A Place to Call Home

***A Place to Call Home*** is an Australian television drama series that debuted on the Seven Network on Sunday 28 April 2013. Set in Country New South Wales in the period following World War II, it follows Sarah Adams (Marta Dusseldorp), who has returned to Australia after twenty years abroad to start a new life and ends up clashing with wealthy matriarch Elizabeth Bligh (Noni Hazlehurst). The main cast also consists of Brett Climo (George Bligh), Craig Hall (Dr. Jack Duncan), David Berry (James Bligh), Abby Earl (Anna Bligh), Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood (Olivia Bligh), Aldo Mignone (Gino Poletti) and Frankie J. Holden (Roy Briggs) It was created by Bevan Lee and has been described as a "compelling melodrama about love and loss set against the social change of the 1950s".

## **Production**

Development for *A Place to Call Home* began after Bevan Lee completed his "domestic trilogy" (*Always Greener, Packed to the Rafters*and*Winners & Losers*). He took inspiration from film director Douglas Sirk's 1950's films such as *Written on the Wind* (1956) and *All That Heaven Allows* (1955). Lee told *The Age* that he wanted to create a romance-driven melodrama based in the 1950s because people's lives in the present are "relatively bland". He said: "At the end of the day, conflict is drama and we live in relatively conflict-free society. I had to go to a place where there was pain and damage and hurt; after the war there was." The script is co-written by Lee and Trent Atkinson.

Noni Hazlehurst (Elizabeth Bligh) was the first cast member to be announced for A Place to Call Home, on 18 June 2012. Marta Dusseldorp (Sarah Adams), Brett Climo (George Bligh) and Frankie J. Holden (Roy Briggs) were announced a month later, with Dusseldorp leading the overall cast. Newcomers David Berry (James Bligh), Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood (Olivia Bligh), Abby Earl (Anna Bligh) and Aldo Mignone (Gino Poletti), made up the rest of the main cast.

*A Place to Call Home* is set in both the fictional estate Ash Park and the town of Inverness in country New South Wales. Camden and the Southern Highlands in New South Wales serves as the backdrop for Inverness. *Ash Park* is actually Camelot, a heritage-listed property located at Kirkham, on the outskirts of Camden. Filming for the first series began on 9 July 2012 and concluded on 12 December 2012. Series one was shot on a Sony F65 camera, becoming the first Australian television production to do so.

In June 2013, Erin McWhirter from *TV Week* announced that *A Place to Call Home* had been renewed for another season. Abby Earl told McWhirter, "We're locked in pre-production in August and then we start filming in September, so there's plenty of time for me to get back in Anna's shoes."  The second season started on 11 May 2014 and concluded on 13 July 2014.

*TV Week* confirmed that a third season had been commissioned. However, one month later, the magazine reported that Channel Seven had passed on the option to renew the series and had recently told the cast and crew they wouldn't be required for a third season.

On 15 October 2014, it was announced that Foxtel had finalised a deal with Channel Seven that would see a third series written by Bevan Lee, produced by Seven Productions, but aired on Foxtel. On 25 October 2014, The Daily Telegraph announced that *A Place to Call Home* was renewed for another two seasons and would return in late 2015, airing on Foxtel channel, SoHo. It was also announced that all the original cast & crew members would return.

On 16 August 2015 it was announced via the official Facebook page that Season 3 would premiere on Sunday 27 September 2015 at 8:30pm on the Foxtel channel, SoHo.

## **Broadcast**

*For the people, see List of Episodes.*
When Seven Network revealed its new television series lineup for 2012, A Place to Call Home was mentioned alongside other titles. Seven Network's Angus Ross said that it would potentially premiere in late 2012, but wouldn't rush the show to air by a certain date unless "casting and other elements" were right. The first series of A Place to Call Home consisted of thirteen episodes. The pilot episode was originally broadcast on 28 April 2013, in the 8:30 pm time slot (previously occupied by Downton Abbey).

## **Cast/Characters**

**For the most part, only the main cast and guest stars are included unless a co-star had a significant part in the show.** **Main cast listed in order they are credited, after that the list goes by number of appearances.**