The Fast Lane - Wikipedia
- ️Fri Mar 08 1985
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| The Fast Lane | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Comedy |
| Starring | Terry Bader Richard Healy Debra Lawrance Peter Hosking |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Noel Price |
| Production company | ABC |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | 8 March 1985 – 29 December 1986 |
The Fast Lane is an Australian television show that aired between 1985 (Season 1) and 1986 (Season 2) on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).[1]
The Fast Lane was created by John Clarke and Andrew Knight and starred Terry Bader, Richard Healy, Debra Lawrance and Peter Hosking.
According to Debra Lawrance on The Conversation Hour in ABC 774 radio 15 October 2015 (at about 26 mins into the file), the ABC taped over the master Umatic tapes.[2] ABC archives however, have advised (21 September 2021) that they hold copies of the entire series.
This comedy series follows two private investigators, Bryce (Terry Bader) and Ken (Richard Healy), who run a firm known as the "Excelsior Research Foundation". They are assisted by Pat (Debra Lawrance), their receptionist.
Bryce thinks he is smart and boasts about his elite private school background, but is actually very stupid and fails to understand what is really happening around him. He dropped out of law school in the second year. Ken is the down-to-earth blue-collar member of the team, but they both usually get into deep trouble. Pat is the sensible and smart one, but the others don't recognise this. She and Detective Sergeant Blair (Peter Hosking) usually rescue them and clean up after them.
The plots are a black comedy and satire. The agency is desperate for work and usually takes on small cases involving simple detective work (e.g. domestic disputes). Bryce and Ken stumble around trying to solve it - mostly when Bryce takes the obviously wrong approach - and getting deeper into trouble. Meanwhile Pat does the real detective work and uncovers a bigger crime that is linked to the small case (e.g. corporate crime). Although Pat discovers the real criminals, they often escape prosecution because of loopholes in the law or they are too powerful to touch. In the end, the simple case is wrapped up and Bryce undeservedly takes the credit for it. But the audience and Pat realise the injustice, because the wrapup usually results in the innocent becoming the victim and the real criminals getting way with it.
- Terry Bader as Bryce
- Richard Healy as Ken
- Debra Lawrance as Pat
- Peter Hosking as Detective Sergeant Blair
Producer: Noel Price
Directors: Colin Budds, Peter Dodds, Mark Joffe, Noel Price, Mandy Smith
Written by: Andrew Knight, John Clarke (and others)
Music: Greg Sneddon
Locations: All shows were shot in Melbourne
According to John Clarke's CV, there were 19 episodes in total.[3][4][5]
These episodes were run on ABC Channel 2 at 8:55 pm on Thursday nights. A review in the Sydney Morning Herald mentions the episodes were to run on Fridays, but the ABC changed their mind, and ran the series on Thursdays instead.[6] Note: all episodes of Series 1 are known to exist in the form of VHS Rips available online.
These episodes were run on ABC Channel 2 on Tuesday nights at 9:20 pm. Note: Episodes 1, 2 and 3 are NOT known to exist as VHS rips available online, whereas the others are.
- ^ "The Fast Lane on IMDB". IMDB. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ^ "The Conversation Hour with Jon Faine". The Frames' Colm Mac Con Iomaire and actor Debra Lawrance. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "John Clarke's CV" (PDF). Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Australian Television Information Archive". Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ "Gumshoe spoof makes its welcome return". The Age. Fairfax Press. 27 October 1987. p. 14. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
- ^ "Busy Aunty rolls up her sleeves". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Press. 1 March 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2016.