1985 in Australian television

Events

Television

• 13 January – Australian children's live-action and puppet series The Maestro's Company begins on Network 0/28.
• 11 February – Ray Martin takes over Mike Walsh's old daytime slot, replacing The Mike Walsh Show with Midday with Ray Martin. The Mike Walsh Show continues and moves to 10:30pm weekdays as a late night talk show until Walsh departs the network in November .
• 18 February – Network 0/28 becomes known as SBS.
• 22 February – Seven Network screens a late night sketchy comedy series called The Eleventh Hour featuring a number of performers who later appear in The Comedy Company and Fast Forward.
• 4 March – The ABC launches a one-hour news and current affairs program called The National as a replacement for the traditional 7:00pm state-based news bulletins as well as its former current affairs program Nationwide. The new format, costing the national broadcaster a budgeted $25 million, turned out to be an expensive failure and lasted less than twelve months.
• 18 March – Neighbours premieres on the Seven Network. Six months later Neighbours is axed by HSV-7, but Network Ten bought the rights and picks up the soap and it becomes a massive hit for them.
• 24 March – Seven Network broadcasts Donald Duck's 50th Birthday a television special from The Wonderful World of Disney which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the world's famous cartoon character. It will first air on television for Australian viewers on Seven in Victoria that year and on Network Ten in New South Wales on 30 May 1987 and on Seven in Victoria again on 19 July the same year.
• 25 March – Neighbours debuts in Brisbane.
• 22 April – The 1980 film The Blues Brothers starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd premieres on the Seven Network.
• 8 June – Hey Hey It's Saturday moves to 6:30pm Saturdays. Then Hey Hey It's Saturday Night rebrands back to its original title.
• 30 June – SBS expands to Brisbane, Adelaide, Newcastle, Wollongong and the Gold Coast.
• 13–14 July – ABC televises the worldwide Live Aid event, featuring concerts held around the world.
• August – The AUSSAT satellites are launched. The ABC will start its test transmission of its TV and radio networks via satellite in October to remote areas in rural Australia. The ABC service is officially inaugurated in January 1986.
• 24 October – The ABC Board has elected to abandon The National.

Debuts

• 13 January – The Maestro's Company (SBS)
• 14 January – Possession (Nine Network)
• 26 January – The Early Bird Show (Network Ten)
• 4 February – The Cartoon Connection (Channel Seven)
• 6 February – The Italians (ABC)
• 11 February – Midday (Nine Network)
• 22 February – The Eleventh Hour (Channel Seven)
• 4 March – The National (ABC)
• 4 March – The Cowra Breakout (Network Ten)
• 4 March – News Overnight (Channel Seven)
• 6 March – The Investigators (ABC)
• 7 March - Pressure Point (ABC)
• 7 March - The Fast Lane (ABC)
• 18 March – Neighbours (Channel Seven in 1985, Network Ten from 1986 onwards)
• 29 March – Friday Night Football (AFL) (Channel Seven)
• 17 April – It's a Knockout (Network Ten)
• 9 May – The Henderson Kids (Network Ten)
• 20 May – Now You See It (Channel Seven)
• 27 May – Bang Goes the Budgie (ABC)
• 14 June – Golden Pennies (ABC)
• 15 July – Butterfly Island (ABC)
• 16 July – Quantum (ABC)
• 8 August – Captain Cookaburra's Road to Discovery (ABC)
• 27 October – Anzacs (Nine Network)

