Murder Call
Murder Call

Murder Call (1997)

6.03 seasonsDrama

Murder Call was an Australian television series, created by Hal McElroy for the Southern Star Entertainment and seen on the Nine Network between 1997 and 2000. The idea to the series was born by the books of Tessa Vance by Jennifer Rowe: Suspect/Deadline and Something Wicked. Both books were integrated as episodes in the TV series. The series dealt with the cases confronted by an unconventional team of homicide detectives, Tessa Vance and Steve Hayden.

📺 Seasons & Episodes

Season 116 episodes
Ashes to Ashes

1. Ashes to Ashes

60 min

A man out for an early morning surf gets more than he bargained for when surf blows a corpse out of the water and into his face. It appears to be a routine investigation, natural causes being indicated... but complications arise when Tessa and Steve find they cannot identify the victim, and no-one steps forward to claim him. Surely someone should be missing a well-groomed man in his fifties?

The Burial

2. The Burial

60 min

Late night. A voice recites limericks on a moonlit beach. Suddenly, all goes quiet. A grey dawn, and a dog and its owner, the stern Major Richter, make a gruesome discovery - a human head attached to the very dead body of Adrian McCafferty who is buried up to his neck under the sand. Adrian drowned when the tide came in and covered him. Tessa and Steve learn that there was a beach party last night. Adrian was buried as part of a joke. Is his death simply a stupid party prank gone wrong, or is there something more sinister to discover?

Cat and Mouse

3. Cat and Mouse

60 min

Wheelchair bound Spinner congratulates himself on finishing a piece of artwork by pouring a cold beer and logging on to his favourite internet games forum. His pleasure is short lived, however, as a shadow falls across him and a lead pipe takes him out of the game... permanently. Tessa and Steve arrive on the scene to find the killer has taken the time to send the message ""Spinner Resigns"" over the internet to the victim's games partner. The murder takes on new importance when Dee reveals she knows the victim. While Dee tries to come to terms with her friend's murder, Steve and Tessa struggle to put together the pieces of the puzzle.

Dead Clean

4. Dead Clean

60 min

While investigating a series of bizarre murders, Steve and Tessa are drawn to the local community centre, a drop in for former mental patients. With a handful of suspects, but no real clues, Steve and Tessa must race against the clock to find the killer before he strikes again.

Who Killed Cock Robin?

5. Who Killed Cock Robin?

60 min

To the outside world former football star Robin Cochrane was a picture of charm, but when he is found poisoned by a chemical solvent, Tessa and Steve are forced to put together a picture of the not so pleasant private life of Robin Cochrane.

Hot Shot

6. Hot Shot

60 min

When Maddie Herman, a paparazzi photographer who made her living out of the gossip and innuendo of the lives of others is found murdered, Steve and Tessa have no shortage of suspects. But when the case takes a sudden twist, Steve and Tessa realise that someone is leading them on a merry chase, until the trail leads the team back to a very surprising suspect.

Black Friday

7. Black Friday

60 min

Steve and Tessa are called in to solve the murder of Trevor Parkin, his body was found one Friday afternoon in a zoo - he was wearing a gorilla costum. The more they discover about the deceased, the deeper the mystery, and although all the witnesses are helpful, there is no suspect, and no clear motive..or is there?

Last Stop

8. Last Stop

60 min

Abel Jago sits dead in an armchair before his valuable toy railway, on which the train of cars make their rounds. The railway engineer left a short farewell letter to his wife Ellie before committing suicide. Tessa however soon has doubts about Jagos suicide and when the autopsy results come in, it is revealed he was poisoned with cyanide.

Something Wicked

9. Something Wicked

60 min

Tessa and Steve are confronted with a conspiracy of silence while investigating the death of a man with a history of abuse.

Drop Dead Gorgeous

10. Drop Dead Gorgeous

60 min

Steve and Tessa are baffled when former football star Wayne Pascall is found stabbed to death in a lift, with a missing woman's handbag next to his body.

Dead and Gone

11. Dead and Gone

60 min

When Krystyan Balzan is found dead at the bottom of the stairs in his house, Steve and Tessa believe he came home unexpectedly and disturbed a robbery in progress.

Wages of Sin

12. Wages of Sin

60 min

Steve and Tessa investigate the death of a woman found in an area notorious for prostitutes. When they learn the woman was a pregnant nun and not a prostitute, their investigation takes a new turn.

An Eye for an Eye

13. An Eye for an Eye

60 min

When a mummified body is found in an empty house, it is identified as that of Karen Diskin, the daughter of police inspector Snowy Muldoon, who went missing two years earlier.

