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Barley Charlie was an Australian television sitcom which aired in 1964. It was the second television sitcom produced in Australia; being preceded by the 1957–1959 series Take That, although that Crawford Productions sitcom had only aired in Melbourne. Some of the creatives went on to be involved in the serial drama Undercurrent (1965).

Overview

Barley Charlie aired for 13 episodes, produced by GTV-9 and also shown on other stations across Australia. Though short-lived, the series was a ratings success. The main cast were Sheila Bradley, Robina Beard, and Edward Hepple.

The National Film and Sound Archive hold at least four episodes of Barley Charlie as well as some documentation.

Cast

Main

• Edward Hepple as Charlie Appleby
• Robina Beard as Shirley Muggleton
• Sheila Bradley as Joan Muggleton
• Stewart Weller as Stinger

Guests

• George Whaley (1 episode)
• Wynn Roberts as Jim Fogarty (1 episode)
• Terry Norris as Herb (1 episode)
• Joe McCormick as Harrison Blake, Jr (1 episode)

Premise

The premise was developed by the British scriptwriting team of Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe while they were visiting Australia in the wake of the worldwide success of The Rag Trade.

Joan and Shirley Muggleton are two cityslicker sisters who inherit a roadhouse café and garage midway between Melbourne and Sydney. Working there is Charlie Appleby, a lazy and clueless mechanic.

Episodes

All episodes were produced and directed by Rod Kinnear. The first six episodes were written by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney and adapted for Australian audiences by Alan Hopgood; the remaining seven were written solely by Hopgood. The series was first broadcast in Melbourne; selected episodes were later broadcast for the first time in Adelaide.

References

1. Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". FilmInk. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
2. "Cast in GTV-9 Series". TV & Radio Guide. The Age. Melbourne. 12 December 1963. p. 1. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
3. "Barley Charlie". Classic Australian Television. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
4. ^ "GTV-9s new comedy series". TV & Radio Guide. The Age. Melbourne. 9 January 1964. p. 5. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
5. "Australia's Living Archive Annual Report 2010–11" (PDF). National Film and Sound Archive. p. 196. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
6. ^ Storey, Don; Keating, Chris (2013). "Barley Charlie Episodes". Classic Australian Television. Archived from the original on 4 December 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

External links

• Barley Charlie at IMDb 
• Barley Charlie at AustLit
• Barley Charlie Episode 5 on YouTube

• 1964 Australian television series debuts
• 1964 Australian television series endings
• 1960s Australian television sitcoms
• Nine Network original programming
• Black-and-white Australian television shows
• Australian English-language television shows
• Australian workplace comedy television series
• Works by Alan Hopgood