australian television information archive

The Gift

Toby Johnson and his best pal Russ Skinner arrive for the first day back at Sandy Bay School. When Toby meets a new friend, the fiery Dina, things seem to be going really well, until…
Mr Tesslar, the Science Teacher, gives Toby and Russ detention. That night they have to stay back and clean out the amphibian tanks. This filthy task is made even worse by the presence of the Teacher's pet, Elizabeth, as she works on Tesslar's newest piece of scientific equipment... the Magnetic Field Emitter (MFE) machine.
As Elizabeth uses the MFE to scan the interior of some rocks, Russ siphons putrid water from the tank and swallows a mouthful. He runs from the room. Unseen, an escaped frog jumps across the MFE's computer keyboard, randomly tapping out a sequence. The MFE machine scans a strange rock and reflects a blue, flickering ray that hits both Toby and Elizabeth. They fall to the ground, and when Russ returns, they're unconscious.
Later that night, Toby and Elizabeth discover separately that they have an extraordinary new ability; their brains leap into Hyperfunction, giving them solutions to amazing scientific possibilities.
The next day, Mr Tesslar's array of dinosaur fossils gives Toby an idea; he'll clone a dodo! But Elizabeth is determined to outdo him. She augments a dinosaur bone with genetic material from the axolotl tank, and switches the dinosaur bone with the dodo bone.
Toby and Russ return to Toby's bungalow, at the back of his house, to find a hatched T-Rex, ravenous and—to their horror—growing fast. The T-REX bursts through the walls of the bungalow, rampaging for food—and it looks like Toby and Russ are the main course! Toby figures that the axolotl DNA, when modified, can be used to reverse the growth process. In the panic of the moment, the new girl, Dina, is recruited to bring home some water from the axolotl tank at school. Using the hormone-impregnated fluid they spray the marauding beast, reducing it in the nick of time until all that remain are just a few cells.
First round to Elizabeth!

Secrecy

Toby confronts Elizabeth about their new powers; he thinks they need help, they should tell Tesslar. But Elizabeth decides to keep her powers a secret, blocking Toby’s attempts to tell Tesslar. Toby decides to show him, and the whole school. He devises an anti-gravity machine, fixing it to the school’s ride-on lawnmower. Toby’s trial flight is a success. The next day, he plans to fly over the oval at lunchtime. Everybody is going to notice that!
With the whole school watching, Elizabeth aborts the take-off and the lawnmower remains lumberingly earthbound. Toby bails out just as it charges into the garden shed, demolishing it with a giant explosion. Toby is marched away in disgrace, protesting in vain that he and Elizabeth are geniuses!
Back at the bungalow, the newly formed trio—Toby, Russ and Dina—face the fact that no one will ever believe them. Elizabeth will see to that. And Elizabeth herself will have to be kept in check. Toby swears them to a pact. Nobody else must ever hear about Toby’s ‘genius’—or Elizabeth’s either.

Election

Elizabeth gears up for her ascent to power and glory—to be elected Class Rep. She uses anti-friction spray to oust her competition, the popular Sean Banks.
But Dina takes up the fight, and Elizabeth turns the full force of her wrath on her. Elizabeth uses her anti-friction spray again, causing Dina to go out of control on her rollerblades. But Toby races to the rescue, spraying the wheels of a skateboard with the anti-friction spray, allowing him to crash tackle Dina to safety, in the nick of time. Dina is elected Class Rep, and Elizabeth is foiled.

Smart Judo

Annoyed by Verity’s incompetence, Elizabeth decides to find another partner who can provide her with some muscle for her plans. She finds the perfect person in the school bully, Garth. But Garth refuses to have anything to do with her. But then Russ beats him at judo and Elizabeth reveals how—Toby has made a programmable judo suit from smart fabric. Garth can’t believe it—Toby and Elizabeth are geniuses?
With Garth on Elizabeth’s side, the evil trio are formed. At the final bout in judo class, Elizabeth hijacks Toby’s signals to the judo suit, sending Russ out of control. It looks as if Garth is going to win, until Dina arrives and destroys Elizabeth’s computer. Russ is freed and manages to throw Garth with the suit offline. Russ gulps, that means he threw Garth on his own…?

