Long before the era of binge-watching, one sweeping 1977 love story managed to do the impossible: pull an entire nation away from their busy lives and glue them to their television screens.
What started as a massive bestselling book quickly grew into a record-breaking television event. Decades later, the unforgettable family saga of The Thorn Birds still holds a special place in the hearts of millions who watched it unfold in 1983.
The Thorn Birds book was released in 1977. Written by Colleen McCullough, it tells the story of the struggling Cleary family, who are invited to live at Drogheda, the vast Australian sheep station owned by Paddy Cleary’s wealthy sister, Mary Carson.
There, they meet Father Ralph de Bricassart, a charismatic young priest who forms a close bond with the family, especially Meggie. As Ralph and Meggie grow closer, Mary becomes consumed by jealousy.
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Before her death, she changed her will to leave her fortune to the Catholic Church instead of the Clearys, and forced Ralph to decide whether or not to reveal it to the family. His choice secures his own rise within the Church while allowing the Cleary family to remain at Drogheda, setting the stage for the novel's central conflicts, including Ralph's later-in-life love affair with Meggie.
The book was an international bestseller. A New York Times article printed in 2015 shared the news that McCullough had died; and revealed the book had sold than 30 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 20 languages.
The Times wrote, "In hardcover, it spent more than a year on the New York Times best-seller list; the paperback rights were sold at auction for $1.9 million, a record at the time."
The ABC miniseries of the same name, starring Richard Chamberlain as Father Ralph and Rachel Ward as Meggie, was first broadcast in 1983. It also starred Christopher Plummer, Barbara Stanwyck, and Jean Simmons and became the most-watched television miniseries of all time.
Rachel Ward and Richard Chamberlain of 'The Thorn Birds'/ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty ImagesThe Television Academy wrote, "Despite its controversial subject matter (or perhaps because of it), The Thorn Birds garnered an average 41 rating and 59 share over the course of its four-night run, making it then the second highest rated miniseries ever, second only to Roots (1977). Its controversial third episode, in which Meggie and Father Ralph consummated their relationship, was at the time the fourth highest rated network entertainment show of all time (preceded only by the final episode of M*A*S*H, the "Who Shot JR?" episode of Dallas, and the eighth episode of Roots.)"
"In the end, an estimated 110 million-140 million viewers saw all or some of the miniseries. TV Guide, in fact, has listed The Thorn Birds as one of the top 20 programs of the 1980s," the Academy concluded.
The Thorn Birds is not currently available on any free or subscription-based streaming services. However, it can be rented or purchased digitally.
Related: This 1967 Book That Became a Cultural Phenomenon Is Now Ranked the Greatest of All Time
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