
05 12 2022 - Media release PARAMOUNT ANNOUNCES CAST OF THE APPLETON LADIES' POTATO RACE
Claire van der Boom
Claire van der Boom (Blacklight, Palm Beach) leads the cast of the Paramount Original The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race which has received major production investment from Screen Australia. Katie Wall (Winter, Puberty Blues), Genevieve Lemon (Ticket to Paradise, The Power of The Dog), Tiriel Mora (The Castle, Smoke Between Trees) and Robyn Nevin (Relic, The Eye of the Storm) are also starring.
With the screenplay written by playwright Melanie Tait (The Vegemite Tales, A Broadcast Coup) based on her play of the same name, the cast also includes Andy Ryan (Tomorrow When the War Began, INXS: Never Tear Us Apart), Rohan Nichol (Red Dog, MaveriX), Cecelia Peters (Playing For Keeps, The Wrong Girl), Darren Gilshenan (The Moodys, Harrow), John Batchelor (Peter Rabbit 2, Barons) and John Gaden (The Eye of the Storm, Fisk).
When Penny Anderson (Claire van der Boom) returns to her childhood home just in time for the Appleton Show and its world famous' potato race, she is outraged that the men's first prize pays out $2,000 and the winning woman's prize is only $200! Determined to right this wrong, she unleashes a cultural war the likes never seen in sleepy Appleton - pitting family against family, sister against sister and potato racer against potato racer.
Currently filming in Sydney and the picturesque villages of the Southern Highlands of NSW, The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race is being directed by Lynn Hegarty (Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries, A Place to Call Home), produced by Andrea Keir and Lisa Duff who are also executive producing with EQ Media's Greg Quail, Paramount Australia's Sophia Mogford, and Cecilia Ritchie.
The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race is produced by Congaline Productions and EQ Media for Paramount . Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW and the NSW Regional Film Fund. Paramount , which launched in August 2021, is Australia's fastest growing streaming service and has already commissioned 16 local productions spanning drama, reality, comedy and documentary.
Screen Australia's Head of Content Grainne Brunsdon said, Writer Melanie Tait has proven her ability to connect with audiences with this heart-warming story on stage, and we are delighted to support her together with an experienced producing team to bring it to the screen. With quirky and charming characters, and set against the backdrop of quintessential regional Australia, this is set to be a joy to watch.
Paramount ANZ Network Executive of Drama And Comedy Sophia Mogford said, We are very proud to invest in this fabulous Australian production that we know will have huge global appeal. It is such a charming, engaging story full of Aussie quirks, humour and characters and the cast draws on some wonderfully familiar faces, as well as contemporary stars, with a story theme that will resonate with audiences everywhere. This production is certainly in safe hands with the talented, world-class cast and crew creating this very special film.
Producer Andrea Keir said, The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race what a title! Melanie has written a joyful and charming script set in a luscious country village nestled in rolling green hills. It will be impossible for viewers to resist when it lands on Paramount .
EQ Media's Lisa Duff and Greg Quail said, EQ Media is thrilled to be working alongside Andrea Keir on the feature film adaptation of Melanie Tait s much-loved play. We have assembled an incredible cast and crew and look forward to bringing the story of Appleton and its famous potato race to audiences both locally and internationally. With contemporary themes of home, family and the gender pay gap, this heartfelt drama is bound to become an Australian classic.
Head of Screen NSW Kyas Hepworth said, Screen NSW is thrilled to support The Appleton Ladies' Potato Race and the incredible cast and crew as it films in Sydney and the picturesque Southern Highlands of NSW. Based on a successful play of the same name by Melanie Tait, this uniquely Australian story is set to explore the financial divide between genders and present a quintessential Australian tale to audiences at home and abroad. I wish the cast and crew all the best for filming.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES Emily McCammon | Paramount
[email protected]
Media enquiries Maddie Walsh | Publicist
61 2 8113 5915 | [email protected]
Lidia Williams | Senior Publicist
61 2 8113 1091 | 61 468 784 170 | [email protected]
All other general/non-media enquiries
Sydney 61 2 8113 5800 | Melbourne 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
18/05/2026
Despite a bumpy start to the year, the provider of event-production support and ...
18/05/2026
Daktronics has partnered with the University of North Carolina to manufacture and install 11 LED displays totaling more than 10,000 square feet and more than 14...
18/05/2026
CBS LA has announced a multi-year partnership with the Los Angeles Rams, covering exclusive local broadcasts of Rams preseason games, weekly year-round programm...
18/05/2026
Skyline Communications has announced an integration between its DataMiner xOps p...
