Matlock Police tackle a crime wave on DVD
The sixth DVD box set of the classic Australian police drama Matlock Police has just gone on sale in the UK, and the country coppers are run off their feet trying to maintain law and order.
Detective Steve York (Tom Richards) and Constable Gary Hogan (Paul Cronin) put their lives on the line as they take to a canoe and attempt to apprehend a trigger happy gunman who makes his escape via a treacherous stretch of water. Steve later finds himself well and truly in the drink when he shoots a rogue whilst off duty and is then accused of professional misconduct. Elsewhere concerns begin mounting for Gary when he disappears whilst conducting a routine investigation.
Meanwhile young women are being sexually assaulted by a perverted monster, big city drug barons attempt to set up business in Matlock, and local residents begin complaining about the weird goings on at a nearby hillbilly camp. A farmer who is on his uppers turns to hijacking trucks in order to make ends meet, a sly grog and prostitution racket is exposed, and the police need to close down a backyard abortion set-up.
Tom Richards
Two hoons rob a doctor and unwittingly make off with a phial containing a deadly specimen of meningitis, the discarded body of a dead baby is uncovered just before another goes missing, and Sergeant Bert Kennedy (Vic Gordon) suspects that some of the locals have been in the sun too long when a number of UFO sightings are reported. The action continues to hot up when a gang of teenage bogans go on a sickening rampage of robbery and violence before indulging themselves in a full on sex orgy. The men of the district have to watch their backs after several males are violently attacked by two female bash artists.
A host of your favourite stars make guest appearances in this DVD box set including Lew Luton from ATV’s soap opera Crossroads, Briony Behets from Families, Joanne Samuel from The Young Doctors, Andrew McFarlane from The Sullivans, and John Diedrich from Bluey. Judy Nunn and Cornelia Frances from Home & Away find themselves embroiled in the police investigations, as do Leila Hayes from Sons & Daughters, Gordon Glenwright from Carson’s Law, and Anne Haddy from Neighbours. Fans of The Flying Doctors will spot Maurie Fields and Val Jellay, whilst those of you who remember Prisoner: Cell Block H will be treated to performances by Elspeth Ballantyne, Gerard Maguire and Anne Phelan.
Other well-known faces that crop up include Noel Ferrier, Enid Lorimer, Bill Hunter, Kris McQuade, Wendy Hughes, and John Ewart. The late Vic Gordon played the dependable Senior Sergeant Bert Kennedy throughout the entire run of Matlock Police. Tom Richards says, “Vic was a great man, a lovely person and so funny. He taught me so much about timing when we were working together on the show.”
Paul Cronin
Born in England, Vic enjoyed a successful career over here as a comic and vaudeville star. Whilst serving King and country during the Second World War he met his future comedy partner Peter Colville and together they would top the bill at theatres and clubs nationwide. They entertained over a million patrons and gave 777 performances of the revue Piccadilly Hayride at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London before embarking on a number one tour.
Gordon and Colville found regular employment at the BBC. They were frequently booked on to radio programmes such as Workers’ Playtime for the BBC Home Service, and proved equally popular on television performing sketches for younger viewers on the BBC Children’s Television Theatre, Hopscotch and Studio E.
Vic and Peter weren’t just confined to children’s television. One particularly good production they starred in for BBC Television was called Revels of 1956, this one-off special featured members of the Grand Order of the Water Rats performing some of their best work. Others appearing on the impressive bill included Charlie Chester, Lupino Lane, Jon Pertwee, Wilfred Pickles, Billy Cotton and Johnny Lockwood.
In 1959 Vic, Peter and Vikki Hammond (who later starred as landlady Maggie Hayward in The Sullivans) travelled to Australia when they were booked to tour the Tivoli Theatre circuit. Vic became a familiar face on Australian television with programmes such as Top of the Town, and the children’s series The Happy Show for HSV7.
Paul Cronin and Vic Gordon
His television acting credits included roles in Neighbours, Blue Heelers, Holiday Island, Prisoner: Cell Block H, Young Ramsay and Hunter. Vic’s fans will be pleased to know that he can be seen in a number of Crawford DVD releases, he appears in The Flying Doctors, All the Rivers Run, Bluey, Carson’s Law (Volumes 3 & 7), Division 4 (Volumes 1-4), Homicide (Volumes 3-6 and 8-11), The Sullivans (Volumes 8, 12, and 18) and of course all of the releases of Matlock Police.
Matlock Police Volume 6 and a goldmine of other Australian television classics can be ordered in the UK exclusively from Eaton Films. Those of you who are based in Australasia can obtain your copies from Crawford DVD.