Out of the Blue (2008 TV series)

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Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue intertitle
Genre	Drama
Created by	John Edwards Julie McGauran
Starring	Out of the Blue cast
Country of origin	United Kingdom/Australia
Language(s)	English
No. of episodes	27 (as of June 06, 2008)
Production
Executive producer(s)	John Edwards Julie McGauran
Location(s)	Manly, New South Wales
Running time	22 min.
Production company(s)	Southern Star Entertainment BBC
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC One BBC Two
Original run	28 April 2008 – present
External links
Official website

Out of the Blue is a BBC television soap opera set in Australia, produced by Southern Star Entertainment. It began screening on BBC One on weekday afternoons on 28 April 2008. ^[1] The programme attracted lower than desired ratings figures, prompting the broadcaster to shift the programme to its second channel BBC Two from 19 May 2008 ^{[2] [3]}.

Contents 1 Premise 2 Characters 2.1 Class of 1995 2.2 Other Main Characters 2.3 Minor Characters 3 Background 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Premise

Set in Sydney beach suburb of Manly, New South Wales, Out of the Blue is a drama shown four days a week about blue sky, sun and surf and the storms that sometimes rip through when you least expect. The series opens with a group of thirty year old friends returning home for a high school reunion, which is brought to an end when someone is murdered. Through the investigation friendships and loyalties are torn, and when the answer is found, life in Manly will never be the same again.^[4]

[edit] Characters

The show's premise see seven friends meeting up and some returning to Manly for their 13th High School Reunion, these seven friends we shall refer to as the class of '94:

[edit] Class of 1995

Gabby West (Sophie Katinis): Has stayed in Manley and organises the school reunion that the gang attend. Is a P.E. and Science teacher at the school she once attended and at the start of the series is in a secret relationship with Paul. They plan to tell people after the reunion but after Philby's murder they wait. Gabby is later shocked that Paul has re-enrolled in school and now she is essentially dating a student.

Jarrod O'Donnell (Clayton Watson): Also stayed in Manley and now runs a nursery and landscape business, married fellow classmate Tracy but also dated Bec until she left town after Gabby's 21st Birthday. It later emerged that Jarrod proposed to Bec and that lead to her decision to leave. Tracey and Jarrod have a daughter - Zoe and are currently trying for a second child however Bec's full time return to Manly plus his brother's part in Philby's murder means that Jarrod now has other things on his mind. After Addo is cleared he once again becomes a suspect in the murder case thanks to a taxi ride he took around the same time as the murder

Tracy O'Donnell (Charlotte Gregg): The brightest student in the class in High School things changed for Tracy when her high school boyfriend died. Jarrod was there to comfort her and the two started dating and later married and Tracy then giving birth to Zoe. Tracy is a partner in the nursery and landscape business but constantly feels left out of the extended O'Donnell crowd and also from the murder investigation as she often has to tend to Zoe. Under Pia's advisement, Tracey starts to see a therapist about her feelings towards Jarrod's relationship with Bec, little knowing that the therapist is Bec's new partner Stephen. After she finds this out she and Stephen work together to find out if there still is something between Jarrod and Bec.

Poppy Hammond (Katherine Hicks): Poppy returns to Manly and decides to stay after the reunion. After a brief high school relationship with Addo, Poppy is now a lesbain and her partner, Peta comes to live with her. Poppy makes her decision to stay after her grandmother Olive settles for the fact that her grandaughter is gay. Poppy is quite flighty and has studied for degrees but never finsihed them. Since Addo's arrest, she has helped Ron out around the bar and organised a slightly disastorous speed dating night.

Rebecca 'Bec' Quilter (Renai Caruso): Returns to Manly full time after the reunion, she fled town after Gabby's 21st birthday partly because Jarrod proposed to her. She has since qualified as a surgeon. Part of the reason for her return was due to the discovery that the man she was in a relationship was already married. The man - Stephen, followed her home and he has now left his wife and Bec lives with him and his two children. Bec was briefly a suspect in Philby's murder after the police found threatening texts send to Philby's phone the night of his murder. Recently Bec has been trying to bond with Stephen's kids and reflecting on what could've been with Jarrod.

