| The Fire-Raiser | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The Undercover Gang |
| Written by | Maurice Gee |
| Directed by | Peter Sharp |
| Starring |
|
| Composer | Terry Gray |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Ginette McDonald |
| Editor | Paul Sutorius |
| Running time | 25 minutes (102 minutes) |
| Original release | |
| Network | TVNZ 2 |
| Release | 24 August – 21 September 1986 |
The Fire-Raiser is a 1986 New Zealand television series. It was written by Maurice Gee and directed by Peter Sharp. Set in 1915 in the small town of Jessop it featured four children who suspect a local farmer of being an arsonist. The 5 episode series was later recut as a telemovie. The telemovie was further cut down and released with the title The Undercover Gang.
Dancer Jon Trimmer, who was playing the farmer Edgar Marwick, had his jaw broken during a fight scene. The jaw had to be wired shut for six weeks so the production team had work around that, using a mask and careful lighting to hid his minimal jaw movement.
The Fire-Raiser was based in part on historical events and people from Nelson that were detailed in Gee's non-fiction book Nelson Central School: A History, with the fictional town of Jessop standing in for Nelson.
1987 GOFTA Awards