Foxtel breathes new life into A Place To Call Home after Seven signs deal to keep the show alive

AFTER its axing sparked a mini-revolt and months of lobbying from fans, Seven has hatched a deal with Foxtel that will resuscitate the show for at least two more seasons.

A Place To Call Home

A PLACE To Call Home has a new place to call home.

After its axing sparked a mini-revolt and months of lobbying from fans, Channel Seven has hatched a deal with Foxtel that will see the show resuscitated for at least two more seasons on pay TV network Soho.

And in another huge coup for fans of the frothy period drama, the entire cast, including Logie nominee Marta Dusseldorp and Noni Hazlehurst, will return to the fold.

Marta Dusseldorp from the hit TV show A Place To Call Home. Picture: Toby Zerna

The stunning about-face is expected to be announced today as, coincidentally, a series of A Place To Call Home fan picnics are being held around Australia.

“It’s so exciting,” said Dusseldorp, who shot to ­stardom playing the series’ trailblazer Sarah Adams.

“We had an idea something was happening but when it was actually confirmed it was so overwhelming.

“I’m just thrilled that we get to ­explore more of these characters’ lives beyond season two as there is so much more story to tell.”

Marta Dusseldorp as Sarah Adams with her co-star Chilli, who plays Lucky in A Place To Call Home. Picture: 7 Channel

As part of the agreement, Seven will continue to produce the show for Foxtel in a deal that will see them pocket a program commission once it goes to air late next year.

Production is expected to resume in March at the show’s original filming locations in Camden, while the bulk of the original writers have also begun building the scripts.

Abby Earl and Brett Climo from A Place to Call Home. Picture: Ch 7

Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood from A Place To Call Home. Picture: Ch 7

Foxtel chief Brian Walsh admitted that although he was alerted to the show’s devoted following soon after Seven axed it in June, it was a phone call from his sister that sparked the original comeback talks with Seven.

“My sister called me up from Coffs Harbour and chewed my ear off about the show and how angry she was that it was cancelled, and demanded it be put back on air,” Walsh said.

“I had to tell her that it wasn’t actually my network and that Seven aired it, but it got me thinking a lot.

“One day I decided to call Seven’s programming boss Angus Ross and we talked about the show a bit more and then I went off to JB Hi-Fi and bought season one on DVD and I watched half of it and thought, ‘This show is just fantastic’. It was TV melodrama at its finest.

“That triggered a whole investigation as to the popularity of the show and my sister was right, there were all these protest groups and Facebook pages and I decided there had to be a way to bring it back.”

Andrew McFarlane, David Berry and Arianwen Parkes-Lockwood. Picture: Ch 7