with it, and I guess by going for truthfulness they stuffed up in a sense, because one of the problems in driving along in a truck and doing different angles and two shots and reverses is that it's totally impossible to match the engine revs at any time. But apart from that problem of not being able to match the soundtrack, I thought it was a wonderful show. Unfortunately it caused a lot of havoc, because the guy who took over as head of drama in Sydney had been an ex-sound recordist, and he regarded it as beneath his 'golden standard', so he was very willing to sabotage it. And it was a great excuse for the Sydney mob to say you stuffed up down there."[7]

References
  1. "Truckies in TV payroll keep series on the road". The Age. 16 March 1978. p. 38.
  2. "Australian Television: The Truckies".
  3. "TELEVISION That tedious cleric trundled out again". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 15, 657. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 August 1978. p. 17. Retrieved 29 February 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "TELEVISION That tedious cleric trundled out again". The Canberra Times. Vol. 52, no. 15, 657. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 4 August 1978. p. 17. Retrieved 26 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. "LOOK IN on your week of television". The Bananacoast Opinion. No. 184. New South Wales, Australia. 2 August 1978. p. 16. Retrieved 26 June 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Hogan, Christine (31 July 1978). "Truckies hits the highway". Sun Herald TV Guide. p. 1.
  7. "John Wood intvw".
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