AustLit
Film Details - Crawford Productions ; Nine Network , 1992-1993
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List of episodes (series one):
(Note: The following episode details and synopses are taken from material held in the Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection)
1. Master of My Fete (Vince Moran)
'Just as everyone is preoccupied with preparations for the local fete, Mrs. Peacock's latest man, Frederic Stocks arrives at Brindabella to announce their plans to marry. Stocks oozing charm is not enough to convince everyone of the sincerity of his feelings towards Mrs. Peacock and more than one member of the household recognises him for what he is ... a con-man. There is no doubt that the man is trouble and will have to go!'
2. Madame Rosamonda (Vince Moran)
'Psychic Medium, Madame Rosamunda, summons up more than a few ghosts when she holds seances at Brindabella. Is it really possible that she can call up Miss Scarlet's father from the dead? Exposing her as a fraud is not necessarily in everyone's best interests as she certainly seems to hold power over a number of people.'
3. A Nest of Vipers (Vince Moran)
'When journalist Janet Tipple visits Brindabella to write a newspaper article about Professor Plum and his research into snakes she seems to find more than just his reptiles of interest. She finds that other members of the Brindabella household have interesting stories to write about as well. It appears that more than one person has met Janet before.'
4. Greater Love Hath No Man (Or Woman) (Elizabeth Coleman)
'Isabella Goodley turns to Reverend Green for help when her father beats her and Mrs. Peacock happily provides a haven for her at Brindabella. But it seems that Isabella and her father are already known to most of the household and her presence has a strange effect on all concerned. Miss Scarlet finds it hard to believe that someone could really be that sickly-sweet and Colonel Mustard behaves distinctly oddly towards her.'
5. The Palms of an Architect (Tony Cavanaugh)
'Professor Plum and his brother Roger were once partners in a building firm but now they don't see eye to eye. Roger casts doubts on the Professor's architectural skills which causes Mrs Peacock to worry about the quality of the building works that Plum is carrying out at Brindabella. The brothers look very much alike. Is it possible that Miss Scarlet could be attracted to the wrong brother?
6. Goodwill to All Men ... and Women (Vince Moran)
'Wheel-chair bound Aunt Evelina invites herself to Brindabella for Christmas. Not that she is in a festive mood. She has brought with her a will in which Brindabella is left to her and not to Mrs. Peacock as previously thought. But is this new will genuine and what skeletons does Evelina set free from the cupboard by her arrival? Her bitterness about not inheriting Brindabella certainly makes her unlikeable but would anyone want to kill her?'
'Ms Peacock allows Colonel Mustard's daughter Jan to hold her wedding at Brindabella. The wedding plans go awry when Jan and her intended, Michael find differences in their plans for the wedding and when both re-discover old loves. A death doesn't help either! Everyone would appear to have good grounds to commit murder to stop this wedding.'
8. The Axeman Cometh (Ray Boseley)
'A motor-cycle accident brings rockstar, Axman Hackett, lead singer of the Heavy Metal band The Lacerators, to Brindabella to recuperate. His deafening music and his vulgar ways bring out the worst in people and the residents of Brindabella are no exception. It seems that Hackett has been known to several of the household in the past and none of the memories are find ones. Could it be that Axman Hackett really is an agent of the Devil?'
9. The First Lady (Vince Moran)
'Harold Phelan is about to be elected leader of his party and so stands to become Prime Minister. The only barrier seems to be his lack of a spouse and that brings him to Brindabella in search of a wife. The smooth-talking politician seems to have a hold over several of the Brindabella household and any number of them would happily see the last of him.'
10. The Man Who Knew Too Much (Graeme Farmer)
'Miss Scarlet hires a private detective, Robert Smale, to investigate Professor Plum to see if he is indeed misusing her money behind her back. It is not only the Professor who become the subjects [sic] of Smale's investigations. Smale seems to know a great deal about the residents of Brindabella and in the process manages to irritate everyone with his charmless ways.'
11. Ars Longa, Vita Brevis (Graeme Farmer)
'Art expert, Charles Latan, is introduced to the Brindabella household by Professor Plum. He has come to study and copy Mrs. Peacock's pride and joy ... a Van Gogh self-portrait. His paintings and drawings of the folk at Brindabella cause much outrage. His portrait of Miss Scarlet is unlikely to win an Archibald Prize and his manners are unlikely to win any other prizes either.'
This episode was also known as 'Still Life'.
12. A Body to Die For (Victoria Madden)
'Miss Scarlet employs muscular aerobics expert, Dr. "Gorgeous" George Guise, to teach health and fitness to everyone at Brindabella. George takes over the household with such insensitivity that there is no option but to get rid of him, especially when he shows himself as he really is ... a bundle of vanity.'
13.The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (Karin Altmann)
'Bridge expert, Matilda Mayberry manages to fit in a little spy work between her bridge games and probably knows too much for her own good. She certainly aroses passions amongst the Brindabella household with her individual bridge technique, her smooth sexuality ... and her fur coat.'
This episode was also known as 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters'.
List of episodes (series two):
(Note: The following episodes titles and synopses are taken from material held in the Crawford Collection at the AFI Research Collection, which unfortunately does not have complete information on the script-writers for this series).
14. Busy Body
'Miss Scarlet's Great Aunt, Angela Gribble, arrives at Brindabella. Her talent for uncovering the most unsavoury aspects of people's pasts to solicit funds for her own private pension scheme makes her presence unwanted.'
15. Red Herrings
'Mrs. Peacock is honoured to acquire the services of the high priestess of haute cuisine, Billie Lovett, but her man-eating ways, not to mention her drinking and high-handed manners puts all the Brindabellans at odds.'
16. False Profits
'When Mrs. Peacock becomes a disciple of Ishtar, a New Wave mystic, who preaches liberation through joy, female vegetables and the rejection of men, life at Brindabella becomes intolerable. The woman has to go.'
17. The Pay-Off
'Anita Lockheart arrives to make a documentary at Brindabella, but what she plans to reveal about the family and friends makes her presence there, undesirable.'
18. Poison Pen
'Bruno Fume will do anything for a big story - much to the discomfort of all at Brindabella. Can he be stopped, or will his presence lead to death?'
19. Sparks
'When Joe Martini, a good-looking electrician, rewires the house, his presence certainly causes sparks among the women, much to the men's horror. When embers are stirred, a fire can begin, but who will get burnt. [sic]
20. To Sleep, Perchance to Dream (Michael Harvey)
'A private performance of the great death scenes by the great Shakespearean actor, Sebastian Smith, sets the stage for a more realistic finale from this life.'
Note: This episode was also known as 'Murder Most Foul'.
21. A Brush with Death (Karin Altmann)
'Gloria Chase is a hairdresser and dancing teacher with a wicked set of morals. Her arrival at Brindabella upsets a number of wedding plans.'
22. With a Smile on His Dial (Elizabeth Coleman)
'Buzz Bradshaw III was featured millionaire in this month's International Right Wing Weekly. His past and present interactions leads [sic] everyone to want to see the end of him.'
23. Where There's a Will
'Clarry Trotter was once the local butcher but is now a multi-millionaire. Everyone has a chance to ingratiate themselves to him and to make up for past indiscretions.'
24. Hush Hush Sweet Scarlett
'Tom Branchflower is the son of the previous gardener at Brindabella who died in a fire. He returns to the house to work as the gardener and to claim what he believes is his.'
25. Death and Taxes
'Fergus Featherstone is a tax man who is not opposed to a little blackmail and makes a few enemies as a result'.
