Murder Call | Home

Murder Call: episode guide

Series One | Series Two | Series Three

Dared to Death

Episode 17
July 7, 1998
Story by Leanne Williams
Teleplay by Andrew Kelly
Directed by Grant Brown

When a professional stuntman is found dead, hanging in a harness outside the window of his apartment, Steve and Tessa must determine whether it was an accident, suicide or murder.

Guest Cast: Mahmoud Akkawy as Second Thug, Craig Ball as Phil Holder, Jason Chong as Claude Wang, Nash Edgerton as Police Rescue Officer, Scott Gary as Head Thug, Norman Kaye as Vic Popov, Douglas Rocky McDonald as Jerome Soeteman, Barbara Morton as Stella Popov, Dee Smart as Marlena Soeteman, Helen Thomson as Chyna Gold, Tommy the Dog as Himself.

Many Unhappy Returns

Episode 18
July 14, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Kristen Dunphy
Directed by Richard Jasek

A fiftieth birthday party for Gerard Gault turns out to be more than anyone bargained for when he is discovered dead amongst his cactus collection the next morning. A simple heart attack? That's what the death certificate says, but an anonymous caller is making it clear that some doubt surrounds that diagnosis. When an autopsy is performed, the verdict is murder. Steve and Tessa rush to solve the crime before murder calls a second time.

Guest Cast: Collen Cross as Alice Gault, Barry Quin as Dr. Charles Stark, Kate Fitzpatrick as Madelaine Gault, Robert Alexander as Clifford Gault, Bruce Venables as Gerard Gault, Brendon Donoghue as Rick Gault.

Skin Deep

Episode 19
July 21, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Chris Hawkshaw
Directed by Julian McSwiney

When Dr. Theo Magnus, a leading cosmetic surgeon, is ambushed in his clinic and brutally murdered with a scalpel, his family and staff can shed little light on the mystery. But as Tessa and Steve dig a little deeper into the life of the clinic, more complex patterns begin to emerge.

Guest Cast: Tina Bursill as Lori Magnus, Belinda McClory as Carol Magnus, Mark Owen-Taylor as Dr. Adam Klein, Ursula Brooks as Jacqui, Tessa Wells as Eileen, David Spencer as Saul Porteus, Florian Messner as Dr. Theo Magnus, Olivia Brown as Mrs. Bisley, Todd Dwyer as Detective.

Fatal Charm

Episode 20
July 28, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Chris Hawkshaw
Directed by Geoffrey Cawthorn

Steve and Tessa investigate when the body of a young women is found, having been killed by a blow to the head before being set alight.

Guest Cast: Harry Bragg as Derelict, Joseph Dicker as Kevin Mottram, Angela Forrester as Teenage Girl, Steven Harrison as Finn, Richard Huggett as Peter Delaney, Anne Louise Lambert as Linda Hindwood, Barry Langrishe as Will Hindwood, Tory Mussett as Melinda Hindwood, Rebecca Smart as Claudine Ken.

Short Circuit

Episode 21
August 4, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by David Phillips
Directed by Ian Watson

When a young woman is electrocuted by her twin brother's robot, the subsequent investigation leads Tessa and Steve to uncover a bizarre tangle of relationships.

Guest Cast: Felix Williamson as Martin Carlisle, June Salter as Dolly Carlisle, Peter Fisher as Leonard Hertzberg, Anne Tenney as Nerida Hertzberg, Jonathan Devoy as Sean Perrier, Danielle Baker as Juliette Carlisle, John Griffiths as Frank Gabor, Janelle Macallef as Midas.

Cold Comfort

Episode 22
August 11, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Robyn Sinclair
Directed by Geoffrey Cawthorn

The body of a beautiful women, victim of hit-and-run accident, is taken to the morgue. Tootsie arrives shortly afterwards to find the body missing and her new assistant murdered.

Guest Cast: Valerie Bader as Valerie Conway, John Batchelor as Wayne Pax, Roy Billing as Harry Polding, Jo Briant as Bernadette Willis, Andrew Crabbe as Ziggy Felden, Greg Davis as Hit & Run Driver, Susan Hoerlein as Caroline Leggett, Dean Nottle as Sid, Grant Ryan as George, Matt Boesenberg as Constable Ferris.

Murder in Reverse

Episode 23
August 18, 1998
Story by Duncan Ball
Teleplay by Kristen Dunphy
Directed by Grant Brown

When a woman's body is found in a local dump, Tessa and Steve's investigation uncovers a series of kidnappings. But are these kidnappings an elaborate ruse to disguise a murder?

