All Saints (TV series)

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All Saints
Allsaintsseason4titlecard.jpg
Seasons 4-6 title card
Created by Bevan Lee
Developed by Jo Porter
Starring (see detailed cast list in article)
Country of origin Australia
Original language(s) English
No. of series 12
No. of episodes 493 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) John Holmes
Producer(s) Jo Porter (seasons 1-4)
Di Drew (seasons 5-7)
Jo Porter (seasons 7-8)
MaryAnne Carroll (seasons 8-10)
Bill Hughes (seasons 11-12)
Running time 45 minutes
Production company(s) Seven Network Operations Limited
Red Heart Entertainment
Distributor Southern Star Group [1]
Release
Original network Seven Network
Picture format 4:3 (seasons 1-3)
16:9 (seasons 4-12)
Audio format Stereo
Original release 24 February 1998 (1998-02-24) –
27 October 2009 (2009-10-27)
External links
Website

All Saints was an Australian television medical drama that first screened on the Seven Network on 24 February 1998. Set in the fictional All Saints Western General Hospital, it focused on the staff of Ward 17 until its closure in 2004, which is when the focus changed and began following the staff of the Emergency Department. It was produced by John Holmes alongside Jo Porter, MaryAnne Carroll and Di Drew. The final episode aired on 27 October 2009, completing its recording-breaking 12-year run.

Plot

All Saints follows the lives of the staff at All Saints Western General Hospital. Until its closure in 2004, the show primarily focused on the staff in Ward 17. Known as the "garbage ward" as it took all the overflow from the other wards, Ward 17 was run by compassionate nun, Sister Terri Sullivan (Georgie Parker). Her staff included her nurses Connor Costello (Jeremy Cumpston), Von Ryan (Judith McGrath), Bronwyn Craig (Libby Tanner), Jared Levine (Ben Tari) and Stephanie Markham (Kirrily White) and her ward clerk Jaz Hillerman (Sam Healy). Luke Forlano (Martin Lynes) and Peter Morrison (Andrew McKaige) were doctors who frequently worked with Terri and her staff. Ben Markham (Brian Vriends) was an ambulance officer who worked closely with Luke, despite their rivalry. Bronwyn left Ward 17 and became an ambulance officer at the end of 1998.

Production

After the death of Dr. Mitch Stevens (Erik Thomson) in 2003, the producers decided to do something in response to considerable drop in ratings and to prolong the life of the series.[2]

In February 2004, John Holmes told The Age journalist Debi Enker that All Saints would be undergoing "major surgery" when the focus shifted from Ward 17 to the Emergency Department. He also stated that while four familiar faces with be leaving, new characters will be introduced to fill the void. Holmes recalled a statement that he made in May 2003 in which he said, "we [myself and Seven script executive Bevan Lee] were seeing the scripts and watching episodes and we were feeling that there was a little bit of a sameness in it. We started to think, 'Don't know about this. Sixth year. Maybe we've had a few too many people through the door of Ward 17 on a trolley and had the 'Hi, I'm Von, I'm your nurse. Room Three, thanks Sterlo.'" After tossing up between cancelling the show and using it as the foundation of a spin-off series, Holmes and Lee decided to rejuvenate the show by changing the setting. Ward 17 would then close and the show would be relocated to the Emergency Department.[3]

As a result of the shift, several cast members decided to leave the show. Paula Morgan (Jenni Baird), Luke Forlano (Martin Lynes), Alex Kearns (Fletcher Humphrys) and Sterling McCormack (Henry Nixon) were all written out of the show. Former Always Greener star John Howard signed a three-year deal and was added to the cast as the cranky head of Emergency, Dr. Frank Campion. Other new faces included Wil Traval as Dr. Jack Quade, Adrienne Pickering as nurse Sophia Beaumont and Alexandra Davies as ambulance officer Cate McMasters.[2]

In 2009 another attempt to stem the softening ratings and add a bit of excitement to the series, Seven Network executives decided to rejuvenate again, introducing a medical response until to deal with tricky rescues which involved a helicopter going to remote locations to rescue patients who needed assistance. They would then bring those patients back to the ED and the staff there would assist in their treatment. Along with the addition of the new "department" the show was also renamed to All Saints: Medical Response Unit, the introduction of Mirrah Foulkes and the new MRU proved to lift the ratings substantially, but then levelled out at where they were prior to the revamp.[4]

In June 2009, after months of rumours that the cancellation of All Saints was imminent, a spokeswoman from the Seven Network informed The Daily Telegraph that the episode order had been trimmed. Season twelve of All Saints would screen 24 episodes instead of the usual 40 episodes and that production would cease in August instead of November.[5]

In July 2009, exactly one month later after the first announcement, Tim Worner, Seven's Director of Programming at the time announced that All Saints had been cancelled. He told Michael Idato of the Sydney Morning Herald, "All Saints is a show which Seven and viewers have loved. However, an audience shift and increased production costs are behind this tough decision." He also informed Idato that the episode order trim had been reverted and the season would complete a 37 episode order, finishing on episode 493. It was reported after the announcement that since the introduction of the MRU in 2009 it inflated the cost of each episode to $500,000. Many people still argue as to why the MRU was introduced in the first place or should have been removed instead of axing the show if the network was wanting to cut costs. [6]

In the Feb/Mar 2010 GQ magazine in 2010, Tim Worner said his one regret was "Axing All Saints. But it was the right call at the time and we have two new drama projects in development."

