''Stark'' is a 1993 British-Australian television serial, based on the bestselling 1989 novel '' Stark'' by comedian

Ben Elton Benjamin Charles Elton is a British comedian, actor, author, playwright, lyricist and director. One of the major figures in the alternative comedy movement of the 1980s, his early stand-up style was Left-wing politics, left-wing political satire ...

. The three-episode series, directed by Nadia Tass, was an international coproduction between the

British Broadcasting Corporation The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public broadcasting, public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved in ...

and the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is Australia’s principal public service broadcaster. It is funded primarily by grants from the federal government and is administered by a government-appointed board of directors. The ABC is ...

. It starred

and

Jacqueline McKenzie Jacqueline Susan McKenzie (born 24 October 1967) is an Australian film and stage actress. Early life Born in Sydney, New South Wales, McKenzie attended Wenona School in North Sydney, New South Wales, North Sydney until 1983 then moved to Pymb ...

Synopsis

The story is a comedic telling of an action adventure, based on Ben Elton's bestselling 1989 novel '' Stark''.

Cast

as CD (Colin Dobson) *

as Rachel O'Donoghue *

Colin Friels Colin Friels (born 25 September 1952) is an Australian actor of theatre, TV, film and presenter. Early life Friels was born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, Scotland.Interview with Colin Friels, ''George Negus Tonight'' (ABC Television), 26 August 200 ...

as Sly Morgan *

Deborra-Lee Furness Deborra-Lee Furness Jackman, (born 30 November 1955) is an Australian actress and producer. Early life Furness was born in Annandale, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, and raised in Melbourne, Victoria. At the age of 18, Furness attended ...

as Chrissie *

Derrick O'Connor Derrick O'Connor (3 January 1941 – 29 June 2018) was an Irish theatre and character actor who trained at East 15 Acting School, London. Life and career O'Connor was best known for his performance as South African mercenary Pieter Vorstedt i ...

as Zimmerman * Bill Wallis as Walter * Bill Hunter as Ocker Tyron * John Neville as Lord De Quincey * Anne Scott-Pendlebury as Sly's secretary * David Argue * Marshall Napier as Private Detective (2 episodes) * Michael Veitch as TV Presenter

Production

The budget for the series was A$7 million, with most of the money coming from the BBC. Elton wrote the script adapted from his own novel, as well as taking the starring role as the " whinging Pom", CD.''An Interview with Ben Elton'', ''Stark'' DVD, July 2007. Nadia Tass directed the series, while David Parker, Michael Wearing, and Timothy White were co-producers. Wearing also executive produced, along with Jill Robb. Ken Sallows edited the film, while Laurence Eastwood was responsible for

production design In film industry, film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and ...

. ''Stark'' is an Australia/United Kingdom co-production. Although ''Stark'' is primarily set in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

, the series was filmed in two other Australian states: Victoria and

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

. Desert scenes, which make up much of the later episodes, were filmed in and around Coober Pedy.

Broadcast

''Stark'' was first aired by the ABC in Australia over two nights on 11 and 12 August (the first and second episodes were edited together into one movie-length episode; the third episode aired as the second and final episode in Australia). The series did not air in the United Kingdom until it appeared on

BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...

on Wednesday nights from 8–22 December.

Differences between the series and the novel

The main changes from the plot of the novel were the extent of the Stark Consipiracy's plan, and the ending. In the novel, Rachel escapes from Stark just prior to the launch, the Star Arks land at their moonbase and the conspirators are quickly consumed by their own greed, selfishness and hatred, with Sly eventually committing suicide. In the series, Lord de Quincy intends to scuttle a fleet of 'leper ships' carrying toxic waste, to actually hasten the extinction of the human species. Sly boards the rocket with Rachel, who has fallen in love with him, and the pair stage a mutiny, although they are killed when the Star Arks are shot down by the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. In an interview included on the DVD edition, Elton states that this change was suggested by producer Michael Wearing, who was concerned that the novel lacked a "jeopardy point". Several of the main characters' names are also changed in the series: Sly Moorcock was renamed Sly Morgan, and Lord Playing is renamed Lord De Quincey.

References

External links

* {{Ben Elton 1993 British television series debuts 1993 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series 1990s Australian television miniseries 1990s British television miniseries BBC television dramas Television shows based on British novels 1993 Australian television series debuts 1993 Australian television series endings Australian Broadcasting Corporation original programming Television shows written by Ben Elton