If you spent your Tuesday nights glued to Blue Heelers, prepare for a serious dose of nostalgia. Senior Sergeant Tom Croydon is back in uniform!
Well, sort of.
Australian television legend John Wood has announced a delightful screen comeback at the age of 80, two decades after the beloved police drama Blue Heelers came to an end.
And the Gold Logie winner couldn’t be happier.
“It’s sensational to be remembered as everybody’s favourite police sergeant,” Wood told New Idea.
In a delicious twist, the veteran actor revealed he’d only just qualified for the age pension when the unexpected offer arrived.
“The day before I was offered the job I finally managed to get onto a pension!” he laughed.
Wood is starring in a new comedy series called The Second Act, alongside a who’s who of familiar Australian faces, including Home and Away favourite Lynne McGranger, comedian Denise Scott, former Perfect Match host Greg Evans, Play School star Jay Laga’aia, and actors Matt Day and Pia Miranda.
If that cast doesn’t make you nostalgic for the golden days of Australian television, nothing will.
The new series, which can be watched on social media, is a collection of short comedic episodes funded by Aware Super, exploring the realities of life after retirement.
And Wood’s character? Let’s just say the long arm of the law isn’t quite what it used to be.
“I’m prancing around in a police shirt with a water pistol,” he revealed.
For millions of Australians, Wood will forever be associated with Blue Heelers, the enormously popular Seven Network drama that ran from 1994 to 2006.
As the dependable, occasionally gruff but always compassionate Tom Croydon, he became one of the most recognisable faces on Australian television, appearing alongside Lisa McCune, Martin Sacks, William McInnes and Julie Nihill.
The show ran for an extraordinary 510 episodes, and Wood finally took home the coveted Gold Logie in 2006, the very year the series ended.
Two decades later, the affection clearly hasn’t faded.
Wood recalled a recent encounter in the Victorian town of Woori Yallock, where a group of young female police officers recognised him outside a bakery and asked for photographs.
The pictures subsequently appeared online and in the local newspaper.
“It was nice to be remembered,” he said.
The actor also remains particularly fond of his former co-star Lisa McCune, whose portrayal of Constable Maggie Doyle inspired a generation of viewers.
Wood believes many young women were encouraged to join the police force because of her character.
Now enjoying a quieter life in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, the much-loved actor spends plenty of time with his daughters and grandchildren, although his latest project proves he’s not quite ready to disappear from our screens.
And while The Second Act isn’t the long-awaited Blue Heelers reunion fans might dream of, seeing Wood back in uniform is surely the next best thing.
At 80, Australia’s favourite country copper still has a few tricks up his sleeve.
Welcome back, Sarge. We’ve missed you.
