There's so much to tell about Bartons, but not everything warrants its own page. And there's a lot of fun facts too. This Trivia page holds both.
Most anecdotes and trivia come from Olivia, Rosemary and Jocelyn with my own observations and research thrown in for good measure.
Have fun!
Most anecdotes and trivia come from Olivia, Rosemary and Jocelyn with my own observations and research thrown in for good measure.
Have fun!
Olivia's sweater
Still from the opening credits. Digitised by me under fair use.
Sweet sweater
The knitted sweater Elly is wearing in the opening credits, was not issued by the ABC's wardrobe department. It's Olivia's own sweater she brought from home.
The knitted sweater Elly is wearing in the opening credits, was not issued by the ABC's wardrobe department. It's Olivia's own sweater she brought from home.
Under twelve
In the UK, viewers got a lot less 'Bartons for their buck', as the episode Suspected was never shown there. This left British viewers with only 11 episodes. The BBC (allegedly) decided not to broadcast Suspected because of the word poofter being used a lot in it.
In the UK, viewers got a lot less 'Bartons for their buck', as the episode Suspected was never shown there. This left British viewers with only 11 episodes. The BBC (allegedly) decided not to broadcast Suspected because of the word poofter being used a lot in it.
Regulations in the UK don't allow certain swear words in television programming before 9 PM, which is known as the watershed. And although poofter itself is not on that list, it comes pretty close to a British equivalent that is (just leave out some letters). If that is really the reason, I guess the BBC was afraid The Bartons would add a swear word to British playground vocabulary.
It's a real shame Suspected was dropped, as the episode itself is excellent and the plot can be a real eye opener to some kids, regardless of the language used in it. And just like other aspects of what makes Bartons stand out and special: the use of the word without shame perfectly reflects how kids talk when adults aren't around (and sometimes when they are…). So is leaving out an episode for this reason rightfully protective, or naive? Was it left out for the good of the kids watching the show, or out of fear for the letters of complaint from disgruntled parents? Discuss in the comments =)
Percentage envy
I wonder how many Bartons fans from the UK just realised there's 8.33% more Bartons still to be seen. I sort of envy them, as the rest of us have 0% more Bartons to look forward too.
Petition time
In the Netherlands, the show got a second run just months after its original run ended. This was after Dutch viewers (including myself) wrote the TV station telling them they loved the show and they missed it already. It wasn't an organised petition; it just so happened a good number of viewers felt the same and decided to write in. The host of the children's block of programming that Bartons was a part of during it's first run there, told viewers they recieved quite a few letters asking for a repeat. Eventually Bartons was repeated in full over the summer of 1991.
Primetime Elly
Not only did the Dutch station repeat The Bartons, they even bumped it to early primetime. The Bartons replaced Full House during that show's summer break. As the BBC repeated it during that same time period, Dutch viewers could watch Bartons twice a week for the entire summer. Those were the times!
Rerun record
Hands down, Germany is the country that's most nuts about the Bartons. Atleast if the number of runs the show had there is anything to go by. No less than seven runs, over a period of ten years, not counting next day repeats. Six of those runs were on national television, spread across several networks both commercial and publicly funded.
Last line of defence
Germany has another record up its sleeve: for as far as I could find out, the very last time The Bartons were on TV anywhere in the world, was in Germany in November 2000. Just stop and think about that for a second; that's nearly thirteen years after the series first aired world wide in Australia.
Das Buch
This probably also explains why, to this day in October 2020, you can still buy the German edition of Jocelyn Moorhouse' Bartons book, new and sealed, in Germany.
Silly Auntie
Compare the above trivial facts about Holland and Germany with the Barton's broadcast history in Australia, the show's home turf no less, where it only showed once. ONCE. Three weeks and gone. Someone at the ABC made a bad decision there.
Exchange student
When Olivia came to Denmark as an exchange student in 1992, she was told that The Bartons was still on TV in Europe. She could hardly believe that at the time, but she now knows that was very true!
Real Girl Guides
The extras that play the Girl Guides in Beautiful Beetroot are actual Girl Guides. It's the 2nd Glen Waverley Guide Company from the Glen Waverley Girl Guides, who might even be the world's most famous Australian Girl Guides out there because of it. And they probably don't even know it…
Legally Correct
Speaking of Beautiful Beetroot: after finding the cigarettes, Elly lists which Guide Laws Vivienne must have broken ("1, 2, 4, 5 ("Definitely 5, that poor frog", Anita adds), and most likely No. 8 as well").
Well, I checked, and Elly's right: according to the Australian Guide Laws that were in use in 1987, Vivienne broke those exact ones.
The 9th Guide Law that Vivienne uses as an excuse to take possession of the girls' property is indeed as Shelley explains to Elly and Anita. Of course, Vivienne interprets it to her advantage and not in the way it was intended.
