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10 announces new drama co-production Riptide

4 part thriller is the first of three new drama co-productions between Network 10 and Channel 5 UK.

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Network 10 and the UK’s Channel 5 have again joined forces to co-produce a miniseries, Riptide, a thriller starring Peter O’Brien, Pia Miranda, Ally Fowler,  and UK actor, Jo Joyner.

The first of two Fremantle Australia drama series commissioned by Channel 5 and Network 10 in 2022, the four-part series was created by Jason Herbison (Neighbours, Lie With Me).

Jo Joyner (EastEnders, Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators, Stay Close) features in the lead role of Alison.

She is joined by Ciaran Griffiths (Ghost Seekers, Shameless), Australian actors Peter O’Brien (Neighbours, Winter, Unusual Suspects), Ally Fowler (Neighbours, Wentworth), Pia Miranda (Mustangs FC, Wentworth), David Berry (A Place to Call Home, Outlander), rising stars Benny Turland (Neighbours, Home and Away), Asher Yasbincek (The Heights), Yazeed Daher (The Hunting, Safe Harbour) and newcomers Sonya Suares and Benjamin Samaddar.

Filmed in Melbourne, Alison’s life is plunged into despair when her new Australian husband vanishes after a morning surf. Did he get caught in a dangerous riptide, or is there more to his disappearance than meets the eye?

Directing is Scott Major (Lie With Me, Neighbours) with Natalie Mandel (Lie With Me, Wanted) as producer. Fremantle will distribute the series internationally. Casting by Thea McLeod.

Daniel Monaghan, SVP Content and Programming, Paramount Australia and New Zealand, said: “It is wonderful to be working closely with Channel 5 and Fremantle Australia on this fantastic new drama series. We have a strong and trusted relationship and have produced many stellar drama series together in the past. Riptide will continue that great partnership.”

Jason Herbison, Executive Producer, Fremantle Australia added: “I’m thrilled to continue the partnership with Channel 5 and 10 and to bring Riptide to life. It’s the best of British meeting the best of Australian casts and crews – and I can’t wait for the audience to see what we have in store.”

Greg Barnett, Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment, Unscripted, Channel 5 and Paramount+ commented: “Lie With Me proved incredibly popular with our viewers and I’m looking forward to expanding our drama slate even further, working hand in hand with our production partners Fremantle Australia and Network 10. Jo is an incredible talent, and I can’t wait to see what she brings to this role.”

Jo Joyner said: “I am really excited to be working with the fantastic teams at Fremantle, Channel 5 and 10 in Australia, and playing Alison. She is such a warm and layered character whose world is turned upside down, just when it seemed like her life was finally coming together. I am also thrilled to be filming in the fabulous city of Melbourne and surrounding countryside, an area that I have always wanted to explore.”

The series, which emerges from the Neighbours production universe, comes as the long-running soap takes its final bow, after Channel 5 said it wanted to focus on local drama. But this 4 hour spend is considerably less than 200+ episodes a year.

Riptide will be filmed exclusively in Victoria, and has received financial investment from VicScreen.

Production will start this month. Details of the second series will be released later this year.

9 Responses

  1. The name Riptide was first used for an Australian drama produced in 1970. It was made in colour five years before the launch of colour TV in Australia in order to sell to overseas markets. In 1975 a few days after colour TV started in March, CTC 7 in Canberra started showing it at 5 PM weekdays as a lead in to their local and national news

  4. This is Viacom’s plan to reposition Channel 5 so it can compete against the BBC and ITV for prime time drama, while trying to meet the local points for Channel 10 and keep their broadcast licence, while spending as little of their own money as possible. As a vertically intergrated global business, they can claim local productions subsidies, foreign subsidies, Screen Australia and Vicscreen funding, and use transfer pricing and other dodgie accounting to not only never pay a cent in tax, but generate write-off to avoid other tax they owe. Still they are keep some old soap actors of the dole.

    1. “and use transfer pricing and other dodgie accounting to not only never pay a cent in tax” Yep these Dutch companies are wonderful things when it comes to transfer pricing, tax, etc. “On 16 November 2017 the purchase by CBS was completed and shares (in 10) were transferred to CBS Network 10 BV, a company registered in the Netherlands”. (Wikipedia)

  5. Jason Herbison is obviously an Eastenders fan casting Charlie Brooks and then Jo Joiner as his leads along with Neighbours Alumni. When was Benny Turland in Home and Away?

  6. Certainly seems to be an increasing trend for Aussie dramas with a British lead. Obvious why in this case given the shared ownership but also happening where there isn’t common ownership such as for Katherine Parkinson in Clickbait (for C4) and with Sally Phillips in How to Please a Woman (for Sky).

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