Click here for the Image Galleries

Originally airing between August 2002 and December 2003, White Collar Blue was a detective show set in the southern end of Sydney. It followed both the investigations and the relationships of a close-knit group of detectives in charge of investigating violent crimes.

Season One's episode Ten was an extraordinary story about facing down personal demons, both for a haunted detective and a traumatized young woman, whose demons wear the same face.

Nine years earlier, Detective Sergeant Joe Hill was involved in the investigation of the murder of two teenage girls, whose deaths had clues indicating that a serial killer had emerged. But the prime suspect in the Dunes Murders, Paul Gill, was never adequately investigated and so the killings went unsolved... until now.

When teenaged Lilly (Rhiana Griffith) is found by two of the police on the beach, screaming about a man with a knife, they discover that she was abducted, drugged, and sexually assaulted by a man whose modus operandi is identical with that of the unsolved murders... down to the necklace he forced Lilly to wear during the attack. Amazingly, despite being dosed with Rohypnol, Lilly was able to keep enough presence of mind to escape her assailant before he could hurt her too badly. For Joe, this is a chance to finally solve a crime that's been haunting him for almost a decade, and put away Paul Gill, a vicious rapist and killer, at long last.

But what should be an open-and-shut case becomes complicated when the investigation begins to be botched. Mistakes are made, important evidence is missing or inconclusive, and then the worst development occurs -- Lilly, whose testimony is critical, takes a mysterious fall from a train that leaves her a vegetable. With the case unraveling, and a very real chance that Gill may manage to walk away yet again, there's only one possible chance left... if someone can entrap the suspect into confessing his crime. But to do so, they have to send in someone to act as "prey," and there's the very real risk she could end up Gill's next victim.

Rhiana delivers extraordinary, riveting performances as Lilly in this episode. Whether portraying the dazed confusion of a girl fighting the effects of Rohypnol, or the tearful mixture of terror and resolve as she nerves herself up to take Gill on again, her work is solid, convincing, and a marvel to watch. Rhiana immensely enjoyed her time on the set, befriending the members of the regular cast. The feeling was mutual -- O'Brien, interviewed as White Collar Blue began to air, drew specific attention to episode 10, calling it "fantastic."

This was actually Rhiana's second time guest-starring on a Steve Knapman production, because he was also one of the creators of Children's Hospital. In an interesting twist, actress Jodie Dry (Nicole) also had her first major TV role on that show.

Although a critical success, White Collar Blue struggled to get good ratings during its two seasons, and ultimately was not renewed for a third. Ironically, shortly after the decision not to renew the show was announced, the show was nominated for several writing and acting awards. White Collar Blue continues to air in syndication, and may be seen on the FoxTel network in Australia, along with the Showcase channel in Canada.

Awards and Nominations:

Peter O'Brien was nominated for the 2002 Australian Film Institute award, for "Best Actor In A Leading Role In A Television Drama," and won the 2003 "Silver Logie" Award for "Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series."

The show was nominated for three additional "Logie" Awards in 2003:

• Most Outstanding Drama Series
• Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (Freya Stafford)
                      and
• Most Popular New Female Talent (Jodie Dry)

Season 1's Episode 14, also written by Kristen Dunphy, was an award-winner too, taking home an Awgie (Australian Writers' Guild) Award. The show's television theme by Antony Partos was also nominated for the 2003 APRA-AGSC Screen Music Awards.