Love/hate relationship
More Beautiful Beetroot: While Elly hated the barracks, Olivia absolutely doesn't; it's the very place her school booked for its annual Music Camp. So even though Elly is disgusted with the bunks and dorm rooms, Olivia has some great memories from that place.
Beautiful Barracks
Speaking of those barracks, in reality they're the main building of the YMCA Mt Evelyn Recreation Camp. The building is still there in 2021, but has seen some work done in the past decades. Most notably, the ground floor and the entrance to the building have since been expanded with a brickwork extension.
Compare how the building looked in the episode to how it looks today on the Filming Locations page.
Another love/hate relationship
You know what else Elly dislikes in that episode? Vivienne's obnoxious blonde side kick Shelley! But again: Olivia absolutely doesn't hate her, as that girl was played by Andree van Schaik, Olivia's real-life best friend at school. Olivia was really excited when it was time to shoot this episode as she had missed seeing her school friends while away on shoot.
This wasn't the first time Andree and Olivia shared the screen; Andree was also in the Kaboodle episode that Olivia was in.
Time flies
One last Beautiful Beetroot bit of trivia: the book specifies how long Elly was a Girl Guide: three weeks. In the episode, it appears to be much shorter. Time flies when you're not having fun, I guess.
Paperback Plugs
In Barton League of Bird Lovers Yvonne is forced to read from The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. Elly thinks the book is about eagles, but in reality it's a World War II thriller definitely not suitable for seven year olds.
Later in the same episode, Elly and Anita initiate the "eggs" by asking questions from a bird guide. That's the 1980 A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Graham Pizzey (thanks to fellow Bartons fan Boubekeur from Algeria for identifying it!).
I wonder how many Bartons fans from the UK just realised there's 8.33% more Bartons still to be seen. I sort of envy them, as the rest of us have 0% more Bartons to look forward too.
Petition time
In the Netherlands, the show got a second run just months after its original run ended. This was after Dutch viewers (including myself) wrote the TV station telling them they loved the show and they missed it already. It wasn't an organised petition; it just so happened a good number of viewers felt the same and decided to write in. The host of the children's block of programming that Bartons was a part of during it's first run there, told viewers they recieved quite a few letters asking for a repeat. Eventually Bartons was repeated in full over the summer of 1991.
Primetime Elly
Not only did the Dutch station repeat The Bartons, they even bumped it to early primetime. The Bartons replaced Full House during that show's summer break. As the BBC repeated it during that same time period, Dutch viewers could watch Bartons twice a week for the entire summer. Those were the times!
Rerun record
Hands down, Germany is the country that's most nuts about the Bartons. Atleast if the number of runs the show had there is anything to go by. No less than seven runs, over a period of ten years, not counting next day repeats. Six of those runs were on national television, spread across several networks both commercial and publicly funded.
Last line of defence
Germany has another record up its sleeve: for as far as I could find out, the very last time The Bartons were on TV anywhere in the world, was in Germany in November 2000. Just stop and think about that for a second; that's nearly thirteen years after the series first aired world wide in Australia.
Das Buch
This probably also explains why, to this day in October 2020, you can still buy the German edition of Jocelyn Moorhouse' Bartons book, new and sealed, in Germany.
Silly Auntie
Compare the above trivial facts about Holland and Germany with the Barton's broadcast history in Australia, the show's home turf no less, where it only showed once. ONCE. Three weeks and gone. Someone at the ABC made a bad decision there.
Exchange student
When Olivia came to Denmark as an exchange student in 1992, she was told that The Bartons was still on TV in Europe. She could hardly believe that at the time, but she now knows that was very true!
Real Girl Guides
The extras that play the Girl Guides in Beautiful Beetroot are actual Girl Guides. It's the 2nd Glen Waverley Guide Company from the Glen Waverley Girl Guides, who might even be the world's most famous Australian Girl Guides out there because of it. And they probably don't even know it…
Legally Correct
Speaking of Beautiful Beetroot: after finding the cigarettes, Elly lists which Guide Laws Vivienne must have broken ("1, 2, 4, 5 ("Definitely 5, that poor frog", Anita adds), and most likely No. 8 as well").
Well, I checked, and Elly's right: according to the Australian Guide Laws that were in use in 1987, Vivienne broke those exact ones.
The 9th Guide Law that Vivienne uses as an excuse to take possession of the girls' property is indeed as Shelley explains to Elly and Anita. Of course, Vivienne interprets it to her advantage and not in the way it was intended.
Love/hate relationship
More Beautiful Beetroot: While Elly hated the barracks, Olivia absolutely doesn't; it's the very place her school booked for its annual Music Camp. So even though Elly is disgusted with the bunks and dorm rooms, Olivia has some great memories from that place.
