Class of 74/Class of 75

1 9 7 4 - 1 9 7 5 (Australia) 
290 x 30 minute episodes

An Australian drama serial about the students and staff of Waratah High School. Made by the Reg Grundy organisation for Channel Seven, Sydney. By concentrating on the older kids and the teachers, parents and other adult figures, Grundy's were amongst the first to recognise that a young segment would be a vital part of the overall audience for soap opera.

Class of 74 had the usual set of changing relationships between teachers and students, although in 1974 it featured an illicit (but never explicit) relationship between a shy schoolboy and the headmaster's wife. 

The show continued the following year, updating itself to Class of 75. Episodes 1 - 191 (Class of 74) were in black and white, while episodes 192 - 290 (Class of 75) were in colour.

The series featured veteran actor Leonard Teale as the headmaster, Mr Ogilvy. By this time he was showing his age after a long innings in Homicide. It also included Jeanie Drynan and Carla Hoogeveen as teachers, and Gordon Glenwright (in overalls) as the school handyman. He never seemed to do any work but occupied a spot under the stairs where he sucked on a pipe as everyone spoke about what they did or meant to do!

The program did particularly well in Australia in its first year (sandwiched between the 7:00 news and quiz show The Great Temptation on channel Seven). As a 13 year old boy I found the show a veritable feast of lovely girls - especially Carla, Abigail, Briony and my all time fave at the time, Anne Lambert (later to find fame in seminal Aussie film Picnic At Hanging Rock) as Peggy "The Iceberg" Richardson. This was the school I always wanted to attend!