Stars are flying about our ears... At The Flying Doctors!
Source: Tina, Dutch magazine for young girls, 1992
Geoff, Kate, Johnno and Guy... Once you have got to know the great
characters of the Flying Doctors, you can’t bear to live without them
again! Luckily you can see them very often on television and Tina will
be all about The Flying Doctors for the next four weeks!
Imagine: you live in a very quiet village in the country where nothing
happens. But one day, all of a sudden a camera crew and a bunch of
actors and actresses appear, going to shoot a television series in your
very own street! This is what happened more or less to the inhabitants
of the Australian village Minyip. Minyip is the place where the
television series The Flying Doctors is shot for about eight years now.
But the flying doctors are not always around in Minyip. A lot of scenes
are shot in the television studios close to Melbourne. In the studios
the interiors of the pub, the hospital, the radio station and even the
cockpit of the plane are set up. Because of this, the actors only have
to go to the wilderness of Minyip, or Coopers Crossing, to shoot the
outdoor takes. And you can bet on it that Minyip is frequently visited
by heaps of tourists since it became Coopers Crossing! The tourists are
hoping to catch a glimpse of their idols. Sigh... it’s a pity that it is
so far away from the Netherlands!
Since Flying Doctors is broadcast, the team of doctors, nurses and
pilots have been through a lot of changes. Sometimes a doctor passed
away, or went abroad or a nurse moved to another town. But the team that
stars in The Flying Doctors now, is going to do so for a long time!
That’s fantastic, because they are all great and extremely nice. So it’s
time to get to know them a little better!
Christopher Stollery (or Johnno Johnson)
In the series pilot Johnno (26) and doctor Rowie have wedding plans, but
in real live he is in love with Lenore (Kate) and she is in love with
him. According to her he is very romantic and he likes to make you
laugh. Sometimes you can see him on MTV in a commercial of "Oil of
Olay".
Nikki Coghill (or Jackie Crane)
A long while ago Nikki had a guest appearance in The Flying Doctors. She
played her part very well, so later on they asked her to play the role
of sister Jackie. Jackie and Guy argue a lot, but secretly they are a
bit in love.
Lenore Smith (or Kate Standish)
Lenore (33) plays Kate since the very first episode. She says she isn’t
so quiet and easy-going as Kate is and she prefers the city to the
country. In the series she and doctor Geoff are having a baby daughter,
called Scarlett. In her spare time, Lenore likes to sit on the couch
watching television with her boyfriend Chris (Johnno).
Sarah Chadwick (or doctor Rowie Lang)
Before Sarah (31) joined the television series, she was a secretary for
five years. She resembles Rowie a lot, she says, in spite of the fact
that she can’t see any blood and so she would never be a doctor in real
life! In the series she and Johnno are an item.
David Reyne (or doctor Guy Reid)
David (29) is a blond hunk who plays the part of Guy in the series. Guy
is a bit arrogant and always thinks he knows better. According to David
he doesn’t resemble Guy at all! But sometimes Guy is very nice and
that’s what Jackie finds out as well!
Robert Grubb (or doctor Geoff Standish)
Doctor Geoff is a bit of the oldest and the wisest of The Flying Doctors
actor’s bunch. Robert (42) once was the singer of a rock band. And still
he likes singing. In his spare time he likes playing with his sons,
rebuilding his house a bit or gardening. So it seems he enjoys himself
very much!