This opening scene introduces the offbeat comedy series, with the Twist family crammed into an old truck, happily singing together. In a short space of time, we learn a great deal about this family, and how they relate to each other, through their dialogue and actions, the old truck and the junk in the back, their clothes (Dad’s holey jumper is a feature), and accessories such as Pete’s sunglasses.

Some information is given more subtly, for example, this is most probably a single parent family because there is no room in the truck for anyone else. At the lighthouse, the graffiti on the sold sign, a mysterious face in the window and a spooky dunny foreshadow plenty of interesting things to come.

Round the Twist synopsis

Eccentric sculptor Tony Twist (Richard Moir), and his three children – thirteen-year-old twins Linda (Tamsin West) and Pete (Sam Vandenberg), and eight-year-old Bronson (Rodney McLennan) – move from the city to live in an old lighthouse in an ordinary seaside town. Settling into their new home, the Twists discover that the outside toilet is haunted and one stormy night they decide to have a showdown with the ghost.

Round the Twist Curator's notes

This is the opening episode of the first series of Round The Twist. Based on short stories by popular children’s author Paul Jennings, the series is a rich mix of humour, scary ghosts, a bit of yuck and lots of slapstick. This episode gives a real taste for the eclectic range of themes and elements which combine to create the Round The Twist magic.

Round the Twist Series One first went to air in August 1990 on the Seven Network.

Notes by Annemaree O'Brien