''Molly'' is a two-part Australian miniseries about Australian music personality Molly Meldrum. Aired on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

, the first part premiered on 7 February 2016, with the second and final half screening on 14 February. It is based on Meldrum's biography, ''The Never, Um ... Ever Ending Story'', which was written with journalist Jeff Jenkins.

Synopsis

Framed by Ian "Molly" Meldrum's fall from a ladder outside his home during the 2011

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

season and his resulting coma, ''Molly'' flashes back and forth through the key events of Meldrum's life, from his small beginnings in Quambatook, through his rise to becoming one of the biggest names in Australian music. The central focus of the series is the invention, rise and eventual fall of the high-rating TV series '' Countdown'', and how it shaped Meldrum's life and legacy. It also includes the opportunities afforded to him as host of the groundbreaking new show, along with how his accessible personality and passion for music saw him become an essential figure of the Australian music scene in the 1970s, '80s and beyond.

Cast

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

as Molly Meldrum *Aaron Glenane as

Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Austr ...

Rebecca Breeds Rebecca Elizabeth Breeds (born 17 June 1987) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her leading roles as Ruby Buckton on the Seven Network soap opera ''Home and Away'' (2008–2012) and Clarice Starling on the CBS crime drama series ...

as Camille, Meldrum's fiancée * Ben Gerrard as Caroline, Meldrum's transgender flatmate * T.J. Power as Robbie Weekes, co-creator and director of ''Countdown'' * Tom O'Sullivan as Michael Shrimpton, co-creator and producer of ''Countdown'' *Benedict Hardie as Alan Wade, an ABC executive who clashes with Meldrum * Heather Mitchell as Pat Hatcher, Wade's successor * Krew Boylan as Lynne Randell *Connor Crawford as

John Paul Young John Inglis Young, Order of Australia, OAM (born 21 June 1950), known professionally as John Paul Young, is an Australian pop singer who is best known for having a worldwide hit with "Love Is in the Air (song), Love Is in the Air" in 1978. His ...

* Ben Geurens as Shirley Strachan * Jacinta Stapleton as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

* Kate Atkinson as Meldrum's mother * Helen Morse as Meldrum's grandmother * Toby Truslove as Gary Morris * Tegan Higginbotham as Petra Comedians

Ed Kavalee Edward Robert Kavalee (born 30 June 1979) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer, podcaster, radio and television presenter and association football commentator. He is a recurring panellist on Network 10's '' Have You Been Paying Attention?'' ...

Andy Lee Andy Lee may refer to: __NOTOC__ Sportspeople * Andy Lee (American football) (born 1982), American football punter * Andy Lee (boxer) (born 1984), Irish boxer * Andy Lee (footballer, born 1982), English footballer for Bradford City * Andy Lee (footb ...

Hamish Blake Hamish Donald Blake (born 11 December 1981) is an Australian comedian, television and radio presenter, actor and author. Since 2003, he has worked with Andy Lee as part of the comedy duo Hamish and Andy. The pair have performed live and on ...

and Mick Molloy also make cameo appearances. Molly Meldrum appeared as himself in an epilogue.

Production

Filming of the telemovie took place in early 2015.

Reception

Ratings

The first part of the telemovie was the highest-rating non-sport program in Australia for 2016. It had 3.02 million national viewers (2.1 million metropolitan and 931,000 regional). Samuel Johnson went on to win the

Gold Logie The Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, commonly referred to simply as the Gold Logie, is an award presented annually at the Australian Logie Awards. The Gold Logie was first awarded at the 2nd Annual TV We ...

the following year for his performance.

Music

A three-disc soundtrack featuring 60 tracks was released on 27 November 2015 by

Liberation Music Liberation Records, formerly Liberation Music, was an Australian record company and label, started in 1999 by Michael Gudinski and Warren Costello, based in Melbourne. Its stated business aim is to "find, nurture and then to develop new tal ...

, titled '' Molly: Do Yourself a Favour'' after one of Meldrum's catchphrases on ''Countdown''. It peaked at number 1 on the

ARIA Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. A second three-disc soundtrack was released on 21 October 2016 by Liberation Music, titled ''Molly: Counting Down The Hits''.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 4158318, Molly Seven Network original programming 2010s Australian television miniseries 2016 Australian television series debuts 2016 Australian television series endings Cultural depictions of Australian people Cultural depictions of pop musicians Cultural depictions of journalists Cultural depictions of presenters Cultural depictions of Madonna