Stormy Petrel (TV series)
| Stormy Petrel | |
|---|---|
Ad in SMH 15 May 1960 | |
| Genre | history |
| Created by | Rex Rienits |
| Directed by | Colin Dean |
| Starring | Brian James |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC Television |
| Release | 29 May – 31 July 1960 |
| Related | |
| The Outcasts | |
Stormy Petrel is an early Australian television drama. A period drama, the 12-episode serial told the story of William Bligh and aired in 1960 on ABC. It was the first live TV serial from the ABC.
It was based on a script by Rex Rienits adapted from his 1948 radio serial.
Stormy Petrel was a critical and popular success and led to the ABC making a number of period drama series set in Australia's past: The Outcasts (1961), The Patriots (1962), and The Hungry Ones (1963). It also inspired ATN-7, a commercial station, to make Jonah (1962). Telerecordings (also known as Kinescope recordings) of Stormy Petrel are held by National Archives of Australia.