Guest Cast: Danielle Carter as Sharon Gavin, Elena Carapetis as Despina Stanisopoulos, Phillip Hinton as Barney Histon, Graham Kupmke as Security Guard, Barry Latchford as Stuart Whittaker, Mark Lee as Ian Blanfield, Rowan McDonald as Artist, Gennie Nevinson as Vivian Goldman, Edmund Pegge as James Hartman, Corrine Sennitt as Elizabeth Hartman, Meme Thorne as Penny Whittaker, Simon Wilton as Texas Gavin, Avril Wynne as Eva Blanfield.

More Than Meets the Eye

Episode 24
August 25, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Deborah Parsons
Directed by Julian McSwiney

The gruesome discovery of a severed arm wrapped in plastic draws Steve and Tessa into a case that takes them through the dark stormwater tunnels of the city and sends them both home with nightmares.

Guest Cast: Guy Leslie as Serge Glanville, Sacha Horler as Elspeth, Charles Hambling as Giles Hindmarsh, Michael Burgess as Dr. John Kaufman, Dan Luxton as Dr. Lewis, Gary Vincent as Guy Hanson, Nathy Gaffney as Jill Bloom.

Dead Fall

Episode 25
September 9, 1998
Story by Kel Richards
Teleplay by David Phillips
Directed by Geoffrey Cawthorn

Thorne is convinced he saw a man pushed off a building roof, but cannot locate the body at first. When the body turns up, Steve and Tessa not only have to track down the killer, but discover why the body disappeared.

Guest Cast: Gary Baxter as Davros, Graeme Blundell as Morgan Mason, Andrew Buchanan as Neil Charlton, Kelly Butler as Philippa Street, Thom Clunie as Ozzie, Essie Davis as Judy St. John, Tony Poli as Ralph St. John, Roxane Wilson as Kristin Charlton.

Deadline

Episodes 26 & 27
September 22, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Andrew Kelly
Directed by Richard Sarell

A bizarre murder in an amusement park leads Tessa and Steve to realise they have a serial killer operating on a daily basis. As the body count climbs, the detectives struggle to find a link between the victims. A theory is raised that the killer could be selecting his victims according to a child's nursery rhyme. Tessa is confronted by a psychopath from her past as the serial killer prepares to strike again.

Guest Cast: Barry Otto as Otis Farrow, Malcolm Kennard as Marty Matthews, Sam Wilcox as Bradley Munn, Carole Skinner as Micky Lane, Fiona Mahl as Bonnie Gay, Emily Dawe as Rosemary Mackintosh, Damon Herriman as Lindsay Cramer, Nick Belomis as Guido Sansiaga, Sue Moses as Roxanne Thwaites, Chris King as Detective Thomas Raudonikis, Rudi Baker as Wayne Grady, Todd Dwyer as Detetive Schmooze, Tahnee Stroet as Jasmine Collins, Jan Merriman as Carny, Kelly Crauer as Female Teenager, Richard O'Brien as Male Teenager, Gabrielle Link as Alien Woman (Narrator), Greg Marchant as Clown Store Holder, Anthony Hunt as Morgue Assistant, Darren McDonald and Craig Donaldson as Channel 9 News Crew.

Something Fishy

Episode 28
September 29, 1998
Story by Jenny Pausacker
Teleplay by Deborah Parsons
Directed by Ray Quint

Steve and Tessa uncover a web of blackmail and obsession while investigating the murder of two business partners.

Guest Cast: Elizabeth Alexander as Hilary Windsor, Stephen Apps as James Holland, Patrick Dickson as Geoffrey Hook, Suzzanne Eskine as Pauline Hook, Rhonda Findleton as Freda Holland, Peter Melov as Fisheries Officer, Mariette Rups-Donnelly as Carol Thornhill, Stephen Yates as Des Carmody.

1998 Victoria/Tasmania Award: VIC: SILVER: Brent Crockett ACS

A Dress To Die For

Episode 29
October 6, 1998
Story by Jenny Pausacker
Teleplay by Peter Gawler
Directed by Grant Brown

When the detectives attend an extravagant costume hire shop, they find the shop's young security guard dead from a blow to the back of the head, and propped inside an elaborate Queen Elizabeth I costume.

Guest Cast: Maggie Blinco as Mrs. Lamb, Ian Bolt as Terry McNab, Steve Cox as Controller, Anthony Hayes as Eddie Lamb, Brendan Higgins as Carl Sanderson, Mark Hogan as Reuben O'Rourke, Tony Sheldon as Garth Boyle, Peter Sumner as Bette Fidler / Vic Bamford, Jane Wilcox as TV News Reader, Rick McClure as Opponent, Madge the Dog as Herself.

