The Stranger (Australian TV series)

The Stranger is an Australian children’s science fiction television series that aired on the ABC between 1964 and 1965. Produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission, it holds the distinction of being the first locally made science fiction series in Australia and was among the earliest Australian TV programs sold to international markets.

The story begins when a schoolmaster discovers an unconscious young man on his doorstep and takes him in. A close friendship develops between the stranger and the schoolmaster’s children, Bernard and Jean, along with their friend Peter. They eventually learn the stranger’s secret: he is an alien named Adam, sent to find a new home on Earth for his people. He is later joined by another alien, Varossa. Their society has no books; everything is memorised. In the second series, the children must seek help from the Australian Prime Minister after Peter is kidnapped by an alien, and a series of intrigues leads them to the aliens’ home planet, Soshuniss.

The series began as a six-part radio drama on the BBC Home Service in December 1964, written by New Zealand-born author G.K. Saunders and starring David Spenser as Adam Suisse. The Australian television version followed shortly after, first airing in 1964, again scripted by Saunders, produced by Storry Walton, directed by Gil Brealey, with production design by Geoffrey Wedlock. Two series of six episodes each were made in 1964 and 1965. It was a major hit in Australia and was sold back to the BBC. The first series aired on BBC1 on consecutive Thursdays at 17:25 from 25 February to 1 April 1965, but was never repeated. The second series aired from Tuesday 11 January 1966 on BBC1 at 17:00.

The lead role of the stranger was played by Ron Haddrick, a prominent stage and radio actor. The children were portrayed by Janice Dinnen (Jean), Bill Levis (Bernard or Bernie Walsh), and Michael Thomas (Peter Cannon). Saunders created a special language for the aliens, who spoke it among themselves. Like later series such as Babylon 5, the aliens spoke English with a foreign accent. In the story, Adam also speaks German and French, leading the children’s father to initially assume he is from Switzerland—hence his surname, which comes from Adam and Eve.

The series was made with cooperation from the CSIRO. Key scenes were filmed on location at the Parkes Observatory, and the facility’s rad