Hologram

Elizabeth turns her attention to discrediting Dina as the Class Rep. She creates a portable hologram projector, tiny enough to be concealed in the hand, and, having secretly scanned Dina, projects her hologrammatic image in the school grounds, apparently running away from Tesslar’s vandalised car.
Tesslar witnesses “Dina” running away from his car and Dina is demoted from Class Rep. Toby almost turns the tables by creating a hologram choker, which projects the image of Elizabeth’s head onto Dina, who—posing as Elizabeth—will confess to vandalising the car. But Elizabeth aborts this and is declared Class Rep.

Amazon Lab

Dina is doing a science project with her heartthrob, Sean. But Elizabeth sabotages Dina’s baseball cap, resulting in clumps of her hair falling out. Dina is horrified. Toby helps, inventing an organic growth accelerant, with the unforeseen result that not only does Dina’s hair return, but she grows a beard!
Toby, attempting to make an antidote in class, finds that he can’t Hyperfunction whenever he wants. Russ accidentally spills the remnants of the organic growth accelerant onto Ms Vyner’s bonsai trees. During the lunch-break, the bonsais rapidly grow, turning the lab into an Amazonian Jungle.
The secret of Toby and Elizabeth’s genius could be discovered, so they co-operate to develop the antidote, just in time. Dina’s beard disappears and the ‘Jungle’ turns into bonsais again. Elizabeth is encouraged that Toby collaborated with her but Toby remains wary.

Invisible Car

Russ crashes into Mr Tesslar’s car on his skateboard, breaking a headlight. The trio can’t get it fixed until after school so Toby helps by inventing invisibility paint, making the car disappear. Elizabeth discovers the ruse and moves the unseen car, framing Russ as a car thief. Toby and Dina eventually discover the invisible car stuck right in the middle of the basketball court.
They finally make it back to Tesslar’s parking bay, to hose off the invisibility paint, when Tesslar reverses Ms Vyner’s car, which he has borrowed, smashing into his own—by now fully visible—car, right into the broken headlight. Russ is off the hook.

Double Date

Dina scores a date with Sean Banks but she’s horrified to discover the date clashes with her shift at the café. Toby Hyperfunctions and creates a robot Dina so she can be in two places at once.
The result is a hair-raising time for all of them as the two Dinas get swapped, and very nearly end up in the same room in front of everybody. Things go from bad to worse when Elizabeth realises there’s a Dinabot on the loose. She cleverly forces the robot to drink, which causes a major short circuit.
Dinabot suddenly loses her inhibitions, dancing wildly on tables. Toby and Russ manage to spirit the robot away to the beach, where she blows up. But the real damage is to Dina’s burgeoning romance with Sean—he tells her she’s too wild for a guy like him.

Birthday Party

Toby plans to throw a surprise beach party for Bianca’s birthday. Everyone is invited, except for Elizabeth. Miffed, she adapts a satellite dish to fire electromagnetic waves into the clouds above the beach, raining out the party.
Toby charges Russ with delaying Bianca’s arrival and tracks down Elizabeth to her centre of operations in the Science Lab. Determined to stop her, he makes a giant reflecting balloon and floats it up to the science lab window. The electromagnetic waves are reflected back, where they change the atmospherics in the lab, creating a blizzard and covering Elizabeth with snow.
The weather at the beach returns to brilliant sunshine. Russ arrives, with Bianca the birthday girl. The party starts to swing and Toby brings Bianca the huge shiny balloon as a present.

