Why Australia’s favourite police drama Blue Heelers was REALLY axed – despite a loyal fan base and 25 Logies
Blue Heelers is one of the highest-rated and most-awarded programs in the history of Australian television.
And more than a decade after the Australian police drama was axed by Channel Seven, the real reason it was pulled from the air has been exposed.
According to one of the show’s lead actors, John Wood (who played Sergeant Tom Croydon), the decision was based around cost-cutting measures at the network.
REVEALED: Actor John Wood has exposed why Australia’s favourite police drama Blue Heelers was REALLY axed in 2006 – despite having a loyal fan base and winning 25 Logies. Pictured L to R: John Wood, William McInnes and Lisa McCune
In 2006, after 12 years and 25 Logie awards, Channel Seven announced that popular series Blue Heelers had been axed.
The Gold Logie winner’s new memoir How I Clawed My Way To The Middle reflects on why the police drama was dropped despite it rating better than another network drama at the time.
Speaking to news.com.au, John claimed the network was under pressure to cut costs after forking out $780 million to broadcast the AFL for five years.
‘When footy became that expensive, it became the death knell (for Australian drama shows) in a way,’ he said.
‘It was the death knell (for Australian drama shows) in a way’: John claimed Seven was under pressure to cut costs after forking out $780 million to broadcast the AFL for five years
Tell-all: The Gold Logie winner’s new memoir How I Clawed My Way To The Middle (pictured) includes a reflection on why the police drama was dropped
He claimed that Seven had a choice of axing Blue Heelers, which was a Southern Star production, or Seven’s medical drama production All Saints.
‘They kept their own production and let Blue Heelers go, even though Blue Heelers was rating better than All Saints,’ the actor added.
Blue Heelers is the fourth-most popular TV show in Australian history with 25 Logies to its name, while lead actress Lisa McCune won four Gold Logies for the series.
Meanwhile, All Saints won nine Logies during its run before it was also axed in 2009 – three years after Blue Heelers was dropped.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Seven for comment.
‘They kept their own production and let Blue Heelers go’: The actor, 74, claimed Seven chose to keep All Saints when the network was forced to axe one or the other
Impressive! Blue Heelers is the fourth-most popular TV show in Australian history with 25 Logies to its name, while lead actress Lisa McCune (pictured in 2000) won four Gold Logies while starring on the series
Australians were in tears when Lisa McCune’s character Maggie Doyle was fatally shot in dramatic scenes of Blue Heelers in 2000.
And almost two decades on from the iconic TV moment, the actress revealed in 2018 that she never wanted the police officer to die.
In the police drama, Maggie was shot and killed a day before she was due to enter witness protection, after she found a computer disk with information about a gang.
She told news.com.au two years ago: ‘I understand why they had to do it, but I think because I knew she had such a strong, young female following I felt really strongly that I wanted her to stay alive.’
‘Initially I was like, “Oh no, do we have to do that?” Lisa McCune’s character Maggie Doyle was fatally shot in dramatic scenes of Blue Heelers in 2000