australian television information archive

Seeing is Believing

Episode 1
October 14, 2001
Written by John Doyle
Directed by Kate Woods

Episode One is the story of David Collins. Now a retired property developer, David (Charles "Bud" Tingwell) has never been able to remember all that happened to him as a POW, but as the date for the reunion draws closer, he begins recall his horrific ordeal. In his first year at camp, David (Matt Newton) is badly beaten, suffering temporary blindness. Left by the side of the road, he is picked up by Japanese guards taking a group of hapless locals to be shot.

With: Jill Perryman as Older Kate, Mary Docker as Young Kate, Geoff Morrell as Rowdy, Nicholas Hope as Guillaume, Gotaro Tsunashima as Lieutenant Aso, Shingo Misawa as Colonel Nakamura, Sean Taylor as Colonel Smythe, John Gregg as Colonel Carter, Martin Jacobs as Albert, Joel McIlroy as Bertie Jenkins, Christopher Baker as Lofty Morgan, William Upjohn as CSM Bryson, Dean Atkinson as Bernie, Alan Morris as James, Richard Sydenham as Tim, Travis McMahon as Steve, Hari Ho as Malay Trader, Peter Gow as Korean Guard, Larry Turnbull as Mike Green, Shaughna Carter as Marie Green, Andrew Harris as Man in Toilet, Barry Jenkins as Gallery Guide, David Reid as Dr O'Connor, Anthony Yeo as Private Shithouse, Alsion Albany as Maid Mary, Tarlochang Singh as Sikh Guard, Scott Youll as Guard, Masa Yamaguchi as Guard, Ichiro Harada as Guard

Gordon's Will

Episode 2
October 21, 2001
Written by John Doyle
Directed by Kate Woods

Gordon (Frank Wilson), is visited at home by his son Ken. They argue and Gordon suffers a stroke, which paralyses him down one side. In hospital, Gordon's granddaughter Nerida reads to him a letter advising of the plans for the reunion of "The Secret Nine". The letter and the loss of movement in his right arm takes Gordon back to his time as a POW in Changi.

When the rest of his unit is gunned down during a battle in the Malaysian jungle, young Gordon (Anthony Hayes) is forced to watch as a Japanese major searches the dead bodies for valuables. Outraged, he captures the major, dragging him through the bush until he reaches an Australian field camp with his prisoner. He is then captured and taken to Changi as a prisoner of war, the experience leaving him with a deep hatred of the Japanese.

Gordon's stand against the Japanese manifests itself when he refuses to salute Lieutenant Aso. Furious, Aso places him on a box in the middle of the compound and tries, through a series of increasingly violent acts, to force Gordon to salute.

Soon the camp inmates, lead by Gordon's five mates, are betting on how long Gordon can survive on the box. With the help of some British POW's, David, Eddie, Curley, Tom and Bill cook up a plan that, if successful, will help Gordon through his ordeal and see them in cigarettes and tinned food for weeks. Colonel Nakamura is outraged at Aso, for turning a small issue into a major confrontation and berates the Lieutenant, telling him to end the situation.

With: John Howard as Ken, Sacha Horler as Nerida, Gotaro Tsunashima as Lieutenant Aso, Shingo Misawa as Colonel Nakamura, Nicholas Hope as Guillaume, Sean Taylor as Colonel Smythe, Kuni Hashimoto as Japanese Major, Dean Atkinson as Bernie, Alan Morris as James, William Upjohn as CSM Bryson, Joel McIlroy as Bertie Jenkins, Christopher Baker as Lofty Morgan, Douglas Hedge as Cecil, Angus King as Doctor, Stephen James King as jack, Brett Hicks-Maitland, Nitya Gehl as Nurse #1, Liz Awad as Nurse #2, Nick Hardcastle as Physiotherapist, Pye as Whistler, Scott Youll as Guard, Masa Yamaguchi as Guard, Lawrence Puang as Guard, Tung Ly as Guard

Private Bill

Episode 3
October 28, 2001
Written by John Doyle
Directed by Kate Woods

Professor Bill Dwyer (Terry Norris) is a lecturer in mathematics, much loved by his students. On his final day, he presents his farewell speech to a packed auditorium, following which he is visited by a young student Joanne. She bears a remarkable resemblance to the girl he fell in love with before joining the army and he begins to reminisce with her.

In Changi, while a young Bill (Leon Ford) works on creating a wireless from odds and ends around the camp, Tom is caught drawing by Lieutenant Aso and is ordered to sketch the camp commander Nakamura, in preparation for a visit to the camp by General Tanaka of the Japanese Imperial Army.

