''The Flying Doctors'' is an Australian drama TV series produced by
Crawford Productions
Crawford Productions is an Australian media production company, focused on radio and television production. Founded in Melbourne by Hector Crawford and his sister, actress and voice artist Dorothy Crawford, the company, also known as Crawfor ...
that revolves around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), commonly known as the Flying Doctor, is an air medical service in Australia. It is a non-profit organisation that provides emergency and primary health care services for those living in rural, remote an ...
, starring
Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. The popular series ran for nine seasons and was successfully screened internationally.
It was initially a
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
mini-series based in the fictional
outback town of Cooper's Crossing (set in the real life town of
Minyip
Minyip is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, north west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area. At the , Minyip had a population of 524.
The name "Minyip" is derived from an Aboriginal word fo ...
in north-western rural
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
). The success of the mini-series led to its return the following year as an ongoing series with McFarlane being joined by a new doctor, Chris Randall, played by
Liz Burch
Liz Burch (born 18 October 1954) is an Australian actress.
Biography
Her most high-profile roles are in the television series ''The Flying Doctors'' as Dr. Chris Randall, and Liz Cameron in ''Cop Shop''. Ms. Burch is also known for her role i ...
. McFarlane left during the first season, and actor
Robert Grubb
Robert Grubb (born 31 January 1950) is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where he graduated in 1978. There he was a fellow student of actor Mel Gibson.
Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey St ...
arrived as new doctor Geoff Standish. McFarlane later returned to the series, resuming his role.
The series' episodes were mostly self-contained and about medical items. The Australian society was mirrored in handling more or less controversial social problems as the abuse of women within marriage, alcohol abuse, and the position of the aboriginals. It also featured ongoing storylines, such as Dr. Standish's romance with Sister Kate Wellings (
Lenore Smith
Lenore Smith (born 25 October 1958 in Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian actress best known for her work in television. Internationally, she is best known for her role as Kate Wellings in the drama series ''The Flying Doctors'' ...
). Other major characters included pilot Sam Patterson (
Peter O'Brien), mechanic Emma Plimpton (
Rebecca Gibney), local policeman Sgt. Jack Carruthers (
Terry Gill
Terry Gill (25 October 1939 – 25 February 2015) was an English Australian actor, theatre owner, producer, director and writer. A character actor, he carved a niche in Australian television playing police officers. He appeared in over 26 Austra ...
) and Vic and Nancy Buckley (
Maurie Fields and
Val Jellay
Valerie Muriel Jellay (born Valerie Jelly; September 1927 – 6 May 2017) was an Australian vaudevillian, actress, soubrette, dancer, author and TV personality. At the time of her death, she was the widow of fellow Australian vaudevillian, ...
), who ran The Majestic, a local pub/hotel.
Cast and characters
Medical personnel
*
Andrew McFarlane as Tom Callaghan, a young male doctor who takes over the R.F.D.S base in Coopers Crossing after proving himself to the original boss of the base, Harry Sinclair. He brings along Chris Randall, who is also a doctor, as his assistant. In episode sixteen Tom leaves the base, volunteering for World Vision in Africa. He returns in episode 113, staying until episode 156 although he remained in the intro credits for the rest of the season. Tom makes a final appearance in episode 201 when there is a town celebration in Coopers Crossing.
*
Liz Burch
Liz Burch (born 18 October 1954) is an Australian actress.
Biography
Her most high-profile roles are in the television series ''The Flying Doctors'' as Dr. Chris Randall, and Liz Cameron in ''Cop Shop''. Ms. Burch is also known for her role i ...
as Chris Randall, a female doctor who comes along with Tom Callaghan to run the R.F.D.S base in Cooper Crossing. When Tom leaves for Africa she decides to stay in Coopers Crossing, remaining until episode 146, when she moves to Melbourne to take care of her sick father. Returns in episode 201 for the town celebration, and falls in love with Tom Callaghan again. She decides to join Tom in Africa.
*
Robert Grubb
Robert Grubb (born 31 January 1950) is an Australian actor. He studied acting at National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), where he graduated in 1978. There he was a fellow student of actor Mel Gibson.
Grubb played the role of Dr. Geoffrey St ...
as Geoff Standish, who makes his first appearance in episode 17 when he takes over the R.F.D.S base from Tom Callaghan. Geoff is one of the longest-running characters in the series, and stayed until the end. His relationship with Nurse Kate Wellings was a key storyline. They have one daughter in the end of the series.
*
Brett Climo
Brett Leonard Climo (born 26 September 1964) is an Australian actor and comedian best known for his television soap opera roles, but has also appeared in films (feature-length and made-for-TV features). He is best known roles include in product ...
as David Ratcliffe. A young doctor who joins the staff in episode 101 and stays until episode 171 when he decides to leave to do something else with his life. However, after a final rescue mission goes terribly wrong, he dies in a climbing accident when he falls down a cliff.
