Genie from Down Under, The – Nostalgia Central

1 9 9 6 – 1 9 9 8 (Australia/UK)
13 x 25 minute episodes
1 9 9 8 (Australia/UK)
13 x 25 minute episodes

This joint production from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the British BBC was based on an idea by playwright Steve J Spears.

13-year-old aristocrat Penelope Townes (Alexandra Milman) lives with her widowed mother, Lady Diana (Anna Galvin) and their loyal old housekeeper Miss Mossop (Monica Maughan) at Townes Hall, a stately but crumbling mansion in Wiltshire, England.

One day, Penelope discovers a long-forgotten old trunk in the attic of the decaying mansion. Inside, she finds a dusty, black opal pendant containing two Australian genies – Bruce (Rhys Muldoon) and his eight-year-old son, Baz (Glenn Meldrum) – who have been living inside the opal for 130 years since Penelope’s great, great-grandfather, Sir Claude, brought them to England.

The Aussie genies have a habit of turning Penelope’s wishes to their own advantage, and when she idly wishes she were somewhere else, Bruce whisks her overseas, to her inheritance, Townes Downs, a rundown property in the middle of 800 square kilometres of Australian outback.

Penelope hates Australia and is constantly trying to get back to Townes Hall in Wiltshire, but Bruce thinks Townes Downs is heaven on earth and Townes Hall is hell.

In Australia, they meet Otto von Meister (Mark Mitchell), who runs tours of the outback (the Crocodile Otto Outback Experience).

His forefather had stolen the opal from the Aboriginal peoples and then lost it in a card game to Penelope’s ancestor, Sir Claude.

He is now determined to steal the opal and return it to its rightful owner – himself, often enlisting the help of his nephew, Conrad (Fletcher Humphrys).

Penelope falls in love with Conrad, giving Otto more opportunity to steal the opal.

The battle for possession of the opal sees Otto become King of England and Lord ‘Bubbles’ Ackington-Smythe (Ian McFadyen) to lead his band of Merry Chaps in green to plot the end to King Otto’s reign.

Things are further complicated when Bruce falls in love with Penelope’s mother, Lady Diana. Penelope ultimately gives the opal to her mother, allowing Bruce to reveal his true identity, and Bruce and Diana end up marrying.

A 13-episode second series – imaginatively titled The Genie from Down Under 2 – continued the story, with Sandy Winton replacing Rhys Muldoon as Bruce.

Penelope Townes
Alexandra Milman
Baz
Glenn Meldrum
Bruce
Rhys Muldoon (1)
Sandy Winton (2)
Lady Diana Townes
Anna Galvin
Miss Mossop
Monica Maughan
Otto von Meister
Mark Mitchell
Conrad von Meister
Fletcher Humphrys
Lord ‘Bubbles’ Ackington-Smythe
Ian McFadyen
Trish Emu
Kylie Belling
Marcia Huntley
Emily Milburn (1)
Petra Yared (2)
Sophie
Jacinta Stapleton
Darlene
Bobbi Henry

Episodes

Wishing and Hoping | It’s My Opal (and I’ll Cry If I Want To) | Where It’s At | Good Cop, Bad Genie | Customs | Larceny | The Eternal Quadrangle | Nobody’s Perfect | The Triple Agent | A Tale of Two Cities | School Daze | Triple Threat | It’s Still Magic || I Do. You Do! Who Do? | The Photo Opportunity | The Cold Shoulder | Chase the Sun | Peace in Our Time | Lord of the Nail Files | Baby Talk | My Better Half | Stock and Bonding | The Opal Is a Boomerang | The Heart of Country and Western | Otto Rules OK | The Last Wish

Video