Crash Zone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Crash Zone
Genre	Children's science fiction
Created by	Patricia Edgar Philip Dalkin Jeff Peck
Developed by	Patricia Edgar Robert Greenberg
Written by	Robert Greenberg Pino Amenta Jeff Peck Philip Dalkin Kevin Nemeth Shane Brennan Anthony Morris
Directed by	Esben Storm Steve Jodrell Julian McSwiney Pino Amenta Ray Boseley
Starring	Damien Bodie Cassandra Magrath Richard Moss Nikolai Nikolaeff Paul Pantano Frances Wang Nicki Wendt
Voices of	Matt Parkinson
Composer(s)	Chris Neal Braedy Neal
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	26
Production
Executive producer(s)	Patricia Edgar
Producer(s)	Patricia Edgar Bernadette O'Mahony
Production location(s)	Melbourne, Victoria
Cinematography	Graeme Wood
Editor(s)	Peter Carrodus Stephen Evans Ralph Strasser
Running time	30 minutes
Production company(s)	Australian Children's Television Foundation
Release
Original network	Seven Network
Original release	13 February 1999 (1999-02-13) – 25 August 2001 (2001-08-25)

Crash Zone is an exciting Australian TV show for kids aged 12-15. It's a science fiction series that first aired on the Seven Network from 1999 to 2001. The show was made by the Australian Children's Television Foundation with the Disney Channel.

Crash Zone has 26 episodes across two seasons. It follows five smart high school students. These "high-tech whiz kids" are hired by a software company to help save its business. The series was one of the first to explore the early days of the internet, the video game industry, and artificial intelligence.

What is Crash Zone About?

Crash Zone tells the story of five teenagers who love computers and online games. They are Mike Hansen, Alison 'Pi' Renfrey, Rebecca 'Bec' Chan, Marcello Di Campili, and Abraham 'Ram' Foley. They all live in Melbourne, Australia.

How Do the Teens Meet?

While playing an online game, each teen finds a secret message. This message leads them on a scavenger hunt. Eventually, they meet Alexandra Davis, the boss of a software company called Catalyst. She tells them she sent the messages. Her company is in trouble, and she wants to hire one of them as a game tester.

Joining the Catalyst Team

Alexandra sets up a competition at "The Crash Zone." The teens compete to design games. Even though it's a tough contest, Alexandra is impressed by how well they work together. She offers all five of them jobs at Catalyst! Ram, who is the youngest, is allowed to stay with the group too.

Discovering Virgil

As the teens work and become friends, they make an amazing discovery. They find Virgil, a mysterious artificial intelligence (AI). Virgil lives on the internet and becomes a big part of their adventures.

Season Two Challenges

In the second season, the teens return from their holidays. They find that Catalyst is in even bigger financial trouble. Alexandra has had to let go of many staff members. Two new characters join the story: 12-year-old Penny Gallagher and her dad, Matthew Gallagher. Penny becomes friends with Ram. She convinces her dad to help save Catalyst from going out of business. Matthew Gallagher is a successful businessman, but he doesn't know much about video games. His changes often cause disagreements with the team.

Meet the Characters

The show features a group of unique and talented young people.

• Alison 'Pi' Renfrey (Cassandra Magrath): Pi is the daughter of a famous actor. She is known for being rich, lively, and sometimes a bit sassy.
• Marcello Di Campili (Paul Pantano): Marcello is from an Italian family. He dreams of becoming super rich and often gets into funny trouble because of his plans. He is very energetic and humorous.
• Abraham 'Ram' Foley (Damien Bodie): Ram is one of the youngest in the group. He is super creative and the most technically smart. He is also one of Mike's best friends.
• Rebecca 'Bec' Chan (Frances Wang): Bec is of Chinese background. She is shown as a very smart and successful student. The staff at Catalyst really like her.
• Mike Hansen (Nikolai Nikolaeff): Mike is likely the oldest of the group. He is the best at designing and testing games. He often takes charge when things get tough. Mike is also very funny, patient, and quick-thinking.
• Alexandra Davis (Nicky Wendt): She is the president of Catalyst, the software company.
• Nigel Hartford (Richard Moss): Nigel is Alexandra's helpful assistant.
• Virgil Reality (Matt Parkinson): Virgil is a special artificial intelligence. He was created by Alex as an experiment but was thought to be a "buggy" program. He later evolved and found his way to the Catalyst network. Mike gives him the name 'Virgil'.
• Penny Gallagher (Heidi Valkenburg): Penny is the youngest at twelve years old. She is quick-witted and great with computers, creating clever things. Ram introduces her to Catalyst.
• Matthew Gallagher (Jeremy Stanford): He is Penny's father and a very successful businessman.

Episode Guide

Here is a list of episodes from Crash Zone.

Series One (1999)

Series Two (2001)