Amelia and Kai Delaney’s quiet lives are upended when their con-artist grandmother Queenie teaches them the art of the grift – sparking their hunt for the priceless Woodspring Nug.

Amelia Delaney is sick of always coming second to her powerful school rival, Emilia Katinkatonk, in the quiet town of Woodspring. Her life is turned upside down when her grandmother Queenie suddenly returns after being presumed dead for twenty years. Amelia and her younger brother Kai soon discover that Queenie was once part of the notorious Kangaroo Gang, the group responsible for stealing Woodspring’s greatest treasure — a famous meteorite called The Nug — which vanished decades ago.

With a huge reward offered for the return of The Nug, Queenie trains Amelia, Kai, their friend Penelope, and new student Ophelbert in the art of the “con”.  Together, the group, known as the Joeys, work to solve the mystery of the missing Nug while standing up to Emilia and her family’s control over the school. Along the way, they learn about teamwork, courage, and the true value of family and friendship.

Accessing the series

The full series is available on ABC iview.

Schools can purchase a downloadable copy from the ACTF Shop.

The episodes

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Caper Crew began in 2021 when Easy Tiger Productions, explored creating a funny show for 8 to 12 year olds that families could enjoy together. One key idea came from a real story. ‘The concept was inspired by a separate project we’d been developing, a drama about the little-known ‘Kangaroo Gang’ – a motley crew of Australian thieves and crooks, who in the 60s and 70s pulled off daring heists in London” shares Ian Colllie, Founder and CEO of Easy Tiger Productions

They imagined a story about siblings Amelia and Kai discovering their grandmother is a leader of an international crime gang. The show mixes clever plans, like in heist films, with silly, storybook-style humour. It is set in Woodspring, a quiet Australian town that feels a little magical. “Caper Crew is a show where everything is skewed toward the ‘improbable’ end of the spectrum,” Script Productor, Keith Thompson shares.

The writers made sure the kids are the smartest characters and use big, playful language. “They may be surrounded by sneaky, smarty pants kids and even sneakier, smarty pants adults, but our Joeys are always two steps ahead in uncovering the most elaborate and ridiculous of plans,” explains Script Producer Matt Whittet. Writer Amy Stewart says the show celebrates being unique and creating your own opportunities. “I think one of the biggest themes of the series is making your own opportunities and developing your own uniqueness… think it’s an important theme for kids and their parents because we’re constantly comparing ourselves to others and the world feels quite competitive.”

In 2024, director Guy Edmonds joined Caper Crew. It was his first time leading a show like this. He helped shape the scripts and worked closely with the writers to make sure the story was exciting and easy to follow. “Because the show is built around capers and puzzles, the storytelling has to be watertight and propulsive,” he explains. “Part of my role was digging into the season spine and scripts so the twists, character arcs and visual storytelling all worked together.”

The team wanted the show to look bright, unusual and a bit magical. They created everything carefully, from the town of Woodspring to the costumes and props. Nothing was ordinary. “The world of Caper Crew is so stylised and when you’re in the children’s television space, you are afforded a sizable amount of suspension of disbelief,” says Producer, Yingna Lu.

They also designed fun and unique characters. Each one had a special look and style, so you could recognise them straight away. The cast included both young actors and experienced adults, which made the show even more exciting to watch. “It’s a visually rich series, full of laughs, capers, mysteries and plenty of twists and turns,” Guy shares.