Everything you always wanted to know about The Flying Doctors. Dedicated to Lenore Smith and Christopher Stollery.
 

Welcome to the Flying Doctors

Source: Margriet, Dutch women's magazine, 199?

Actors and crew eat their lunch together: no attitude of the stars whatsoever
I hung out with them for a week: with Robert Grubb, Lenore Smith, Maurie Fields, Val Jellay and all the other actors of The Flying Doctors. I went to the Crawford Productions' studios in Box Hill, one of Melbourne's suburbs, and to the locations outdoors as Point Cook, a Royal Air force base, home of the Nomad-plane which can't fly anymore and is only used for scenes on the ground. That's much cheaper than hiring the real plane from Broken Hill. The cockpit and the interior of the plane are build in the studios in Box Hill, for takes during would-be flights. All the interiors are build in Box Hill: the radio-room, the hospital, the consulting-room, the bar of The Majestic; really everything.

During that week it became clear to me that the actors' job is mostly about waiting, waiting, waiting. The actors often have to be on the set at 6 am already, because of the make-up. The scenes are endlessly repeated. A simple dialog between the new nurse (Nikki Coghill as Jackie Crane) and a guest star on a river bank, takes a few hours. Also because the water level of the location they had in mind had increased enormously, so they had to look for a new location first. The actors as well as the crew show a lot of patience. It was also very clear that actors and crew are one big family. No attitudes at all. Everyone sits and eats together at a long table during lunch. No special treatment for stars as Robert Grubb, dr Geoff Standish in the series. He would never want that.

Making one episode will take about one week. While we watched the sixth season in the Netherlands, they were busy making the eighth season of 25 episodes in Australia. That's why some stars had left the series already as George Kapiniaris as DJ, Brett Climo as dr David Ratcliffe and Andrew McFarlane as dr Tom Callaghan. But there were their successors as Beverley Dunn as Clare Bryant (we met her by now as DJ's successor on the radio). And the new doctors, David Reyne as dr Guy Reid en Sarah Chadwick as dr Rosie Lang. As well as the new pilot, Christopher Stollery as Johnno Johnson.

Scriptwriter/producer Howard Griffith explains that the series will be more like the first episodes. Besides the doctors, not-medical-persons will be more important again, just like Violet Carnegie, George Baxter, Hurtle, Nick Cardaci and Emma Plimpton when the series first started.

Meet the actors of The Flying Doctors:
Dr Geoff and sister Kate are only married in the series, but Vic and Nancy are husband and wife in real life as well!

Beverley Dunn as Clare Bryant
Beverly Dunn has been playing Clare Bryant, DJ's successor, for a while now. George Kapiniaris got too busy with his theatre plays and his own series Acropolis Now. Last December George got married as well. Beverley Dunn realises it isn't easy to replace the popular DJ, but she has succeeded in Australia by now. Before she accepted the part, she acted in Neighbours among other things. Beverley: 'They wanted a more older woman as a contrary to all the young doctors and pilots. That's why they choose me and I enjoy playing Clare very much.'

Sarah Chadwick as dr Rosie Lang
Sarah Chadwick replaces her colleague Brett Climo (who will be on screen as dr David Ratcliffe in the Netherlands for a while) as dr Rosie Lang. Sarah (30): 'I followed a theatre education, but I worked as a secretary for five years before I joined these series. I enjoy this job much more. I'm quite simular to Rosie, although I was never interested in a medical profession. I can't see any blood, although my mother is a doctor and I played the part of a doctor before.'

David Reyne as dr Guy Reid
David Reyne as dr Guy Reid replaces Andrew McFarlane as dr Tom Callaghan, who will leave the series for the second time in about ten episodes in the Netherlands. McFarlane played in the first season when he had to replace the old dr Harry Sinclair. A few hundred episodes ago he returned, only to leave once again now. David (28): 'I play the part of a brilliant young doctor. A very arrogant bloke. Also against colleagues. My part opposites the others. Guy is different than me. I'm not arrogant nor brilliant. Although colleagues sometimes point out ironically that the part is so me.'