Beautiful Barracks
Speaking of those barracks, in reality they're the main building of the YMCA Mt Evelyn Recreation Camp. The building is still there in 2021, but has seen some work done in the past decades. Most notably, the ground floor and the entrance to the building have since been expanded with a brickwork extension.
Compare how the building looked in the episode to how it looks today on the Filming Locations page.
Another love/hate relationship
You know what else Elly dislikes in that episode? Vivienne's obnoxious blonde side kick Shelley! But again: Olivia absolutely doesn't hate her, as that girl was played by Andree van Schaik, Olivia's real-life best friend at school. Olivia was really excited when it was time to shoot this episode as she had missed seeing her school friends while away on shoot.
This wasn't the first time Andree and Olivia shared the screen; Andree was also in the Kaboodle episode that Olivia was in.
Time flies
One last Beautiful Beetroot bit of trivia: the book specifies how long Elly was a Girl Guide: three weeks. In the episode, it appears to be much shorter. Time flies when you're not having fun, I guess.
Paperback Plugs
In Barton League of Bird Lovers Yvonne is forced to read from The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. Elly thinks the book is about eagles, but in reality it's a World War II thriller definitely not suitable for seven year olds.
Later in the same episode, Elly and Anita initiate the "eggs" by asking questions from a bird guide. That's the 1980 A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Graham Pizzey (thanks to fellow Bartons fan Boubekeur from Algeria for identifying it!).
The Eagle Has Landed by Jack Higgins. There are several editions and prints of this book, but this is the print used on The Barton League of Bird Lovers
The ISBN for this exact edition is unknown (to me), but the book is available with a different cover under ISBN 9780553205411
Picture source unknown, used under fair use/citaatrecht.
A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia by Graham Pizzey, 1980 first edition. As used by Elly on The Bartons League of Bird Lovers.
ISBN for this edition: 0691082774
Picture by of OpenLibrary.org, used under fair use/citaatrecht. Source.
A…boot…the…au…th…or
Speaking of Yvonne's reading skills, her actress Pippa Smith could, in fact, read quite fluently and had to act that she couldn't. Pippa and her parents practiced the scene the night before filming. From Rosemary's interview for this site.
Hills hoist
When reading the Bartons book, you'll come across the term Hills hoist a lot. It's also in the show; it's the thing Elly has the eggs hanging off while answering bird related questions during initiation. Hills hoist is the Australian name for a drying mill. Hills is the company that invented them, and the name just stuck. Hills is still around today (external link). The picture is of my friend Toni's original Hills hoist.
Speaking of Yvonne's reading skills, her actress Pippa Smith could, in fact, read quite fluently and had to act that she couldn't. Pippa and her parents practiced the scene the night before filming. From Rosemary's interview for this site.
Hills hoist
When reading the Bartons book, you'll come across the term Hills hoist a lot. It's also in the show; it's the thing Elly has the eggs hanging off while answering bird related questions during initiation. Hills hoist is the Australian name for a drying mill. Hills is the company that invented them, and the name just stuck. Hills is still around today (external link). The picture is of my friend Toni's original Hills hoist.
The Hills hoist is somewhat of an icon in Australia. While doing research for this site, I came across poems, documentaries, family photo's of random Australians sitting underneath it (is that a thing? I know shade can be scarce there, but there has to be a better way…? ;)).
Although, to me, they don't look like they can handle children hanging off them during bird club initiations, according to this article by the ABC, a Hills hoist was the only thing left standing after Cyclone Tracy hit a Darwin family's home during Christmas 1974. So yeah, on second thought, I think they could perfectly handle a few eggs hanging off them.
Although, to me, they don't look like they can handle children hanging off them during bird club initiations, according to this article by the ABC, a Hills hoist was the only thing left standing after Cyclone Tracy hit a Darwin family's home during Christmas 1974. So yeah, on second thought, I think they could perfectly handle a few eggs hanging off them.
My friend Toni's original Hills hoist. Photographed exclusively for this website.
Picture courtesy of Toni.
Crossed Kelly
Jocelyn and Frankie J. Holden knew each other from Kelly's Crossing; a series that never aired.13 Jocelyn wrote the "series bible" and Frankie was cast in the pilot episode (the only episode filmed).
Jocelyn and Frankie J. Holden knew each other from Kelly's Crossing; a series that never aired.13 Jocelyn wrote the "series bible" and Frankie was cast in the pilot episode (the only episode filmed).
Type casted
Frankie J. Holden is the only actor who's both in the short film and the series. I guess he really is the perfect Robert Barton!
Frankie J. Holden is the only actor who's both in the short film and the series. I guess he really is the perfect Robert Barton!