*
Sarah Chadwick as Rosie 'Rowie' Lang. She makes her first appearance in "Swinging on the Rope", when she returns to Cooper's Crossing after leaving as a teenager to attend Medical School at the University of Sydney. Dr. Lang is the replacement for Dr. Radcliffe. She is a headstrong, determined woman, applying for a position with the RFDS to confront childhood bullies, and show them that "being a Lang doesn't mean being a loser", after having grown up as the youngest of 6 children (and the only girl), of alcoholic, neglectful parents. Despite her late arrival, Sarah is given a rich character-profile, the series featuring episodes in which both her older brother Frank and her father Alf appear. She attracts romantic interest from Captain Johnno Johnson and eventually accepts his proposal of marriage. On the day of the wedding she realises she is marrying Johnno to make up for the less than ideal marriage her mother experienced. Rosie calls off the wedding as the RFDS cars are proceeding to the airstrip where the guests are waiting for the service. She resigns in the last episode.
*
Lenore Smith
Lenore Smith (born 25 October 1958 in Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales) is an Australian actress best known for her work in television. Internationally, she is best known for her role as Kate Wellings in the drama series ''The Flying Doctors'' ...
as Kate Wellings / Standish. She makes her first appearance in the mini-series. The only medical staff who stayed through the entire show.
*
David Reyne
David Nicholas Reyne (born 14 May 1959) is an Australian actor, musician, television and radio presenter. Reyne was born in Lagos, Nigeria to an Australian mother and English diplomat father. The family moved to Victoria, Australia in the early 1 ...
as Dr. Guy Reid. A charming womaniser that arrives in episode 167 and soon begins a relationship with the nurse Jackie Crane. Stays until the end.
*
Melita Jurisic as Dr. Magda Heller. A young doctor from Germany that arrives in episode 159 and stays until episode 178
Pilots
*
Lewis Fitz-Gerald
Lewis Fitz-Gerald (born 15 November 1958) is an Australian actor, screenwriter and television director, who lectures in Screen and Media Studies at Australia's University of New England.
Filmography As actor
* '' Breaker Morant'' (1980) ...
as David 'Gibbo' Gibson. Dies from complications of injuries he sustained in a plane crash.
*
Peter O'Brien as Sam Patterson. He makes his first appearance in "Good Day For It", as a replacement for Gibbo.
*
Christopher Stollery
Christopher Stollery (born 12 August 1965) is an Australian television actor. He graduated from Australia's National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in 1987. He is known for his role on '' State Coroner'' as Sgt. Dermot McLeod. He has had a le ...
as Johnno Johnson.
*
Justin Gaffney
Justin may refer to: People
* Justin (name), including a list of persons with the given name Justin
* Justin (historian), a Latin historian who lived under the Roman Empire
* Justin I (c. 450–527), or ''Flavius Iustinius Augustus'', Eastern Ro ...
as Gerry O'Neill. (Season 6)
*
Louise Siversen
Louise Siversen is an Australian actress. She is known for her television roles, including Lou Kelly in ''Prisoner'' (1984–1986), Debbie in ''The Flying Doctors'' (1986–1990), and 2012-2017 Heather Looby in '' House Husbands''. She has al ...
as Debbie O'Brien. She fills in every now and then. Loses her flight certificate after she faints during a flight because of a
concussion and is never seen again after that.
Call signs
One prominent feature in the show is the communication between the aircraft and the base station in Cooper's Crossing. Their designations are spelled out using the
NATO phonetic alphabet
The (International) Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used set of clear code words for communicating the letters of the Roman alphabet, technically a ''radiotelephonic spellin ...
.
* MSF, or ''Mike Sierra Foxtrot'', is the aircraft, a
GAF Nomad
The GAF Nomad is a utility aircraft produced by the Government Aircraft Factories (GAF) of Australia in Melbourne.
Supported by the Australian Government, design work began in the mid-1960s, and it made its maiden flight on 23 July 1971.
Despi ...
carrying registration VH-MSF (the show's producers were probably very clever in the choice of the letters 'MSF' for the aircraft, because 'MSF' is short for
Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF; pronounced ), also known as Doctors Without Borders, is a humanitarian medical non-governmental organisation (NGO) or charity of French origin known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases. ...
Doctors Without Borders" the international medical charitable organisation).
* VCC, or ''Victor Charlie Charlie'', is the RFDS base at Coopers Crossing.
Home media
''The Flying Doctors'' was made available to purchase in Australia. All 221 episodes plus the 13 spinoff-episodes are on a 51 disc set, complete with cast interviews, episode synopses and stills gallery. In region 2, Mediumrare Entertainment have released all nine seasons of ''The Flying Doctors'' including the miniseries also called ''The Flying Doctors'' in region 2.
''R.F.D.S.''
