The Young Doctors
| The Young Doctors | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Reg Watson |
| Starring | Michael Beecher Cornelia Frances Alfred Sandor Gwen Plumb Mark Holden John Dommett Peta Toppano Chris King Tim Page Lyn James Judy McBurney Tony Alvarez Paula Duncan Lynda Stoner Bartholomew John Anne Lucas Diana McLean Rebecca Gilling Alan Dale Eric Oldfield Brian Moll |
| Country of origin |  Australia |
| No. of episodes | 1396 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nine Network |
| Release | 8 November 1976 – 31 March 1983 |
The Young Doctors is an Australian early evening soap opera. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff. The series was particularly popular with women and teenage fans. Despite the medical setting, medical procedures rarely figured in storylines.
The series was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and screened on the Nine Network from Monday 8 November 1976 until Wednesday 30 March 1983. When it ended after 1396 thirty-minute episodes it held the record of Australia's longest running television drama series, having surpassed the previous record of 1218 thirty-minute episodes held by Number 96. This was later surpassed by A Country Practice and then Neighbours, which is the current record-holder of longest-running Australian series.
The Young Doctors holds the distinction, rare among long-running Australian dramas, of having never won any sort of television award. Alan Coleman produced the show for most of its run until being replaced by Sue Masters, shortly before the series finished production in late 1982.
The show was contemporaneous with another long-running Nine Network serial, The Sullivans, which had a budget three times higher than The Young Doctors.
The serial was repeated by the Nine Network in the late 1980s. Initially in an early evening timeslot, before switching to a late night slot after a few months.
Selected episodes of the serial were released on DVD in October 2006. A second set of selected episodes, under the title of Classic Cliffhangers, was released in February 2008.
Cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Dr Brian Denham | Michael Beecher |
| Mrs Ada Simmonds | Gwen Plumb |
| Dr Graham Steele | Tim Page |
| Helen Gordon | Lyn James |
| Dennis Jamieson | Chris King |
| Dr Raymond Shaw | Alfred Sandor |
| Sister / Matron Grace Scott | Cornelia Frances |
| Nurse / Sister Tania Livingston | Judy McBurney |
| Nurse Kate Rhodes | Ros Wood |
| Nurse JoJo Adams | Delvene Delaney |
| Nurse Kim Barrington | Lynda Stoner |
| Nurse Lisa Brooks | Paula Duncan |
| Nurse Jill Gordon | Joanne Samuel |
| Dr John Forrest | Alan Dale |
| Nurse / Dr Liz Kennedy | Rebecca Gilling |
| Sister Vivienne Jeffries | Diana McLean |
| Sister Suzanne Gibbs | Susanne Stuart |
| Sister Eve Turner | Anne Lucas |
| Dr Craig Rothwell | John Walton |
| Dr Mike Newman | Peter Bensley |
| Dr Tony Garcia | Tony Alvarez |
| Dr Ben Fielding | Eric Oldfield |
| Dr Gail Henderson | Peta Toppano |
| Dr Jim Howard | John Dommett |
| Dr Chris Piper | Bartholomew John |
| Dr Peter Holland | Peter Lochran |
| Dr Greg Mason | Mark Holden |
| Dr Robyn Porter | Joy Chambers |
| Dr Susan Richards | Judy Lynne |
| Dr Russell Edwards | Peter Cousens |
| Dr Lance Wilkinson | Michael Gow |
| Dr Matt Blake | Nick Holland |
| Dr David Henderson | Graham Harvey |
| Dr Vicki Daniels | Sally Tayler |
| Dr Rod Langley | Chris Orchard |
| Dr Nick Barrett | Adrian Van Den Bok |
| Dr Vincent Snape | Brian Moll |
| Dr Andrew Baxter | Andrew Sharp |
| Ian Parrish | Serge Lazareff |
| Nurse Maggie Gordon | Jackie Woodburne |
| Nurse Sherry Andrews | Karen Pini |
| Nurse Jody Carter | Julie Wilson |
| Nurse Julie Holland | Lisa Aldenhoven |
| Nurse Dolly Davis | Christine Harris |
| Nurse Linda Wilson | Julie Nihill |
| Nurse Zelda Baker | Genevieve Lemon |
| Sister Erin Cosgrove | Babs McMillan |
| Nurse Virginia Mason | Rosie Bailey |
| Nurse Genevieve Ridgeway | Susan Stenmark |
| Mark Holland | Robert Leys |
| Toni Sheffield | Tottie Goldsmith |
| "Flint" Stone | Robert Korosy |
| Hilary Templeton | Abigail |
| Caroline Fielding/Morgan/Jamieson | Kim Wran |
| Laura Denham | Joanna Moore-Smith |
| Ken Hansen | Joe Hasham |
| Heinrik Smeaton | Joseph Furst |
