This was the first time that an episode of a contemporary Australian drama series had gone live-to-air.
A live episode, "Reasonable Doubt", was broadcast in hope of offering a short-term ratings boost and encourage more long-term viewers. Although an immediate success, the live episode did not bring about a sustained increase in ratings.
Because this episode was broadcast live, it was directed by two different directors: Aarne Neeme (who had been chosen for his extensive theatre experience) and Simon Francis (who had worked on such Australian television shows as "Rove Live" and "Enough Rope", and acted as an 'on-air director' for the live episode). The on-air director worked in the studio control room at Channel Seven's South Melbourne studios and oversaw the live broadcast of the "Blue Heelers" episode by looking directly into the two studios and also viewing on special monitors the pictures coming from each of the 8-9 cameras. The on-air director was able to communicate with members of the studio crew by way of headsets (i.e. headphones with a built-in microphone), and instructed the camera and audio boom operators on where to move their cameras and microphones to get the shots that were needed.
Actors John Wood (as Tom Croydon), Martin Sacks (as PJ Hasham), Jane Allsop (as Jo Parrish), Ditch Davey (as Evan Jones), Simone McAullay (as Susie Raynor) and Julie Nihill (as Chris Riley) all took part in the live episode. Paul Bishop (as Ben Stewart) did not appear due to a clashing theatre commitment.
The live episode was shot with up to nine cameras across two studios at Channel Seven's South Melbourne studios, according to actor John Wood (as Tom Croydon). The cameras would capture the action on three sets - the police station, the pub and the police cells - and feed the material from the studio floor to the control room, where the shots were mixed and switched.