Left photo: Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the episode The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, digitised by me under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Left photo: Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the episode The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, digitised by me under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Left photo: Robert Essex as Mr Jensen and Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the episode The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, digitised by me under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Max Phipps as Mr Jensen and Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Max Phipps as Mr Jensen and Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Left photo: Robert Essex as Mr Jensen and Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the episode The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, digitised by me under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Max Phipps as Mr Jensen and Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Max Phipps as Mr Jensen and Frankie J. Holden as Robert Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
The Other Elly
Now that we've mentioned the short: the next time you watch Australian soap Neighbours, take a long look at the character Terese Willis. Her actress, Rebekah Elmaloglou, portrayed Elly in the short film when she was about 12 years old.
Now that we've mentioned the short: the next time you watch Australian soap Neighbours, take a long look at the character Terese Willis. Her actress, Rebekah Elmaloglou, portrayed Elly in the short film when she was about 12 years old.
Left photo: Olivia Harkin as Elly Barton. Still from the episode The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, digitised by me under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Rebekah Elmaloglou as Elly Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Rebekah Elmaloglou as Elly Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Left photo: Olivia Harkin as Elly Barton. Still from the episode The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom, digitised by me under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Rebekah Elmaloglou as Elly Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
Right photo: Rebekah Elmaloglou as Elly Barton. Still from the short film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom, image credit: ACMI, used under fair use/citaatrecht
If you've only ever seen the television version of Elly, this is a weird thought to wrap your head around.
The Ellys share traits and differ slightly from each other (not just in looks). See the Overview page in the film section for an in-depth look at the differences between the Ellys (and other differences between the film, the episode of the same name and the television version of the characters).
The Ellys share traits and differ slightly from each other (not just in looks). See the Overview page in the film section for an in-depth look at the differences between the Ellys (and other differences between the film, the episode of the same name and the television version of the characters).
Noch eine Elly
And speaking of other Ellys, there's another one we should mention: Stephanie Kellner voiced Elly in the German dub of the Bartons.
And speaking of other Ellys, there's another one we should mention: Stephanie Kellner voiced Elly in the German dub of the Bartons.
Hercule "Elly" Barton from the Japanese 'visual novel' Tantei Opera Milky Holmes'.
Picture courtesy of the Milky Homes Fandom page.
Image licenced under CC-BY-SA
Eastern Elly
If you Google "Elly Barton", you'll notice that there is another fictional character by that name: Hercule "Elly" Barton is a Japanese anime character from "Tantei Opera Mike Holmes".
If you Google "Elly Barton", you'll notice that there is another fictional character by that name: Hercule "Elly" Barton is a Japanese anime character from "Tantei Opera Mike Holmes".
It's a anime, film, videogame and trading card game (or "media franchise" as its fans call it). Read more about it on this fan site.
I've never heard/watched/read/played it (it doesn't sound like it's my sort of thing really), so I'm not sure if this is a homage to "our" Elly Barton or just a coincidence.
Mostly mermaids
Miranda, the girl that Anthony fancies in Bartons on the Beach, claims to be a mermaid. Actress Rachel Friend, who plays Miranda, portrayed a "real" mermaid on an episode of Round the Twist a year after filming that scene.
Miranda, the girl that Anthony fancies in Bartons on the Beach, claims to be a mermaid. Actress Rachel Friend, who plays Miranda, portrayed a "real" mermaid on an episode of Round the Twist a year after filming that scene.
More mermaids
Or, rather, mer-people in this case. Jocelyn Moorhouse told me she had been working on a book about a boy who discovers some mer-people in his local sea-baths. She never finished the book because she got pregnant, but she might still finish it in the future.
Of course I'll list it on here if she does!
Or, rather, mer-people in this case. Jocelyn Moorhouse told me she had been working on a book about a boy who discovers some mer-people in his local sea-baths. She never finished the book because she got pregnant, but she might still finish it in the future.
Of course I'll list it on here if she does!
True Blue Dress
The blue dress Elly hides under her bed in Musical Rooms is the same dress she's forcing herself to wear in Suspected.
The blue dress Elly hides under her bed in Musical Rooms is the same dress she's forcing herself to wear in Suspected.
True Blue Ballad
The song True Blue, as sung by Lee and Douglas in the episode Bartons on the Beach, baffled me as a kid. Only when I got some Australian friends later in life, who explained it to me, I finally got what it was about. The original is by Australian singer John Williamson and is up on YouTube for you to enjoy:
The song True Blue, as sung by Lee and Douglas in the episode Bartons on the Beach, baffled me as a kid. Only when I got some Australian friends later in life, who explained it to me, I finally got what it was about. The original is by Australian singer John Williamson and is up on YouTube for you to enjoy:
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Please note that YouTube is an external service and not covered by our privacy policy. Please read YouTube's privacy policy to see how it collects and handles your (personal) data.
What's in a name?
Jocelyn Moorhouse was living in a shared house when in school. Douglas, Anthony and Paul were her house mates. As a joke, she decided to name Elly's brothers after them. She later married her housemate Paul, who we all know better as PJ Hogan.
