australian television information archive

Daniel Goddard as Dar, the Beastmaster

He is the Beastmaster, a man with the instincts and cunning of a wild animal, and the emotions and soul of a man. After the Terrons destroyed his tribe, he was given sacred powers by Curupira, divine demon guardian of the wild beasts. Dar endured days of torturous trials before gaining the ability to communicate with animals and becoming a link between them and humans.

Dar is a master fighter who has learned his techniques through the careful observation of all animal movement. He can approximate the attacks or defenses of eagles, tigers, cobras and numerous other animals. Imbued with a deep reverence for life, he uses these powers only when necessary, and prefers fighting with a blunt club that cannot kill; he will kill only when he must.

Indeed, it is Dar's natural intelligence that serves as his greatest weapon. Both fearsome and noble, Dar will travel through his world, protecting the forests from the forces of evil and sorcery.

Jackson Raine as Tao

Tao has been Dar's companion from the moment they met, when Dar saved Tao from the Terrons and certain death. Tao has none of Dar's grace, physical agility, or practical knowledge of the animal kingdom. Instead, he has an inquisitive, deductive, and educated mind. Born into a tribe of intellectuals, Tao has been sent by his people to wander the world, educating the people he encounters. His skills in reason and deduction, combined with his extensive learning, compliment Dar's natural intuition and animal instincts.

Tao believes in the natural process of things, and finds the dark world of the "supernatural" both unnatural and abhorrent. Throughout his travels with Dar, Tao provides a running commentary on his beliefs—theorizing, concluding, and proffering critical assessments mixed with humor and wit.

Monika Schnarre as the Sorceress (1)

The Sorceress has been studying and learning the ways of supernatural magic for ages. She lives to create, fascinated by the possibilities of new creatures, combinations of nature and the power to turn loose mythical forces.

Moral judgment plays no part in her doings: she is amoral, concerned more with what is possible than the potential consequences. The Sorceress is attracted to Dar and covets his ability to communicate with animals. She will go to great lengths to learn the secret of his talents.

The Sorceress learned her craft under the watchful tutelage of The Ancient One. But their teacher-pupil relationship is strained when she discovers that The Ancient One robbed her of her one true love—Sharak. The Sorceress begins challenging her teacher, even defying his wishes. It is an impudence that will not go unpunished for long.

Grahame Bond as The Ancient One

The ultimate sorcerer and a Supreme Being in the mysterious world of magic and the supernatural sciences. The Ancient One existed before there were animals or human beings. In fact, he resembles something wholly original, part bone and skin, part flowing ameba-like substance, with bits of elements and animal parts thrown in. He is a jig-saw puzzle of life.

The Ancient One's powers are unsurpassed. He can destroy, create, and turn the world upside down for his purposes. He can cast spells that strip away emotions, memories, and desires, or twist time. He is more powerful than even the Sorceress, and as her teacher empowers and imprisons her. But he is also the link to a cosmos larger and more mysterious than even he, and is destined to confront the consequences of his actions.

Grahame Bond is currently hosting the new Network Seven series "Whose House Is It Anyway"

Steven Grives as King Zad

Having conquered his world through treachery and bloodshed, force and greed, Zad has established himself as the literal face of evil wherever the Terrons have visited. He has led the plunder of the Terrons for decades under one commandment: "Thou shalt have no other kings or gods except Zad."

But Zad has grown older, slower, more complacent… and in one fell swoop of an iron sword, he loses everything to the Nords.

Now the question is—how will he exact his revenge?

Marjean Holden as Arina

Dar meets his match when he encounters the sultry warrior Arina. She works for the Nords, but is by no means on their side. Arina is on no one's side but her own.

Like Dar, Arina is the last of her kind. During a terrible war, her entire tribe was wiped out—her lover, friends, family—everyone she'd ever known.

Now alone and hardened by her loss, she's turned to a life of treachery. She will fight, lie and even kill without hesitation. The only person who catches glimpses of Arina's softer side is Dar. But he knows she cannot truly be trusted and he fights their obvious chemistry. It's a fight that even Dar may not win.

Emilie De Ravin as Curupira

She is as deadly as she is beautiful. The serpent demon Iara rules over all water. Oceans and rivers, the muck and the slime, even the mist fall into her domain.

Able to transform herself from a sexy seductress to a venomous snake, the dangerous Iara sets her sights on Dar. But even the BeastMaster won't quench her thirst for power. In her lair beneath the sea, she plots her next move.

Iara is cunning, deceitful and has a destructive temper. She'll stop at nothing to make Dar and the forests hers for good.

David Paterson as King Voden

Evil now has a younger face, that of the mad King Voden. He unleashes his deadly wrath against King Zad and the Terrons in his sinister quest for power.

As his own homeland becomes overrun with mountains of ice, Voden leads his powerful Nord army to conquer the Territories. With fierce new metal weapons and an unrelenting thirst for blood, he quickly becomes enemy number one for Dar, Tao and the animals.

Dylan Bierk as the Sorceress (2)

Eager to replace his former insolent pupil, the Ancient One "finds" another protÈgÈ, once again calling her simply The Sorceress. This wide-eyed student is eager to learn about the fascinating world in which she suddenly finds herself. Although the New Sorceress never takes human affairs too seriously, she doesn't mind meddling if it suits her fancy. She quickly becomes an ally to Dar—since she too has a love for the innocent animals of the forest. But make no mistake, the New Sorceress is very much a follower of the Ancient One's teachings. She shares his cynicism and his magical powers.

Sam Healy as Iara

She is as deadly as she is beautiful. The serpent demon Iara rules over all water. Oceans and rivers, the muck and the slime, even the mist fall into her domain.

Able to transform herself from a sexy seductress to a venomous snake, the dangerous Iara sets her sights on Dar. But even the BeastMaster won't quench her thirst for power. In her lair beneath the sea, she plots her next move.

Iara is cunning, deceitful and has a destructive temper. She'll stop at nothing to make Dar and the forests hers for good.