Bullpitt!

Bullpitt! was a short-lived Australian television comedy series which screened in 1997 to 1998 on the Seven Network, reprising the main character in the 1980s sitcom Kingswood Country. It was written by Gary Reilly and Tony Sattler.

Bullpitt! saw the return of the character Ted Bullpitt, portrayed by (Ross Higgins) who is now single and retired, living in a retirement home. He is still complaining and repeating many of his catchphrases from Kingswood Country such as "Pickle me grandmother!" and "Money on the fridge".^[1] Also in the cast Elaine Lee, Peter Whitford, Bruce Spence, Vanessa Downing, Jacqueline Brennan and Kirstie Hutton as Ted's university student granddaughter Contessa "Terri" Bertolucci (who Ted initially only recognises after she tells him her fathers name is "The Wog"). The series, like its predecessor, featured many well-known Australian actors in guest cameo roles. It was produced by RS Productions.

In 1998, the show was nominated at the Logies for Most Popular Comedy program. However it lost to sketch comedy Full Frontal.

13 of the 26 episodes of the show have been released on DVD under the title The Best of Bullpitt! Volume 1.

In 2023 Via Vision Entertainment released the entire series on DVD.^[2]

Cast

Main/regular

• Ross Higgins as Edward Melba "Ted" Bullpitt – Now single, retired and living at the Whispering Pines Retirement Village. Still drives his beloved Kingswood while Neville the concrete Aboriginal resides in his front garden, much to the chagrin of the other village residents. Its implied that he tortures Madge Burrows' (another resident) cat by doing things like putting it in a dryer, throwing it in the pool or stuffing it into the village gymnasium's punching bag, though he denies it by saying a new catchphrase "Wasn't me. I love that bloody cat". Ted has the heads of his old Greyhound racing dogs Gay Akubra and Repco Lad mounted on his wall.
• Jacquie Brennan as Samantha MacDonald – The man-hungry, but perpetually single and neurotic Manager of the retirement village. Has a habit of throwing herself at almost every non-resident eligible bachelor who happens upon the village.
• Vanessa Downing as Muriel Johnstone – Johnno's long suffering wife who has a habit of embarrassing her husband by mentioning his explosive nether region problems in front of everyone in the village which usually causes Johnno to stand up and proclaim "For Gods sakes Muriel!!". Claims to have met the man of her dreams immediately after her wedding to Johnno, their limo driver.
• Kirstie Hutton as Contessa "Terri" Bertolucci – 19 year old daughter of "The Wog" (Greta and her husband "The Wog" Bruno had long since moved to his home town of Wagga Wagga). Terri is Ted's only granddaughter, a university student who moves in with her "Grumblepop" after her previous landlord kicked her out because she failed to pay the rent. Ted keeps telling her to "Get a job". She once streaked at the cricket (though Ted said it didn't count as it was only Women's cricket) and she got arrested for a nude protest with her fellow students at the airport.
• Elaine Lee as Joan Collins – A sex obsessed resident of the village and Muriel's best friend. She is a former Logie winning actress with many past husbands (including 10 days married to "Bertie", otherwise known as the Archbishop of London). She also has many present lovers and constantly tried to find ways to add Ted to her collection.
• Bruce Spence as Darcy Kelso (The Shadow) – Whispering Pines groundskeeper who grows Pot in Ted's garden (Ted thinks they're secret Chinese herbs). Darcy is usually spaced out on some sort of drug or magic mushroom and has insinuated that he is on the run from the law. He usually comes up with shady deals to save Ted and Samantha (as the Manager) money, that usually backfire.
• Peter Whitford as John Cazaley "Johnno" Johnstone – Ted's best mate in the village. A proud Rotarian and a Ford Falcon driver who see's himself as the rightful Chairman of any committee in the village and is extremely competitive, especially with Ted and those "Wankers at the Royal Oaks Retirement Village" across the road who usually beat Whispering Pines for awards and trophies. Gets his mail order porn movies sent to an oblivious Ted who think's they're gardening videos, and hides them from Muriel under his car, though she usually ends up finding them. Claims he should have married Muriel's sister.

Guests

• Danny Adcock as Telstra Supervisor
• Robina Beard as Gwen the Ranger
• Neville Bonner as Self
• John Clayton as Judge (1 episode)
• Barry Crocker as Self
• Ernie Dingo as Self
• Kate Fitzpatrick as Helga
• Dawn Fraser as Self
• Anne Fulwood as Self
• Kevin Golsby as Derek Roving, TV News reporter / Host
• Kenneth Goodlet as Cardinal Fitzgerald
• Brendan Higgins as Father Paul
• John Hinde as Self
• Colin McEwan as Bob Bullpitt
• Ray Meagher as Self/Alf Stewart
• Genevieve Mooy
• Max Phipps as the Archbishop of London. A Nobel Prize winning author and an ex-husband of Joan.
• Oscar Redding as Scott, Susan Winchester's photographer
• Elaine Smith as Susan Winchester, Journalist
• Stuart Wagstaff as Tyrone Wilde

References

1. "Bullpitt! series 1". Screen Australia.
2. "Bullpitt: The Complete Series | Via Vision Entertainment".

External links

• Bullpitt! at IMDb