#william mcinnes

Philippa Northeast and Sam Reid as Kay Walters and Dale Jennings in The Newsreader’s S03E03 💙👸🏻🤴🏼🌟

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On the 16th February 2025, S03E03 of The Newsreader - Behind The Front Line - aired traditionally on the ABC, which was one year ago today!

Dale Jennings had issued out invitations to his 35th birthday bash, and had prepared his house for a lavish reception for his party guests, coming to celebrate this milestone for the King Of News.

But even on one’s anniversary of their trip around the sun, the world itself doesn’t stop spinning. That morning, Helen Norville had awoken from a very rough but clarifying evening, to Bill reporting that there was carnage in Tiananmen Square. No one was quite prepared for the catastrophic imagery that Tim Ahern had patched through to them, and worst still, Public Eye’s reporter, and Tim’s boyfriend - Lee Zheng - was unaccounted for.

As Lindsay blew his top in front of Dale’s party guests about swanning around with canapés (he had not been invited), Public Eye had beaten News At Six to breaking the news of the massacre in China, complete with exclusive footage that News At Six would not be able to compete with.

In yet another blow to the network’s news programme, their undervalued producer Noelene Rickards decided that she must jump this sinking ship and was provided a life raft by Helen; an invitation to join a team which would value her ideas and contributions. She had suffered quietly at News At Six for years, and as she exited her old workplace, she did not go quietly, letting Lindsay know exactly what she thought of him and letting him own his mistakes with a dashing of public humiliation.

Snowy  -  Nine Network  -  September 8, 1993  -  November 11, 1993

Drama / Thriller  (13 episodes)

Running Time:  60 minutes

Stars:

Rebecca Gibney as Lilian Anderson

Neil Melville as Jack Logan

Lucy Bell as Kate Logan

Bernard Curry as Michael Logan

Catherine Wilkin as Molly Logan

Jochen Horst as Wolfie Heimer

Annie Jones as Eva Kovac

William McInnes as Max Heimer

Charlie Powles as Bernie O'Donnell

S2, Ep 7: The Shower (2003)

Helen Norville in S02E05 of The Newsreader 💙📺

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“Previously dismissed as a problem for cities, gutters and alleyways, the heroin crisis has found its way into some of Australia’s wealthiest and most powerful families.”

Visions of Kay Walters and the Hawke family appeared on screen, and a tearful clip of Bob Hawke breaking down caused Lindsay to chuckle, Helen eyeing him from a distance.

Helen’s piece to camera told viewers about the Drugs of Dependence Ordinance coming into effect in the ACT, and Murray hit pause on her sign off.

“Right, you lose the Hawke stuff, you lose the rehabilitation claptrap, and you go out on, uhh… ‘one of Australia’s most beloved families,’” Lindsay ordered.

“This was never supposed to be about one family,” Helen reminded Lindsay, and her boss snarled, stating that the thirty years of footage they had on Geoff was going in, whether she liked it or not.

“You know, Kay would never have agreed to this interview if I hadn’t assured her that it would be just me and that her name would be left out of the promos,” Helen advocated for her subject.

“Oh Helen, that’s all fine,” Lindsay feigned sincerity. “It’s okay. All the promos are taking the mystery angle. So her name won’t be anywhere.”

He stepped into her space. “Until tonight.”

When Lindsay left the room, Helen caught eyes with Dale, motioning him to join her in the hallway, standing at opposite walls.

“What did you think of the story?” Helen asked him.

“I think you handled the interview sensitively, as you always do,” Dale shared.

Helen raised her eyebrow, knowing there was more. “And?”

“And I think you’re trying to convince yourself it’s some big, complex story about a drug crisis, when really it’s a juicy story about a famous family torn apart.” Dale stated, frankly. “That’s what it is. That’s what it always was. It’s gonna be huge.”

Helen glanced to her feet. “What would you do?”

“Nothing,” Dale replied curtly, holding her gaze for a little while, and he walked away, leaving Helen to have to come up with the answer to her question herself.

Our Golden ‘Couple’ Of News, Dale Jennings and Helen Norville, always there for one another, no matter what life throws at them ❤️🌟🤴🏼👸🏻

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Today is the 24th of January 2026, and according to how mathematics works and the passing of time, today marks forty years since this exact same date in 1986, which as all Newsreader fans know, was the date that story of The Newsreader began.

The very first scenes of S01E01 took place forty years ago, depicting a newsreading hopeful trying to climb the corporate ladder to the ‘throne’, the news desk, and an established newsreader desperately trying to bring seriousness and meaning to the work she was already doing.

Dale was promised a shot at a morning update if he helped Helen put together one of her special reports, and Helen walked out of the office in a huff after her Margaret Thatcher story was handed to Geoff, and rightly so.

After a discovery at Helen’s home a few days later, these two would find their lives joined together in a way that went beyond being partners at work, but rather mutual romantic and platonic partners in life too. They would never be more than a phone call or a live cross away from each other.

Through this initial work arrangement which had mutual benefits for both of them, these two would spark an unconventional but extremely precious bond and connection that would last the events and turns of the later half of the 1980s, and as the decades continued to tick by, I think we all strongly believe that they remained each other’s closest friend to this day. I wonder if these two 75 and 71 year olds would be catching up with a cup of tea in Dale’s London flat today? 😉