Actual Anita
Jocelyn drew more inspiration from her own life when inventing characters for The Bartons; she had a red haired best friend named Anita when she was young, so Elly got one too. The real Anita is now a chef. Read more about Jocelyn's inspiration in the interview I did with her in 2020.
Actual sisters
Speaking of (Elly's) Anita: her little sister Yvonne is played by Pippa Smith; she's the real life sister of Rosemary Smith, who plays Anita.
Jocelyn Moorhouse was living in a shared house when in school. Douglas, Anthony and Paul were her house mates. As a joke, she decided to name Elly's brothers after them. She later married her housemate Paul, who we all know better as PJ Hogan.
Actual Anita
Jocelyn drew more inspiration from her own life when inventing characters for The Bartons; she had a red haired best friend named Anita when she was young, so Elly got one too. The real Anita is now a chef. Read more about Jocelyn's inspiration in the interview I did with her in 2020.
Actual sisters
Speaking of (Elly's) Anita: her little sister Yvonne is played by Pippa Smith; she's the real life sister of Rosemary Smith, who plays Anita.
Pippa and Rosemary Smith
Picture kindly provided by Rosemary Smith. From her personal collection.
Tight fit
Some scenes from earlier episodes needed to be redone. Among those episodes were Half-time and Bartons on the Beach. This was a problem, as the kids had grown over the months between the original shots and the reshoot. This meant that the sports uniforms from Half-time were now too small. And Olivia struggled to fit into her ugly matching bathing suit from Bartons on the Beach.
Some scenes from earlier episodes needed to be redone. Among those episodes were Half-time and Bartons on the Beach. This was a problem, as the kids had grown over the months between the original shots and the reshoot. This meant that the sports uniforms from Half-time were now too small. And Olivia struggled to fit into her ugly matching bathing suit from Bartons on the Beach.
Best kept secrets
Andrew Best has worked at Ripponlea Studios (where the interiour scenes were taped) since 1981 and is the site's unofficial historian (opens abc.net.au). If his name sounds familiar to you, that's probably because Andrew is credited as "Action Props" handler and "Staging Assistant" on most episodes of C/o The Bartons.
Andrew Best has worked at Ripponlea Studios (where the interiour scenes were taped) since 1981 and is the site's unofficial historian (opens abc.net.au). If his name sounds familiar to you, that's probably because Andrew is credited as "Action Props" handler and "Staging Assistant" on most episodes of C/o The Bartons.
House for sale
Since 2018, the ABC has been trying to sell off (opens external site) the Elsternwick property where Ripponlea Studios is situated. Former Countdown host Ian 'Molly' Meldrum is running a petition (opens external site) to save the complex by having it declared a heritage. If someone has $20m lying around, we could buy the lot and turn it into a Bartons museum! (All right all right; we'll sub let a small portion for a Countdown museum).
Since 2018, the ABC has been trying to sell off (opens external site) the Elsternwick property where Ripponlea Studios is situated. Former Countdown host Ian 'Molly' Meldrum is running a petition (opens external site) to save the complex by having it declared a heritage. If someone has $20m lying around, we could buy the lot and turn it into a Bartons museum! (All right all right; we'll sub let a small portion for a Countdown museum).
Studio Safari
Andrew toured a reporter from The Age around the studio back in 2016, for the complex' 50th birthday, when it was still in full use. You can watch a video report of that tour, with Andrew, below.
Andrew toured a reporter from The Age around the studio back in 2016, for the complex' 50th birthday, when it was still in full use. You can watch a video report of that tour, with Andrew, below.
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Please note that The Age is an external service and not covered by our privacy policy. Please read The Age's privacy policy to see how it collects and handles your (personal) data.
Descriptions Discrepancies
After being cast, each actor was handed an information package on the series. Among the documents are descriptions for each major character. As these are drawn up early in production, they sometimes change by the time filming starts. Also, not every aspect of a character's personality ends up being used in a script. Here are some fun facts from those character descriptions that we'd never have known just by watching the series:
McMac
Anita's last name is interchangeably spelt as either McPherson and MacPherson in documents and scripts. I'm going with McPherson on Bartons on the Web, as that's how her last name appears on the end credits (and most documents).
Novel forms of expletives
A letter from producer Jenifer Hooks on some points about working with children was included with the package, addressed to the adult cast members and crew. One of the points is that adults are reminded to "perhaps moderate excessive smoking around them and maybe invent some novel forms of expletives so necessary on working on a film".