18/05/2026
eCLUTCH, the hybrid esports platform powered by iKOMG, has announced an expansion of its distribution across Europe, MENA, Africa, and Asia, along with new cont...
18/05/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/05/2026
With 22 games this season, the production team looks forward to tweaking and enhancing the coverage
After 8,660 days off the air, the WNBA returned to NBC yest...
18/05/2026
(L-R) Midori Francis and Natalie Erika James attend the Saccharine premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 22, 2026, in ...
18/05/2026
Last night, the Spotify Podcast Awards in Mexico returned to the country's capital. Now in its second year, the evening honors creators whose voices are hel...
18/05/2026
ZEN-Core synth goes mobile
Roland's powerful ZEN-Core software synthesizer has just been introduced to the iPad, offering a convenient entry point into ...
18/05/2026
Versatile new limiter plug-in announced
Based in Sheffield, UK, fedDSP offer a range of plug-ins that span the music production, live sound and high-end med...
18/05/2026
A new use for convolution?
Viiri Audio's debut plug-in aims to do something a little different with convolution processing, allowing users to adjust all...
18/05/2026
Delta Goodrem shines for SBS as more than 3.27 million Australians tune in for E...
18/05/2026
The Australian Defence Force uses L3Harris T4 and T7 robots for explosive ordnan...
18/05/2026
Continued investment across Europe and Germany is expanding local teams and improving access to stock, regional expertise, and specialist broadcast support.
CV...
18/05/2026
18 May 2026
Dubai and New York, May 18, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a glob...
18/05/2026
Monday 18 May 2026
Sky News offers ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes for just...
18/05/2026
Comscore March 2026 Consumer AI Chatbot Usage Rankings Show Claude Gaining Share OpenAI's ChatGPT maintains lead while Anthropic's Claude continues to c...
17/05/2026
Delta Goodrem's Eurovision Eclipse marks end of a stellar run
17 May, 2026
Media releases
Bulgaria wins Eurovision 2026
Relive every spellbinding mome...
17/05/2026
Back to All News
Oasis Premieres on Netflix June 19
Entertainment
17 May 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Summer, sunshine, the beach, parties. T...
16/05/2026
Helps to deliver a clean, balanced midrange
Developed alongside Newfangled Audio, the latest plug-in in Eventide's software collection has been designed...
16/05/2026
Brings onboard stem rendering to RANE System One
Engine DJ have just released Engine DJ 5.0, a free update for their Engine DJ OS embedded hardware and Engi...
16/05/2026
Boris FX Continuum Pairs AI Precision and Advanced Creative Controls
Jessie Electa Petrov May 16, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic de...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/05/2026
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC, in partnership with RAVE Foundation an...
15/05/2026
Dan Brumm has served as sound designer on Bluey, the Australian children's t...
15/05/2026
The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated are accepting applications for the 6th annual Mark Brunner Professional Audio Schola...
15/05/2026
Netflix has announced an expanded NFL schedule for 2026 and beyond under a four-year partnership extension with the NFL through the 2029-30 season. Each season,...
15/05/2026
Ateme is supporting TVRI (Televisi Republik Indonesia) with a contribution and d...
15/05/2026
Concacaf has announced the launch of a new website and mobile app built on Deltatre's FORGE platform. Concacaf.com and the mobile app, available on iOS and ...
15/05/2026
Eutelsat has announced the launch of QBC Business Economic Channel by Qatar Media Corporation, broadcasting in 4K/UHD via Eutelsat's 7/8 West video neighbo...
15/05/2026
Major League Soccer has announced four original content series timed to the 2026...
15/05/2026
The Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) has announced it will exhibit and present at InfoComm 2026, taking place June 13-19 at the Las Vegas Convention Cente...
15/05/2026
InfoComm 2026 will take place June 13-19 (exhibits June 17-19) at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The show will include sessions and exhibits covering broadcas...
15/05/2026
Tracy McGrady's Ones Basketball League (OBL) and FuboTV Inc. have announced ...
15/05/2026
Disguise has partnered with Creative Technology (CT) to deliver visual playback ...
15/05/2026
Sony Electronics has announced two new products for professional imaging: the Alpha 7R VI full-frame mirrorless camera and the FE 100-400mm F4.5 GM OSS super-te...
15/05/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
15/05/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
15/05/2026
For sports organizations, the most valuable assets are often the most sensitive:...
15/05/2026
The NFL's broadcast partners released their 2026 regular season schedules ye...
15/05/2026
Besides drawing on experience with boxing, the production integrates specialty c...