Kingswood Country (Channel 7 1980-1984 with Ross Higgins)

Australia / Channel 7 – RS Productions / 89×30 minute episodes / Broadcast 1980 – 1984

Creators/Producers: Tony Sattler, Gary Reilly / Music: Mike Perjanik

“Not the Kingswood!”

Sitcom. Vaguely based on the UK classic Til Death Us Do Part, the sixties show about a working class bigot by the name of Alf Garnett, Kingswood Country sees Ted Bullpit as a working class bigot who loved his Holden Kingswood more than his wife Thelma. Bullpit is a true ocker, the archetypal Aussie in fact.

Ted’s idea of heaven is sitting in front of the box, thinking about his Kingswood and lamenting about the lack of success of his racing greyhounds.

However what Ted mostly gets is his idea of Hell; His feminist daughter Greta is married to Bruno, second generation Italian immigrant (or the “bloody wog” as Ted likes to refer to him), whilst his son Craig is a sex mad medical student, Ted is also put out everytime his wealthier sister-in-law Merle comes to visit.

Although it’s fairly funny Kingswood Country also works well as a glimpse into a time of change for Australia when multiculturalism and reform of all kinds were making widespread changes to how people behaved, of course Ted steadfastly refuses to adapt to any of this. Towards the end of the shows run Ted’s wife had had enough and left him to go on an extended world cruise, never to return, Bruno’s mum Rosa ended up moving in to look after Ted.

By the time the series ended the Holden Kingswood was no longer in production so Ted traded his in for the new family car the Holden Commodore. Based on a character first seen in “The Naked Vicar Show”.

cast
ROSS HIGGINS as Ted Bullpit
JUDI FARR (1979-82) as Thelma Bullpit
LES MARINOS as Bruno
LAUREL McGOWEN as Greta
PETER FISHER as Craig
SHEILA KENNELLY as Rosa (1982-84)