The Young Doctors
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.
ITV Regional Scheduling
ITV Region | Programme Schedule Pattern (all end at Episode 1396 unless otherwise stated) |
Start Date | Days Screened End Date | Anglia Television | ??? | Mondays and Tuesdays 3.30pm, then changed to Wednesdays. Then Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Finally Mondays to Fridays | ??? | | Border Television | As Granada | Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 3.30pm As Granada. Then the Wednesday episode was dropped temporarily for Coronation Street repeats in 1989. | As Granada | | Central Television | 1983 | Mondays to Fridays 3.30pm, then Mondays and Tuesdays. Slot later changed to a daily 12.30pm slot before returning to the 3.25 Tuesdays to Fridays slot. | First to complete | | Channel Television | As TVS & Meridian | As TVS & Meridian | As TVS & Meridian | | Grampian Television | ??? | Mondays and Tuesdays, Then ??? | ??? | | Granada Television | ??? | Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays 3.30pm. Then the Wednesday episode was dropped temporarily for Coronation Street repeats in 1989. | ??? | | HTV West & Wales | ??? | Mondays and Tuesdays | ??? | | Scottish Television | Never purchased | Never screened | Never screened | | Thames Television & Carlton Television | 1983 | Thursdays and Fridays 5.15pm. Later chaned to Mondays and Tuesdays at 3.30pm, then changed to Wednesdays. Then Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Finally Mondays to Fridays until the end of 1992. Carlton Television who replaced Thames on 1 January 1993 refused to screen the programmed until July 1993 in a daily 2.50pm slot until the last episode. | December 1994 | | Television South & Meridian Broadcasting | ??? | ??? | ??? | | Television South West & Westcountry Television | ??? | ???, Mondays, ??? | ??? Possibly never completed | | Tyne Tees Television | 1984 | Mondays and Tuesdays 3.30pm, then Tuesdays and Wednesdays 1.50pm. Then Mondays to Fridays 3.30pm From January 1993, Tyne Tees and Yorkshire screened the programme on daily at 3.20pm. | December 1994. As Yorkshire | | Ulster Television | ??? | ??? | ??? | | Yorkshire Television | Monday ?? April 1988 12.30pm | Mondays to Fridays at 12.30pm, Then 3.30pm, Then Wednesday episode dropped, Then Monday and Tuesday episodes dropped. Daily episodes resumed, then Monday and Friday episodes dropped. At the end of December 1992 Yorkshire had to abandon over 200 episodes from approximately episode 750 as they were showing all programmes simultaneously with Tyne Tees from 1 January 1993. Tyne Tees were considerably ahead in the series. From January 1993, they resumed a daily airing. For the first week in January, The Yorkshire region screened a 4 minute potted version of the missing episodes. The repeated episode began with a YTV continuity announcer informing "Things have changed since our last visit to the Albert Memorial". | December 1994 | |}
* 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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