TV Week
5th October 1985
Still remembered as JJ, he’s gone from police station to prison in his latest TV role.
ACCORDING to Peter Adams, joining the cast of Prisoner is one of the biggest gambles he has taken in his career.
Peter, still remembered and loved for his Cop Shop role as the irascible JJ, returns to television as Bob Moran, the acting governor of Wentworth.
“There are a lot of similarities between the two characters. We both sit behind desks and bark orders at people,”’ Peter said.
“I’m crossing my fingers that the gamble (of joining another long-running series) pays off. But in this business you have to take the chance.
“Bob is a very straight character. He is ex-military and does everything right by the book.
“So far we have found out nothing about his private life or his interests, but he’s an interesting character because he’s so strong.’’
Peter, who will work on the show for 18 weeks, had no reservations about working with a cast that was almost entirely female.
“I love women,’’ he said with a laugh. “They (the Prisoner cast) really are an extraordinary bunch. They all have a wonderful sense of humor and there are no ego trippers.”’
Peter and his wife, actress Kirsty Child, missed working with each other by a few days. Kirsty plays the role of Willie Beecham, a prisoner convicted of grand theft.
“Kirsty has just finished working on Prisoner, so I had quite a good idea of what to expect. She will be seen on air until the end of the year,’’ Peter said.
For Peter, joining Prisoner is his first long-running television role since he left Cop Shop.
“As far as working on a television show that produces two hours a week, Prisoner is a dream,” he said.
“You really do work quite normal hours and the beauty is that you can have a life outside.
“You can actually plan to go to the movies or have a dinner party.
“I think you always compare what you’re working on now with what life was like at its worst. Prisoner just seems to go smoothly. I guess that’s because there are no tantrums. Everyone just gets on and does their job.”
As well as his acting jobs, Peter has formed a company, TBM Productions.
“Last year. PBL Productions were interested in producing one of our projects, a telemovie called Jonesy. Unfortunately nothing has come of that yet, but the company is still going and we have three or four ideas on the go,” Peter said.
This year has been a busy one for Peter. He attributes his success to his ability to stay versatile.
“There are only a handful of actors in Australia who can specialise. I think it is sad that in the last 10 years or so many actors have limited themselves to only one medium,”’ he said.
“I did a stint on 3AW doing a purely showbusiness radio show, which I loved. I have been doing quite a few stage shows and now I’m back on television. You have to be versatile.’’
By Amanda Zachariah
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