Bill discovers the Colonel is planning to unveil the drawing as part of the welcome for Tanaka. The boys decide to make the proceedings more interesting, by switching Tom's portrait with a grotesque cartoon as a joke. They sign it "The Secret Nine" and agree that when they get out of the camp, the six will meet every nine years for a reunion.

Tanaka arrives at the camp, accompanied by Captain Shindo. He inspects the troops and singles out a mate of Bill's, Lofty Morgan. Gun in hand, he forces him to run across the camp, berating him when he is too slow. Rowdy intervenes to no avail and Tanaka shoots Lofty in front of the other POW's. Bill is distraught.

Nakamura takes Tanaka to his office for a drink and the unveiling of the portrait. When the curtains slide back and the caricature is revealed, Nakamura is speechless, while Tanaka is outraged. Aso swears to uncover "The Secret Nine" and punish them for shaming the Colonel and himself.

With: Katherine Slattery as Betty/Joanne, Nicholas Hope as Guillaume, Gotaro Tsunashima as Lieutenant Aso, Shingo Misawa as Colonel Nakamura, Ken Senga as General Tanaka, Ishihara Tatsumi as Captain Shindo, Sean Taylor as Colonel Smythe, Christopher Baker as Lofty Morgan, Peter Carroll as Doctor Hurrell, Frank Whitten as Doctor Potter, Ian Bolt as Father Paul, Andrew Mead as Captain Lovegrove, Joel McIlroy as Bertie Jenkins, William Upjohn as CSM Bryson, Dean Atkinson as Bernie, Alan Morris as James, David Baldwin as Professor Myers, David BRuce as Merv, Ruby Bruce as Dianne, Dan Holliday as Photographer, Scott Youll as Guard, Ichiro Harada as Guard, Masa Yamaguchi as Guard, Lawrence Puang as Guard, Victor Ng as Guard

Curley

Episode 4
November 04, 2001
Written by John Doyle
Directed by Kate Woods

In preparation for his upcoming driving test, Curley (Slim de Grey) is driving around the streets. Temporarily blinded by the sun, he takes a wrong turn and slows down to get his bearings, the car behind him beeps loudly as it overtakes with a roar. Curley is scared, bathed in perspiration and shaking. He is suddenly back in The Hole in Changi- a small, dank, underground chamber, the only light from a hole in the iron trapdoor above his head.

When Rowdy comes to the barracks to ask the boys to take part in a POW concert, Curley (Mark Priestley) cooks up a real showstopper. Backed up by Tom on piano, he and Gordon sing Side by Side, portraying Nakamura and Aso as a master and his dog. While the performance brings the house down, Aso is outraged, recognising he and Nakamura have been made fools of.

Aso doesn't have to wait long for revenge — a few weeks later catching Curley stealing from the warehouse. He interrogates a terrified Curley and asks him to reveal the identity of "The Secret Nine". After threatening to shoot Curley, he throws him into the Hole, where he is left to rot.

Alone in the dark, Curley struggles to remain sane, surviving on whatever the guards choose to throw down to him. As the weeks go by, the rest of the Nine are desperate to contact Curley in some way to keep him alive. They devise a plan to distract the guards and manage to drop a comic drawn by Tom into the hole, smeared with strawberry jam. After six weeks, Aso opens the trap door. Almost blinded by the light, Curley begins to crawl towards his mates, laughing… a survivor.

With: Nicholas Hope as Guillaume, Gotaro Tsunashima as Lieutenant Aso, Shingo Misawa as Colonel Nakamura, Marie Armstrong as Older Vi, Rebecca Murphy as Young Vi, Sean Taylor as Colnel Smythe, William Upjohn as CSM Bryson, Joel McIlroy as Bertie Jenkins, Dean Atkinson as Bernie, Alan Morris as James, Andrew Mead as Captain Lovegrove, Alan Cinis as Joe, Ruth Caro as Rose, Nathan Sprake as Young Curley, Judy Madden as Mrs Cullen, Matilda Grimm as Baby Jean, Christopher Horsey as Shadow Dancer, Hugh Cann, Ian Swallow and Tony Butler as The Four Majors, Ted Nuss, James Perry, Steve Carlin as Jake Levy as Band, Ichiro Harada as Guard, Masa Yamaguchi as Guard, Lawrence Puang as Guard, Victor Ng as Guard, Scott Youll as Guard

Eddie's Birthday

Episode 5
November 11, 2001
Written by John Doyle
Directed by Kate Woods

As he prepares to celebrate his 78th birthday, Old Eddie (Bill Kerr) finishes shaving, rubbing his cheek as he feels the old ache in his jaw. He is visited by his grandson Todd and girlfriend Lisa bearing Eddie's birthday present — an electric toothbrush.