Controversy

Episode 265

On 20 April 2004, episode 265, "Brave New World" aired, which saw the introduction of John Howard's character, Frank Campion. It was also the first episode to be set in the Emergency Department. This episode attracted lots of controversy.

One patient came into the triage and tried to get help, but he was told to wait. Later on, Nelson heard a phone ring coming from the patient and asked him to turn off the phone. It was later hinted that he had been using the phone to masturbate and it had gotten stuck in his rectum.

The end of the episode saw Frank go introduce himself to Terri (Georgie Parker), who was recovering from heart surgery. During a heated argument about staff members, Frank blatantly said to Terri, "if you ever use your influence with your previous employees to white-ant me again, you will never work in Emergency." Before Terri could get a word in, Frank added, "can I make it any fucking clearer?"[7]

The next day, Channel Seven announced that they had received more than 100 phone calls in Melbourne alone. Parker told the media, "it's a good response because it's not about the shock words—we've sworn on the show before—but because people clearly feel really protective about Terri. It's like they really feel for her as a character and don't like her being under attack by a very confronting man. It's great to know they care for her so much."[7]

On 22 April, the network issued a statement that read, "within an M classification code, coarse language is permitted provided it is appropriate to the storyline or program context." An apology was not made.[7]

Episode 432

On 27 May 2008, episode 432, "Never Tell" aired.

This episode saw a woman pregnant from an incestuous relationship with her brother, told her child may have Down syndrome as a result.

Leading geneticist Dr. David Amor of Murdoch Children's Research Institute stated, "There is absolutely no increase in the risk of Down syndrome for the offspring of incestuous relationships."[8]

Down Syndrome Australia considered legal action, complained to the media regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority and called for a boycott by the show's advertisers if an apology and correction was not aired on All Saints the following week.[8]

Seven responded with, "All Saints values its audience and has the greatest respect for their commitment to the program. Without reservation, to any members of the audience who have found an element of a recent story offensive, Channel Seven apologises."[8]

The final episode

The longer-than-usual 49-minute episode aired at 9:30pm on Tuesday, 27 October 2009. The episode, unlike those in the rest of the season, went back to basics and focused more on the lives of the nurses and doctors as they tended to patients.

The episode saw Judith McGrath's character, Von Ryan tending to a teenage girl who comes into the ED and gives birth without knowing she was pregnant. Tammy Macintosh and John Howard finished their seven- and five-year reigns as Dr. Charlotte Beaumont and Dr. Frank Campion respectively, caring for a woman played by Heather Mitchell who had cystic fibrosis. Ella Scott Lynch and Jonathan Wood left the show on a high with their characters, Claire Anderson and Elliott Parker treating a man (Luke Pegler) with a disease consistent with diabetes and promiscuity.

Secretly, Von decides to resign from All Saints, telling only Frank that she wouldn't be returning. He offers to take her out for dinner, but instead plans a surprise farewell dinner for her. Throughout the dinner, Gabrielle (Virginia Gay) and Steve (Jack Campbell) decide to raise their child together and get back together, Bart (Andrew Supanz) proposes to his girlfriend Amy (Alix Bidstrup) and Charlotte and Adam (Kip Gamblin) share an intense moment.

At the table, Von is pressured to make a speech by her colleagues and friends and reluctantly, she does, uttering her famous line: "I spent a lot of time at All Saints and I'd just like to thank you all for your loyalty, your support and love. Oh bugger this, here's to us." She raises her glass and toasts.

The finale is capped off by a montage of scenes from over the show's twelve-year run, including Mitch's final scene, the closure of Ward 17 and Bron & Ben's wedding, all to The Beatles song, "In My Life".

The final scene sees Frank raise his glass at Von, who raises hers and smiles.