After being cast, each actor was handed an information package on the series. Among the documents are descriptions for each major character. As these are drawn up early in production, they sometimes change by the time filming starts. Also, not every aspect of a character's personality ends up being used in a script. Here are some fun facts from those character descriptions that we'd never have known just by watching the series:
- In Clare's character description her name is Marjorie Barton. This was apparantly later changed;
- The reason why Clare loves the fire brigade so much, is that she was rescued from a fire by them as a child. She dreams of one day writing a thriller about a fireman;
- Robert hates archery and Countdown (the music programme), and is the manager for the local Super-K-Mart. However, in the final scripts, Robert is a bank manager instead;
- Elly's favourite animal is the tasmanian devil (not the Looney Toons kind, mind you), followed by cats;
- Paul aspires to become a novellist, is always starting (but never finishes) a new novel and loves learning about English Tudor at school;
- Anthony hates "Murder She Wrote"…;
- … but Elly loves "Murder She Wrote";
- Elly hates netball. She's too short to play it properly;
- Douglas 'adores' Mrs. Turner, who plays the piano during his school's music and folk dancing classes;
- Anita McPherson aspires to one day be a world famous model, hates Wheel of Fortune (the game show) and loves jelly beans;
- Skinner wants to be a famous jazz musician when he grows up;
- Mr Jensen's physical appearance is literally described as: "Just imagine the way Max Phipps can look", referring to the actor that played Mr Jensen in the Bartons film. Max Phipps is (internationally) perhaps best known for his role as The Toadie, who loses his fingers to a sharp edged boomerang in Mad Max 2;
- Vince Capaletti hates the German language (Warum lieber Vince, warum!? Sie werden sehen, dass die deutsche Sprache eine schöne Seite hat, wenn jemand danach sucht!);
- The Capaletti boys have a sister: 17 year old Rosa Capaletti, who sometimes babysits the Barton kids.
- Miss India's cat is called Shere Khan in the series, but according to her character description, his name is Ceylon. Until 1972, Ceylon was the name of the country that we now know as Sri Lanka
- According to the character description of Mr Snoller, the Snoller house is next to Mr Jensen's house (the Bartons' house being on the other side)
McMac
Anita's last name is interchangeably spelt as either McPherson and MacPherson in documents and scripts. I'm going with McPherson on Bartons on the Web, as that's how her last name appears on the end credits (and most documents).
Novel forms of expletives
A letter from producer Jenifer Hooks on some points about working with children was included with the package, addressed to the adult cast members and crew. One of the points is that adults are reminded to "perhaps moderate excessive smoking around them and maybe invent some novel forms of expletives so necessary on working on a film".
Wading through cold water.
On the set of Bartons on the Beach
Picture kindly provided by Rosemary Smith. From her personal collection.
Wading
In order to film the scene where Paul and Anita wade through the creek in Bartons on the Beach, the crew waded along with the actors. But the crew was wearing suitable clothing; Matt and Rosemary were not….
The camera was wearing appropriate attire too: it was floating in a water proof glass box so it didn't get damaged.
In order to film the scene where Paul and Anita wade through the creek in Bartons on the Beach, the crew waded along with the actors. But the crew was wearing suitable clothing; Matt and Rosemary were not….
The camera was wearing appropriate attire too: it was floating in a water proof glass box so it didn't get damaged.
NCIS: Banksiawood
The episode The Great Billycart Aid Race was written by Shane Brennan. Later in life, Shane became executive producer and overall "show runner" for the American drama series NCIS. He also created that series' spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles.
Prodigal son returns
Well not really as father and son, but Matt Day and his TV dad Frankie J. Holden did team up again on A Place to Call Home in 2017. Matt didn't play Frankie's son this time around though; Matt guest starred in five episodes as Ed Jarvis, a character unrelated to Frankie's Roy Briggs.
Well not really as father and son, but Matt Day and his TV dad Frankie J. Holden did team up again on A Place to Call Home in 2017. Matt didn't play Frankie's son this time around though; Matt guest starred in five episodes as Ed Jarvis, a character unrelated to Frankie's Roy Briggs.
Doodle Day
Speaking of Matt Day: he was (is?) quite the doodler. He doodled all over other cast members scripts during script readings. Below is one of his art works.
Speaking of Matt Day: he was (is?) quite the doodler. He doodled all over other cast members scripts during script readings. Below is one of his art works.
The cover of the script to Half-time, with Matt Day's doodling all over it. Matt was into punk music by the looks of it!
Picture courtesy of Rosemary Smith.
Poet
Alan Lovett, who portrayed Mr Snoller, is a poet as much as he is an actor. He performs on stage poetry in both English and Japanese with the Zoom Company in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK and the US.
In May 2020, Alan performed some of his favourite poems in an online performance titled Poems to Lockdown to on seriouscomedy.com.au. Below is his announcement for that event.
A more detailed profile of Alan can be found on the Cast page.
Alan Lovett, who portrayed Mr Snoller, is a poet as much as he is an actor. He performs on stage poetry in both English and Japanese with the Zoom Company in Australia, Canada, Japan, the UK and the US.
In May 2020, Alan performed some of his favourite poems in an online performance titled Poems to Lockdown to on seriouscomedy.com.au. Below is his announcement for that event.
A more detailed profile of Alan can be found on the Cast page.