By 1993, the ratings were in decline, and few original characters remained in the much-changed cast. To revamp the show, the setting was changed to Broken Hill, the name changed to ''R.F.D.S.'', and of the cast only original cast members Fields and Jellay were retained in the show as well as
Sophie Lee
Sophie Lee (born 7 August 1968)TV Hits Sophie Lee Collect-a-Card is an Australian film, stage and television actress and author.
Career
Lee worked as a model early in her career, both in Australia and Japan''Lunch of Blood'' by Antonella Gambo ...
as Penny Wellings. The storyline had their characters, formerly publicans at the Cooper's Crossing pub, moving to Broken Hill. The show lasted just one season in this new incarnation.
Australian
pay-TV
Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel, refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but ...
channel
FOX Classics
FOX Classics is an Australian cable and satellite channel that specializes in showing television series and ad-free classic movies, themed movie nights and miniseries from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
History
FOX Classics began as ...
secured the rights to the program from 3 July 2006.
''The Flying Doctors'' briefly returned to
free to air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscriptio ...
when
WIN Television
WIN Television is an Australian television network owned by WIN Corporation that is based in Wollongong, New South Wales. WIN commenced transmissions on 18 March 1962 as a single television station covering the Wollongong region. The WIN Netw ...
, parent company of Crawford Productions commenced reruns of the program on 17 August 2007 at midday on weekdays.
International broadcasts
''The Flying Doctors'' was successfully broadcast in the UK. The original 1985 3-part mini-series was aired three times on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
; first in 1985, a repeat the following year from 30 May 1986 at 10:25. A third repeat aired in 1988.
The ongoing series then broadcast on
BBC 1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
. The series initially aired on Fridays at 20:10 from 1 July 1988. On 20 August 1988, the series was moved to a Saturday early evening slot at around 17:15 where it gained a loyal audience of about 6 to 8 million viewers, until 24 August 1991. During the summer of 1992, episodes were repeated Monday to Friday at 11:05, around 8 weeks worth.
From September 1992, the series settled into a new regular Friday afternoon slot, usually at around 14:30. The BBC concluded Series 9 in spring 1996 but continued to air repeats in various slots until January 1997.
''The Flying Doctors'' was also broadcast on the satellite and cable channel
UK Gold
Gold is a British pay television channel from the UKTV network that was launched in late 1992 as UK Gold before it was rebranded UKTV Gold in 2004. In 2008, it was split into current flagship channel Gold and miscellaneous channel, W, with clas ...
. The channel repeated all 221 episodes weekdays at 15:00 from 1998.
The series was also aired in some parts of Europe and was particularly popular in the Netherlands where it aired on
VARA
Vara or VARA may refer to:
Geography
*Vara (river), in Liguria, Italy
* Vara Parish, former municipality in Tartu County, Estonia
* Vara, Estonia, village in Peipsiääre Parish, Tartu County, Estonia
* Vara Municipality, municipality in western S ...
at 8pm on Saturday nights from 1987 to 1993. The series aired in Ireland on
RTÉ One
RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
from 1988 to 1996.
The series aired in Germany in the early 90s on state broadcaster ZDF.
The series aired originally in Sweden and has been re-broadcast on TV4 Guld in 2017 with back to back episodes on weekdays.
The show also aired in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
on
TVNZ, where the entire series was shown in primetime, and was very popular.
From 1988 to 1992, it was broadcast in Nigeria by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Channel 5.
Filming locations
The series was filmed at:
*Nulla Station, New South Wales
*Cranbourne, Victoria (Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne)
*
Pearcedale, Victoria
Pearcedale is a township and coastal rural locality in Victoria, Australia, 49 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Casey and the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government areas. Pearceda ...
*
Minyip, Victoria
Minyip is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia, north west of Melbourne. It is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area. At the , Minyip had a population of 524.
The name "Minyip" is derived from an Aboriginal word for ...
*
Broken Hill, New South Wales
*
Lancefield, Victoria
Lancefield is a town in the Shire of Macedon Ranges local government area in Victoria, Australia north of the state capital, Melbourne and had a population of 2,743 at the 2021 census.
History
The area was used by the indigenous aborigi ...
*
RAAF Base Point Cook
Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census.
Point Cook ...
See also
*
List of ''The Flying Doctors'' episodes
*
List of Australian television series
*
List of Nine Network programs
The following list of programs are currently broadcast by the Nine Network / 9HD, 9Go!, 9Gem, 9Life and 9Rush as well as their regional affiliates, including WIN, NBN and Imparja as well as catch-up service 9Now. Some affiliate stations ...
References
External links
*
*
The Flying Doctors at the National Film and Sound Archive''The Flying Doctors'' - "Public Property"at
Australian Screen Online
The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national c ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Doctors, The
Nine Network original programming
1986 Australian television series debuts
1993 Australian television series endings
1980s Australian television miniseries
Australian medical television series
Australian drama television series
Aviation television series
Television shows set in New South Wales
Television shows set in Victoria (Australia)
Television series by Crawford Productions
English-language television shows
1990s Australian television miniseries
Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia