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Clip description
On the road into Mount Thomas, PJ Hasham (Martin Sacks) and Nick Schultz (William McInnes) pull over a young woman for a random breath test. PJ attempts to flirt with the stranger, only to discover that she is soon to be his new workmate. Constable Maggie Doyle (Lisa McCune) continues into town and arrives at the Imperial Hotel, run by Chris Reilly (Julie Nihill).
Curator’s notes
In its first episode, Blue Heelers needed to establish its identity – and a lot is packed into these first few minutes. They set the scene, establish themes and introduce us to several central characters. The country Australian milieu is emphasised through establishing shots and music and cemented further with Maggie’s introduction to the footy-loving, beer-drinking town culture at the Imperial. Her arrival as an outsider and the sexist attitudes she’s greeted with kick-start themes for the episode to explore.
There’s added entertainment with the knowledge in hindsight that these characters were to become icons of Australian television. The playful encounter between Maggie and PJ foreshadows their romance in later seasons, although this was not yet envisioned by the series creators. And Julie Nihill’s friendly publican was a mainstay of the series for its duration.