Ian"Stavva"Jones (Ryan Johnson): Is a blue-blooded Italian-Australian he loves girls and cars and doesn't take life too seriosuly but sometimes his jokes go a little far. He spikes Philby's drink on the night of Philby's murder and his prank leads to a fight between the two. Stavva is the initial main suspect in Philby's murder after they find his blood on Philby's clothes however Stavva is cleared following a clean polygraph test and is now trying to help Jarrod clear Addo's name. Stavva lives at the family home and works at the family cafe.

Philip 'Philby' McManus (Dylan Landre): Returns from England where he has been working as a chef, and introduces the gang to his pregnant wife - Tess. Philby's home life had been less than stable and he often had to protect Deborah and Daniel from his alcholic father, Philby also had a problem with alcohol but found God and quit drinking. On the night of the reunion he is murdered and the main suspects were - Stavva who he got into a fight with after he spiked his drink and Addo who he was seen with on the night. But lately it seems that Philby wasn't as innocent as Tess thought.

[edit] Other Main Characters

Adam 'Addo' O'Donnell (Daniel Henshall): Ron's middle son and brother of Jarrod and Paul, even though not in the same year at school as the other guys they treat Addo as their own . At the start of the show it appears Addo owes a lot of money to some dodgy guys and has got himself into sticky situations in the past. On the night of the reuinon his drink is spiked and he is seen with Philby on the night of his death. The guys decide Addo shouldn't come forward and they hunt for clues to what happened to Addo on that night. After Daniel saves Addo from a beating from the guys who owe him money, Daniel then says Addo now owes him. Rather than wrongly accuse Stavva of the murder, Addo confesses not knowing if he's guilty or not however the police find evidence which puts him at the scene of the crime. He is cleared after he finds out he won a grand at a casino and at the casino meets the woman who he was playing with when he won the money her story is the evidence that Addo needed to get off the hook.

Paul O'Donnell (Nathaniel Buzolic): At 19 he is the youngest of the three O'Donnell boys and after working at his father's bar, it is decided that he should repeat his final school year. He is also having an affair with one of his brother's best friends - Gabby, which is complicated with his return to school as she is one of his teachers. He and Lucia are pretending to be an item so they can both lie to their parents when they are spending time with other people.

Ron O'Donnell (Noel Hodda): A pilar of the community, he is a widower with three grown-up sons and runs the local bar. He loves his sons and gets upset when Addo is arrested for Philby's murder, he has recently been attacked although it has been revealed that the culprits were sending a message to Tess.

Tess McManus (Olivia Bonnici): Originally from Manchester before moving to London, Tess met Philby in London and the two were married. Tess comes to Manly with her husband and quickly realises that his family is quite unstable. After Philby's death she is asked to stay by Deborah however when Deborah is away, Daniel pays Tess to leave it becomes clear that Deborah is keeping a close eye on Tess as long as she is pregnant with her grandchild. It transpires that Tess ran away from Manchester and was reported missing by the police this was because her parents threatened to disown her if she married Philby. Tess' laptop was stolen and she has since been receiving e-mails from the stolen laptop to her new one from someone posing as Philby she is also certain that Addo did not kill her husband. Her old friend from Manchester - Noel turned up in Manly recently.

Deborah McManus (Diane Craig): Mother to Daniel and Philip she had a tough time when her boys were growing up thanks to her alcoholic husband. She is now a businesswoman however her business is shrowded in mystery it doesn't seem to be above board as her accoutant freely admits to covering a lot of things up for her over the years. She is very protective of Tess but doesn't really want her out of the house. She has also hired a private detective to find out all she can about her daughter-in-law.

Daniel McManus (Aidan Gillett): Because of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father, Daniel turned into a nasty piece of work and now controls most of the underworld in Manly. His brother tried to steer him straight on his return but the two got into a fight. He targeted the Jones family when Stavva was under suspicion for Philby's murder and later got Addo to confess to the murder. The only person he loves is his mother but his loyalty to her often means he injures the people he thinks are her enemys. He doesn't like or trust Tess at all.

