From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Young Doctors
Genre	Drama
Creator(s)	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
Broadcast
Original channel	Nine Network
Original run	1976 – 1983
Links
IMDb profile

The Young Doctors was 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.

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.

Selected episodes of the serial were released on DVD in October 2006.

Umbrella Entertainment have confirmed that they are in plans to release the complete series.

Contents 1 Cast 2 Deceased cast members 3 International screenings 3.1 UK ITV regional scheduling 4 External links

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	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
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

Actor	Year of death
Alfred Sandor	1983
Michael Beecher	1994
Tony Alvarez	1997
Gwen Plumb	2002
John Dommett	2004
Joseph Furst	2005

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 14:40 slot in July 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 254 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.

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 Sky One 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.

ITV Region	Programme Schedule Pattern (all end at Episode 1396 unless otherwise stated)
	Start Date	Days Screened	End Date	Replaced With
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.Wednesdays and Thursdays used at 12 noon in early 1988. Slot later changed to a daily 12:30 slot with a two week Olympic break in autumn 1988. Returned to the 15:25 Tuesdays to Fridays slot in January 1989.Mon- Fri 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.	First to complete on Tuesday August 18th 1992, 14.50	Love at First Sight American comedy series, later GP filled the slot initially at 14.50, and then 15.20.
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	Various programmes
Thames Television & Carlton Television slowest to complete in full	Thursday 23 June 1983 17:15	Thursdays and Fridays 17:15. Later changed to Mondays and Tuesdays at 15:30 on Monday 3 September 1984 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. Carlton Television replaced Thames on 1 January 1993. Carlton did not screen the programme until Monday 7 June 1993, when it aired a daily 15:20 slot. 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.	Blue Heelers
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 4?? (possibly as they had caught up to Central). 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	Sons and Daughters
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	GP
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 1520 at which time they were screening Tuesday to Fridays at 3.20pm	Late 1994??	???
Ulster Television	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. 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.	Never completed - screened around 300 episodes before dropping in 1992	???
Television South (TVS) & 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, then Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays used in July 1989 15.30 then Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from April 25 1990??? In 1994 show screened daily at 15.20	Thursday 8 July 1993 15.20	All Together Now
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	A Country Practice
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	Shortland Street
Television South West (TSW) upto episode 793 & Westcountry Television slowest overall	Monday 1 April 1985 17.15	Mondays and Fridays, then ???, Mondays, During 1988 they were upto ep 325 in the Monday and Friday slot in September??? Mondays to Wednesdays at 12.30 Jan - Aug 1989 then usually Mondays only at 13.50 or 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	Never completed and gave up with episode 10?? on Wednesday 13 December 1995 at 13.50	Various
Channel Television	Monday 1 April 1985 17.15	As TSW until 30 December 1985 (episode 52) then various episodes skipped to catch upto TVS from January 1986. Then as TVS & Meridian	As Meridian	As Meridian
Yorkshire Television (YTV)	Monday 6 June 1988 12:30	Mondays to Fridays at 12:30 with a two week Olympic break in autumn 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	Shortland Street
Scottish Television (STV)	Never purchased	Never screened	Never screened	Never screened

• The Young Doctors at the Internet Movie Database
• 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