'Return To Eden' - the 1986 TV series had "fulfilled what it set out to do - to be a glossy melodrama," Peta Toppano believed. However Peta did not find some of the wardrobe fun to wear. "We all loathed it," Peta told the British press. "It got so ridiculous, especially with my character (Jilly), that we all complained. It was just titillating and I object to that. It would be more honest for us to have done nude scenes than to run around in a pair of lace knickers.
"Maybe they thought that sex and naughtiness would sell 'Return To Eden'. But I think it's tedious. I didn't want to do that boardroom scene (episode 9). It was 8 o'clock at night, I was very tired and I just wanted to go home. I thought we would be showing off the clothes, not taking them off. It got so ridiculous I complained, but they said it was in keeping with Jilly Stewart's character."
On reflection, Peta acknowledged, "The wonderful thing about playing Jilly is that nobody recognizes me from 'Return To Eden'. In the show I had bright red hair, high heels and slinky dresses. At home I wear jeans and T-shirts. I've never done anything as glamorous as this before. I'd arrive at the studio in a track suit and by 6:00am I'd be decked out in tiaras and sequins.
I've had very good feedback from the series. It has been good for my career and with the money I've earned I've been able to renovate our house in Balmain overlooking Sydney Harbor."
'Return To Eden' was enormously popular in the U.K. Daniel Abineri offered, "I think they really go for all that 'Dynasty' stuff in Britain and 'Return To Eden' was just like 'Dynasty'. It's not something I would sit down and watch. In fact, I don't see much television. You've got to hand it to the producers for pulling it all together. It was a major TV series, a big gamble and at least they've satisfied the overseas market. I knew when I was signed for 'Return To Eden' that I couldn't muck it up because it was going to be seen all around the world."
Hal McElroy maintained 'Return To Eden' was "uniquely Australian." Of the "'Dynasty' Down Under" tag, "We didn't set out to make 'Dynasty' or 'Dallas' per se. We could never emulate them because they spend $1 million an hour - 4 or 5 times more than we have to spend. But it's prime time, adult-oriented melodrama, so, necessarily, it will have the same sort of qualities." Producer Tim Sanders added, "We wanted the glossy look that is normally associated with American productions and I believe we have achieved just that."
Five months into production, four directors were reportedly contracted to film 'Return To Eden' with another two under negotiation. Hal McElroy insisted, "When we've got to shoot an episode in 7 days, we must have very experienced people. We need a classy product, and you can't throw a beginner into that, no matter how talented they may be. We need 6 minutes of finished screen time a day, which is nearly 3 times as fast as a feature."
Five months into production, four directors were reportedly contracted to film 'Return To Eden' with another two under negotiation. Hal McElroy insisted, "When we've got to shoot an episode in 7 days, we must have very experienced people. We need a classy product, and you can't throw a beginner into that, no matter how talented they may be. We need 6 minutes of finished screen time a day, which is nearly 3 times as fast as a feature."
