Soap opera pioneer Alan Coleman dies at 76
Coleman
The television producer who pioneered television serials such as Neighbours and Shortland Street has died at his home on the NSW Central Coast aged 76.
Alan Coleman, a British writer, director and producer moved to Australia when he was headhunted by Reg Grundy in 1974, to help him establish the Grundy Organisation’s drama department. Coleman then wrote and directed hundreds of episodes of medical serial The Young Doctors and produced the series Case for the Defence and worked on shows such as Class of 74 and Prisoner.
He launched his own production company making corporate videos before returning to Grundy’s as executive producer of Neighbours, and was then made EP of Shortland Street, New Zealand’s first soap opera on five nights a week.
Hi,
Your article is get me back to my school and college life.. thanks
Thanks for your article on Alan Coleman. He was wonderful person he will be sadly missed
I’m really sad reading this. Coleman was my drama teacher from 2000 to 2003. During that time once a week he’d show us how acting was in its most basic form, simply, telling a story.
As long as we could all appreciate story telling and sought out why us humans act the way we do, we’d be fine.
He was a great bloke and wasn’t in it for the money. If one didn’t have the $ for class that week, no worries it went on the tab.
He was over the moon when I got into Bathurst CSU and when my little brother got the Optus ad that aired during the Melboune Comminwealth Games.
A few students went on to land regular parts in Home & Away ( I was in the diner in an opening shot reading Tracks and drinking a milkshake it was my Melissa George moment).
If anything Coleman’s legacy is that he left the bright lights to do what he did best; instill a love of the arts in young people at a grass roots community level. He has touched many of our lives I’m sure of it.
The funniest anecdotes he had that spring to mind are how all the sounds were made in the horror movies. I’m not going to give the secrets away (its show business for a reason).
Personally I loved his stories about the UK, how he got to film the war and how in the UK pantomines were eveywhere at Christmas and it was a time for the arts.
How ironic he chooses to leave us at this time of year.
Lastly, to the Coleman clan, I hope you can take comfort in knowing Alan touched many hearts and inspired many around the world both young and old to go out into this world and not think twice about pursuing their goals so that they could get up each day and go to work doing what they love. Not many in this life have that freedom, he did.
RIP Ron.