Scotch College

Boys in ABC Comedy Series

On Friday 6th September some high profile parts of Scotch underwent a radical change of image to become "Broadshadows Military Academy" in an episode of an upcoming ABC TV Comedy series, Welcher & Welcher. The series, written by Sean Micallef, is based around a fictitious law firm and features many prominent Australian actors, including Max Gillies, John Clarke, Bud Tingwell, Sigrid Thornton and more.

In this episode, fifteen drama students from Year 9 and four boys from Year 4 played small roles as schoolboys, cadets and Sergeant-at-Arms. The episode also featured Max Gillies, as the janitor, a rubber pigeon and a pelican. Senior media students were involved in observing all the behind camera operations.

Filming took 12 hours, involved about 50 actors and crew, 4 trucks and fifteen other vehicles and cost an estimated $30,000 for the day. This will be episode 4 of an 8 episode series, set to screen in February - March 2003, and from what we saw it will be hilarious.

Pictured: Max Gillies with beard,with Scotch students prior to being arrested.

All Scotch boys involved enjoyed the experience immensely and learnt a great deal about the production of a TV show. Special thanks to Pia Emery of the ABC and all the cast and crew who were so generous with their time and went to great lengths to include all the boys (and their parents) in the filming.

Watch out for the final scene where Max Gillies is arrested by five of our boys who eject him from the school using "any force necessary".

Ian Gelling