(L-R) David Wenham, Alexander Bertrand and Rebel Wilson in ‘Les Norton.’
Roadshow Rough Diamond’s crime caper Les Norton, starring Rebel Wilson, David Wenham and Alexander Bertrand in the title role, will premiere on the ABC and iview on Sunday August 4 at 8.30 pm.
Set in 1985 and based on Robert G. Barrett’s Australian novels, the 10-part series follows the misadventures of Norton, a knockabout bloke from outback Queensland.
On the run from a troubled past, he blows into Sydney where he lands a job as a bouncer at a notorious illegal casino in Kings Cross. Desperate to get home, he is soon seduced by the city’s dubious charms and dragged into a web of underground criminality.
Les becomes tangled up in the illicit activities of his new boss, kingpin Price Galese (Wenham), and Price’s motley crew of former pro boxer turned casino doorman Billy Dunne (Hunter Page-Lochard), gun-for-hire Eddie Salita (Justin Rosniak) and casino manager Georgie (Pallavi Sharda).
Wilson plays the dual roles of Doreen, a brothel owner in the Western suburbs, and her identical twin sister Dolores.
Foul-mouthed and ruthless, Doreen makes big money by exploiting underage Thai prostitutes. When Les and Eddie bust three of them out of a brothel, all hell breaks loose.
Les makes the acquaintance of bent cop ‘Thumper’ (Steve Le Marquand) and Constable Emily Gold (Syd Zygier), the new cop on the Kings Cross beat.
He takes up residence in Bondi with Lozza, a pot-smoking advertising executive party girl (Kate Box), who becomes his anchor to the real world and his constant sparring partner.
The directors are Jocelyn Moorhouse, Fadia Abboud, David Caesar and Morgan O’Neill, who created the show, working alongside writers Christopher Lee, Samantha Winston, Shanti Gudgeon, Malcolm Knox and Jessica Tuckwell.
Dan Edwards and John Edwards produced for Roadshow Rough Diamond, their follow-up to Romper Stomper and the upcoming Seven Network series Australian Gangster.
The EPs are ABC head of drama, comedy and Indigenous Sally Riley and Andrew Gregory, Deeper Water Films’ John Schwarz and Michael Schwarz and John Singleton and Jack Singleton.
Major production investment came from Screen Australia and the ABC, in association with Create NSW. Sonar Entertainment is handling international distribution.