SEVEN TO AXE LONG RUNNING SOAPIE

Sons and Daughters, the big TV hit of the early 80s, will be scrapped - but not before Rowena Wallace has made a triumphant return.

Channel Seven says it will close the show at the end of next season and is confident the long-running soap will go out in a blaze of glory.

The announcement late yesterday will be a complete surprise to the industry.

When cast and crew headed off for the weekend, they did not know the fate of the show on which many of them have worked for seven years.

Official notification of the closure will now wail until Monday, when Ian Holmes, managing director of the Grundy Organisation which produces the show, returns from a holiday in Hawaii.

Filming at the Seven studios in Epping, Sydney, will end in March, providing enough episodes to run the program until next November.

Seven has been banking on the return of Rowena Wallace to give Sons and Daughters a much-needed boost in the ratings.

What Seven has not revealed is that Miss Wallace is only contracted for 10 weeks.

This could mean a major incident is planned for the middle of next season in which she could depart the show in spectacular fashion and a blaze of publicity.

Rowena's agent and close friend, Barbara Leane, said last night the contract would not be renewed.

"We have other, very exciting plans for 1987," she said.

Sons and Daughters was a big success for Rowena, who won a Silver Logie in 1984 as best actress for her popular role as Pat the Rat, and then went on to become the first woman to win the Gold Logie.

Rowena could not be contacted last night, but she is not returning to the show in her old role as Pat the Rat.

"I'll be a rat of a different color," she said recently and it is understood she will return either as the step-sister or twin of Alison Carr, played by Belinda Giblin.

While Grundys strengthened its scriptwriting department to give Rowena's return the best storylines possible, the actress has been unhappy with the scripts.

"I'm disappointed. I believe they still need to do a lot of work," she said.

Seven's publicity director, Lindy Anderson, said Rowena's Wallace's return would be the linchpin in a 'stunning finale'.

By: Unknown
Source: Unknown
Date: 1986