Halifax f.p.
Halifax f.p. is an Australian television crime series produced by Nine Network from 1994 to 2002. The series stars Rebecca Gibney as Doctor Jane Halifax, a forensic psychiatrist investigating cases involving the mental state of suspects or victims. The series is set in Melbourne. The show was a series of 21 television films, between 90 and 102 minutes each, with a new "episode" airing every few months during its eight-year run. The series aired in more than 60 countries.
Halifax f.p. | |
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Genre | Crime |
Created by | Roger Simpson |
Starring | Rebecca Gibney |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 6 |
No. of episodes | 21 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Running time | 90 to 120 minutes |
Production company(s) | Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier |
Distributor | Beyond International |
Release | |
Original network | Nine Network |
Original release | 9 October 1994 –
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The producers of the film were Beyond Simpson Le Mesurier; Australian Film Finance Corporation and aired on the Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd. The budget for each episode was an average of AU$1.3 million. Funding came in part from the Australian Film Finance Corporation and Film Victoria.[1]
Episodes
The series follows the career of Dr. Jane Halifax (Rebecca Gibney), a forensic psychiatrist. Her qualifications in the series are listed as MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) and FRABZCP (Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists). Halifax is Melbourne-based and is shown living at Jensen House, 339 Swanston Street opposite the State Library of Victoria. Her offices, staffed by receptionist Georgia (Susanne Chapman), are shown as located in Causeway House, 304-306 Little Collins Street. She owns and drives a Jaguar Mark 2, and in episode 1, a book she wrote as an undergraduate (The Preppie Rapist) is mentioned in a court case where she appears as an expert.
(Note: Telemovies listed chronologically by year, with release dates by the Australian Television archive).[2]
1994
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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1 | 1 | "Acts of Betrayal" | Paul Moloney | Roger Simpson | 9 November 1994 | |
The series commences with Halifax acting as an expert witness at the State Court in the murder case of an upcoming politician. A psychology colleague and ex- boyfriend (Andrew McFarlane) becomes romantically involved with a patient (Sophie Lee) who is run over and killed by his car in front of his practice. He confesses to Halifax his affair then requests patient-client confidentiality and her help, which becomes problematic when the police begin to suspect his involvement after learning of the victim's pregnancy. However, after trying to deflect blame on his patient's boyfriend, he finally admits to the killing and suicides off a beach cliff to protect his family. |
1995
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
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2 | 1 | "Words Without Music" | Mike Smith | David Boutland | 22 March 1995 | |
Halifax travels to HM Prison Campaspe to assess a prisoner on behalf of the parole board. Unconvinced by his reform and conversion to Christianity, she recommends denying him to the board who are in favour of his release. Meanwhile, at a nearby private grammar school for boys, Halifax is asked to provide grief counselling after the untimely death of a senior teacher (Adrian Wright). Halifax, aided by the local police sergeant (John Walton) uncover the deceased's rivalry with another teacher (Nicholas Eadie) for the principal's job. The murder of a student, however, leads her to uncover an Illuminati-style student group and a troubled student willing to kill to keep their secrets safe. | ||||||
3 | 2 | "The Feeding" | Steve Jodrell | Mac Gudgeon | 26 April 1995 | |
Halifax is called in to assist the police team set up to deal with the 'Make-up serial killer' after the death of seven women in six months. The Premier of Victoria (Peter Adams), aware of the PR implications of the case, also has a rogue cop from Sydney, Jonah Cole (Steve Bisley), brought in to apply his unorthodox approaches to the hunt too. Cole quickly detects an unusual lanolin smell on the victims though his instinct-based approaches soon lead to tension with the science-based Halifax. A mentally unstable suspect (Frances O'Connor) is soon apprehended and Halifax is able to uncover a sad history of incest and abuse within her family, leading to a fatal showdown at the Goldsbrough Mort Woolstore. | ||||||
4 | 3 | "My Lovely Girl" | Brendan Maher | David Boutland | 26 April 1995 | |
A former patient of Halifax's colleague (Paul Sonkkila) brutally kills a nurse, sparking a media debate about the early release of mentally ill criminals. The spotlight then moves to Halifax's ex-patient (Ben Mendelsohn), now a music student, and his girlfriend (Amanda Douge), a fellow student at the conservatory. The presenter of City Tonight (Robert Hughes), stirs the debate and invites Halifax onto his show but ambushes her by also inviting the parents of the woman Halifax's patient killed. Halifax works to help her patient cope with the stress of the media attention and consequent relationship troubles, and exposes the victim's sister's (Radha Mitchell) scheme to unbalance him to kill again. | ||||||
5 | 4 | "Hard Corps" | Michael Carson | Roger Simpson | 14 June 1995 | |
6 | 5 | "Lies of the Mind" | Michael Offer | Jan Sardi | 19 July 1995 |
1996
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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7 | 1 | "Without Consent" | Michael Offer | David Boutland | 14 February 1996 |
8 | 2 | "Sweet Dreams" | Steve Jodrell | Mac Gudgeon | 7 July 1996 |
9 | 3 | "Cradle and All" | Paul Moloney | Katherine Thompson | 11 September 1996 |
1997
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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10 | 1 | "Déjà Vu" | Paul Moloney | Susan Hore | 19 October 1997 |
