By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on January 16, 2020
DON’T miss Albany’s latest time in the spotlight – the first season of children’s adventure show Itch is now online on ABC iview and the episodes will only be available for another month.
Itch is based on the book series of the same name by British author Simon Mayo and tells the story of a teenage boy who discovers a new element of the periodic table; he must defend it from the clutches of evil, secret organisations.
It was filmed in Albany and includes the iconic locations of Middleton Beach, Albany Senior High School (ASHS), Albany Town Hall and the University of WA Albany campus in multiple scenes.
The ASHS school logo was altered for all school scenes but the uniform is otherwise easily recognisable as the one worn by students today.
Episodes 1-10 were published online two weeks ago and will be available until February 23.
The Behind the Scenes videos will stay online until March 28.
When Mr Mayo caught up with the Weekender at Middleton Beach during filming in February last year, he said changing the story’s location from Cornwall to an Australian coastal town “made sense”.
He described the similarities between Cornwall and Albany as “remarkable”.
“Cornwall has a rich mining heritage,” Mr Mayo said.
“So switching to here makes perfect sense, with Albany’s connection to mining.”
Mayo scored a brief cameo in a scene shot at Middleton – he’s hiding in the Ellen Cove picnic area, typing on a laptop.
Itch star and Perth product Samuel Ireland visited The Gap, Emu Point, Middleton Beach, Boston Brewery and Greens Pool on his days off during filming.
He said scoring the lead role of Itchingham Lofte was a dream come true.
“When I saw the Itch auditions, I thought, this is my childhood,” Mr Ireland said.
“Blue Water High, Parallax…kids’ dramas are what Aussies do best.
“So getting that first callback was a wonderful feeling.”
Albany’s Dragon Martial Arts owner and instructor Mark Burridge was hired to teach actors and choreograph various fight scenes for the production.
A few of his students assisted him in teaching the actors and one student appeared as a stunt double in a scene.
“Teaching the moves and scenes and working with the stunt coordinator has been so much fun and I can’t wait to see the end product and the TV series,” Mr Burridge told the Weekender in April.
