Noah and Saskia
Two teenagers, two continents, one virtual connection.
Noah and Saskia is a 13-episode television drama series about an Australian teenage girl and a British teenage boy who form an internet relationship. The series was initiated, developed and produced by Patricia Edgar for the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) and the BBC. It explores how the characters project their ideal selves to each other in a virtual world, affecting their real lives.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Teen's
- Creator
- Patricia Edgar
- Chris Anastassiades
- Paul Nichola
- Director
- Pino Amenta
- Country
- Australia; United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 13
- Executive producers
- Patricia Edgar (ABC); Elaine Sperber (BBC)
Facts from the source article.
Cast
Noah King is played by Jack Blumenau as a socially inexperienced boy from London who lives with his mother, football-loving father and brother, and later his cousin Eddie. He runs a webcomic called Max Hammer based on his life. Saskia Litras is played by Hannah Greenwood as a shy, musical girl from Melbourne who lives with her single mother and works at the Chicken Coop after school. She creates the character Indy to confront Max for stealing her music, then becomes Noah's partner in his webcomic. Max Hammer is portrayed by Cameron Nugent, and Indy by Teiya Moquiuti. Other cast members include Emily Wheaton as Renee, Adrian Fergus Fuller as Clive, Alex Yates as Specs, Eugene Simon as Eddie, Tracy Mann as Deb Litras, Bernard Angel as Ernesto, Julian O'Donnell as Benny, Damian Neate as Gerald, and Alicia Gardiner as Theresa.
Synopsis
The series centers on an internet relationship between two teenagers and its positive effects on their lives, despite their use of false personas. Saskia enters a chatroom called Webweave seeking revenge on a boy who stole her music, but instead begins a significant relationship. She meets Max Hammer, who seems to understand her completely, but she is using the online name Indy, a confident alter ego that helps her express parts of herself she cannot normally show. Saskia fears the relationship would end if Max discovered she is actually a 14-year-old dork. However, Max Hammer is not who he claims to be either; he is actually Noah, a 14-year-old science dweeb who knows Indy would reject him if she learned the truth. By projecting their ideal selves in a virtual world, the two teenagers change each other's lives from opposite sides of the globe.
Production
The series was a co-production with the BBC, with seven episodes filmed in Australia and six in the United Kingdom. Patricia Edgar served as Producer and Executive Producer, and Elisa Argenzio as Line Producer. The series was pre-sold to the ABC in Australia, with the Foundation distributing it worldwide excluding the United Kingdom. The Australian Film Finance Corporation and Film Victoria also invested. Pre-production began in February 2003. The idea originated at the turn of the 20th century when digital media was still new; Edgar wanted to integrate the Kahootz software she and Paul Nichola developed for the ACTF into the series. The production blended live action, animation and visual effects to depict the introspective side of teenage life. Episodes alternate between Australia and the United Kingdom, and the Webweave chat space was created using Kahootz. A writers' workshop in February 2000 included Claire Henderson, Tammy Burnstock from the ABC, and Elaine Sperber from the BBC. Chris Anastassiades and Robert Greenberg were commissioned to develop the concept and write scripts.
Success
Patricia Edgar left her role as Director in 2002 after two decades to concentrate on producing Noah and Saskia, intended as her final contribution to the ACTF. By May 2004, the show had captured roughly 60% of viewers aged 5 to 12 and about 40% of those aged 13 to 17, boosting the ABC’s overall ratings for that time slot. It saw especially strong numbers in Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, where over three-quarters of 5-to-12-year-olds tuned in. ABC Enterprises secured the Australian rights for video, DVD, publishing, and music. The series was chosen from 700 global entries for the 2004 Chicago Film Festival’s live-action television category. It earned two AFI nominations, one for Best Children’s Television Drama and another for Outstanding Achievement in Craft in Television for its animation and digital effects. Co-writer Sam Carroll won an AWGIE Award for Best Children’s Television Drama for the episode “Extra Spicy.” The show also received an Honourable Mention at the 2004 Chris Awards.
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