Blood Heat

14. Blood Heat

60 min

The brutal murder of a video store owner initially appears to be linked to a protest demonstration until other suspects emerge.

Fall From Grace

15. Fall From Grace

60 min

Tessa suspects an apparent suicide is really an elaborate scam designed to cover a woman's disappearance.

Heartstopper

16. Heartstopper

60 min

When the general manager of a department store is found dead during the store's opening, the owner and employees become the main suspects in the investigation. Steve is haunted by a face from his past, and Tessa pursues the case alone.

Season 220 episodes
Dared to Death

1. Dared to Death

60 min

When a professional stuntman is found dead, hanging in a harness outside the window of his apartment, Steve and Tessa must determine whether it was an accident, suicide or murder.

Many Unhappy Returns

2. Many Unhappy Returns

60 min

Steve and Tessa rush to solve the crime of a man who is murdered on his 50th birthday.

Skin Deep

3. Skin Deep

60 min

When Dr. Theo Magnus, a leading cosmetic surgeon, is ambushed in his clinic and brutally murdered with a scalpel, his family and staff shed little light on the mystery.

Fatal Charm

4. Fatal Charm

60 min

Steve and Tessa investigate when the body of a young women is found, having been killed by a blow to the head before being set alight.

Short Circuit

5. Short Circuit

60 min

When a young woman is electrocuted by her twin brother's robot, the subsequent investigation leads Tessa and Steve to uncover a bizarre tangle of relationships.

Cold Comfort

6. Cold Comfort

60 min

The body of a beautiful women, victim of hit-and-run accident, is taken to the morgue. Tootsie arrives shortly afterwards to find the body missing and her new assistant murdered.

Murder in Reverse

7. Murder in Reverse

60 min

When the body of a women is found in a local dump, Tessa and Steve discover that her husband received a ransom note two days before.

More than Meets the Eye

8. More than Meets the Eye

60 min

A gruesome discovery draws Steve and Tessa into a case that leads them into the dark stormwater tunnels of the city.

Deadfall

9. Deadfall

60 min

Thorne is convinced he saw a man pushed off a building roof, but cannot locate the body at first. When the body turns up, Steve and Tessa not only have to track down the killer, but discover why the body disappeared.

Deadline (1)

10. Deadline (1)

60 min

A bizarre murder in a city amusement park is the first in a series of horrible killings inspired by an innocent nursery rhyme. Homicide's youngest and brightest detective, Tessa Vance, is confronted by a psychopath from her past as the nursery rhyme killer prepares to strike again.

Deadline (2)

11. Deadline (2)

60 min

A bizarre murder in a city amusement park is the first in a series of horrible killings inspired by an innocent nursery rhyme. Homicide's youngest and brightest detective, Tessa Vance, is confronted by a psychopath from her past as the nursery rhyme killer prepares to strike again.

Something Fishy

12. Something Fishy

60 min

Steve and Tessa uncover a web of blackmail and obsession while investigating the murder of two business partners.

A Dress to Die For

13. A Dress to Die For

60 min

When the detectives attend an extravagant costume hire shop, they find the shop's young security guard dead.

Menu for Murder

14. Menu for Murder

60 min

When a food critic drops dead in a restaurant, Tessa finds there is no shortage of suspects as the critic was universally loathed and regularly received death threats.

Cry Wolf

15. Cry Wolf

60 min

Steve and Tessa are called to the murder scene of a woman who had called the police twice the night before she was murdered.

A View to a Kill

16. A View to a Kill

60 min

When Tessa and Steve investigate the death of a museum curator, they soon realise that his public face as a knowledgeable and well liked man who could rake in the funding dollars, hides a private life littered with sexual indiscretions and money troubles.

Blowing the Whistle

17. Blowing the Whistle

60 min

When the referee at a women's soccer match is murdered in full view of 100 people, the detectives are puzzled when they cannot find a single eyewitness.

Instrument of Death

18. Instrument of Death

60 min

The Klein String Quartet is a hotbed of passions and hatreds. When its founder and first violinist is found murdered, the other three members come under Steve and Tessa's spotlight.

Bone Dead

19. Bone Dead

60 min

Tessa and Steve are drawn into a web of mystery and intrigue when legendary paleontologist Dr. Charlie Minogue is murdered, and his attractive assistant disappears.

Mix 'N' Match

20. Mix 'N' Match

60 min

Following the bizzare murder of a medical professor, Tessa and Steve must carefully interpret a series of cryptic clues left by the killer.

Season 320 episodes
Dead Offerings

1. Dead Offerings

60 min

Tessa and Steve investigate when a young blind man is found dead in a swimming pool.

