The Thorn Birds

The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons. It was directed by Daryl Duke and based on a novel by Colleen McCullough. Set primarily on Drogheda, a fictional sheep station in the Australian outback, the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans the years ... more

The Thorn Birds is a television mini-series broadcast on ABC between 27 and 30 March 1983. It starred Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Barbara Stanwyck, Christopher Plummer, Bryan Brown, Mare Winningham, Philip Anglim and Jean Simmons. It was directed by Daryl Duke and based on a novel by Colleen McCullough. Set primarily on Drogheda, a fictional sheep station in the Australian outback, the story focuses on the Cleary family and spans the years 1920 to 1962. Father Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain) is a young, capable and ambitious Irish priest who, as punishment for insubordination, has been relegated to a remote parish in the town of Gillanbone, New South Wales, Australia. Ralph has befriended Mary Carson (Barbara Stanwyck), a wealthy elderly Irish immigrant who owns Drogheda, a vast sheep station in the Australian Outback. Ralph charms Mary hoping that a hefty enough bequest from her to the Catholic church might liberate him from his exile. Ralph is young, charming,... less