Pia Jones (Zoe Carides): Mother to Stavva and Lucia, Pia runs the local cafe Bacina and is also there to lend an ear to anyone who has a problem. She helped Tracey with her problems with Jarrod and Bec and also Bec with her problems with Stephen's children but when Stavva is charged iwth Philby's murder she is first sued by Deborah over the positioning of the seats outside her restaurant and then attacked by thugs possibly associated with Daniel.

Brian Jones (Kim Knuckey): A family man with a heart of gold, he loves his wife and children - he is a real estate agent.

Lucia Jones (Basia A'Hern): Daughter of Brian and Pia, Lucia is very sarcastic and often puts down older brother Stavva. She is in her final year of school and also has an arrangement with Paul where they pretend to be dating so Paul can spend time with Gabby although it is uncertain who Lucia is spending her time with. Lucia recently guessed that Paul was secretly seeing Gabby. She also sold her car to Kyle who now has a crush on her.

Peta Lee (Daisy Betts): A lawyer and Poppy's partner, Peta and Poppy decide to lay down roots in Manly and Peta is kind enough to give legal advice to several of Poppy's friends. She helps Pia out after Deborah sues her and later defends Addo. However she falls out with Poppy when she agrees to work for Deborah as the pay she will get for Deborah will fund her outreach centre for underpriveleged children.

Stephen Mulroney (John Atkinson): A married man with two twins, therapist Stephen started dating Bec without letting her know he had a family, he follows her to Manly and eventually talks her into starting a proper relationship with him. He sets up his own practise but his twin children are quickly dumped on the door and he has to officiate the fights between his daughter and Bec. He has recently taken Tracey on as a patient however neither know who the other's partner is.

Kyle Mulroney (Louis Hunter): Stephen's son is in Year 11 at School and enjoys surfing and rugby. At times it seems he is warming to Bec however his sister always talks him round. He also has a crush on Lucia. He and Lucia have been getting closer lately but his sister is trying to split them up.

Kirsten Mulroney (Sam Weaving): Stephen's daughter is very manipulative and is very much a mummy's girl however she is upset when she realises her mother won't be coming to bring them back home. She instigates several pranks against Bec and is able to control her brother quite easily. She also recently came onto Paul when Gabby suggested Paul tutor Kirsten on areas of science she wasn't familiar with. She stepped up her feud with Bec after taping one of their arguments and leaving it around for her father to hear she is also trying to throw a spanner in the works of the growing relationship between Lucia and Kyle.

Zoe O'Donnell (Charlie Rose MacLennan): Jarrod and Tracey's young daughter.

[edit] Minor Characters

Olive Hammond (Maggie Dence): Poppy's grandmother who is reluctant to except her granddaughter's sexuality.
DS Simon Wilson (Shane Withington): The police sergeant in charge of the Philip McManus murder case. He is a fair man and likes to get the job done as swiftly as possible which is why the murder case bothers him so much
Noel (Sam Haft): Tess' old friend from Manchester who may know more about Philby's murder than he lets on

[edit] Background

The BBC announced the commissioning of Out of the Blue on 30 November 2007 as a replacement for Neighbours, another Australia soap opera they had lost to Five.^[5] Produced by John Edwards and Julie McGauran of production company Southern Star Entertainment,^[6], filming began in early 2008, with the BBC initially ordering 130 episodes.^[5]

On 29 January 2008, Network Ten announced they have the rights to air Out of the Blue in Australia. The series is expected to begin airing on the network in mid-2008. ^[7]

The series is currently airing each weekday morning on RTÉ One in Ireland.

Although initially getting good ratings on BBC One ^[8]On 19 May 2008, the BBC announced that the programme would move to BBC2 at 1pm ^[9] this was alledgelly due to falling ratings at his 2:10 pm slot on BBC One ^[10] and after the switch the show got even less viewers ^[11].

[edit] See also

• Eldorado - a previously commissioned BBC soap opera, set in Spain

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Out of the Blue at bbc.co.uk
• Brief at "thesoapshow.com"