New kidult adventure series

Press, 29 July 1989, Page 18

New kidult adventure series

Radio-controlled cars made such a big impression on 14-year-old Chris Lawrence during the filming of “Hotshotz” (starting on Sunday at 6 p.m. on Two) that he went out and bought one for himself. The cars are at the centre of most of the acction in the new kidult adventure series, which has a fast-paced story-line injected with a large dose of villainy set against teenage ingenuity. Hotshotz are a radiocontrolled, car-racing team who are vying for a place in the national championships. The team, Steve (Raoul Mclntosh), Micro (Chris Lawrence), his sister, michelle (Kiri Mills), and an American girl, Kristy (Stephanie Reuter), has

out-dated equipment and is facing an uphill battle to fulfil its aims. They have a chance to pick up some top-line electronic gear, which would help their cause, but they are outbid at an auction by a 17-year-old, Nicholas (Craig Parker). When Nicholas’s workshop is burgled, he wrongly suspects the Hotshotz. The cast of "Hotshotz” consists of a largely experienced crew of adults (Elizabeth Hawthorne, Michael Mizrahi, Paul Gittin) balanced against a blend of relative television newcomers. One of the Hotshotz, Raoul Mclntosh, had not acted before, and auditioned for the role only after being spotted by a

casting agent at a party on Auckland’s North Shore. “I hestitated at first but I was curious about the whole thing,” Mclntosh says. "People always said I should act ... I’m a bit of a loudmouth so I suppose it comes naturally." Mclntosh says he did not find acting too difficult because he was almost typecast in his role. He says his character, Steve, is a real competitor who has a macho image but underneaath he is pretty sensitive. Impact Television and Video Productions have teamed up with Hollywood Enterprises to make the series, which has been commissioned by Television New Zealand.