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(L-r) Greg McLean, Phoebe Tonkin, Bryan Brown, Glen Dolman.

During filming of Stan’s Bloom in Victoria last year the creator/showrunner Glen Dolman was already hatching ideas for a second series of the supernatural drama.

So when Stan’s Mike Sneesby and Nick Forward ordered another six episodes in April after he pitched an overview Dolman pressed ahead with plans to bring a fresh perspective to the show.

That involved hiring new directors in Greg McLean and Sian Davies (who collaborated on Stan’s The Gloaming), assembling a new team of writers and adding half a dozen fresh faces to the cast, with the assistance of casting director Leigh Pickford.

Joining him in the writers’ room are Giula Sandler, Matt Ford, Tommy Murphy and Catherine S McMullen. Dolman scripted four of the six eps of the first series, which was named Drama Series Production of the Year at last...

Phoebe Tonkin and Bryan Brown.

Jacqueline McKenzie, Gary Sweet, Bella Heathcote, Toby Schmitz, Jackson Heywood, Scott Lee and Ed Oxenbould are new additions to the cast of Stan’s Bloom, the second season of which is now shooting in regional Victoria.

Greg McLean and Sian Davies (who both directed episodes of Stan’s The Gloaming) are directing the six-part supernatural drama created and written by Glen Dolman, produced by Sue Seeary for Playmaker Media. Geoffrey Hall is the Dop.

Jacki Weaver, Bryan Brown, Phoebe Tonkin, Genevieve Morris, John Stanton, Anne Charleston, Terry Norris and Thomas Ersatz are all returning.

In the first series the residents of a small country town were left reeling after a “fountain of youth” appeared in the wake of a devastating flood. A mysterious plant with luminous berries gave those who consumed it a second chance to return to their prime. The results were miraculous for...

‘Bloom’ cast and creatives at the Logie Awards.

Stan has commissioned a second season of Bloom from creator Glen Dolman and Playmaker Media.

The miniseries directed by John Curran and Mat King broke the platform’s viewing records when it premiered on New Year’s Day.

Jacki Weaver, Bryan Brown, Phoebe Tonkin, Ryan Corr, Daniel Henshall, Sam Reid, Genevieve Morris, Anne Charleston and John Stanton starred in the supernatural romance-mystery-horror produced by Sue Seeary.

Dolman started writing the second batch of six episodes a couple of months ago. “We have landed on the core idea,” Stan’s chief content officer Nick Forward tells If. “It will have a mix of returning and new characters.”

The characters played by Brown, Corr and Morris were among the survivors of the first series, which has sold widely to international markets including the Us, the UK and Europe by Sony Pictures Television. The UK...

Australia’s two-time Oscar-nominated actress Jacki Weaver heads the cast of sci-fi series “Bloom.” An original commission for Australian streaming platform Stan, the six-part series is produced by Sony Pictures Television’s Playmaker.

The story takes place a year after a devastating flood has killed five locals in an idyllic country town, and when a mysterious new plant appears. The plant’s phenomenal ability to restore youth is so formidable that attempting to harness it means re-evaluating values. It is a miracle some will kill to keep secret.

With finance from Stan and federal funding body Screen Australia, production is now under way in Victoria state. Sony Pictures Television will distribute outside Australia.

The series is created by Glen Dolman. Production is by Sue Seeary and shot by Aacta-winning cinematographer Geoff Hall. The series is directed by John Curran and Mat King.

The lead cast includes Bryan Brown, Phoebe Tonkin,...

Channel 5 has revealed plans to celebrate Neighbours' 30th anniversary with a special companion show and repeats of two classic episodes.

Neighbours reaches its milestone on March 18 with a number of big storylines planned to mark the occasion, including the returns of 12 past characters.

As well as the celebrations in the main show, Channel 5 will be airing a one-off special titled Neighbours 30th: The Stars Reunite, which will celebrate the soap's ongoing success and take a look back at some of the most colourful cast members.

