Luke's Kingdom

Luke’s Kingdom was an ambitious 13-part Anglo-Australian co-production, two years in the making, that set out to capture the drama, danger, and human resilience of early colonial life in New South Wales. First broadcast in the mid-1970s, the series brought together the storytelling traditions of British period drama and the expansive, sun-drenched landscapes of Australia, creating a unique adventure serial that mixed family saga with frontier grit.

Set in 1829, the series charted the trials and tribulations of the Firbeck family, forcibly uprooted from their Yorkshire home following the death of their matriarch. Their father, former Royal Navy lieutenant Jason Firbeck – played with stoic authority by James Condon – takes his three children halfway across the world, in pursuit of a fresh start and a promised inheritance of land in the untamed territories of colonial Australia.

But what was meant to be a new beginning turns quickly into a tale of hardship and tenacity. Upon arrival, the Firbecks discover that the land bequeathed to them by an old naval comrade is already occupied. With no funds to return to England, they are forced to establish themselves in the bush, becoming squatters in the eyes of the colonial authorities. This precarious legal status puts them at odds with other settlers, roving outlaws, and even the native Aboriginal population – all while contending with the unforgiving demands of survival in the wilderness.

At the centre of the drama is Luke Firbeck, played by Oliver Tobias, whose brooding charm and rugged physicality had already earned him acclaim in Arthur of the Britons. As the de facto hero of the piece, Tobias brings a steady, smouldering presence to the role – frequently risking life and limb to defend his family and stake their claim in this harsh new land. His performance anchors the series, and it is no surprise that he would go on to further roles in the same vein, including Smuggler and an appearance in Dick Turpin.

The wider family dynamic adds depth to the series. There is the spirited daughter Jassy (Elisabeth Crosby), caught between the expectations of her upbringing and the freedoms – and dangers – of the colony; and older brother Samuel (Gerard Maguire), whose presence adds both tension and tenderness to the family unit. Together, the Firbecks represent not only a personal journey of grief and reinvention, but a microcosm of the settler experience in Australia: fraught with conflict, driven by hope, and constantly on the edge of despair or triumph.

Luke’s Kingdom did not shy away from the realities of colonial life. The show touched, if at times lightly by today’s standards, on the complexities of indigenous relations and the moral ambiguities of settlement. It made effective use of the sweeping Australian landscapes, which served both as a visual feast and a stark reminder of the vast, uncharted forces the characters were up against.

Though the series may not have become a household name in the long run, Luke’s Kingdom remains a notable entry in the canon of 1970s adventure drama. With its blend of historical storytelling, family drama and frontier action, it offered a compelling window into a turbulent time and place. And in Oliver Tobias, it had a leading man who embodied the spirit of the age: handsome, heroic, and never far from danger.

For fans of classic period adventure with a colonial twist, Luke’s Kingdom stands as a worthwhile and often overlooked gem – a well-crafted saga of displacement, endurance and the indomitable will to carve out a new life in a strange land.