Long-time Australian television actor John Wood can't understand Australia's current obsession with The Kardashians and The Real Housewives.
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The Gold Logie winner and former star of Rafferty's Rules and Blue Heelers believes our national television broadcasters should go back to doing what they do best - homegrown drama.
"The industry is not in a great state," Wood said.
"I mean with Channel 10 going down and the absolute proliferation of reality shows - which I think are pretty dull, it's the bottom of the barrel really - the drama is floundering a bit.
"I think the networks have dropped the ball ... drama's always been their bread and butter ever since television started in Australia, going right back to Homicide.
"It seems silly to tuck away what you've proven yourself to be best at - which is making relatively cheap homegrown drama."
The much-loved Australian television actor, now 70, arrives in Queanbeyan on Thursday for a three-night run of Bakersfield Mist - a theatre dramady (drama/comedy) inspired by true events in the US.
Wood stars as Lionel Percy, an art appraiser summonsed form New York to California to determine the authenticity of an alleged Jackson Pollock painting found in an op shop by unemployed bartender Maude (played by fellow Blue Heeler Julie Nihill). Wood said he's loving being on stage with his former Channel Seven colleague - both played the only two characters to survive the full 12-year run of Blue Heelers.
"It's fabulous - it's great to be working with her again and it's great to be doing a show that's so personally challenging with an old friend," Wood said.
"It's much much more than we've ever done together. We worked together a couple of hours a week for 12 years but we never had anything major to do with each other - no dramatic moments or romantic moments or anything like that."
Wood said he's enjoying taking Bakersfield Mist to regional theatres - "I did 180 shows of The Club a few years back, so I'm a seasoned traveller" - but hates being away from his grandchildren, who, like Wood, are based in Melbourne.
He said audiences were loving Bakersfield Mist, especially the stunning "trailer park set" designed by Jill Munro.
"Its just a terrific play, the interaction between the two characters is just terrific."
Bakersfield Mist, Thursday June 22 - Saturday June 24 at 8pm. Matinee Saturday June 24 at 2pm. The Q, Crawford Street, Queanbeyan. Tickets from theq.net.au
