Australia / Channel 7 – Grundys / 972×30 minute episodes / Broadcast 31 January 1982 – 16 August 1987
Theme Music: Kerry Biddle
Australian soap Sons and Daughters began in 1982 on Channel 7 and concerned the intertwined lives of two families – the working class Palmers and the well off Hamiltons. When the show began young Angela Hamilton had just fallen for John Palmer (this was a terrible mistake as it turned out they were brother and sister – their father David having had an affair with mother Patricia, after the birth of the twins David had John whilst Patricia took Angela.
Through John and Angela’s actions David and Patricia were brought together again even though both were married (David to Beryl and Patricia to businessman Gordon). Other major players in the series included David’s other son Kevin and Patricia’s stepson the ruthless Wayne Hamilton but it was Patricia who emerged as the star of the series quickly becoming the JR of the show.
As time went on the cast changed quite a bit with both the lead couples going through divorces (Patricia frequently tangled with Gordon’s new wife Barbara). A new family the O’Briens were also brought in. Rowena Wallace who played Patricia then decided to leave the show, the producers not wanting to lose the character of Patricia decided to use a strange plot device of having another actress play Patricia but with the twist that Patricia had undergone plastic surgery and was now calling herself Alison Carr.
Later as the show neared the end of its run Beryl got married to Gordon and Rowena Wallace returned briefly as Patricia’s twin sister.
cast
ROWENA WALLACE as Patricia Hamilton
TOM RICHARDS as David Palmer
BRIAN BLAIN as Gordon Hamilton
ALLY FOWLER as Angela Hamilton/Palmer/Keegan
IAN RAWLINGS as Wayne Hamilton
LEILA HAYES as Beryl Palmer
PETER PHELPS as John Palmer
ANN HENDERSON-SHIRES as Susan Palmer/Todd
STEPHEN COMEY as Kevin Palmer
ANTONIA MURPHY as Lynn Hardy/Palmer
PAT McDONALD as Fiona Thompson
KIM LEWIS as Jill Taylor
NOEL HODDA as Rob Keegan
MARK FERGUSON as Paul Shepherd
ANNE HADDY as Rosie Andrews
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