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Clip description
After being told that her dead husband’s business has collapsed, widow Gabrielle King (Fiona Terry) and her pompous, daughter Gemma (Hollie Chapman) learn that they have inherited a property in Australia. Gemma is devastated but younger brother Gregory (Liam Hess) is ready for the adventure.
Curator’s notes
This clip plays on the comic stereotypes of the upper-class English mother and her toffee-nosed brat daughter. Superbly played by Hollie Chapman, the character of Gemma is in many ways a younger version of the similarly stereotyped character of Penelope Townes played by English actor Alexandra Milman in the ACTF’s(Australian Children’s Television Foundation) The Genie From Down Under (1995). Gemma has some great comic moments and Hollie Chapman must have had fun playing this utterly over-the-top character. The talents of young Liam Hess who won an AFI award for his role as Gregory in this series are also showcased. The fast-forward footsteps are a feature of the series, as are exaggerated sound effects. Gregory’s direct address to the camera establishes him as a main character in the ensemble cast.