Evil Chances

2. Evil Chances

60 min

A sports teacher is found impaled at a boarding school and is found by Fisk's older sister. Tessa and Steve investigate, but Fisk is frustrated when his sister is interviewed, and he is excluded.

Tongue Tied

3. Tongue Tied

60 min

A mutilited body is found near a church, with identical markings to the victims of a serial killer 15 years ago- Thorne's first case. Experiencing a sense of deja-vu, Thorne heads the investigation. Has the killer returned, or is this a copycat crime?

Dying Day

4. Dying Day

60 min

Steve and Tessa investigate when a young woman is found hanging from a tree limb in a popular city park, and Tootsie's preliminary findings indicate it was not suicide.

Death in the Family

5. Death in the Family

60 min

A vagrant is found dead at an inner city underpass surrounded by the corpses of poisoned sparrows. When Tootsie diagnoses death by strychnine, Tessa, Steve and Thorne fear that someone is out there trying to purge the streets of the homeless. But the investigation takes a twist after Fisk finds $10,000 hidden in the vagrant's mattress.

Death Down Market

6. Death Down Market

60 min

When a woman is found murdered in a neighbourhood that is terrorised by a local gang, Steve and Tessa are called in to investigate.

A Blow to the Heart

7. A Blow to the Heart

60 min

Tessa and Steve are called in to investigate a series of murders revolving around a prominent bio-chemistry lab.

Bad Business

8. Bad Business

60 min

Tessa and Steve investigate what appears to be a routine case, but soon uncover a dangerous web of blackmail and righteous fanaticism.

Hide and Seek

9. Hide and Seek

60 min

Following the suspicious death of an elderly worker, Tessa and Steve must race against time to avert another tragedy growing from the ruins of the first.

Booming Business

10. Booming Business

60 min

Tessa and Steve uncover a web of intrigue surrounding businessman Brian Hart's horrific death when he is killed as he commutes to work by train when a letter bomb concealed in a card explodes. Tessa and Steve are confronted by a bewildering array of suspects and motives to finally apprehend the person they believe to be the killer, only to realise at the last moment that they only have it half right.

Cut and Dried

11. Cut and Dried

60 min

Tessa and Steve investigate a murder where nothing is as it seems.

A Stab in the Dark

12. A Stab in the Dark

60 min

When horror novelist Sebastian Tombs is found lying dead with a knife in his back, Tessa and Steve must investigate the four people closest to him, each of whom has a strong motive for committing the murder.

Grave Matters

13. Grave Matters

60 min

As a crypt is opened for an interment, the funeral goers are shocked to discover the sarcophagus already occupied by the corpse of a young woman holding a rare orchid in her hand.

Paid in Full

14. Paid in Full

60 min

A man's body is found floating in a spa, a large roll of cash stuffed into his mouth. Steve and Tessa discover that almost everyone who knew him had a reason to kill him.

Last Act

15. Last Act

60 min

A busker suffers from hallucinations while performing mime outside a train station. When he collapses and dies, Tootsie's autopsy points to poisoning.

Scent of Evil

16. Scent of Evil

60 min

A woman is ripped to shreds by savage dogs on the grounds of an empty house. Steve and Tessa must determine whether her death was an accident, or if the dogs were trained to kill by someone with a grudge and a vicious streak.

Still Life

17. Still Life

60 min

At the opening night of his exhibition, artist Vincent Osborne's head is discovered inside his own death mask.

Absent Friends

18. Absent Friends

60 min

While attending a school reunion, Tessa is called to a homicide on the school grounds. The victim is one of her friends — stabbed in a reenactment of a Muckup Day prank, leaving Tessa as either a suspect, or another possible victim.

House of Spirits

19. House of Spirits

60 min

Tessa and Steve investigate when a psychic conducting a séance in a storm-swept house is shot dead by the ghost of the man he was trying to contact.

Done to Death

20. Done to Death

60 min

The cleaner at an up-market beauty parlour makes a gruesome find — the proprietor strung up in a tanning booth and roasted like a pig-on-a-spit. Tessa and Steve's investigation uncovers a wealth of secrets and resentments harboured from birth.

Cast

Glenda Linscott

Glenda Linscott

Dr. Imogene 'Tootsie' Soamses

Peter Mochrie

Peter Mochrie

Det. Steve Hayden

Geoff Morrell

Geoff Morrell

Det. Sen. Serg. Lance Fisk

Gary Day

Gary Day

Det. Insp. Malcolm Thorne

Lucy Bell

Lucy Bell

Det. Tessa Vance

Jennifer Kent

Jennifer Kent

Const. Dee Suzeraine

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