| Barrier Reef | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | "Minus Five" |
| Genre | Adventure |
| Created by | Fauna Productions |
| Developed by | John McCallum and Lee Robinson |
| Directed by | |
| Creative directors |
|
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Eric Jupp |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Production locations | North Queensland, Great Barrier Reef |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company | D.L. Taffner |
| Original release | |
| Network | The 0-10 Network |
| Release | 12 February 1971 (1971-02-12) – 2 May 1972 (1972-05-02) |
Barrier Reef was an Australian television series that was first screened domestically in 1971.[1] However, 19 episodes had already premiered on British television on BBC1 between 5 October 1970 and 15 February 1971 and four more aired between 5 April and 3 May 1971 in advance of Australian broadcast.
Barrier Reef was about a group of marine biologists on board a sailing ship called theNew Endeavour,[2] researching around theGreat Barrier Reef, offQueensland, Australia."It was the first series in the world to feature extensive colour underwater filming on location".[3]
Filming for the series began atHayman Island in September 1969.[4] The show was almost entirely filmed in North Queensland and at the time the show was reported to be the most expensive series ever produced in Australia and one of the few Australian series to be produced outside Sydney or Melbourne.Barrier Reef was produced by Fauna Productions who also created the uniquely Australian hit TV seriesSkippy the Bush Kangaroo, using some of the same crew and cast members.[5]
Like theSkippy series,Barrier Reef showcased iconic Australian locations in colour film as the series was intended for an international audience (despite Australia not broadcasting colour television at that time). The show was screened in many countries across the world, giving international audiences a glimpse of what the stereotypical Australia was like.[6]
The show was originally calledMinus 5.[7]
In contrast to TV shows likeRiptide orThe Outsiders this series was made in Australia, using Australian scripts, featuring Australianleading actors, and covering scientific topics that were uncommon on TV. It was broadcast byBBC, in the US byNBC, and also by TV stations inCanada,Japan,South America, South Africa and numerous European countries.[3] The series had 39 episodes.[4] It wasre-run in various markets for many years.
In 1976 Robinson said the series had just recovered its costs.[8]
Barrier Reef was sold to over fifty countries, including Britain where it was screened by the BBC. In the U.S. it was picked up by NBC, who were impressed by the underwater scenes, which they called 'glug glug'. Other countries that bought the series included Canada, Japan, South America, South Africa and most of Europe.