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Devil's Playground

In 1976, Fred Schepisi's first feature film, The Devil's Playground, daringly dealt with the conflict between desire and spirituality in a Catholic seminary. It's now considered a classic of Australian cinema. At the film's centre was a 13-year-old boy, Tom Allen, torn between his calling and his sexuality. This series picks up the story 35 years later. It is 1988 and Tom is now in his forties. A practising Catholic and respected Sydney psychiatrist, Tom accepts an offer from the Bishop of Sydney to become a secular confessor to the Catholic clergy, and is soon embroiled in political and theological intrigue.

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Cast & Crew See All

Simon Burke
Tom Allen
Don Hany
Bishop Quaid
John Noble
Bishop McNally

Season 1 Episode Guide See All

Episode 1

I Will Bring Fire Onto This Earth

The year is 1988, and psychiatrist Tom Allen is still recovering from the death of his wife and an ill-fated love affair with Alice. When a boy at the local Catholic school goes missing, questions are asked of many in the community. Two popular clergy members - Father Andrassi and Brother Warner - launch a desperate search to find the missing boy. But the church is also facing internal moral problems, and Tom is called in to counsel a number of the priests dealing with a range of personal issues. As Cardinal Neville prepares to retire, his time in the position is celebrated by state MP Margaret Wallace, but a battle has also begun for the top job in the Sydney archdiocese.

Where to Watch

Awards

  • 2014 - Awgie Award - Television - Mini-Series - Original - nominated
  • 2015 - Silver Logie - Most Outstanding Miniseries or Telemovie - winner
  • 2015 - Silver Logie - Most Outstanding Actor - nominated
  • 2015 - ADG Award - Best Direction in a TV Mini-Series - winner

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