Catspaw – Nostalgia Central

1 9 7 8 (Australia)
7 x 30 minute episodes

“Catspaw” is a slang term for a dupe, or unwitting tool of another. The term is derived from the Jean de La Fontaine fable The Monkey and the Cat

This short-lived adventure serial from Australia’s ABC (written by Ted Roberts) revolved around the theft of a helicopter gunship and its attempted sale by a group of Australian-based mercenaries.

Key characters were Tim Keppel (Warwick Sims), a British RAF officer on loan to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), his increasingly cold wife Kate (Rowena Wallace) and Flight Lieutenant Harry Sawtell (Peter Sumner), Keppel’s friend – and an old boyfriend of Kate.

Keppel disappeared mysteriously in a helicopter, and Sawtell headed up the investigation. He suspected it had something to do with the mercenaries, and when Kate Keppel also disappeared, he was convinced he was on the right track.

Other Australian actors in the series included John Diedrich (from Bluey) as a helicopter pilot; Ken James (from Skippy, The Box and Glenview High) as a tough mercenary, with his boyish features hidden behind a Sean Connery-style moustache and greasy blonde hair (pictured); Gus Mercurio (Tandarra) as the mercenary leader, The Colonel; and John Stanton, John Wood and Michael Duffield.

The series was filmed on location around Melbourne and at the ABC’s Ripponlea studios.

Support for the series from the Australian defence forces was withdrawn at the last minute (they felt the series could reflect badly on the RAAF), and the production was forced to  “dress” private helicopters and rescue boats.

Kate Keppel
Rowena Wallace
Flight Lt Harry Sawtell
Peter Sumner
Flight Lt Tim Keppel
Warwick Sims
The Colonel
Gus Mercurio
Corrigan
John Stanton
Billo
John Wood
Nugget Walker
Ken James
Bailey
John Diedrich
Jones
Michael Brooks
Barton
Michael Duffield