New international programming

• 5 January – UK The Bounder (Channel Seven)
• 5 January – UK Hallelujah! (Channel Seven)
• 12 January – USA Rubik, the Amazing Cube (Network Ten)
• 20 January – UK Sorrell and Son (ABC)
• 4 February – USA V (1984) (Network Ten)
• 7 February – UK Duty Free (Channel Seven)
• 13 February – UK Spitting Image (Nine Network)
• 22 February – UK/WAL Joni Jones (SBS)
• 26 February – USA The Cosby Show (Nine Network)
• 28 February – USA Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (Stacy Keach) (Channel Seven)
• 4 March – UK Bananaman (ABC)
• 9 March – UK Terrahawks (Channel Seven)
• 22 March – UK Chocky (ABC)
• 24 March – USA Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (Channel Seven - Melbourne)
• 4 April – CAN The Edison Twins (Nine Network)
• 22 April – UK Danger: Marmalade At Work (ABC)
• 22 April – UK Fresh Fields (ABC)
• 29 April – USA Going Great (Nine Network)
• 29 April – FRA/JPN Ulysses 31 (ABC)
• 3 May – UK Chocky's Children (ABC)
• 6 May – UK Spacewatch (ABC)
• 6 May – UK The Wind in the Willows (1985) (ABC)
• 6 May – UK Barbara's World of Horses and Ponies (ABC)
• 9 May – USA Murder, She Wrote (Nine Network)
• 25 May – UK Ken Hom's Chinese Cookery (SBS)
• 14 June UK One by One (ABC)
• 14 June – UK Sharon and Elsie (ABC)
• 5 July – SWE Time Out (SBS)
• 13 July – USA The Biskitts (Nine Network)
• 14 July – USA Muppet Babies (Network Ten)
• 15 July – UK Just Good Friends (ABC)
• 16 July – UK The Young Ones (ABC)
• 19 July – USA The Little Rascals (Channel Seven)
• 20 July – USA Monchhichis (Nine Network)
• 31 July – UK Swallows and Amazons Forever! (ABC)
• 5 August – USA The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (ABC)
• 9 August – NZ Children of the Dog Star (ABC)
• 10 August – USA Alvin and the Chipmunks (Ruby-Spears version) (Network Ten)
• 15 August – UK Home to Roost (Channel Seven)
• 7 September – USA Goldie Gold and Action Jack (Network Ten)
• 9 September – USA Pink Panther and Sons (Network Ten)
• 10 September – USA Mistral's Daughter (Nine Network)
• 12 September – USA Miami Vice (Nine Network)
• 16 September – EGY Eyes (SBS)
• 16 September – USA Dungeons & Dragons (Channel Seven)
• 5 October – USA Dragon's Lair (Network Ten)
• 8 October – Czechoslovakia Expedition Adam 84 (ABC)
• 8 October – UK Winter Sunlight (ABC)
• 29 October – JPN/USA Voltron: Defender of the Universe (ABC)
• 31 October – UK Sea of Faith (ABC)
• 11 November – USA Cover Up (Channel Seven)
• 11 November – USA Double Dare (1985) (Channel Seven)
• 11 November – USA Charles in Charge (Channel Seven)
• 12 November – USA Oh Madeline (Nine Network)
• 12 November – USA Off the Rack (Nine Network)
• 12 November – USA Jessie (Channel Seven)
• 13 November – USA 50/50 (Nine Network)
• 19 November – USA Glitter (Network Ten)
• 21 November – UK Moving (ABC)
• 22 November – USA Kate & Allie (Channel Seven)
• 23 November – USA She-Ra: Princess of Power (Channel Seven)
• 25 November - USA Finder of Lost Loves (Network Ten)
• 27 November – USA Hot Pursuit (Channel Seven)
• 16 December – UK Blott on the Landscape (ABC)
• 23 December – USA Eye to Eye (Nine Network)
• 30 December – USA Two Marriages (Channel Seven)
• 31 December – UK The Max Headroom Show (ABC)
• USA/BEL Snorks (Nine Network - Adelaide)
• UK Willo the Wisp (ABC)
• UK The Adventures of Portland Bill (ABC)

Changes to network affiliation

This is a list of programs which made their premiere on an Australian television network that had previously premiered on another Australian television network. The networks involved in the switch of allegiances are predominantly both free-to-air networks or both subscription television networks. Programs that have their free-to-air/subscription television premiere, after previously premiering on the opposite platform (free-to air to subscription/subscription to free-to air) are not included. In some cases, programs may still air on the original television network. This occurs predominantly with programs shared between subscription television networks.

International

Television shows

1950s

• Mr. Squiggle and Friends (1959 – 1999)

1960s

• Four Corners (1961 – present)

1970s

• Hey Hey It's Saturday (1971 – 1999, 2009 – 2010)
• Young Talent Time (1971 – 1988)
• Countdown (1974 – 1987)
• Prisoner (1979 – 1986)

1980s

• Wheel of Fortune (1981 – 2006, 2008)
• Sale of the Century (1980 – 2001)
• Sunday (1981 – 2008)
• Today (1982 – present)
• Perfect Match (1984 – 1989, 2002)
• Neighbours (1985 – present)

Ending this year

References