John Wood is feeling nostalgic. Thirty years have passed since he first appeared as Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon, Mount Thomas’ most respected authority, in award-winning crime-drama Blue Heelers.
“I can’t believe it,” he tells Woman’s Day. “Blue Heelers was amazing, really it was. It was probably the best time of my life because I was living at home and working from home on a show that was consistently very good. How can you get luckier than that as an actor?”
READY FOR A REBOOT!
It takes no prompting for talk to turn to a potential spin-off – John, 78, is chomping at the bit to reprise his beloved character. He’s even thought about his potential story arc!
“One keeps hearing rumours of sequels, but nothing ever comes of it,” he says. “I’m far too old to be a policeman now. But I would certainly do it.
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“Tom would still be living close by to Mount Thomas Police Station, but most of the others would have moved on. I imagine Tom would have retired and made rapprochements with his daughters, and be spending time with his grandchildren.”
While resurrecting Lisa McCune’s Constable Maggie Doyle from the grave might be a bit of a stretch, fans could be in for a reunion of a different sort, with John revealing he recently pitched his good friend another project.
“I was talking to Lisa the other day,” he says. “I had somebody give me some books, which she wanted to turn into a series. Lisa is working with Fiona Banks in a production company [Broadstory] that I thought might be interested in doing the show.
“It would be fabulous to do something with Lisa. I’ve always loved Lisa, she’s like my other daughter. She’s the same age as my oldest daughter, Meg – they were both born in
’71. I have a really close and lasting relationship with Lisa and, god, what a talent she is.”
AN INSTANT HIT
Blue Heelers became a huge hit upon its debut, earning numerous accolades during its 13-season run. John admits he didn’t anticipate it to be such a success.
“No, I never expected it, to be honest,” he says. “I knew it was good, but you never expect a hit. You just hope that it works, and it certainly did, and it kept working.”
As one of only two actors – along with Julie Nihill – to last the entire 12-year run and all 510 episodes, John calls Tom “the embodiment of Mount Thomas”.
“Without Tom there was no show,” he says. “I considered leaving at one point. Lisa had left and Bill [William McInnes] had left after six-seven years, and after eight years I thought maybe it was time I should hit the road.
“But I stayed on because I thought that if I left, the show would fold. Not because of me – I don’t have that big an ego – but I think it would have been very hard for somebody else to represent the town of Mount Thomas.”
When the axe did fall four years later, he wasn’t prepared.
“When it came to an end, I was quite disappointed, as we all were,” he admits. “I think one of the reasons we’ve never seen a sequel is there were so many people involved. It wasn’t just a couple of big stars in the leading roles who were part of the show. I hope somebody does pick up the reins and gallops with it, that would be lovely.”
In the meantime, the seasoned performer fancies returning to his theatrical roots, teaming up with another household name!
“It would be great to do a cabaret with somebody like Rhonda Burchmore,” he says. “Whether I’ve got the chops to do something like that I don’t know, but I wouldn’t mind having a crack. So Rhonda, if you want to join me!”
