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Friday Flashback: Frontline: “One Big Family”

It's 30 years since Frontline premiered.

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This week marks the 30th anniversary of Working Dog’s Frontline screening on ABC.

The now-legendary series ran for three sseasons, featuring Rob Sitch, Jane Kennedy, Alison Whyte, Tiriel Mora, Bruno Lawrence, Kevin J. Wilson, Steve Bisley, Santo Cilauro, Trudy Hellier, Pip Mushin, Torquil Neilson.

This clip sees the team in a faux-network promo, typical of the ’90s.

8 Responses

  1. I have these on DVD (yes I still use DVDs) and it is brilliant. No cheap laughs. Mike Moore was very realistic / plausible/ presented well usually when on air. – off air of course, a very different matter. The episode inspired by Mike Willisee and the hostage situation was confronting but a reminder how comedy can still have meaningful messages.

  2. Binged this last year and loved it all over again.

    I wish we could get an uncensored version without all of the naughties muted (minus the deliberate “on-air” bleeps that serve the story) as well as the documentary that was included in one of the VHS releases (but wasn’t included in the second series DVD set for whatever stupid reason), and any other bonuses that might be lurking in the vaults.

    It’s a shame that they filmed most of the show on what was likely to be crappy consumer-grade equipment, hence why most of the show looks shockingly bad visually, especially now with our massive HD/UHD TVs. If they wanted a “gritty” look, they should have filmed on better equipment and run it through consumer-grade equipment in post. Foresight was sadly virtually nonexistent in UK/Aussie TV. US shows pay for themselves over the decades with fresh new masters repeated ad infinitum while ours collect dust in the vaults (and that’s if the tapes were spared from getting wiped).

  4. I need to watch this again. A timeless classic. The Brooke lesbians in sport episode still cracks me up. Such joy and entertainment. Why we love Working Dog so much!! Bring Mike and co. Back for a few special eps I say

  5. I still can’t watch current affairs shows without referring back to Frontline. It’s become more of a doco to me than a comedy.

  6. Looks suspiciously similar to Seven’s ‘Discover’ package from the mid 90s

    Dare say that the Frontline promo, if it is indeed from 1994, precedes Seven’s package as the ‘Discover’ package didn’t launch until late December 94

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