The Young Doctors
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The Young Doctors was a lightweight Australian early evening soap opera aimed at a teenage (largely female) audience. The series was set in the fictional Albert Memorial hospital and primarily concerned with romances between younger members of the hospital staff.
Produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation and screened on the Nine Network from 1976 to 1982. 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 drama series.
The Young Doctors holds the distinction, rare among long-running Australian dramas, of having never won any sort of television award ever. Alan Coleman produced the show for most of its run until being replaced by Sue Masters, shortly before the series ended in 1982.
In the United Kingdom the programme was acquired by 13 of the 14 members of the ITV Network. Scottish Television never purchased the programme. Central Television pioneered the programme in their weekday 3.30pm slot in 1982. This was then reduced to a Monday and Tuesday screening. Central switched the programme to a lunchtime 12.30pm slot before finally reaching the end of the series in the 2.40pm slot in July 1992. Most other regions initially screened the programme at their own regional pace in their 3.30pm 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 12.30pm 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 were forced to skip over 200 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.
Cast
| Dr. Raymond Shaw | Alfred Sandor |
| Dr. Brian Denham | Michael Beecher |
| Dr. Graham Steele | Tim Page |
| Dr. John Forrest | Alan Dale |
| Dr. Liz Kennedy | Rebecca Gilling |
| 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. Ian Parrish | Serge Lazareff |
| Dr. Rod Langley | Chris Orchard |
| Dr. Nick Barrett | Adrian Van Den Bok |
| Dr. Vincent Snape | Brian Moll |
| Dr. Andrew Baxter | Andrew Sharp |
| Sister Tania Livingston | Judy McBurney |
| Sister Grace Scott | Cornelia Frances |
| Sister Vivienne Jeffries | Diana McLean |
| Sister Suzanne Gibbs | Susanne Stuart |
| Sister Erin Cosgrove | Babs McMillan |
| Sister Eve Turner | Anne Lucas |
| Nurse Kate Rhodes | Ros Wood |
| Nurse JoJo Adams | Delvene Delaney |
| Nurse Kim Barrington | Lynda Stoner |
| Nurse Maggie Gordon | Jackie Woodburne |
| Nurse Sherry Andrews | Karen Pini |
| Nurse Jill Gordon | Joanne Samuel |
| Nurse Jody Carter | Julie Wilson |
| Nurse Julie Holland | Lisa Aldenhoven |
| Nurse Lisa Brooks | Paula Duncan |
| Nurse Dolly Davis | Christine Harris |
| Nurse Linda Wilson | Julie Nihill |
| Nurse Zelda Baker | Genevieve Lemon |
| Nurse Virginia Mason | Rosie Bailey |
| Nurse Genevieve Ridgeway | Susan Stenmark |
| Ada Simmonds | Gwen Plumb |
| Helen Gordon | Lyn James |
| Dennis Jamieson | Chris King |
| Mark Holland | Robert Leys |
| Toni Sheffield | Tottie Goldsmith |
| "Flint" Stone | Robert Korosy |
| Hilary Templeton | Abigail |
| Caroline Jamieson | Kim Wran |
| Laura Denham | Joanne 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 |
External links
- [Aussie Soap Archive: The Young Doctors] — Overview and review
- [Classic Aussie Soaps: The Young Doctors]
- [The Young Doctors Unofficial Fan Site]
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