Homicide

Greg Ferguson, 21, is studying to be a doctor, but his father and grandfather were criminals. Greg and his father, Tony Ferguson, move in different circles in different cities. But Tony is dying, and comes to Melbourne to settle an old score, and blackmail an inheritance for his son - but he is murdered in the process. Greg feels that he has no choice but to avenge his father's death - even at the cost of his own life. He arms himself with a rifle and hunts down the man he believes was responsible for the murder - and the Homicide team races to stop him. Notes: 90 minute episode.

Max Brent, owner of a theatre restaurant, with his wife Debbie and partner Drake hold up a bank, and one of them kills a teller. The restaurant is in financial difficulties, and the bank manager confesses that they planned the robbery. Later, Debbie leaves Max for Drake, and so Max tampers with the brakes in their car. Notes: The role of Debbie Brent was specially written for Colleen Hewett. "It wasn't my biggest part," said Colleen, "but it was the most important one to me because I've always wanted to play the role of a bitch."

A young man is shot to death and Patty Bourke immediately confesses. Police find that she was a member of a pro-Nazi party and suspect a political motive. Patty tells a psychiatrist her feelings towards the party and her motives for the murder. Detectives visit the party headquarters and question the leader, James Reynolds, and discover that several other murders have taken place.

Gordon Lovejoy's return to Australia after running a trading post in New Guinea has its problems - his wife threatens to leave him and he kills his sister-in-law in a drunken rage. When he is found dead at the airport, police believe it was suicide. However, an autopsy reveals a rare New Guinean poison which is used as a method of murder in the highlands.

During a game of cards, a man is shot dead and the other three players claim it was an accident. Sen. Det. Redford works in his own time to find evidence that he was murdered. Notes: Some incidental music is from Skyhooks album ‘Living In The 70’s’.

Homicide detectives are puzzled when a man confesses to the murder of his wife after the Coroner has already passed a verdict of death by misadventure. Notes: Don Barker does not appear in this episode.

Murder on a lonely country road leads police to suspect that devil worship is involved. Notes: First television acting role for singer Linda George.

Hard-working Luigi Vardi opens up his fruit shop early in the morning. While carrying in vegetables just delivered, a passing car slows, and Vardi is shot dead. Two gunmen terrorise migrant shop owners, and Det. Deegan becomes personally involved when, off duty, he helps his local milk bar proprietor defy a criminal. Deegan then faces suspension and an assault charge.

An armed robbery develops into murder when one of the two bandits panic, leading police on a trail of violence as they desperately try to escape.

Police start a frantic search when a girl is brutally attacked and another is found murdered in a girl's hostel.

Antique dealer Barry Coles is found dead by childcare nurse Josephine Baxter, who looks after his son Mathew. Robbery looks like the motive until the Gaming Squad's flamboyant, garrulous Sgt. Peterson turns up fresh evidence.

Margaret Bateson is found murdered beside her car in the country, and her camera wrecked. Attractive and shy, she had no friends or family. She was touring Victoria on two weeks holiday, and when last seen was alone. A roll of processed 8MM film from a home movie camera which arrives at her flat provides the only clue to her movements.

In the early hours of the morning, a police patrol discovers the body of a man hanging over the wall of a park dunny. When the victim is identified as a man recently acquitted of a rape charge, detectives suspect revenge as the motive. For Det. Sgt. White, it not only interrupts his sleep, but aggravates a cold he is suffering.

A prison escapee murders a prison officer and takes three hostages - but are they hostages? Martin Russell had been a model prisoner at a training prison - a quiet, ineffectual boy from the country, patiently serving the remaining 15 months of his sentence. All that changes when his girlfriend Alison visits and tells him she is breaking off their relationship - she has found another bloke. Martin becomes a desperate man, and a massive police search is mounted.

Teenagers Heather and Danny, too young to get married and spurned by their parents when Heather becomes pregnant, flee to the city to get an abortion. They see a backyard abortionist, but things go wrong and they come to the attention of the Homicide squad, already investigating a series of dangerous hotel-room abortions which have maimed young girls. Sgt. White becomes deeply involved in the case because the girls who suffered are not much older than his own daughter. Notes: Don Barker nominated this episode as his favourite: "It's a sensitive study of abortion. For the first time, we get an insight into Harry's family and what motivates him."

Denny Connell, a member of Gordon Haynes' pop group, dies of a massive heroin overdose on arrival at Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport. Haynes is a 30-year-old pop star whose career has been a succession of hits and crashes. He has been written off many times but has come back - only to crash again. As the investigation progresses, it becomes clear that Connell was murdered, and many motives and suspects emerge. Inspector Lawson goes to London to investigate further, where he liases with Inspector Scofield of Scotland Yard. A few twists are in store before the Homicide squad finally unravel the solution. Notes: 2 hr. 30 min. movie, originally intended as a standard episode, then as a 90 minute episode. Some scenes were filmed on location in London, England. The original title was 'Paying My Dues To The Blues'. The Homicide title does not appear, nor does the stock opening. This episode won a Sammy Award for Best TV Play (1976), Keith Thompson won a Sammy Award for Best Writer - TV Play (1976), and Igor Auzins won a Sammy Award for Best Direction - TV (1976). First acting role by Jon English; the soundtrack music is from his album 'It's All A Game', and the theme tune of the episode, 'Turn The Page', became a top 40 hit. HSV-7 Melbourne screened this episode as 'Stopover: Australian Movie Special' in the Monday night movie timeslot (Homicide was in recess at the time). ATN-7 Sydney and BTQ-7 Brisbane screened it as a normal part of the Homicide run.

Luke, the fanatical leader of a religious cult, kidnaps Kim Clayton, daughter of a newspaper magnate, after her 18th birthday party. The Homicide squad's investigations are hampered when her father pays the $100,000 ransom. Notes: 90 minute episode. HSV-7 screened this episode as a special while the series was in recess.

Two escaped criminals, armed and dangerous, kill one man and take a young woman hostage. They head for mountain country, and the Homicide detectives are involved in an extensive manhunt. Notes: Planned as a 90 minute episode. Second of two episodes titled 'On The Run', the other being episode 304.

Bunny Rogers was once a prostitute, and in those days she had been arrested many times by a young policeman, Det. Redford. Bunny is now in trouble as her husband, Lenny Concho, is involved in counterfeiting and Bunny is caught in the middle. When her friend is murdered by Lenny, she turns to Redford for help, knowing she will be the next target. Following a fight, Redford ends up in hospital with multiple wounds. For Bunny, the next few days are a nightmare as she is hunted by a crazed and desperate man. The police battle to get to the killer before he gets to Bunny and murders her as he has done to others who got in his way.

When a wealthy businessman opens an office door, he triggers a booby trap and is killed in the explosion. Police suspect that he was being blackmailed, but investigations reveal that he was actually doing the blackmailing. A search for a mystery man reveals that he doesn't exist, and suspicion falls on a member of the businessman's family.