''Barracuda'' is an Australian drama

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

, first broadcast on ABC TV starting 10 July 2016. The series is based on ''

Barracuda A barracuda is a large, predatory, ray-finned, saltwater fish of the genus ''Sphyraena'', the only genus in the family Sphyraenidae, which was named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1815. It is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldw ...

'', the 2013 novel by Australian author

Christos Tsiolkas Christos Tsiolkas is an Australian author, playwright, and screenwriter. He is especially known for '' The Slap'', which was both well-received critically and highly successful commercially. Several of his books have been adapted for film and t ...

. ''Barracuda'' is written by Blake Ayshford and

Belinda Chayko Belinda Chayko is an Australian film director and screenwriter. Biography Belinda Chayko started her working career as a cadet journalist with ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' After several years she started leaning towards screenwriting and attende ...

and directed by

Robert Connolly Robert Connolly (born 1967) is an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter based in Melbourne, Victoria. He is best known as the director and writer of the feature films '' Balibo'', '' Three Dollars'', '' The Bank'' and '' The Dry' ...

. It is produced by

Tony Ayres Tony Ayres (born 16 July 1961) is an Australian showrunner, screenwriter, director in television and feature film. He is most notable for his films '' Walking on Water'' and '' The Home Song Stories'', as well his work in television, including ...

and Amanda Higgs with Christos Tsiolkas as associate producer. The series is a Matchbox Pictures production in association with

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

Screen Australia Screen Australia is the Australian Federal Government's key funding body for the Australian screen production industry, created under the ''Screen Australia Act 2008''. From 1 July 2008 Screen Australia took over the functions of its predecess ...

and

Film Victoria VicScreen, formerly known as Film Victoria, is the Victoria State Government's creative and economic screen development agency. It supports screen industry professionals, infrastructure, projects and events, promoting the state of Victoria as ...

Synopsis

In 1996, Danny Kelly is a talented swimmer who attends a prestigious Melbourne private school on a sporting scholarship. He is from a working-class background and is the target of harassment from more privileged students. Danny yearns to win swimming gold at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

. He is mentored by coach Frank Torma and develops a friendship and rivalry with teammate Martin Taylor.

Cast

* Elias Anton as Danny Kelly * Ben Kindon as Martin Taylor *

Matt Nable Matthew Nable (born 8 March 1972) is an Australian film and television actor, writer, sports commentator and former professional rugby league player. After playing in the Winfield Cup Premiership during the 1990s for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eag ...

as Frank Torma *

Rachel Griffiths Rachel Anne Griffiths (born 1968) is an Australian actress. List of awards and nominations received by Rachel Griffiths, Her accolades include a Golden Globe Award, three AACTA Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award and four Primetime Em ...

as Samantha Taylor *

Andrew Blackman Andrew Blackman (born 2 August 1965) is an Australian born actor, producer, and director who founded the Complete Works Theatre Company (CWTC) in Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian ...

as Mr Taylor *

Jeremy Lindsay Taylor Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (born Sydney, 19 September 1973) is an Australian actor. Education He finished his education at Newington College in 1991 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in drama and sociology, from the Univers ...

as Neal Kelly *

Victoria Haralabidou Victoria Haralabidou () is a Greek Australian actress. Early life and education Victoria Haralabidou was born in Saint Petersburg, USSR. When she was 15 years old, her family moved to Athens, Greece. In 2005, she moved to Sydney, Australi ...

as Stephanie Kelly * Tilda Cobham-Hervey as Emma Taylor * Andrew Creer as Wilco *

Jacob Collins-Levy Jacob Collins-Levy (born 18 March 1992) is an English-Australian actor. On television, he is known for his role in the Starz series ''The White Princess'' (2017), and the Netflix series ''Young Wallander'' (2020) and '' The Witcher: Blood Origi ...

as Clyde *

Joel Lok Joel Lok (born September 6, 1994) is a Singaporean-Australian actor born in Singapore and based in Melbourne, starring in the Australian film in 2007, '' The Home Song Stories'', as the young character, Tom. Joel is the youngest actor to receive ...

as Luke Tran * Rhys Mitchell as Scooter * Imran Adams as Theo Kelly * Luca Sardelis as Regan Kelly *

Joe Klocek Joe Klocek (born 24 June 1995) is an Australian actor. He is known for his roles in the television series ''Nowhere Boys'' (2016–2018), as well as his role in the film '' The Dry'' (2020). Klocek has also appeared in the TV shows ''Barracuda'' ...

as Tsitsas *

Damon Gameau Damon Gameau is an Australian actor, director, and producer, known for his documentaries '' That Sugar Film'' and ''2040''. Gameau has also appeared in a number of award-winning TV shows and films, such as ''Love My Way'', '' The Tracker'' and ...

as Ben Whitter *

Helen Morse Helen Morse (born 24 January 1947) is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film ''Caddie'', and starred in the 1981 minise ...

as Margot

Episodes

Note

Broadcast

Internationally, the series was acquired in the United Kingdom by

BBC Three BBC Three is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes for a 16 to 34-year-old target aud ...

, in South Africa by Dstv and

Skai TV Skai TV is a Greek free-to-air television network based in Piraeus, operating under Skai Group. It has been broadcasting since 2006 and is available via digital terrestrial transmission, as well as subscription-based services such as Nova and ...

in Greece.

References

External links

*
Official site
{{EquityAward TVMiniSeriesTeleMovieCast Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming 2016 Australian television series debuts 2016 Australian television series endings Television shows set in Melbourne Australian English-language television shows Australian television series about teenagers Television series by Matchbox Pictures Television series set in 1996 Television series set in the 1990s