Robert Grubb as dr Geoff Standish:
'My youngest son was sometimes confused by the fact that I'm married to Kate on television, and with his mother at home.'
The interview with Robert Grubb (40), as dr Geoff Standish the series' star, was accomplished bit by bit. Five minutes between takes, in cars, during make-up sessions, etc., before a producer calls him to show up again. So he feels more and more guilty and on my last day at the set, he takes an hour off to talk with me, not only about his work, but also about his wife and especially his children. Robert Grubb turns out to be a very dedicate father. And a very friendly man.
Robert: 'I was born in Hobart, Tasmania. I was educated to be an electrician; I got my diploma. But as a teenager I was more interested in music, so I became a singer of a rock band. It turned out I was quite good at it. When I heard they were looking for singers for a musical, I responded. I got a part and I discovered I loved playing a character besides singing. From that moment on I knew what I really wanted: acting. I went to Sydney to attend drama school. I graduated in 1978 and I played in several plays since then, as for example in Shakespeare's Hamlet.'
'Since I play in these series, I am terribly busy. I don't see my children very often. So when I'm a weekend off, I plan doing things with them. Emerson is eight and Hayden is five years old. When I leave in the morning they are still in bed and when I return there is only just enough time to give them a quick hug. Or read a story. I miss them a lot. They are very important to me.'
'They like watching me on television. I like that, because I think it's important they see what I'm doing. That they understand why I'm away so much. They have an age on which they can understand the difference between their father and the role I'm playing. Certainly my eldest. But my youngest was sometimes confused that I'm married to Kate on television and with his mother in real life. He sat on my knee and asked what mum thought about me being married with Kate as well. And that I sometimes kiss her. But now he understands too.'
'There are clear differences between Geoff and me. Dr Geoff has everything organised, while I'm quite chaotic. To my wife's misery, because I drop everything everywhere. I'm also not an intellectual, like Geoff. He is very good at discussing with people, while I don't know what I'm talking about half of the time. I can be also very chaotic in my thinking.'
'But I would never want to be a real Flying Doctor. Every day in a hot, bouncing, little airplane. Although the aspect of helping people does apply to me. Geoff can be less nice sometimes. I deliberately put that in the role. To make it more realistic. Because we are all sometimes grumpy or a bit short-tempered. I've always tried to make my parts as human as possible. You'll be more credible that way. I also love comedies, I like making people laugh. So I try to give Geoff some sense of humour. I have obviously more sense of humour than Geoff Standish. But as a doctor he won't be reliable laughing about everything. People expect a doctor to take them seriously.'

Maurie Fields and Val Jellay as Vic and Nancy:
'We are the only not-doctors who are in the series from the very first beginning.'
It turns out that Maurie Fields and Val Jellay are just as nice in real life as Vic and Nancy are in the series. And just like in the series they are married in real life as well. More than 30 years by now. They have a 29-year-old son who is a musician and who also had a part in the Flying Doctors a few times.
Maurie: 'We don't only play in these series. We are also on stage quite a lot. And I have my own comedy on television here. Besides that, a LP recently appeared on which I play jazz of people like Fats Waller. Classic songs to sing along. I also play banjo, drums and piano. This is my first LP on which I sing. In the past a couple of LPs appeared on which I tell jokes.'
Val: 'I was a dancer at first. I already danced when I was 4 years old. Vic and I have always been on stage and when television here started produce amusement shows, they needed our experience. Later on we studied more drama. We've been in this business for a long time, but apparently they can't cope without the elderly already.'
'Our parts became much more important. We are the only not-doctors who are in the series from the very first episode. Vic plays a real Australian guy, no nonsense, down-to-earth. Conservative. He can get angry, but has a sense of humour too. On the contrary, Nancy has a more soft character. A lot of interest in people. I'm not as soft as Nancy. She is a bit dumber than I am too. But I do like her. Maurie is quite simular to Vic. Having a drink with the guys, have a bet at the horse races. One of his great loves. And he's a bit conservative too. But a real sweetheart. We couldn't do without each other.'

Christopher Stollery as Johnno Johnson
Christopher Stollery (25), who will appear on screen about this time as the new pilot Johnno Johnson, went to the same theatre school in Sydney as Robert Grubb. After that he played many parts in the theatre and he did some commercials as for "Oil of Olay". Chris: 'The Flying Doctors have a much better reputation compared to series as Neighbours and Sons and Daughters. That's why I accept the pilot's part with great pleasure. My part is getting more and more important and I like that. I will marry dr Rosie Lang in the series as well. And in real life I have a relationship with Lenore Smith (Kate Standish). As it comes to romance in real life, it doesn't differ that much from the series.'

Nikki Coghill as Jackie Crane
Nikki Coghill (28) will appear as the new nurse in the series next season. Nikki: 'Jackie Crane is a very ambitious nurse. She has a special bond with dr Guy Reid, played by David Reyne. She thinks he's arrogant, rude. He thinks she's too ambitious. They have a love/hate affair. A lot of quarrelling, but sometimes they show their vulnerable side. I'm ambitious too. But not so well-spoken as Jackie Crane. More insecure. I doubt myself every now and then, she never does.'

Lenore Smith as Kate Standish
Lenore Smith is in the series from the very first episode. She started as sister Kate Wellings and got married to dr Geoff Standish some years ago. Lenore (32): 'I was born and raised in Sydney. I was married two times and don't have any children. Now I'm having a relationship with the actor Chris Stollery. When they asked me for the series I lived in England. I flew back right away. I thought it would only take one year, but it's been six years already. I like playing Kate. She is more stubborn than I am. More short-tempered, although I can be like that sometimes. She is more quiet compared to me. Kate loves the country, the outback, while I'm an avowed city-person.'

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Lenore

Maurie and Val

Robert