The Flying Doctors is an Australian drama series produced by Crawford Productions that revolved around the everyday lifesaving efforts of the real Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia. It was initially a 1985 mini-series based in the fictional outback town of Cooper's Crossing starring Andrew McFarlane as the newly arrived Dr. Tom Callaghan. The success of the mini series led to its return the following year as an on-going series with McFarlane being joined by a new doctor, Chris Randall, played by Liz Burch. McFarlane left during the first season and actor Robert Grubb came in as new doctor Geoff Standish. The series' episodes were mostly self-contained but also featured ongoing storylines, such as Dr. Standish's romance with Sister Kate Wellings. Other major characters included pilot Sam Patterson, mechanic Emma Plimpton, local policeman Sgt. Jack Carruthers and Vic and Nancy Buckley, who ran the local pub/hotel, The Majestic. Andrew McFarlane also later returned to the series, resuming his role as Dr. Callaghan. The popular series ran for nine seasons and was successfully screened internationally.
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The peak run. Top 40% of seasons by average rating — consecutive, with an average of 9.00.
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Robert Grubb
Dr. Geoff Standish
Lenore Smith
Kate Standish
Nikki Coghill
Sr. Jackie Crane
David Reyne
Dr. Guy Reid
Christopher Stollery
Johnno Johnson
Sarah Chadwick
Dr. Rowie Lang
All 12 episodes plotted by IMDb rating
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26 episodes • 1986Avg: 6.2
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will to Survive | May 15, 1986 | 6.0 |
| 2 | Trial By Gossip | May 22, 1986 | 6.0 |
| 3 | Hot Enough For You | May 29, 1986 | 7.0 |
| 4 | Dreams of Sand | Jun 5, 1986 | 7.0 |
| 5 | Public Property | Jun 12, 1986 | 7.0 |
| 6 | Is Nothing Sacred | Jun 19, 1986 | 7.0 |
| 7 | Square Pegs | Jun 26, 1986 | 5.0 |
| 8 | Sins of the Fathers | Jul 7, 1986 | 6.0 |
| 9 | Rally to the Cause | Jul 14, 1986 | 6.0 |
| 10 | Talk of the Town | Jul 21, 1986 | 5.0 |
| 11 | Do You Read Me | Jul 28, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 12 | E.T. - New Girl in Town | Aug 4, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 13 | A Choice of Enemies | Aug 11, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Departures | Aug 18, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 15 | A Lost Generation | Aug 25, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Someone Special | Sep 1, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Return of the Hero | Sep 8, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Eye of the Beholder | Sep 15, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Million-acre Prison | Sep 22, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Like a Death in the Family | Sep 29, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Fearless Frank | Oct 6, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Forgiveness | Oct 13, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Acceptance | Oct 20, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 24 | The Show Goes On | Oct 27, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 25 | To The Rescue (1) | Nov 3, 1986 | 0.0 |
| 26 | Into The Future (2) | Nov 10, 1986 | 0.0 |
24 episodes • 1987
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Good Day For It | Jul 7, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Horses For Courses | Jul 14, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Unluckiest Boy in Town | Jul 21, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 4 | It Isn't Cricket | Jul 28, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 5 | An Only Child | Aug 4, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 6 | A Love Story | Aug 11, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Keeping Up Appearances | Aug 18, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 8 | All Things Bright and Beautiful | Aug 25, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 9 | My Name is Sky | Sep 1, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Bachelors & Spinsters | Sep 8, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Fifty-two Hours Straight | Sep 15, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 12 | A Friend of a Friend | Sep 22, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Friends and Lovers | Sep 29, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Realms of Gold | Oct 6, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 15 | The Hometown Hero | Oct 13, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 16 | A Distant Echo | Oct 20, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 17 | No Laughing Matter | Oct 27, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 18 | No Quarter Asked | Nov 3, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Myths & Legends | Nov 10, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 20 | The Hitch-hiker | Nov 17, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Give a Dog a Bad Name | Nov 24, 1987 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Everyday a Gift | Feb 11, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Bearing Gifts | Feb 18, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Repeat Performance | Feb 25, 1988 | 0.0 |
26 episodes • 1988
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Noble Art | Mar 3, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Sapphire | Mar 10, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Cries From The Heart | Mar 17, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 4 | All In A Day's Work | Mar 24, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Out Of A Clear Blue Sky | Mar 31, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Affirmative Action | Apr 7, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Figures In A Landscape | Apr 14, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 8 | The Devil You Know | Apr 21, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Operating Solo | Apr 28, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 10 | The Path Of True Love | May 5, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 11 | The Kid | May 19, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 12 | The First Step | May 26, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Hopscotch | Jun 2, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Jacks High | Jun 9, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Clapped Out | Jun 16, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Private Lives, Public Faces | Jun 23, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Wedlock | Jun 30, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 18 | The Wrangler's Daughter | Jul 7, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Borrowed Time | Jul 14, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 20 | The Forbidden | Jul 21, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 21 | She'll Be Right | Jul 28, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 22 | One Final Request | Aug 4, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Roxanne | Aug 11, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Don't Tell Anybody | Aug 18, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 25 | No Way Back | Aug 25, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 26 | Johnnie Come Home | Sep 1, 1988 | 0.0 |
24 episodes • 1988Avg: 1.0Valley of Despair
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Look, Up In The Sky | Sep 8, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Preacher Man | Sep 15, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Fear (Part 1) | Sep 22, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 4 | The Fear (Part 2) | Sep 29, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Fair Go | Oct 6, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Broken Airwaves | Oct 13, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Bed And Board | Oct 20, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 8 | Breaking The Drought | Nov 3, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Family Secrets (Part 1) | Nov 10, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Family Secrets (Part 2) | Nov 17, 1988 | 0.0 |
| 11 | All You Need Is Luck | Feb 9, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 12 | The Silly Season | Feb 16, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Every Situation | Feb 23, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 14 | The Storyteller | Mar 2, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 15 | The Choice | Mar 9, 1989 | 1.0 |
| 16 | A Shade Of Doubt | Mar 16, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Mick & Julia | Mar 23, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 18 | The Deal | Mar 30, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 19 | A Thing Of Beauty | Apr 6, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Cadenza | Apr 13, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Mates | Apr 20, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 22 | The Child | Apr 27, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Next To Go | May 4, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Gotta Have Friends | May 11, 1989 | 0.0 |
26 episodes • 1989
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Gift | Aug 31, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Second Chance | Sep 7, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Not The Malarvys | Sep 14, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 4 | The Adventure | Sep 21, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 5 | No Man's Land | Sep 28, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Rising Sundown | Oct 5, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Man And Boy | Oct 12, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 8 | The Longing | Oct 19, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Bitter Harvest | Oct 26, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 10 | The Instrument | Nov 2, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Word & Deed | Nov 9, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 12 | All That Glitters | Nov 16, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Fly Past | Nov 23, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 14 | The Last Rodeo | Nov 30, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Sky Above, Earth Below | Dec 7, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Lucky Lady | Dec 14, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 17 | The Chips Are Down | Dec 21, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Guardian Angel | Dec 28, 1989 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Battlers | Jan 4, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 20 | No Tears | Jan 11, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 21 | A Doctor's Dreaming | Jan 18, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Blues For Judy | Jan 25, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 23 | The Claim | Feb 1, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 24 | A Rhyme For Reason | Feb 8, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 25 | Dad's Little Bloke | Feb 15, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 26 | A Sporting Life | Feb 22, 1990 | 0.0 |
20 episodes • 1990Avg: 9.0Golden Era
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Good Drop Of Red | Mar 1, 1990 | 9.0 |
| 2 | The Hero | Mar 8, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 3 | Suspicion | Mar 15, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Daddy's Girl | Mar 22, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Two Sisters Running | Mar 29, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Dangerous Games | Apr 5, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Milk Run | Apr 12, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 8 | Point Of No Return | Apr 19, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Small Mercies | Apr 26, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 10 | A Painful Extraction | May 3, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 11 | The Climber | May 10, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 12 | Dead Reckoning | May 17, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 13 | A Bride to Be | May 24, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 14 | A Place For The Night | May 31, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 15 | End Of The Rainbow | Jun 7, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Double Vision | Jun 14, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 17 | The Boy In The Boot | Jun 21, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Windows Of The Soul | Jun 28, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Rest In Peace | Jul 5, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Life Line | Jul 12, 1990 | 0.0 |