Love Potion Number Nine

Toby and Russ are dateless for the school dance. Toby Hyperfunctions and produces a pheromone compound that will make guys irresistible to women. Dina is disgusted and makes Toby promise to ditch the idea. But Garth steals the pheromones, using them at the dance to attract Bianca. Toby manages to get the pheromones back and save Bianca but Russ decides to have some real fun; he releases the pheromones via the smoke machine.
Romantic mayhem ensues and Elizabeth is intrigued that Toby was the instrument of such wickedness. She proposes a working partnership. Toby rebuffs her advances, with Dina stepping in to stand up for him resulting in Elizabeth slipping into a pond. The onlookers erupt in delight. Elizabeth promises that Dina will be sorry. They all will!

Nanobots

Elizabeth is working secretly in the lab on her next project and Tesslar is furious when he finds that some of his science equipment has been tampered with. He declares that the lab will be locked from now on.
Tesslar gives Dina the key to the lab so she can accept delivery of a plasma ball. Elizabeth Hyperfunctions and uses nanotechnology to create molecular sized robots to take apart and reassemble the plasma ball. Things go from bad to worse when the plasma ball is smashed. Toby comes to Dina’s rescue and reprograms the nanobots to reassemble the broken plasma ball in time before Tesslar finds out.

Surveillance

Elizabeth continues to use the science lab secretly, utilising the computers to run calculations for a shrink ray. Elizabeth tests the device but it malfunctions and she is almost caught by Ms Vyner. Determined to find who is illicitly using the science lab, Ms Vyner and Tesslar install a security camera, recording anyone who enters the lab.
Elizabeth is unwittingly caught on videotape successfully testing her shrink ray. When Toby finds out that she is going to be caught he realises that he too will be found out. Toby and Elizabeth rush to get to the tape before Ms Vyner. Ms Vyner almost catches them in the act but Elizabeth deflects suspicion onto Russ. Dina is furious at Toby for helping Elizabeth and the trio of friends seems to be broken up.

Centenary Ball

Elizabeth gets Toby seconded to help her direct the School’s centenary celebration. But she alienates everybody and Dina leads a walkout of the entire cast—including Toby. Elizabeth is sacked, and Dina made Director.
Elizabeth Hyperfunctions and vows to ruin the celebration—by pitching the school bell so that, when it is rung at the climax of the ceremony, it destabilizes the set. Toby discovers the plan and manages to save Dina from harm. The trio is re-formed, stronger than ever, and Toby tells Elizabeth he will never, ever ally with her—romantically or scientifically. Elizabeth is crushed, but hardens to vow that Toby will pay—they’ll all pay!

Secret Lab

The start of the new school term and Elizabeth seems to be behaving herself. But things are not as they seem. Elizabeth has set up a secret laboratory in a basement under the School. She orders Garth to use her newly developed shrink-ray device to shift objects from the school storeroom to the basement. When Dina catches him in the act, Garth panics and shrinks Dina. Shrunken Dina must evade Elizabeth, Garth and Verity while trying to alert Toby.
After several frustrating attempts, shrunken Dina finally catches Toby’s attention. Toby reverses the wicked science, returning Dina to her normal size, but he must now face facts; Elizabeth is still dangerous and only Toby can stop her.

Exploding Melon

Elizabeth, in her secret underground lab, works on a new invention. But the power she uses attracts the attention of Mr Tesslar. Meanwhile, Toby tries unsuccessfully to track her down using his new creation, a superbug, on Garth.
Garth responds by trashing Toby and Russ’ science project: a hydroponically grown watermelon. Annoyed by the interruptions, Elizabeth decides to divert Tesslar’s suspicions onto Toby. She modifies the hydroponics water pump, to implicate Toby for the excess power usage. What she doesn’t know is that Toby has genetically modified a new super watermelon seed, one that will grow overnight.
The excess water is soaked up by the super watermelon and it grows to the size of a VW. Toby, Russ and Dina rush to destroy the huge melon before Tesslar finds out, resulting in an enormous explosion of pink goo.

