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Wild Boys drama riding to Seven

Exclusive: Seven's next drama series turns back the clock with horses, gold, bushrangers, power, corruption and 4 sexy colonial boys.

EXCLUSIVE: The Seven Network’s next drama series will boldly step back in time, with an Australian colonial western.

Wild Boys will combine horses, gold, bushrangers, power and corruption -all set against the backdrop of an 1850s penal system.

At the heart of the series are four young men, Jack, Dan, Conrad and Captain Gunpowder, determined to keep ahead of the troopers or wind up at the end of a noose.

Expect guns, knives, fights, gambling, romance, revenge and weapons.  Gold, land and power are up for grabs. The towns and highways 
are ruled by bushrangers. The guys are sexy, the authority corrupt, and the lead female, Mary, is a single mother with a business to run.

The Southern Star series is produced by Sarah Smith and Julie McGauran, both of whom are producing Rescue Special Ops for Nine. Smith also worked on The Alice and McLeod’s Daughters, while McGauan also produced Out of the Blue.

The series is due to begin shooting in late March, with cast to undergo training in horses and weaponry beforehand.

A colonial drama series has not been attempted on Australian television for some time, but Seven has a history of successful genre pieces including Cash and Co., Tandarra, All the Rivers Run, Five Mile Creek and the classic miniseries Against the Wind, while Nine had a hit with The Man from Snowy River. There are rumours Nine will announce a period edition of Underbelly, centering around Squizzy Taylor.

Last week Seven CEO David Leckie told media the network had a new drama project in the works, declining to disclose any details but noting it was “fantastic.”

It would likely premiere in the second half of 2011.

57 Responses

  1. Daniel MacPherson is a little talent riding the horse into a fight with only one foot in a stirup. The left stirup was swinging free when they raced thru the creek. I am no horseman, but he had balance when I think I would have fallen off. On the Farmer fighting off the horseman riding around the house, George had a Shotgun when he took a round to the chest, they were not willing to shoot to kill or injure which is as it should be, but I am sure after shooting rabbit for a feed and roo as a pest he would have done damage to those five (only) horsemen. Love the show but , they can,t shoot for nuts.

  2. wild boys is a great show, with great actors and actresses in it. lets hope that they dont over do it like they usually do in drama shows. i dont think anyone wants this one axed. 🙂

  3. Its a good show but they really need a better technical advisor. The current ad they have on tv shows a cap and ball pistol being fired with out any caps installed. youd think they would be more carful on putting somthing like this on air.

  4. Let us see. To me it seems like Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Rush (Jon English 70s version, that was a classic), Maverick and any other US cowboy show rolled into one. Australian history was never that exciting. Outlaws and bushrangers are not to be glorified (or are we attempting to repaint history to be pc?).

  5. How original another story about a hard done by criminal, being chased by the corrupt law. Underbelly in the 1800s, producers should watch Deadwood to get a fell for realistic TV rather than Home and Away during the gold rush.

  6. Thanks @huxta for mentioning the Clarke Brothers real bushrangers the book about them is awesome I am very proud of my family heritage. Kylie

  7. As a great great grandaughter of the one of the infamous Clarke Brothers I am so excited to see this show, bush ranging is my family history. Bring it on.

  8. Sounds great! A bit old fashioned which would capture audiences that are over all the 21st century murder/ crimes scenes etc.

    Australia has produced some great films this could be a winner..

    Is there an age restriction for children to audition?

  9. The basics sound OK but really, Captain Gunpowder? Who came up with that ? Why do we need some fantasy tale? Bone up on the Clarke Brothers and their Connell relatives. There is all the blood and guts, corrupt police etc. you could ever wish for. Let’s hope it wont be another farce like “Bushranger” c.1970’s (starred Leonard Teale, Max Osbiston etc.)

  10. Like everything else, it will be low budget and average with the same people we have always seen. Not even based on fact or real bushrangers like Mad Dog Morgan or Frank Gardiner or even Captain Moonlite.

  11. Someone please stop these two from creating anything on the subject of bushrangers/aussie history etc. rescue special ops is the worst worst show ive ever seen- bad writing, stupid characters and ridiculous storylines. and judging from the name ‘captain gunpowder’ this show will be no better.

  12. Congratulations Channel 7 for making the bold move to steer away from cop shows! The market has been totally saturated with cop shows and finally a network has decided to try something new. Packed To Th Rafters is a ratings hit as so will Winners And Losers be. It’s definitely time for a drama series set in the 1850’s!! I for one can’t wait to see this new program! Hopefully other networks will follow suit. I hear Channel 10 has a new drama series in development stages called Inside Out which is being compared to the 80’s Prisoner. Sounds like things are looking up for Australian drama in 2011!!!

  13. Agree @ Alex- This would be much better on Channel 9, they do this stuff better than channel who are always pretty cheap with their budgets and never shoot on film hich a series like this defintiely needs to be shot on. It will just look cheap and tacky shot on video.

  14. Like most people I’m hoping for a “real” version, not a “chocolate box” version of our history. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if they actually had realistic characters of the time, not modern characters transported back. For example, in the early years, there were not a lot of European women outside of old Sydney town + Parramatta, and the result was the abuse of a lot of indigenous woman and younger males, and the development of the great tradition of “mateship”. Will they be brave enough to show this? I doubt it, but I live in hope that one day TV will try and teach us, through drama, about our history, and not be another Whiplash!!!

  15. This sounds very encouraging – an avoidance of contemporary police/medical style programs can only be a good thing.

    It will be important though for it to be scrupously accurate from an historical perspective (unlike Underbelly 2) and this would suggest the need for a massive budget if it is to be done well. I hope seven are willing to put some serious money into this.

    Now all we need is a good Aussie science fiction drama and television may be watchable once again.

  16. @Ronnie & JB – I would love for this to be an Australian Deadwood but I seriously doubt that the people behind McLeod’s Daughters and Rubbish Special Ops are capable of producing something that gritty and real. Obviously we shouldn’t rush to judgement, but i wouldn’t be holding my breath either.

  17. I agree alfagirl but I’m hoping it’s more like Rush (the John Waters show from the 70s for those of you who are too young to know) than McLeods!! Now that’s what we need – Rush and lets face it can you actually make an Aussie dramedy without John Waters these days???

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