TV Week
2nd April 1983
His old show has a ratings problem and the sarge has been asked back to help.
TERRY NORRIS has been asked to return to the cameras and the old team at Riverside in Seven’s Cop Shop series.
Somehow the old place hasn’t seemed the same without Eric O’Reilly, Riverside’s irascible desk sergeant.
And obviously Seven and the show’s producers, Crawfords, think his presence has been missed, because Terry has been approached to go back into the show.
For Terry, decision time came early last year, when he won the Victorian Stage seat of Noble Park for the ALP and found himself with a new role – that of full time MP.
After 29 years as an actor playing a wide variety of roles, Terry readily admitted once he’d become an MP, he’s never worked so hard in his life.
When Crawfords first approached Terry to see if he would come back, his initial reaction was no.
“It just seemed impossible,” Terry told TV Week. “Time is at a premium and I have too much to do here,” he explained.
But Crawfords were obviously keen to have Terry back in the show, if there was any way it could be worked out.
“They suggested they could knock-off my scenes in a couple of hours either in the evening or very early in the morning.”
While time was the initial problem, Terry said there as another consideration.
And Ironically it was a factor which almost swayed Terry into going back on a limited basis.
“It depends if we could work out some way in which the money could be donated to specific local charities and community projects,” Terry said initially.
“In this job you see so many very worthy causes every day that desperately need money. Obviously it would have to bear careful consideration.”
Terry had a further meeting with Crawfords planned for last week and he expected to make a decision after that.
He agreed it was very flattering that he was obviously missed in the show and the producers were keen to have him back.
But he stressed his responsibilities now were to his electorate and that he was not interested in anything that would take him away from that important area.
It was apparent the producers were going to be trying their best to persuade the new MP to soon include Riverside on his calling list.
“I’ve been asked if I’d get together with the team again for a special little act on the Good Friday Appeal.
“And it looks like that will be happening.”
But at the time of going to press it was believed Crawfords had hit a stumbling block.
It seemed unlikely the hours required could be worked out to suit Terry’s timetable.
Patrice Fidgeon
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