Fame

The students are busy preparing for a fashion parade that will be telecast live on the coolest show on TV, ‘Groove’. Seeing himself as potential rock star material, Russ offers to play guitar in the opening act. Trouble is—he’s hopeless.
It’s Toby to the rescue with a pair of programmable, remote-controlled articulated music gloves, which make Russ play like Jimi Hendrix. Elizabeth, meanwhile, has her own plans for the parade—and hijacks it to launch her new fashion makeup range Mood By Elizabethñ makeup that changes colour to reflect the wearer’s mood. The makeup is a huge hit, and Elizabeth is on the way to becoming rich and famous.

Transporter

Elizabeth receives the first bulk order for her new make-up range, but things go awry when Russ stumbles in to her secret underground lab. Panicked, Elizabeth uses the teleportation machine, designed to transport her make-up, to zap Russ out of the basement.
She soon realises it’s only a matter of time before Russ tells Toby about her secret lab, so, using the teleportation machine, Elizabeth frames Russ for stealing from Vyner’s office. But Toby creates a signal scanner and detects Elizabeth’s next teleportation, resulting in the make-up going to the bungalow while he is transported into the secret basement. Toby demands Elizabeth clear Russ’ name. Elizabeth has no choice but to comply. Russ is vindicated and Toby now knows where Elizabeth carries out her evil deeds.

Weird Date

Toby, feeling that he’ll never get a date with Bianca, decides to impress her by beating Sean’s highest score on a new Arcade Game by using wicked science.
Meanwhile Elizabeth and her mother Colleen are at odds over the direction of her Mood By Elizabeth make-up campaign. Toby finally plucks up the courage to ask Bianca out on a date. She accepts and Toby, contrary to Dina’s warning, creates a remote control that patches his home computer into the arcade game—giving him the control to win. Things go awry and the arcade game goes berserk—ruining Toby’s date.

Excursion

The class is on a palaeontology field trip and Dina contrives to leave Toby and Bianca alone. But Bianca heads into the bush by herself and falls down a natural shaft. A search mission is mounted. Toby goes into Hyperfunction and modifies the MFE machine to scan the rocky landscape for Bianca.
Elizabeth summons the media for her publicity but she is furious when they become more interested in Bianca’s disappearance. Toby finally has success with the MFE and rescues Bianca but he also finds that the strange rock in the area react weirdly with the MFE.
But Tesslar now believes Toby has doctored the MFE. Toby realises he’s awoken his Teacher’s suspicions.

Nanna

Toby repairs the MFE machine and uses it to test the strange rock, concluding that they could both be mysteriously linked to the genius transformation. Toby hpyerfunctions and creates a wormhole generator, thinking he can go back in time and discover the missing piece to the puzzle.
Toby’s Nanna, visiting for her eightieth birthday, gets sucked into the wormhole. She is transported back to 1931 while her younger self, Amelia, is transported to the present—smashing the wormhole generator. Toby and Russ are forced to take Amelia to school where she is caught by Tesslar and tells him the whole, fanciful story. Toby manages to get Amelia home and swap her back with the old Nanna just in time for her birthday party.

Virtual Game

Still on the trail of how he and Elizabeth became geniuses, Toby Hyperfunctions, and creates a virtual memory for Russ, who has the “missing element” locked in his memory. But Elizabeth gets wind of the idea, and guessing that this will give Toby the power to remove her genius, she hacks into Russ’ virtual memory, turning it into a virtual game.
She enters the game herself to keep Russ away from the lab. Dina is forced to enter the game also to help Russ out, and finds herself monstered by Garth’s giant dog. Russ’ memory becomes a virtual battleground between Toby and Elizabeth; Elizabeth thinks she’s won, but Toby pips her by crashing her Hard Drive. Toby at last uncovers the vital missing clue: the escaped frog that jumped across the MFE’s keyboard.