Menu For Murder

Episode 30
October 13, 1998
Story by Kerry Greenwood
Teleplay by Sally Webb
Directed by Karl Steinberg

When a food critic drops dead in a restaurant, Tessa finds there is no shortage of suspects as the critic was universally loathed and regularly received death threats.

Guest Cast: Simon Burke as Guy Searle, Deborah Galanos as Paige Christian, Martin Jacobs as Andrew McKinnon, Kerry-Ella McAulay as Roberta McKinnon, Eszter Marroszekky as Juliette Dupont / June Baxter, Brian Meegan as Tim Baxter, Sean O'Shea as David Hunter, Brendon Packer as Gregory Lewis.

Cry Wolf

Episode 31
October 20, 1998
Story by Jennifer Rowe
Teleplay by Denise Morgan
Directed by Chris Martin-Jones

Steve and Tessa are called to the murder of Elizabeth Mallow—a young woman who called the police twice the night before and now lies sexually assaulted and strangled on her bed. As suspicions fall on the residents of the block of flats, the detectives uncover a nest of twisted love, obsession and paranoia.

Guest Cast: Christine Stephen-Daly as Sonia Black, Julie Herbert as Mrs. Beatie, Andrew McDonell as Peter Poole, Will Usic as Ian Gunther, Neda Lucantonia as Maria Mahood, Joshua Rosenthal as Vic Panayi, Simon Elrahi as Alex Mahood, Zoe Georgakis as Elizabeth Mallow, Gareth Gillahm as Police Officer.

A View To a Kill

Episode 32
October 27, 1998
Story by Richard Hall
Teleplay by Louise Crane
Directed by Richard Jasek

When Tessa and Steve investigate the death of a museum curator, they soon realise that his public face as a knowledgeable and well liked man who could rake in the funding dollars, hides a private life littered with sexual indiscretions and money troubles.

Guest Cast: Andrew Blaxland as Real Estate Agent, Jason Clarke as Zac Hartman, Martin Dinglewall as Drug Dealer, Lewis Fitz-Gerald as Lionel McKenzie, Phillip Holland as Ezekial Hartman, Susie Lindeman as Elsa Bridges, Tamblyn Lord as Simon Hartman, Susan Lyons as Amanda McKenzie, Brent Murphy as DEA Detective, Vanessa Steele as Marilyn Costas.

Blowing the Whistle

Episode 33
November 3, 1998
Story by Jenny Pausacker
Teleplay by Denise Morgan
Directed by Ray Quint

When the referee at a women's soccer match is murdered in full view of 100 people, the detectives are puzzled when they cannot find a single eyewitness.

Guest Cast: Kerrie Erwin as Carol Hauser, Paul Gleeson as Terry Maloney, Sarah Kants as Angela Riccadelli, Ivar Kants as Hugo Riccadelli, Lara Mulcahy as Miriam Hauser, Anna Lise Phillips as Eileen Watson, Gail Watson as Caroline Riccadelli.

Instrument of Death

Episode 34
November 10, 1998
Story by Duncan Ball
Teleplay by Margaret Morgan
Directed by Richard Sarell

The Klein String Quartet is a hotbed of passions and hatreds. When its founder and first violinist is found murdered, the other three members come under Steve and Tessa's spotlight.

Guest Cast: Ann Burbrook as Celia Stemitt, Richard Cotter as Hugo Klein, Justin Monjo as Roland Lacey, Sarah Peirse as Harriet Fratelli, Keith Robinson as Jasper Jenkins, Andrew Siedlecki as Heinrich Stern.

Bone Dead

Episode 35
November 17, 1998
Story by Peter Gawler
Teleplay by Peter Gawler
Directed by Richard Jasek

Tessa and Steve are drawn into a web of mystery and intrigue when legendary paleontologist Dr. Charlie Minogue is murdered, and his attractive assistant disappears.

Guest Cast: Thuy Dong as Louise Chee, Kate Fischer as Gabby Minogue, John Gibson as Bob Holly, Melissa Madden Gray as Rowena Brewster, Errol RJ Morrison as Dr. Charlie Minogue, Leo Taylor as Jonathan Searle, Eliza Mealey as Student.

Mix 'n' Match

Episode 36 (season finale)
November 24, 1998
Story by John Banas
Teleplay by Denise Morgan
Directed by Russell Burton

Following the bizzare murder of a medical professor, Tessa and Steve must carefully interpret a series of cryptic clues left by the killer.

Guest Cast: Betty Lucas as Prudence Smith, Joe James as Anthony Singleton, Elspeth McTavish as Margaret Smith, Christopher Pitman as Liam Carmody, Raechelle Lee as Dianne Krauss, Nick Jones as Security Guard, Andrew Vial as Jack Shoulcraven.