Shannon's Mob

Australian television series

Shannon's Mob
Genre	Espionage
Directed by	Ron Way Brian Bell Howard Rubie Ian Bennett
Starring	Robin Ramsay Frank Gallacher Julieanne Newbould
Composer	Eric Jupp
Country of origin	Australia
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	13
Production
Executive producer	Bob Austin
Producers	Joy Cavill Lee Robinson
Production location	Sydney
Camera setup	John Williams
Running time	60 mins
Production company	Fauna Productions
Original release
Network	Nine Network
Release	27 October 1975 (1975-10-27) – 4 February 1976 (1976-02-04)

Shannon's Mob is an Australian TV series about an Australian intelligence agency. It was the last TV series from Fauna Productions, who were responsible for Skippy the Bush Kangaroo among others.^[1]

Synopsis

FIASCO (The Federal Intelligence and Security Organisation) is a top-secret department whose existence was known only to a few and was answerable only to the Prime Minister. Under the control of one time Scotland Yard cop Dave Shannon, the main characters were agents Andrew Blake (Robin Ramsay) and Michael Jamieson (Frank Gallacher) who often worked undercover.

Cast

Main cast

Robin Ramsay as Andrew Blake
Frank Gallacher as Michael Jamieson

Guest cast

Julieanne Newbould as Libby (1 episode)
Gillian Jones as Carol (1 episode)
Joanne Samuel as Felicity Maitland (1 episode)
Angela Punch McGregor as Prostitute (1 episode)
Vincent Ball as Ashby (1 episode)
Chantal Contouri as Tara (1 episode)
Alwyn Kurts as Alan Merritt (1 episode)
Chris Haywood as Richard Pollard (1 episode)
Rowena Wallace as Estelle (1 episode)
Cecily Polson as Edith Thomas (1 episode)
John Clayton as Joe (1 episode)
Max Phipps as Patrick Ryan (1 episode)
Max Cullen as Vossif (1 episode)
Gerard Maguire as Fraser (1 episode)
Kevin Manser a Harry Davis (1 episode)
Pat Bishop as Miss Warwick (1 episode)
Diana Perryman as Mrs Pellini
Lorrae Desmond as Cassandra
Judy Lynne as Sophie Hochman
Alastair Duncan
Elke Neidhardt

Production

Production of the series took place from October 1973 to May 1974, mostly in and around Sydney.^[2]

Reception

The series did not screen until October 1975. It was not a ratings success and did not sell well overseas. TV critic Don Storey wrote that "not only was Shannon's Mob Fauna's least successful production, it was one of the least remembered series of Australian television's first twenty years."^[3]

In 1976 Robinson said it was unlikely that the series would ever recover its costs.^[4]

List of episodes

Without Incident
Nothing Else To Lose
Trip To Nowhere
There Was A Man
Stock In Trade
Hotspot
When Collier Came
Mixed Doubles
Loser Takes All
The Playpen
Peace Lovers
You've Got To Have Credentials
Heart Of Oak

References

^ Vagg, Stephen (31 December 2019). "Top Ten Australian James Bond Homages". Filmink.
^ "SYDNEY SCENE WITH A DASH OF EXTRA SPICE". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 9 January 1974. p. 18. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
^ Don Storey, Shannon's Mob at Australian Classic TV
^ Robinson, Lee (15 August 1976). "Lee Robinson" (Oral history). Interviewed by Graham Shirley. National Film and Sound Archive.