1998
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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11 | 1 | "Isn’t It Romantic" | David Caesar | Katherine Thompson | 19 July 1998 |
12 | 2 | "Afraid of the Dark" | Steve Jodrell | Roger Simpson | 6 September 1998 |
1999
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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13 | 1 | "Someone You Know" | Peter Andrikidis | David Boutland | 27 June 1999 |
14 | 2 | "A Murder of Crows" | Steve Jodrell | Peter Gawler | 15 August 1999 |
15 | 3 | "Swimming with Sharks" | Brendan Maher | Keith Thompson | 26 September 1999 |
2000
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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16 | 1 | "A Person of Interest" | Ken Cameron | Anne Brooksbank | 11 June 2000 |
17 | 2 | "The Spider and the Fly" | Mark Piper | Peter Gawler | 27 August 2000 |
18 | 3 | "A Hate Worse Than Death" | Paul Moloney | Roger Simpson | 5 November 2000 |
2001
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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19 | 1 | "The Scorpion’s Kiss" | Peter Gawler | Paul Moloney | 21 October 2001 |
20 | 2 | "Playing God" | Lynn Hegarty | Mac Gudgeon | 25 November 2001 |
2002
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
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21 | 1 | "Takes Two" | Ken Cameron | Katherine Thomson | 7 July 2002 |
Halifax: Retribution
Halifax Retribution is a continuation sequel to Halifax f.p. which will premiere on 25 August 2020 on the Nine Network.[3] Gibney returns as Doctor Jane Halifax, who after years as a university professor is brought back into the forensic psychiatrist field to help the police task force find a new serial killer. The series is again set in Melbourne.
Halifax: Retribution | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Roger Simpson |
Written by |
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Directed by |
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Starring | |
Composer(s) | Cezary Skubiszewski |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Cinematography | Geoff Hall |
Editor(s) |
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Running time | 48 minutes |
Production company(s) | Beyond Lonehand |
Release | |
Original network | Nine Network |
Original release | 25 August 2020 |
In November 2018, Nine announced it will be reviving the series set to air in 2020 titled "Halifax: Retribution", with Roger Simpson returning as writer and producer, alongside executive producer Mikael Borglund and writers Mac Gudgeon and Jan Sardi, it will be produced by Beyond Lonehand, a joint venture between Simpson and Beyond Productions.[4][5]
In July 2019, it was announced that Anthony LaPaglia and Jessica Marais would be joining the series, also announced to join the cast included Jacqueline McKenzie, Rick Donald, Hannah Monson, Craig Hall, Mavournee Hazel and Louisa Mignone.[6][7]
In September 2019, Marais dropped out of the series due to her work schedule and personal commitments.[8] The first promo for the series premiered in April 2020 along with announcement of more cast members.[9]
Cast
- Rebecca Gibney as Jane Halifax
- Anthony LaPaglia as Tom Saracen
- Claudia Karvan as Mandy
- Craig Hall as Ben
- Mavournee Hazel as Zoe
- Rick Donald
- Michala Banas
- Mandy McElhinney
Episodes
No. overall | No. in series | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Aus. viewers |
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22 | 1 | "Episode 1" | TBA | TBA | 25 August 2020 | TBD |
Ratings
No. | Title | Air date | Overnight ratings | Consolidated ratings | Total viewers |
Ref(s) | ||
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Viewers | Rank | Viewers | Rank | |||||
1 | "Episode 1" | 25 August 2020 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Home media
DVD name | Format | Ep # | Discs | Region 4 (Australia) | Special Features | Distributors |
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Halifax F.P. (My Lovely Girl) | DVD | N/A | 04 | 1 January 2000 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
Halifax F.P. (Dangerous Minds Series 02) | DVD | N/A | 04 | 1 January 2000 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
Halifax F.P. (Case Files #4) | DVD | N/A | 03 | 11 November 2007 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
Halifax F.P. (Case Files Box Set) | DVD | 21 | 12 | 2 March 2011 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
Halifax F.P. (Complete Collection) | DVD | 21 | 12 | 2 May 2018 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
Halifax F.P. (Case Files 1) | DVD | N/A | 05 | 3 April 2019 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
Halifax F.P. (Case Files 2) | DVD | N/A | 06 | 3 April 2019 | None | Beyond Home Entertainment |
References
- Ed. Scott Murray, Australia on the Small Screen 1970-1995, Oxford Uni Press, 1996 p72
- "Episode Guide: Halifax f.p." Australian Television Information Archive. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
- Knox, David (10 August 2020). "Airdate: Halifax: Retribution". TV Tonight. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- "Nine revives Halifax". TV Tonight. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- "Nine revives 'Halifax f.p.' with Rebecca Gibney". if. 23 November 2018. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
- "Star studded cast join Rebecca Gibney on Nine's HALIFAX: RETRIBUTION". TV Black Box. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "Gibney, LaPaglia, Marais for Halifax: Retribution". TV Tonight. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
- "Jessica Marais drops out of Halifax: Retribution". TV Tonight. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2019.
- "Nine teases Halifax: Retribution". TV Tonight. 23 April 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
External links
- Australian Television archive
- Halifax f.p. on IMDb
- Halifax f.p. at TV.com
- List of Halifax f.p. episodes at epguides.com.
- Halifax FP - "Afraid of the Dark" at Australian Screen Online