| Bunny Howard | Ugly Dave Gray |
| Anne-Marie Austin | Judi Connelli |
| Sir Clifford Langley | Mike Dorsey |
| Nurse Diana Trent | Julianne White |
| Mr Cox | Brian Wenzel |
| Maureen Parker/Howard | Virginia Rudeno |
| Rosalie Parker | Carol Raye |
| Erika Hoffman/Shaw | Karen Petersen |
| Arthur Simmonds | Willie Fennell |
| Dr Judith-Anne Napier | Carole Skinner |
| Clarrie Baker | Peter Adams |
International screenings
In the United Kingdom the programme was acquired by 13 of the 14 weekday members of the ITV Network. Scottish Television never purchased the programme. Central Television pioneered the programme in their Tuesday and Thursday 12:30 slot in 1982 while all other ITV contractors were screening The Sullivans. This was then increased to a daily 15:30 screening. Central switched the programme back to the lunchtime 12:30 slot before finally reaching the end of the series in the 14:50 slot in August 1992. Most other regions initially screened the programme at their own regional pace in their 15:30 slot on Mondays and Tuesdays although Granada Television screened the programme on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays instead. Border Television followed the same format as Granada and screened their episodes via the Granada feed. Years later in 1988, Yorkshire Television had a vacant 12:30 weekday slot and filled it with The Young Doctors. Most regions eventually ended the programme at their own pace in the early 1990s. Yorkshire Television decided to skip 215 episodes of the programme at the end of 1992 to enable them to catch up to Tyne Tees Television. From January 1993 both regions screened exactly the same material. London based Carlton Television ended the programme within days of Yorkshire and Tyne Tees concluding the programme in December 1994. Shortland Street replaced the show in the Yorkshire and Tyne Tees regions.
UK ITV regional scheduling
ITV Region |
Programme Schedule Pattern (all end at Episode 1396 unless otherwise stated)
| |||
Start Date |
Days Screened |
End Date |
Episodes not screened
| |
| Central Television | Tuesday 19 January 1982 12:30 | Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30, then in late 1982 Mondays and Tuesdays at 15:45, then January 1983 Mondays to Fridays 15:30, then Mondays and Tuesdays from mid February 1983. Then after episode 538 on Tuesday 1 September 1987 moves to Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12.00noon from 9 September. Then moves to 12:35 slot with an increase of episodes added Tuesdays to Fridays. Then Monday slot starting with episode 635 added from 06 June 1988 with a two week Olympic break from 19 September 1988 after screening episode 709 (16/09/88) . Returned to the 15:30 Tuesdays to Fridays slot swarting with episode 770 from Wednesday 28 December 1988. Mondays - Fridays at 15:30 used in July 1989. During 1991 Wednesdays to Fridays 15.25 From 1992, the transmission days remained Monday-Thursday but at 14:50. | Tuesday 18 August 1992 14:50 | None |
| HTV West & Wales | Tuesday 4 January 1983 15:30 | Tuesdays at 15:30, then Mondays and Fridays at 17:15 then weekdays 15:30 from September 1983. Then Wednesdays to Fridays from January 1984. The series was then taken off air in July until September 1984 when it was placed in the Monday and Tuesday slot 15:30, then Wednesdays and Thursdays at 14.00 from 25 April 1990, then Tues/Wed at 13:50, then Mon-Fri before losing the Fri episode finishing in 1994. | Monday 18 April 1994 14:50 | None |
| Thames Television up to episode 1103 & Carlton Television slowest to complete in full | Thursday 23 June 1983 17:15 | Thursdays and Fridays 17:15 (the Friday showing would actually have been part of London Weekend Television's airtime). Later changed to Mondays and Tuesdays at 15:30 on Monday 3 September 1984 with episode 117 until 17 April 1990, then changed to weekly Wednesdays from 25 April 1990. Then Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Friday 6 July 1990. Finally Mondays to Fridays from the start until October when they reduced to Mondays to Wednesdays until the end of 1992. Thames TV even screened one episode at 18:30 during the Christmas 1983 period. Thames showed their final episode on Wednesday 16 December 1992 episode 1103.
