Tim Teeman
Stories and Songs on today's free French CD, with The Times

Battered by more than 20 years of 16-year-olds pashing and squabbling, and tear-aways becoming responsible citizens of Ramsay Street and Summer Bay, it is very strange to watch the first five episodes of a new Australian soap opera that doesn't - at this early stage anyway - have a teenage focus. Odder still is that the BBC has commissioned Out of the Blue to be made in Australia. The logic, and financial sense, of this escapes me - couldn't they just make a new British soap? - but, hey, everyone runs around on the beach in skimpy clothing and it looks pretty.
A BBC spokesman says: “The majority of drama shown across the BBC is UK produced. The BBC commissioned this new production to offer audiences a different flavour and perspective which complements existing UK series such as Doctors.”
The daily drama follows a group of former schoolfriends, now in their early thirties, reunited in the Sydney beach suburb of Manly after nine years and immediately enmeshed in a web of secrets, lies and murder. The characters remind one of The Secret Life of Us, the Australian This Life that was bounced mercilessly round the schedules of Channel 4 a few years ago, with dashes of Friends and Friends Reunited.
You can tell its genesis is British because very soon all the bright, shiny characters are weeping, regretting and grieving. It's EastEnders-on-Sea, with a catchy theme tune and colourful credits. It's compulsive in a watch-the-pretty-people-suffer kind of a way - classy, fast and slick.
Gabby, the Little Ms Perky who gets all the friends back together, is having a covert affair with Paul, the teenage son of her friend Jared. Jared is married to Tracy, who has terrible split ends. They have a lovely young daughter, Zoe, and are trying, unsuccessfully, to have another child. Gabby's voiceover hooks us with the dark promise: “In less than 48 hours, one of us would be dead and someone close to us, maybe even one of us, would be the killer.” And yes, by episode three, one of the group is dead. A whodunnit takes shape.
The reunion brings back Beck, Jared's true love, who broke his heart when she went to Melbourne to be a doctor. We know Beck is something of a siren because she has dusky hair and wears a ridiculous designer tulip dress to the reunion beach barbecue. Oh, and she has an older, married lover (with a beard, always a bad sign in a soap - bearded men are NEVER TO BE TRUSTED) who has followed her from Melbourne. Tracy is threatened by Beck. Beck and Jared still have the old electricity. Poppy is the Phoebe-from-Friends character - dotty and armed with a guitar, which she uses as an accom-paniment to her absurd songs.
Another of the group, Philby, has been living in London and brings his heavily pregnant wife Tess over for the reunion. Philby has a fantastic- ally dreadful mother, who is clearly a hardened Mafioso. As soon as he and Tess knock on her door, you're shouting “Get out of there”. She clasps her son far too hard and thanks Tess menacingly for bringing Philby, “and my first grandson”, home. She is by far the best character. Philby has an evil, utterly sexalicious brother, crimes yet unknown. “Stava” (Ian) is the handsome stud whom everyone likes, but his brother Addy (an honorary member of the reunion group) is a sweet guy mixed up with gangsters.
This is all very grown-up, but Aussie soap connoisseurs will remember that, pre-Neighbours, daytime dramas were adult-led. My personal favourite, the unbeatable Sons and Daughters, was a complicated, melo- dramatic 972-episode colossus, each episode ending with that sepia frozen screen and plaintive theme (“Tears and sadness and happiness...”).
There are many portents of doom in Out of the Blue: Jared's first line to wife Tracy is a wistful desire “to live happily ever after”, which is obviously not going to happen. Philby, noting that his mother is a “monster”, says to Tess that “everything is going to work out perfectly”. Nahhh. Gabby's voiceover bangs on about things falling apart for the first time when they were 21. Was that when Beck left Jared, or the other biggie: the mysterious, presumed death, of Jason, who fell overboard from a ferry, never to be seen again?
Now, seeing as Jason features on all the ridiculous retrospective footage of the group from their schooldays (the adult actors dressed in school uniform), I would wager that he might not be as dead as everyone thinks. Recall dear Harold in Neighbours, swept out to sea and then returned from the dead, shrugging off the barnacles to run the coffee shop?
The BBC wants Out of the Blue to become a long-stay resident of the daytime schedule. Doctors gets 1.7 million viewers and to survive Out of the Blue will need to hover respectably above a million. The action will include high-speed boat chases and the murder mystery will be solved within three months and won't subsume everything: love triangles, business intrigue and the dark deeds of that marvellously evil Mafioso mum will bubble alongside it. It will be intriguing to see if it retains its focus on these smart, urbane thirtysomethings, or whether, in a year's time, it is transformed into just another suburban Aussie soap with stroppy teens. But first, let's prepare for Jason's miraculous return from his watery grave.
Out of the Blue starts on Monday, BBC One, 2.15pm
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Gone for good it seems, perhaps the BBC will bring back All Saints which they have bought the rights to the 6th series but appear reluctant to show it :(
Andrew, Blackwood,
Came back from holiday on 28th March and the following week
was delighted to be watching a brilliant new programme "Out
of the blue". Guess where I had be holidaying - Manly, NSW.
Oh what wonderful memories this programme brings back.
Roll on the 4th July when we can all watch it again.
MARY
Mary Maw, Tamworth, England
Ok guys we can rest a little i recieved a reply from the bbc (quite inpressed). Out of the blue has been taken off air from the 16th june-4th july due to the tennis etc.. so yey we will be seeing it again shortly hope this put ya minds at rest. x
Em, notts, england
I love this soap,better than most!!!where has this fab soap gone??? can someone tell me please!!!!
christine bayliss, Haverhill, suffolk
well iv just emailed and complained to the bbc asking if its been taken off air for good or not. so hopfully they will have the decesensy to reply.
