Doctor Doctor (Channel 9 2016, Rodger Corser, Ryan Johnson)

Medical comedy drama series Doctor Doctor sees one time high flying surgeon Dr Hugh Knight forced to return to work as a GP in the small country town he grew up in.

Rodger Corser, who is becoming Mr Ubiquity with the amount of roles he seems to pop up in, is the good Doctor. As part of his punishment from the Medical Tribunal for an as yet unspecified fall from grace Hugh has to agree to spend a year working as a country GP in the small NSW town, Whyhope, he grew up in – or face being struck off the medical register.

Of course much has changed in the years he has been away. His mother Meryl is a local civic leader, while father Jim has struggled to adapt to the winds of change. His brother Matt has married Hugh’s former girlfriend Charlie and the family wheat farm is now home to a successful micro-brewery.

Hugh starts work at the Medical Clinic under the eagle eye of his supervisor Penny, juggling everything from tractor accidents to haemorrhoids with the help of “Dr Google”. He quickly makes an enemy of hospital administrator Ken, but finds a kindred spirit in the form of party-girl nurse Aoife and rekindles a childhood friendship with knockabout local Joey.

Filmed in Sydney and country NSW, Doctor Doctor is part of a new push by Channel 9 to make it’s Wednesday night prime time a drama night. The Writers on the series include Tony McNamara, Alice Bell, Tamara Asmar and Liz Doran, and directors include Peter Salmon, Kriv Stenders and actor Jeremy Sims.

production details
Australia / Channel 9 – Essential Media & Entertainment – Screen Australia – Screen NSW / x60 minute episodes / Broadcast from Wednesday 14 September 2016 at 8.40pm

Executive Producers: Andy Ryan and Jo Rooney for the Nine Network, Ian Collie, Claudia Karvan and Tony McNamara for Essential Media & Entertainment

cast
Rodger Corser as Dr Hugh knight
Tina Bursill as Meryl, Hugh’s mother
Steve Bisley as Jim Knight, Hugh’s father
Ryan Johnson as Matt Knight, Hugh’s brother
Nicole da Silva as Charlie, former girlfriend of Hugh now married to Matt
Hayley McElhinney as Penny
Charlies Wu as Ken
Dave Eastgate as Joey
Shalom Brune-Franklin as Aoife

Head of film reviews at The Viewers Guide with an erudite, insightful, slightly sardonic, deep appreciation for classic cinema. Has a habit of quoting obscure lines from old films in everyday conversation. He keeps a meticulously organized film logbook. He's a bit of a tea snob.