The Restless Years is an Australian soap opera which followed the lives of several Sydney school-leavers and the drama and relationships faced by young adults.
Dr Bruce Russell's first wife, Alison (Julieanne Newbould), suffered a miscarriage and was soon afterwards killed by terrorists while on holiday in Asia.
The series was Grundy's third foray into creating successful soap operas, and followed a similar theme to their previous school room drama Class of '74.
The opening and closing theme title sequence was played over a melancholy piano tune, over a shot of rolling clouds while an angelic chorus would intone, It's only a journey, through our restless years, let our hearts run free....
There was a high turnover of young performers in the series, it was a training ground for many stars including Peter Mochrie in his debut as Ric Moran.
Others included Lenore Smith, Penny Cook (A Country Practice and E Street), Anna Hruby, Martin Sacks (Blue Heelers), Warren Blondell, Joanne Stanley, Lisa Crittenden (Sons and Daughters, Prisoner) and Jacqui Gordon, while Peter Phelps and Kim Lewis would also find fame on Sons and Daughters.
As of 2021, the Dutch and German shows are still running – although they have long since diverged from the original Australian storylines – and are the highest rated soap operas in their respective countries.