Carlton Television replaced Thames on 1 January 1993. Carlton did not screen the programme until Monday 7 June 1993, when it aired in a daily 15:20 slot after episodes of Blockbusters had run out. Then switched to Mondays to Wednesdays at 14:50 with the last episode played on a Friday. Replaced with half episodes of Blue Heelers on Tuesday 3 January 1995 |
Final three episodes screened as an 80minute special from 13:55 on Friday 30 December 1994 | None |
| Granada Television | Monday 5 September 1983 15:30 | Each weekday, then Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 15:30 from January 1984. Series comes to a stop on Friday 1 August 1986 with episode 463. Series resumes on Wednesday 3 September. Then the Wednesday episode was dropped for Coronation Street repeats from 18 October 1989. Wednesday episode returns from 23 January 1991. | Wednesday 7 April 1993 15:20 | None |
| Border Television | As Granada | As Granada throughout. From 1988, once a month the Wednesday episode is moved to Tuesday to accommodate live regional political programming. This is aired a day before Granada screen the episodes and mean that at some points Border was the furthest ahead of all regions in the series. | As Granada | None |
| Grampian Television | Monday 14 November 1983 15:30 | Weekdays, then Wednesday to Friday from January 1984. The series was then taken off air in July until September 1984 when it was placed in the Monday and Tuesday slot, Then moves to Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 14.00 from 24 April 1990, Showed Episode 1156 on Tuesday 10 August 1993 15.20 at which time they were screening Tuesday to Fridays at 15.20 | Friday 30 September 1994 13:55 | None |
| Ulster Television slowest overall | Thursday 5 January 1984 15:30 | Thursdays and Fridays at 15:30 until episode 24 on 30 March 1984. Series then dropped for a very long period and replaced with regionally made programmes from other ITV regions starting with Its a Vets Life and Clegg's People from Yorkshire. Episode 25 returns on Monday 1st August 1988 after a break of over four years. The series settles into a Monday and Tuesday 15.30 slot. Icreases to Mondays to Fridays from Monday 10 October 1988. After end of December 1988 series reduced to twice a week on Thursdays and Fridays 15.30. Still showing around episode 100 in February 1989. Then down to one a week in late 1989. Showing twice a week at 15.25 on Thursdays and Fridays in 1991 and had reached episode 165(!!!!) by 15 March 1991, then dropped. Returned in 1992 for FIVE EPISODES ONLY (!) then dropped. Returns again in mid 1993 with daily episodes at 15.00. Moves to 14.50. | Episode 360 on Monday 11 April 1994 14:50 | 361-1396 |
| Television South (TVS) up to episode 1271 & Meridian Broadcasting fastest to complete in full | Monday 9 April 1984 15:30 | Mondays and Tuesdays 15:30, then Mondays to Wednesdays 17:15 for summer 1984, then Thursdays and Fridays 15:30 from September 1984, then Mondays to Wednesdays from January 1985, until Wednesday 2 September 1987. Then Wednesdays and Thursdays at 12.00noon from 9 September starting with episode ??? Then Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays used from 4 January 1988 15.30. Then Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from April 25 1990??? Final episode for TVS 1271 on Friday 18 December 1992 14.50. In 1993 show screened daily at 15.20 | Thursday 8 July 1993 15:20 | None |
| Anglia Television | Monday 3 September 1984 15:30 | Mondays and Tuesdays 15:30 until 17 April 1990, then changed to Wednesdays and Thursdays at 14.00 from 25 April 1990. Then back to 15.25, Thursdays and Fridays from Friday 6 July 1990. Wednesday episode returns in January 1991, Then Mondays to Fridays from January 1992, Then Thursdays and Fridays at 13.55 until the end. By 2 December 1994 they had reached episode 1346. | Friday 2 June 1995 13:55 | None |
| Tyne Tees Television | Monday 1 October 1984 15:30 | Mondays and Tuesdays 15:30 until 17 April 1990, then Tuesdays and Wednesdays 14:00 from 25 April 1990. From Thursday 3 January 1991 moves to 15.20 Thursdays and Fridays. Wednesday episode added from 23 January 1991, Mondays to Fridays 15.20 from January 1992, Then Mondays to Fridays 15:20 From Monday 4 January 1993 Tyne Tees and Yorkshire screened the programme daily at 15:20. From January 1994 until the end in December of that year, this changed to Monday - Thursday at 14.50. | As Yorkshire | None |
