The Outsiders

Rich kid Pete Jarrett is bored with his comfortable existence and wants to know the meaning of life and on hand to help him is his grandfather Charlie (played by Andrew Keir) along with his Holden Ute which takes them both for adventures all around the Australian outback...

It was a mainstay of British afternoon TV in the seventies and the one thing I loved about it as a kid was the soundtrack and the end credits (loved the programme I must say...) where it started with the moving wheels of the ute and it would pan away as it became smaller and smaller and all you would see in this great, big, hot, dry, immense country and the glaring sun... and I was like - give me some of that!

Never got round to it though - wish they would bring this out on DVD too.

Yeah great cult TV series. Great atmosphere, top script and good performances make this a class A candidate for DVD release.

This is a seminal tour de force of Australian TV history and has that unforgettable groovy period piece soundtrack with Doug Parkinson's gravel and phlegm voice spewing 70's Australiana all over your cathode ray box as a amazingly long camera zoom out reveals the religion of the open road in all its Antipodean glory. This is a memento from another and not too distant era, and has the proud stamp of the land mighty Down Under from start to finish in all its raw freedom and gritty grandeur.

Come on ABC! Get with the program and release this cool 70's cult baby for all to enjoy - or re-enjoy if you're lucky enough to have lived the dream at the time.

21 year old Peter Jarrett (Sascha Hehn) is expected to tow the line and follow his father Harry (Ray Barrett) into the family business but Peter is more interested in learning about his grandfather Charlie Cole (Andrew Keir) who had a falling out with Harry some years ago. An argument between Peter and his father ensues resulting in Peter taking an EH Holden Ute from his father's car yard and setting off in search of his grandfather.

Peter eventually finds his grandfather and the two travel around Australia picking up whatever work they can as they go, working as anything from shearing roustabouts to local politician! The Outsiders is excellent escapist entertainment for anyone who ever dreamed of just jumping in a car and going wherever the road may take them. It is full of rich Australian outback scenery and attitudes with a character reminiscent of an Australia which might be depicted by the likes of Henry Lawson and Banjo Patterson, had they lived and written in the 1970's.

The series features appearances from John Jarrett, David Gulpilil, and Tom Oliver amongst others. It comprises just 13 episodes which originally aired during the 3 months from 9 November 1976 to 1 February 1977. If the ABC had of persisted with this series and promoted it better, I have no doubt it would now be a cult classic.

I would like to know if "The Outsiders" (Australian TV series) will ever be released on DVD sometime in the future? And is the music (Title Theme) available on CD?

There was only one series of 13 episodes of this drama and should have gone on to at least three or even four series in total.

The Young German Actor in the series was also in a German TV series called "Black Forest Clinic" which aired here in the UK with English dialogue superimposed with the lip-sync.

I look forward to hearing any comments from TV Industry personnel on the above questions, thank you in advance.

I saw it on the ABC during a summer school holiday about the late 80's. I purchased a similar car a few years later. 1963 Eh Holden. Plus have done many outback trips in that car. Only selling it a few years ago. I Just saw the opening credits on YouTube. It bring back so many memories. I wish I could bye that show on DVD or see again.

The Outsiders is the story of Charlie Cole and his grandson Pete Jarrett as they travel around Australia from place to place, job to job, and adventure to adventure. Charlie has been on the road for most of his life - ever since he migrated from Scotland in his youth. Charlie thinks Australia is too big a country to waste your life in one place.