View contents from YouTube.com
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Please note that YouTube is an external service and not covered by our privacy policy. Please read YouTube's privacy policy to see how it collects and handles your (personal) data.
Mr Santa's red bag
One role that Alan Lovett played will be remembered by a lot of Melburnians. From the 1980s throughout the early 2000s, Alan portrayed the city's official Santa Claus.
Here's an interview withAlan Santa from 2008, courtesy of Alan's own YouTube-channel:
One role that Alan Lovett played will be remembered by a lot of Melburnians. From the 1980s throughout the early 2000s, Alan portrayed the city's official Santa Claus.
Here's an interview with
View contents from YouTube.com
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Please note that YouTube is an external service and not covered by our privacy policy. Please read YouTube's privacy policy to see how it collects and handles your (personal) data.
Exclusive Snollers Story Lines
All the Snollers related storylines are missing from the book. This makes them the only "main" characters exclusive to the television series. There's one episode in which the Snollers do appear that was reworked into the book (Bye Bye Bartons), but the Snollers were left out of that story line.
The Partial Billycart Aid Race
For years, a chunk of The Great Billycart Aid Race was all there was to be found of Bartons on YouTube. Someone digitised a bit of an old VHS tape that contained this episode and uploaded it (no, it wasn't me). The recording was made from the BBC broadcast.
Fake news
Speaking of The Great Billycart Aid Race, the newspaper from which Elly cuts the article about Bob Geldof in this episode, is the Thursday 21 May 1987 edition of The Age, a real life Melburnian newspaper. The paper was altered by the crew for this episode. There's an in-depth look at those alterations here.
Time-space continuum
That very issue of The Age has another connection to C/o The Bartons: printed on page 47 is a news story on the show being in production.03 So maybe 21 May 1987 is, as Doc Brown in Back to the Future II puts it, "a temporal junction point for the entire space-time continuum". Well that, or the crew had a few copies of the issue at hand because the show was mentioned in it. I'm going with the latter.
All the Snollers related storylines are missing from the book. This makes them the only "main" characters exclusive to the television series. There's one episode in which the Snollers do appear that was reworked into the book (Bye Bye Bartons), but the Snollers were left out of that story line.
The Partial Billycart Aid Race
For years, a chunk of The Great Billycart Aid Race was all there was to be found of Bartons on YouTube. Someone digitised a bit of an old VHS tape that contained this episode and uploaded it (no, it wasn't me). The recording was made from the BBC broadcast.
Fake news
Speaking of The Great Billycart Aid Race, the newspaper from which Elly cuts the article about Bob Geldof in this episode, is the Thursday 21 May 1987 edition of The Age, a real life Melburnian newspaper. The paper was altered by the crew for this episode. There's an in-depth look at those alterations here.
Time-space continuum
That very issue of The Age has another connection to C/o The Bartons: printed on page 47 is a news story on the show being in production.03 So maybe 21 May 1987 is, as Doc Brown in Back to the Future II puts it, "a temporal junction point for the entire space-time continuum". Well that, or the crew had a few copies of the issue at hand because the show was mentioned in it. I'm going with the latter.
Front cover, British edition, with Matt Day and Olivia Harkin.
Click on the picture for a better look.
Photo by me.
Click on the picture for a better look.
Photo by me.
Undercover messaging
Both the Australian and the British front cover of the book feature a photo of Paul and Elly (or Matt and Olivia, depending how you look at it) doing the "poofter test"; Paul is looking at his finger nails and Elly is crossing her legs, but both not in the way Anthony would prefer it. It took me a while to notice that!
Both the Australian and the British front cover of the book feature a photo of Paul and Elly (or Matt and Olivia, depending how you look at it) doing the "poofter test"; Paul is looking at his finger nails and Elly is crossing her legs, but both not in the way Anthony would prefer it. It took me a while to notice that!
Colourblind
More book trivia: the photo on the German front cover of the book (taken on the set of The Great Billycart Aid Race) was colourised: Elly's blouse has a red and black checkered pattern in the episode, yet on this photo what is supposed to be red is now yellow.
More book trivia: the photo on the German front cover of the book (taken on the set of The Great Billycart Aid Race) was colourised: Elly's blouse has a red and black checkered pattern in the episode, yet on this photo what is supposed to be red is now yellow.
Frankenford
The red 1980 (XD) Ford Falcon GL that Robert drives is a bit of a Frankenstein's Ford according to the Internet Movie Car Database (IMCDb.com). It has bits and parts of different trims added; you couldn't buy that exact car in 1980.
The red 1980 (XD) Ford Falcon GL that Robert drives is a bit of a Frankenstein's Ford according to the Internet Movie Car Database (IMCDb.com). It has bits and parts of different trims added; you couldn't buy that exact car in 1980.