| Television South West (TSW) up to episode 793 & Westcountry Television from episode 794 | Monday 1 April 1985 17.15 | Mondays and Fridays, at 17.15 then after a short break the series resumes on the same days at 15.25, On Monday 17 October 1988 the series moves to 12.30 on Mondays and Wednesdays starting with episode 327. Network programming forces the show to move to weekly on Mondays at 13.30 at the end of 1989.During 1990 the series moves to 13.50. During 1991 the series moves to 14.20. From January 1992, in the last 12 months of TSW the show was screened daily at 14.50 (with a brief return to 15.20 when Home and Away had returned to a more suitable timeslot) and reached episode 793 as TSW's final transmission on Friday 18 December 1992. During late 1994 the series was shown at 14.25 on Mondays and Tuesdays with the last episode of 1994 20 December being episode 980. Last few months aired Tuesdays to Thursdays at 13.50 | Episode 1101 on Wednesday 13 December 1995 at 13.50 | 1102-1396 |
| Channel Television | As TSW | As TSW until 30 December 1985 (episode 52) then episodes 53-224 skipped to catch up to TVS from January 1986 when slot switches and increases to Mondays to Wednesdays at 15.30 from episode 225. Then as TVS & Meridian to the end. | As Meridian | 53-224 |
| Yorkshire Television (YTV) fastest overall | Monday 6 June 1988 12:30 | Mondays to Fridays at 12:30 with a two week Olympic break from 19 September 1988, Then from 4 September 1989 15:30, Then Wednesday episode dropped from 18 October 1989, Then Monday and Tuesday episodes dropped from 23 April 1990. Wednesday episode reinstated from 9 January 1991, Daily episodes resumed from January 1992, then Monday and Friday episodes dropped. Then Monday episodes resume on 9 November 1992. On 17 December 1992 Yorkshire screened episode 764 and then had to abandon 215 episodes as they were showing all programmes simultaneously with Tyne Tees from 1 January 1993. On 17 Dec Tyne Tees screened ep 978 and 979 on 18 December. From 04/01/93, they resumed a daily airing at 15.20. For the first week in January, The Yorkshire region screened a 4 minute potted version of the missing episodes. The 4 minute episode began with a YTV continuity announcer informing "Things have changed since our last visit to the Albert Memorial". from January 1994 until the end in December of that year, this changed to Monday- Thursday at 14.50. | Thursday 15 December 1994 14:50 | 765-979 |
| Scottish Television (STV) | Never purchased | Never screened | Never screened | Never screened |
Scheduling
The Young Doctors (under the title "Jeunes Docteurs") was scheduled in France, on the second national-wide channel Antenne 2, at 8.30, from March 21 1986.
The Young Doctors was also one of three Australian soap operas screened in the mid to late 1980s on Sky Channel before it became Sky1 in 1989 (the others being A Country Practice and The Sullivans). During the mid-to-late 1980s, it was transmitted at 17:00. From 1989 until 1992, The Young Doctors screened at 10:00. When Sky purchased newer Australian soap E Street in 1992, they dropped The Young Doctors to accommodate an afternoon repeat of E Street.
Remake
In November 2007, the Nine Network announced plans to remake the series in conjunction with FremantleMedia. Originally, it was set to be broadcast in 2008, but due to script delays, the premiere date had been pushed back to 2009. The remake was set to be named Young Doctors.[1] However, at the end of 2008, the Nine Network officially passed on the idea. The network decided against the remake, instead confirming a second series of the popular Australian drama Underbelly. FremantleMedia is currently searching for another television station to contract the program.
References
External links
- The Young Doctors at IMDb
- Template:Tv.com
- Aussie Soap Archive: The Young Doctors — Overview and review
- Classic Aussie Soaps: The Young Doctors
- The Young Doctors Unofficial Fan Site
- Documentary celebrating 30 year anniversary, with cast interviews
- The Young Doctors at the National Film and Sound Archive