Cast

Main cast

Actor Character Episode count Season
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Judith McGrath Von Ryan 493 Main
Georgie Parker Terri Sullivan 287 Main
Jeremy Cumpston Connor Costello 156 Main
Sam Healy Jaz Hillerman 50 Main
Martin Lynes Luke Forlano 260 Main
Andrew McKaige Peter Morrison 51 Main
Libby Tanner Bronwyn Craig 210 Main
Ben Tari Jared Levine 235 Main Guest
Kirrily White Stephanie Markham 108 Main Guest
Brian Vriends Ben Markham 189 Recurring Main
Erik Thomson Mitch Stevens 176 Main
Celia Ireland Regina Butcher 121 Recurring Guest Main
Conrad Coleby Scott Zinenko 153 Main
Jenni Baird Paula Morgan 101 Guest Recurring Main
Paul Tassone Nelson Curtis 182 Guest Recurring Main
Tammy Macintosh Charlotte Beaumont 286 Main
Christopher Gabardi Vincent Hughes 155 Main
John Howard Frank Campion 229 Main
Wil Traval Jack Quade 192 Main
Natalie Saleeba Jessica Singelton 78 Main
Alexandra Davies Cate McMasters 134 Main Guest
Mark Priestley Dan Goldman 134 Main
Chris Vance Sean Everleigh 55 Main
Andrew Supanz Bartholomew West 137 Main
Jolene Anderson Erica Templeton 104 Main
John Waters Mike Vlasek 123 Guest Main
Virginia Gay Gabrielle Jaegar 139 Main
Allison Cratchley Zoe Gallagher 78 Guest Main
Jack Campbell Steve Taylor 90 Guest Main
Kip Gamblin Adam Rossi 42 Main
Ella Scott Lynch Claire Anderson 41 Main
Alix Bidstrup Amy Fielding 49 Guest Main
Mirrah Foulkes Jo Mathieson 37 Main

Recurring cast

Actor Character Episode count Season
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Justine Clarke Samantha O'Hara 21 Recurring
Jake Blundell Tony Hurst 24 Recurring Guest
Joy Smithers Rose Carlton Stevens 54 Recurring Guest
Ling-Hsueh Tang Kylie Preece 67 Recurring
Belinda Emmett Jodi Horner 43 Recurring
Natasha Beaumont Rebecca Green 64 Recurring
Josh Quong Tart Matt Horner 67 Recurring Guest
Rochelle Whyte Cara Windom 30 Recurring
Alan Flower Morris the Florist 10 Recurring
Rachel McNamara Frances Regan 26 Recurring
Fletcher Humphrys Alex Kearns 38 Recurring
Henry Nixon Sterling McCormack 48 Recurring
Liz Alexander Alison Newell 24 Recurring
Jaime Mears Kerry Lytton 21 Recurring Guest
Peter Phelps Doug Spencer 16 Recurring Guest
Sibylla Budd Deanna Richardson 13 Recurring
Nicole da Silva Sasha Fernandez 11 Recurring
Wendy Strehlow Lorraine Tanner 27 Recurring
Celeste Barber Bree Matthews 88 Recurring
Alexandra Fowler Eve Ballantyne 26 Guest Recurring
Mike Smith Heath Velaga 30 Recurring Guest
Jonathan Wood Elliott Parker 9 Recurring

Opening title sequences and theme song

The first opening theme song for All Saints began with several deep breaths and then went into a tune played by a saxophone. This played over the top of several shots of the cast members. Actors names were in the font Zurich Extra Condensed and underlined. Intercut were shots of hands, various medical equipment and medicine.

The second opening theme song was first used when the opening was upgraded in mid-season two. The same song was used however drums were added to give it more of an authentic sound. The shots of cast changed and names of actors and their characters were now present. The font remained the same. Shots of hands, medical vehicles and equipment were also present.

The first major overhaul of the opening happened in season four, when the titles were completely changed. They now began with several deep breaths over a blue screen with a vision of hands in the background. The screen was set up with a slide of the actor in the centre, with deep blue all around and medical notation. The theme was more stringy and only involved a small saxophone part. Medical crosses, bottles and syringes were present in the opening.

The second major overhaul of the opening happened in season seven, when the whole layout and font used were completely changed to mark the revamp of the show and its change of focus to the Emergency Department. The basic undertone of the theme was still there, however another saxophone overtone was added tho give the theme more authenticity. The images were also upgraded to include ambulances, surgical equipment and people rushing around in the background. The font changed and actors and characters were now in the font Imprint MT Shadow. This set of opening titles continues until the end of season eight.

At the beginning of season nine, the opening titles credits were ditched and the main cast were listed at the last of every episode with the names returning to their original format and font. This continues until the final episode. In seasons ten and eleven, the actor’s name and their corresponding character name flew in from either side, however this idea was dumped went the show returned for its final season.

An intertitle card appeared before every ad break in season nine, however the show returned to fading out in the tenth and eleventh seasons.

At the beginning of the eleventh season, a new title card premiered and this appeared at the start of every episode.

This title card was refurbished for the twelfth and final season to coincide with the change of name. This title card saw the show out.

Reception

Awards and nominations

The show has been nominated for fifty six Logie awards and won nine.

