SEACHANGE IS BACK!
SIGRID THORNTON AND JOHN HOWARD REPRISE THEIR ROLES IN THE REBOOT OF THE CLASSIC AUSSIE DRAMA
We’re going back to Pearl Bay! Beloved Aussie drama, Seachange is returning to our screens.
The award-winning drama originally aired on the ABC and lasted three seasons from 1998 to 2000. Now it has been revived by the Nine Network.
Original stars Sigrid Thornton and John Howard will reprise their roles as lawyer Laura Gibson and local mayor and real estate agent, Bob Jelly. In the series, city slicker Laura moved to the coastal town of Pearl Bay with her two teenage children.
There, Laura met a variety of quirky locals, including cafe owner Diver Dan (David Wenham), who she fell for. It was David’s breakout role and he went on to star in The Lord of the Rings films.
In later episodes of the popular program, Laura romanced foreign correspondent Max Connors (William Mcinnes) when he returned to his hometown.
Australia fell in love with the original Seachange, which paved the way for shows such as Offspring and 800 Words. Sigrid won consecutive Logie Awards in 1999 and 2000 for Most Outstanding Actress for her role as Laura.
The new series finds Laura returning to Pearl Bay 20 years after she left. This time, however, the small coastal town needs Laura just as much as she needs it.
“We’re so thrilled,” Sigrid, 59, says of the show’s return. “Seachange changed the face of Australian TV. It struck a chord that will resonate 20 years later.”
Nine is yet to reveal whether any others from the original series are to be part of the reboot, which goes into production in 2019.
“There are plenty of new faces and new loves and we can’t wait for you all to join us,” Sigrid added. The show’s original creator and head writer, Deb Cox,
returns as executive producer alongside Sigrid, Fiona Eager and David Mott.
Nine’s co-head of drama Andy Ryan said of the new series: “Pearl Bay is still a hotbed of romance, mateship and community spirit.”
Added Nine’s co-head of drama Jo Rooney: “The perils faced by Laura and the townsfolk of Pearl Bay are more topical than ever, and we can’t wait to see how they respond.”