Russ Rampant

By jumping on the keyboard, the frog entered a random sequence of numbers into the MFE as it scanned the strange rock. Toby figures out the correct sequence but when he does, Russ is accidentally turned into a genius.
Russ promises to keep his genius power secret, but when he is spurned by Claire and Jade, Russ Hyperfunctions and creates a super skateboard. Elizabeth discovers that Russ is a genius while Russ finds himself in a moral dilemma; will he show-off his super skateboard or will he back down and save Toby—and himself from exposure? Russ uses his wicked science to scuttle his own invention then asks TOBY to turn him back to normal.
Elizabeth reacts: if Toby can turn Russ’ genius off, then he can do the same thing to her.

Tractor Beam

Toby attempts to cancel Elizabeth’s genius but his plan goes awry and Elizabeth learns about the importance of the MFE machine. Toby and Elizabeth race to get their hands on the MFE, teleporting Russ and Garth into the storeroom to get it; it’s a close call, but Russ wins.
Elizabeth offers a truce and organises a meeting but Toby is suspicious. Elizabeth tips Tesslar off about her meeting with Toby; if Tesslar wants the MFE and its thief then he should be there. Toby and Elizabeth meet and as soon as Toby gets the chance, he activates a tractor beam that restrains Elizabeth. Just as Toby is about to cancel her genius power, Tesslar arrives and catches Toby with the stolen MFE.

Clone Vyner

Toby is about to be expelled for being caught with the stolen MFE. Elizabeth, keen to keep Toby under her eye, attempts to coerce Ms Vyner into going easy on him. The Principal hotly refuses. Elizabeth then manufactures an urgent request for Ms Vyner to fly to Japan, where she has been “granted a fellowship”. But, before her hasty departure, Elizabeth clones her. Clone Vyner takes Ms Vyner’s place, controlled by Elizabeth.
Under the threat of expulsion, Toby finds himself with no choice but to tell Tesslar about his genius. Tesslar finds this to be amazing. He goes to Vyner to inform her of the news but what he doesn’t know is that he is talking to Clone Vyner. Clone Vyner fires Tesslar. Elizabeth pressures Toby: give her the key to the MFE, or else.

Checkmate

Toby refuses to give up the key to the MFE so Elizabeth decides to raid the bungalow. Toby confronts her, telling her she’ll never get the key because it’s in his head. With this in mind, Elizabeth tries another tack. She takes Bianca captive in the basement knowing that Toby will rescue her.
Toby invents a laser-toting robotic doll that can access the basement via the school air ducts and provide him with a way into Elizabeth’s lair. But things don’t go as planned. Elizabeth outsmarts Toby, immobilising both him and Bianca in an impenetrable force field. When Elizabeth threatens to use the shrink ray on Bianca, Toby has no choice but to give up the MFE key.

End Game

Toby and Bianca remain trapped in the force field. Elizabeth reveals her own T-Rex, and zaps it with the MFE, making it trainable. She’s going to organise a Press Conference where she will unveil the T-Rex and reveal her genius to the world. Then she is going to zap Toby back to normal. But things go horribly wrong when the T-Rex breaks free and rampages through the school.
Toby escapes and searches for a way to overcome the T-Rex. It’s too big for axolotl spray. He must fight it with something just as big. The idea forms. Using the robotic doll and Elizabeth’s shrinking/enlarging ray machine, Toby works fast. As the T-Rex continues to loom over the school…
…it is confronted by a Giant Doll striding towards it. Below Toby is animating it with a remote control.
The T-Rex attacks the Giant Doll, but the Doll takes a hefty swing with her enormous handbag, dealing the beast a stunning blow to the head. The T-Rex falls to the ground, inanimate.
Elizabeth runs back to her secret lab. Toby follows and begins to program the MFE to turn them back to normal. Toby tackles Elizabeth and they both stumble in front of the MFE. The blue beam hits them and they both fall to the ground—their genius powers removed.
Elizabeth is defeated. And Toby’s back to normal again. But the next day, in Science class, Elizabeth looks in her pocket and finds…
…the genius sequence for the MFE. Will her genius gift be reawakened?