20 episodes • 1990
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fly Like A Bird | Jul 18, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 2 | A Day To Remember | Jul 25, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 3 | A Place To Call Home | Aug 1, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Divided Loyalties | Aug 8, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 5 | A Rural Education | Aug 15, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 6 | The Ties That Bind | Aug 22, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Brother’s Keeper | Aug 29, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 8 | Wilderness | Sep 5, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Valentine’s Day | Sep 12, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 10 | A Little Tenderness | Sep 19, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Poet’s Corner | Sep 26, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 12 | Family Farm | Oct 3, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 13 | A Place Where You Belong | Oct 10, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Break Away | Oct 17, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Billie and Pete | Oct 24, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Old Man Weed | Oct 31, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 17 | David and Goliath | Nov 7, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Last Carnival | Nov 21, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Innocence Lost | Nov 28, 1990 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Bush Christmas | Dec 5, 1990 | 0.0 |
26 episodes • 1991
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What A Guy | Jan 24, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Bad Moon Rising | Jan 31, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 3 | A New Life | Feb 7, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Through Thick And Thin | Feb 14, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Deceptions | Feb 21, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 6 | None So Blind | Feb 28, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 7 | Sleep Of Reason | Mar 7, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 8 | My Mother’s Child | Mar 14, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Swinging On The Rope | Mar 21, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 10 | Father and Son | Apr 4, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 11 | A Little Miracle | Apr 11, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 12 | Murphy’s Law | Apr 18, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 13 | Breaking down the wall | Apr 25, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Once Bitten | May 2, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Clipped Wings | May 9, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Walk Don’t Run | May 16, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Masquerade | May 23, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Against The Current | May 30, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Last Of The Cochranes | Jun 6, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Double Life | Jun 13, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Something, Nothing | Jun 20, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Family | Jun 27, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Being Positive | Jul 4, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Open Day | Jul 11, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 25 | Changing Times | Jul 18, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 26 | Freedom | Jul 25, 1991 | 0.0 |
29 episodes • 1991
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nymphs and Nightmares | Aug 8, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Out Of The Blue | Aug 15, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 3 | The Last Dance | Aug 22, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 4 | Unfinished Business | Aug 29, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 5 | Jacqueline | Sep 5, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 6 | Monkey | Sep 12, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 7 | The Stranger | Sep 19, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 8 | The Christening | Sep 19, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 9 | The Good Book | Sep 26, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 10 | My Little Patch | Oct 3, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 11 | Two Splatt Shuffle | Oct 10, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 12 | Secrets | Oct 17, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 13 | The Games We Play | Oct 24, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 14 | Bone China | Oct 31, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 15 | Johnno Be Good | Nov 7, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 16 | Lost Rainbows | Nov 14, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 17 | Broken Promises | Nov 21, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 18 | Visitors Welcome | Nov 28, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 19 | Yesterday’s News | Dec 5, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 20 | Dirty Linen | Dec 19, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 21 | Chasing Rainbows | Dec 26, 1991 | 0.0 |
| 22 | Uncle Cyrano | Jan 2, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 23 | Luck Of The Draw | Aug 25, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 24 | Trouble with M.E. | Sep 1, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 25 | The Accomplice | Sep 8, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 26 | Blind Obsession | Sep 15, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 27 | Wimp | Sep 22, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 28 | Visionaries | Sep 29, 1992 | 0.0 |
| 29 | Life Lessons | Oct 6, 1992 | 0.0 |