The Ford Falcon is a model exclusive to Australia; it bears resemblance to the Ford Granada sold in Europe in the same time frame, but in reality only shares the headlight units with that model. If this makes me sound like a car buff, I'm sorry to disappoint: in truth this info comes from Wikipedia and the aforementioned IMCDb.org. :)
Age difference
In the book, Elly is twelve years old, going on thirteen. In the series, she's eleven years old (she turns "eleven-and-a-half" in Musical Rooms). This lines up much better with Olivia's actual age at the time, so maybe that was a consideration.
In the book, Elly is twelve years old, going on thirteen. In the series, she's eleven years old (she turns "eleven-and-a-half" in Musical Rooms). This lines up much better with Olivia's actual age at the time, so maybe that was a consideration.
Small world
Australia only had 16 million inhabitants in 1987; that's relatively small for the country's size. That makes for a relatively small pool of acting talent too, which means you'll see your favourite Bartons actors in a various other Australian productions on a regular basis.
Blue Heelers and Prisoner pop up as the productions that feature the most Bartons stars. Frankie J. Holden, Jennifer Jarman-Walker, Maud Clark, Alan Lovett, Lesley Baker, Bob Ruggiero and Maureen Edwards all had roles in one or usually both of these series. Australian soap opera Neighbours is a close second, followed by Phoenix (which also sees Olivia guest starring in an episode).
Australia only had 16 million inhabitants in 1987; that's relatively small for the country's size. That makes for a relatively small pool of acting talent too, which means you'll see your favourite Bartons actors in a various other Australian productions on a regular basis.
Blue Heelers and Prisoner pop up as the productions that feature the most Bartons stars. Frankie J. Holden, Jennifer Jarman-Walker, Maud Clark, Alan Lovett, Lesley Baker, Bob Ruggiero and Maureen Edwards all had roles in one or usually both of these series. Australian soap opera Neighbours is a close second, followed by Phoenix (which also sees Olivia guest starring in an episode).
Apostrophical size
Although the first episode of the television series and the short film appear to have the same title, there is a small difference: the film is titled The Siege of Barton's Bathroom; while the episode is titled The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom; a difference of apostrophical size.
Although the first episode of the television series and the short film appear to have the same title, there is a small difference: the film is titled The Siege of Barton's Bathroom; while the episode is titled The Siege of Bartons' Bathroom; a difference of apostrophical size.
Short, Sun, Soap
Max Phipps, Scott Bartle and Rebekah Elmaloglou all appeared in the Australian soap opera E Street in the late 1980's. Scott Bartle and Rebekah Elmaloglou teamed up again as relatives in the Touch the Sun film Princess Kate (1988).
Max Phipps, Scott Bartle and Rebekah Elmaloglou all appeared in the Australian soap opera E Street in the late 1980's. Scott Bartle and Rebekah Elmaloglou teamed up again as relatives in the Touch the Sun film Princess Kate (1988).
Fourth brother, where art thou?
In the film, Elly really is the middle child: she has two older brothers (Paul and Tony) and two younger brothers (Douglas and Dominic Barton). Dominic was 'merged" into the Douglas-character for the television series: Douglas is two years older in the series and Dominic disappeared completely.
In the film, Dominic was portrayed by Brendan Cowell, aged ten. Brendan Cowell is internationally best known for his roles as Harrag of house Greyjoy in Game of Thrones and Captain Mick Scoresby in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
Read more about the film, Dominic and more differences here.
In the film, Elly really is the middle child: she has two older brothers (Paul and Tony) and two younger brothers (Douglas and Dominic Barton). Dominic was 'merged" into the Douglas-character for the television series: Douglas is two years older in the series and Dominic disappeared completely.
In the film, Dominic was portrayed by Brendan Cowell, aged ten. Brendan Cowell is internationally best known for his roles as Harrag of house Greyjoy in Game of Thrones and Captain Mick Scoresby in Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).
Read more about the film, Dominic and more differences here.
Mime for more time
Right from the start of the production, it was clear that the series would air in France. As everything is dubbed in French in France, and a French company was co-producing the series, "room" was made in some scenes to allow for the French dub to fit properly (and make is easier for the French child voice actors to time their lines with what's happening on screen). "Making room" meant that some scenes where recorded twice: the version with dialogue as shown in the Australian/international versions of the episodes, and a version where the Australian actors simply mime their way through a scene without speaking. This gave the French editors some more footage to extend shots where needed.01
Right from the start of the production, it was clear that the series would air in France. As everything is dubbed in French in France, and a French company was co-producing the series, "room" was made in some scenes to allow for the French dub to fit properly (and make is easier for the French child voice actors to time their lines with what's happening on screen). "Making room" meant that some scenes where recorded twice: the version with dialogue as shown in the Australian/international versions of the episodes, and a version where the Australian actors simply mime their way through a scene without speaking. This gave the French editors some more footage to extend shots where needed.01
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