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Headland

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headLand is an Australian drama television series produced by the Seven Network. The show focuses on the dramatic lives of characters at a university. It premiered in Australia on 15 November 2005. The series is categorized as a soap opera. It features complex storylines involving mystery, family secrets, and legal struggles. While the show had a short run, it remains a notable example of Australian television production from the mid-2000s.

The production of the series involved many stages of development and changes. In 2002, script executive Bevan Lee began creating a spin-off for the show Home and Away. He initially called the project Away From Home. This concept focused on characters at Yabbie Creek University. The project underwent several reworks and name changes. It was called Campus and then Ten Degrees South. The creators eventually chose the title headLand in early 2005.

Storylines in the series often centered on intense personal mysteries. One major plot involved a car crash that killed four people. This accident left a character named Craig Palmer in a coma and caused amnesia. Craig eventually remembered that his girlfriend, Angela McKinnon, was using drugs at a party. He also recalled that his friend John accidentally consumed those drugs before overdosing. The investigation involved Detective Sam Wiley, who met Craig during his work at the party.

Another significant storyline focused on the identity of Adam Wilde. Adam struggled with the relationship involving his estranged father, Ben Wilde. Ben had spent 15 years in prison for the murder of Adam's mother. There was uncertainty about whether Mick McKinnon was Adam's biological father. A DNA test was eventually performed to find the truth. The test proved that Ben Wilde was indeed Adam's biological father.

Filming for the series used several real-world locations to build its world. Exterior scenes were shot in Austinmer, New South Wales. The creators used the University of Wollongong to represent the fictional South Coast University. They also filmed at a disused psychiatric hospital at the Sydney College of Arts in Rozelle. Studio scenes were recorded at White Bay Studios in Sydney. This was a milestone because it was the first Seven Network Sydney drama not filmed at the ATN-7 studios in Epping.

The broadcast history of headLand was marked by shifting schedules and ratings challenges. The Seven Network aired 52 episodes in the first series. After a strong debut, the show experienced a large slump in viewership. The network moved the show from a 7:30 pm slot to a 7:00 pm slot. They also changed the broadcast days to Monday through Thursday to attract more viewers. Despite these efforts, the ratings did not improve. The Seven Network officially announced the cancellation of the series on 23 January 2006.

International viewers also had access to the series through different formats. In the United Kingdom, the show aired on the E4 channel. E4 re-formatted the series into half-hour episodes. Eventually, E4 dropped the show, but episodes moved to Channel 4. On Channel 4, the show aired at 12:30 pm in its original hour-long format. Although the series ended with many stories left unfinished, the complete series became available on the streaming service 7plus in March 2020.

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