Em, notts, england
what has happened to this brill program? i set my lunch break
around this drama.its better than the rest of the offerings on today.really disappointed.does anyone know how to do a succesfull petition ?
Deborah , notts, united kingdom
What has happened to this programme? Suppose it was too much to expect that someone at the BBC would have thought to advise us 'addicted viewers' what was going on. Either way some form of communication would have been appreciated.
I for one really hope its not been stopped for good Argh!
Jayne , MANCHESTER,
I agree!
Out of the Blue is short and snappy and great soap with a murder mystery centre of attention.
The BBC have shifted it to BBC2 and now it seems to have vanished?
Has it gone for good?
If you want loyal viewers - keep a soap at a regular slot - regular means regular!!
MJ, chelmsford,
Yet another programme the bbc get viewers hooked on and the pull the plug . Why do they ignore viewers enjoyment of these programmes?
Got hooked on All Saints plug also pulled on this programme.
Jean, kent, england
I am totally addicted to Out of the Blue and can't believe it is not on next week - has it been stopped completely or is it just on hold until after the tennis? It is far better than Neighbours! Please give it more prime time to let people really get into it.
Caroline, Cirencester, UK
Have been really enjoying Out of the Blue, after giving up on other British soaps, and now its not going to be on anymore. Why drop something that is so good? I'm very disappointed.
Pam, Wootton Bassett, UK
Hope the Beeb picks up 'Underbelly' as its a soap on steroids based on real events & people.
Peter Watson, Melbourne,
Why does the BBC insist on insulting its viewers ?? Out of the blue is brilliant, but what do they do ? Move it to BBC2 and drop a day ! And where is it next week ? I got right into All Saints as well, when it was on, but again, the viewer doesn't matter, off it goes. Time for viewer respect.
Cathy, Bristol, UK
Started watching Out of The Blue on day one, got bored on day 5 started watching again on day 7 and can't stop watching its a really good show and people should definately give this soap a chance. Tha acting is good, the script is good and its not all about sulky, moody teens.
Mags, Sheffield, England
Carol,
The reason why there are hardly any black actors in Australian soaps is because there aren't that many black people in Australia particularly in the cities. If you want to show a representation of Australia they would have a character with a Chinese background as they are much more common.
Emma, London,
Hey Heather i'm loving it :-)
James Fox, chiswick , london
Still watching... it's rather good isn't it?
Heather, Lancaster,
A next nightmare soap from Australia, with an all white cast, no reference of the fact that Australia has a black population. I guess BBC is just reflecting it's corporations ideology.
Carol, London, England
hey sam yeah we get mcloads daughters on the hallmark channel :-)
James Fox, chiswick , london
"mc leod' daughters" is a great australian soap, specially the first 6 series. it's adult oriented too, about, among other things, women farmers. wonder if it's ever been shown on british TV?
sam, besancon, france
This is strange. It may be 'made in Australia' but I live in Melbourne and have never heard of it.
Wonder if there are any more programmes like this one!
Lorraine, Melbourne, Australia
A new soap with a "British feel". so we'll get the usual tough, smart and bolshie women telling some poor jerk where to go and how to do it. Amazing. Most writers of soap scripts are women, and boy have they learned how to work off their frustrations. I find soaps ridiculous and way out from reality
John P, Westcliff on sea, u.k.
hey Joanne sorry to say that since the move to bbc2 they only show if 4 times a week now:-(
James Fox, chiswick , london
This is a Fab program! I love the way it totally suprises you and always keeps u guessing! WHY did they move it to BBC 2 already - they dont no what their missing!
Ne ways keep the episodes coming thats all i gotta say, i'm officially hooked!
Harriet , Staffordshire, UK
Love out of the blue ,cant understand why it had to go to b.b.c 2 I was a Neighbours fan but do not watch now.
j.thorne, blandford, dorset
Wheres todays episode, I dont normally watch tv as i have a large family but this is my time and its not on why? Wednesday 21 2008
Joanne, cardiff, wales
why oh why oh why did the bbc move out of the blue to bbc2, i am hooked already. it feels to me like the bbc have already given up on the show and its only been going a couple of weeks, show it twice a day in the old neighbors slots "Out of the blue great acting and gripping storyline's
James Fox, chiswick , london
I only tuned in to sneer, but it's surprisingly watchable and, yes, Philby's brother is utterly sexalicious.
david, ely, UK
best thing on the beeb at the moment.would like longer episodes and more of it and not to be disrupted by the tennis in june.how nany times has diagnosis murder been on? this would be a big hit, put it on neighbours old times including the early eve slot.it would be a WINNER !!!
Deborah , notts, united kingdom
this is a refreshing new soap to bbc, as soon as each eposiode finishes i cant wait for the next one.
only one question why move it to bbc2 already????????
stacey, christchurch dorset, england
I am surprised how quickly it has been moved to BBC2. I really am enjoying this programme having "grown out" of Neighbours and Home and Away a few years ago. I find Out of the Blue to be a refreshing change from the teen focused soaps and will be staying tuned!
Carla, Bristol, UK
I agree with leanne, weymouth.
Tracy , Dorset, England
bit gutted they are pulling the plug on this and moving it to bbc2 after such a short amount of time. Its darker than neighbours, I think this is why people arent giving it a chance to settle in.
Charlie`, Uk, Uk
I'm loving this programe!! I'm addicted to it.... When neighbours moved to Five, I didn't think another soap opera could top it....Then comes Out Of The Blue!!
Keep it coming!!
leanne, weymouth,