Into their fourth year of captivity in Changi, young Eddie (Stephen Curry) and his mates are on work detail in the vegetable garden, when he begins to develop a nagging toothache.

General Takanka's morale officer, Captain Shindo, visits the camp to improve productivity and raise the morale of the Japanese soldiers. Criticising Nakamura and Aso for being too lenient on the prisoners, Shindo begins his own violent form of discipline. He takes a particular dislike to Eddie beating him severely and often. The beatings compound Eddie's nagging toothache, which has now turned into the excruciating pain of an impacted wisdom tooth. Barely able to stand, let alone work in the garden, Eddie's mates come to his rescue, pleading to take on his work so he can lie down.

Eddie's tooth gets infected and he becomes dangerously ill. Rowdy is forced to operate without any anaesthetic, removing the tooth. Barely able to talk, Eddie asks the boys to shave him, as it's his birthday.

When Shindo reveals to Nakamura the British have won at Rangoon, the Colonel accuses him of treachery and cowardness. Shindo, drunk on sake, walks to the prisoner's barracks where he sees the boys singing Happy Birthday to Eddie. He forces them outside and begins to hit them, laying into Eddie with all his might. Rowdy demands the Captain stop — Shindo responds in a manner that no one expects.

With: Ishihara Tatsumi as Captain Shindo, Gotaro Tsunashima as Lieutenant Aso, Shingo Misawa as Colonel Nakamura, Simon Maiden as Todd, Nadine Garner as Lisa, Barbara Morton as Brenda, Anne Louise Lambert as Mary, John Sheerin as Clarrie, Simon Chilvers as Father Keogh, Sean Taylor as Colonel Smythe, William Upjohn as CSM Bryson, Ian Bolt as Father Paul, Joel McIlroy as Bertie Jenkins, Alan Morris as James, Bevan Wilson as Dr Russell, Owen McKenna as Leo, Bill Haydon as Danny, Ichiro Harada as Guard, Masa Yamaguchi as Guard, Lawrence Puang as Guard, Scott Youll as Guard

Pacifying the Angels

Episode 6
November 18, 2001 (finale)
Written by John Doyle
Directed by Kate Woods

For Old Tom (Desmond Kelly), the prospect of the forthcoming reunion is a mixed blessing: sitting at his beloved piano, waiting for his friends to arrive, he is struck again by trepidation. He loves seeing his old mates, but hates where they take him — back to the last night of the war.

Young Tom (Matthew Whittet) is terrified. The Japanese have lost the war, but refuse to acknowledge it. Lieutenant Aso calls all the POWs into the compound. He tells them Japan has won the war and in the morning all prisoners will be shot. The men are then herded back to their barracks, while the Japanese try to organise a quick and inglorious retreat.

As night falls, panic erupts. The camp is filled with light as the Japanese begin burning files and other material. Some men break ranks and try to escape — many are shot. Eddie, Curley, David, Gordon, Bill and Tom stay in their barracks, watching the carnage.

While the others debate whether to make a run for it or not, Tom, in a daze, walks out of the barracks coming face to face with a Japanese guard. He is saved by two British POW's but remains frozen, absolutely terrified as bullets fly around him. Having realised Tom is missing, David runs across the compound and picks up Tom, who is in total shock.

As daylight comes, the remaining POWs tentatively move outside to a deserted battlefield. The Japanese have gone: the war is over and the Secret Nine have survived.

At the RSL, Tom's five best mates are gathered around him at the piano, singing the songs of old. They drink to all that has gone before them and to the men they saw die. They toast their friendship and what they know will be the last reunion of The Secret Nine.

With: Nicholas Hope as Guillaume, Gotaro Tsunashima as Lieutenant Aso, Judi Farr as Older Joyce, Jessamy Dyer as Young Molly, Eliza Logan as Young Joyce, Shingo Misawa as Colonel Nakamura, Sean Taylor as Colonel Smythe, Dean Atkinson as Bernie, Alan Morris as James, William Upjohn as CSM Bryson, Peter Carroll as Dr Hurrell, Christopher Baker as Loft Morgan, Joel McIlroy as Bertie Jenkins, Ian Bolt as Father Paul, Joon Joseph Park as Kim Sun, Ned Manning as John, Veronica Neave as Martha, Edmund Cinis as Young Tom, Alan McFadden as Alan, Vanessa Cruise as Dianne, Clive Marriott as Eric, Kendal Jones as Peoples Home Nurse, Jennifer Templeton as Old Molly, Ichiro Harada as Guard, Masa Yamaguchi as Guard, Lawrence Puang as Guard, Yutaka Izumihara as Guard, Douglas Fong as Guard, Peter Gow as Guard, Scott Youll as Guard; Dean Caufield and Gavin Wild: Stunts