Hosted by current Ramsay Street regulars Stefan Dennis and Tim Phillipps (Paul and Daniel Robinson), the programme will bring together a number of the most popular faces past and present - including Ian Smith (Harold Bishop), Anne Charleston (Madge Bishop), Ryan Moloney (Toadie Rebecchi), Mark Little (Joe Mangel), Natalie Bassingthwaighte (Izzy Hoyland) and Craig McLachlan (Henry Ramsay).

Channel 5 will also be airing the first...

Neighbours star Ian Smith has revealed that he would like a film role before he retires from acting.

The 76-year-old, who is known for his role as popular Harold Bishop, has admitted that he regrets not exploring the film industry sooner.

Speaking to the Australian Daily Telegraph, he said: "I've really not broken into the movie world and I really would love to do a movie before I hang up my voice.

"A good movie - I've done some not so good movies. It is the usual cry of the soap actor; I'd like to do something with a bit of depth in it that stretches and challenges me... something with a budget.

"My father always said, 'When you are on a money job, keep it'. I watched young people from the shows that I was in leave when they were not being asked to leave and go on to...

Britain’s Got Talent hopeful Mark James has revealed that if he wins the series on Saturday, he will use the £100,000 prize money to set up his own pantomime production company.

The singer who impressed Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan with his half man, half woman audition has previously starred in panto alongside Sue Pollard, Neighbours star Anne Charleston and Jane Tucker from Rainbow. In fact Sue even rang him up to congratulate him on his Bgt success.

On how he would spend the money if he won, Mark, who will appear on tonight’s semi final said:

I bought a house a couple of years ago so firstly I would pay off the mortgage, but I would like to have my own pantomime production company. I love pantomime as it’s for everybody so the money would definitely be used in a good way.

I did pantomime with Sue Pollard,...

Anne Charleston has admitted that she grew bored with her role as Emmerdale's Lily Butterfield. The actress joined the Yorkshire-based soap for three episodes in September 2006 before signing up for a longer contract in March the following year. However, in April 2009, it was announced that she was leaving the programme. Asked in an interview with Pa whether she was sad to bow out, Charleston replied: "Not really. I really wanted to do the show and I love the show and the character, but they just started to turn her into a special extra and I was seriously bored and depressed. I thought it was a pity because I think she had enormous possibilities. "I loved working with (more)...

EastEnders star Dean Gaffney has admitted that he is a huge fan of Australian soap Neighbours. The actor, who is back on screen as Walford's Robbie Jackson this week, said that he is looking forward to starring alongside Ramsay Street legend Anne Charleston (Madge Bishop) in the Calendar Girls stage tour later this year. Gaffney told Pa: "I'm a massive Neighbours fan. I've watched it from when I was a child. Literally, I'm hooked on Neighbours. It's really quite sad actually. "I just love the (more)...

Neighbours actor Alan Fletcher has named EastEnders as the UK soap he would most like to star in. The 52-year-old, who plays Ramsay Street legend Karl Kennedy, confirmed that he would consider following in the footsteps of Anne Charleston by making the move from Erinsborough to British serial drama if his current role ever ends. Fletcher told Holy Soap: "I wouldn't mind at all. There are some terrific shows. Anne Charleston did Emmerdale for a while and she loved that experience." Asked which soap he would pick, the Australian (more)...

Anne Charleston has quit her role in Emmerdale in order to pursue new projects. The 66-year-old Australian actress, who plays Edna Birch's (Shirley Stelfox) sister Lily Butterfield in the rural ITV serial, is due to finish filming within the fortnight, but will remain on screen until July. Speaking to Inside Soap about her decision to leave, she said: "I've thoroughly enjoyed playing Lily for the last couple of years, but have agreed with the producers that the time is right for me to move (more)...

Anne Charleston has acted as a comforting maternal figure for numerous generations of TV viewers. As the gruff-voiced but soft-hearted Madge Bishop (née Ramsay) in Neighbours, she provided a hefty cornerstone for the Aussie soap to flourish from. Her partnership with Ian Smith (Harold) during her two stints on the show remains one of the most touching romances in soap history. The couple's return to Ramsay Street in 1996 after Harold came back from the dead (he was last seen five years previous disappearing off a cliff face leaving behind only his glasses) was only topped by Charleston's tearful farewell in 2001 when she died from cancer in her bed at No.24. (more)...