Holiday Island

Arguably the worst series ever made for Australian TV. Supposedly set on a tropical island most of it was filmed in Melbourne in winter, if you look closely you can see the actor's breath in several takes and no-one ever goes swimming! A total ratings bomb with characters being written out of the series at the average rate of two an episode towards its end.

I absolutely loved this show. It's corny and cheesy, something the eighties were known for. I came into watching it a month, after it's start, and from there I became an avid fan. I would of loved to have seen it from the start with it's pilot. Boasting an interesting cast, the most impressive of course being Steven Grives as the scheming con man, Jason Scott, who fled the mainland and hid out on this fascinating resort, this show really got panned. I remember being in grade seven at the time, and each of us had to tell the teacher our favorite current soapie, where at the end there was a tally for each of them. Holiday Island got one vote, yeah from me. I was actually dumbstruck. There's an interesting array of characters, from an interesting array of good actors. Caz Lederman was so hot, as Jason's ex wife. She maintained her beauty for years after, and probably to this day, still does. Jason, the envy of a lot of guys, was always bedding hot women, even the sexy Gaylor Martin as Kylie Mccarthur. The ongoing stories were great, though 64 shows were shown out of 80. The shock episode of course was the third to last shown where the cabin cruiser Jason and Angela were on, blew up, where Angela's body was never recovered. What a turning point, huh. Angela was about to marry Neil (Nick Tate), Jason's brother, and owner of the resort. They had bought the dress, prior to the boat explosion. I would love to get every episode of this show on DVD. And if anyone out there knows where I could acquire it, I'd be truly thankful. The music score was great too, and we had "Hey Hey, It's Saturday's" John Blackman. Don't sell this show short. Watch it, and you might become addicted like I was. Great 80's camp with atmosphere, hot women, rivalry, etc. What more could you ask for?

I also have fond memories of this long lost gem of Australian Television. So many of the cast from this show went onto bigger and better things this show in many ways is like an old school album documenting that innocent time before everyone went out onto the world's stage. Like old Aussie movies such as PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK this series is also like a time capsule - capturing a far more innocent and simpler time in Australia. The rivalry and battles between the two brothers played by Steven Grives and Nick Tate was surely one of the most underrated hate feasts ever put on the screen. Question is "Where and how can you buy it now on DVD?"