Year Nominee Award Result
1999 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Georgie Parker Most Popular Actress Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Program Nominated
Libby Tanner Most Popular New Female Talent Nominated
2000 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Georgie Parker Most Popular Actress Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Program Nominated
All Saints Most Outstanding Program Nominated
2001 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Won
Georgie Parker Most Popular Actress Won
All Saints Most Popular Program Won
Georgie Parker Most Outstanding Actress Nominated
Libby Tanner Most Outstanding Actress Nominated
All Saints Most Outstanding Program Nominated
2002 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Won
Libby Tanner Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Georgie Parker Most Popular Actress Nominated
Libby Tanner Most Popular Actress Won
Erik Thomson Most Popular Actor Nominated
Georgie Parker Most Outstanding Actress Nominated
Libby Tanner Most Outstanding Actress Nominated
Conrad Coleby Most Popular New Male Talent Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Program Won
All Saints Most Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
2003 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Libby Tanner Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Georgie Parker Most Popular Actress Nominated
Libby Tanner Most Popular Actress Won
Erik Thomson Most Popular Actor Won
All Saints Most Popular Australian Program Won
All Saints Most Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
2004 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Erik Thomson Most Popular Actor Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Australian Program Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Australian Drama Series Nominated
All Saints Most Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
2005 Georgie Parker Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
Wil Traval Most Popular New Male Talent Nominated
Natalie Saleeba Most Popular New Female Talent Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Australian Drama Series Nominated
2006 John Howard Most Outstanding Actor Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Australian Drama Series Nominated
All Saints Most Outstanding Drama Series Nominated
2007 John Howard Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
John Howard Most Popular Actor Nominated
Judith McGrath Most Outstanding Actress in a Series Nominated
Andrew Supanz Most Popular New Male Talent Nominated
Jolene Anderson Most Popular New Female Talent Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Australian Drama Series Nominated
2008 John Howard Most Popular Personality on Australian Television Nominated
John Howard Most Popular Actor Nominated
Jack Campbell Most Popular New Male Talent Nominated
All Saints Most Popular Australian Drama Series Nominated
2009 Mark Priestley Most Popular Actor Nominated
2010 Mirrah Foulkes Most Popular New Female Talent Nominated
All Saints: Medical Response Unit Most Popular Australian Drama Series Nominated

Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards

All Saints has won two AFI Awards from the Australian Film Institute and has been nominated for various others.

Year Nominee Award Result
1998 Ep. 6: Give and Take Best Episode in a Television Drama Series Nominated
Ep. 20: Revelations Best Episode in a Television Drama Series Nominated
1999 Ep. 58: Head to Head Best Episode in a Television Drama Series Won
2000 Valley of the Shadow Best Episode in a Television Drama Series Won
Dead on Time Best Episode in a Television Drama Series Nominated
2002 All Saints Best Television Drama Series Nominated
Peter Fisk (ep. 169: Opening Night) Best Direction In A Television Drama Nominated
Belinda McClory (ep. 169: Opening Night) Best Guest or Supporting Actress in Television Drama Nominated
2005 All Saints Best Television Drama Series Nominated
2006 All Saints Best Television Drama Series Nominated
John Waters Best Guest or Supporting Actor in Television Drama Nominated
2007 All Saints Best Television Drama Series Nominated
Mark Priestley Best Guest or Supporting Actor in Television Drama Nominated

Ratings

Season # of Episodes Timeslot Season
Premiere
Season
Final
Peak
Audience
Average
Audience
Rank
(Australian series)
1 41 Tuesday 8:30 pm 24 February 1998 17 November 1998 N/A 1,381,000[9] 5th[9]
2 43 8 February 1999 23 November 1999 N/A 1,435,000[9] 5th[9]
3 41 8 February 2000 21 November 2000 N/A 1,488,000[9] 3rd[9]
4 43 13 February 2001 27 November 2001 2,023,000 1,595,000[9] 3rd[9]
5 43 5 February 2002 26 November 2002 1,687,000 1,507,000[9] 3rd[9]
6 43 11 February 2003 25 November 2003 1,544,000 1,363,000[9] 4th[9]
7 40 27 February 2004 16 November 2004 1,424,000 1,235,000[10] 4th[10]
8 41 8 February 2005 22 November 2005 1,559,000 1,282,000[10] 3rd[10]
9 40 28 February 2006 21 November 2006 1,660,000 1,419,000[10] 2nd[10]
10 41 13 February 2007 20 November 2007 1,603,000 1,380,000[10] 2nd[10]
11 40 Tuesday 9:30 pm 12 February 2008 25 November 2008 1,603,000 1,245,000[10] 2nd[10]
12 37 3 February 2009 27 October 2009 1,505,000[10] 1,175,000[10] 3rd[10]

DVD releases

Seasons 1 to 5 were released by EMI Australia in 2005 through 2007. EMI lost the DVD rights in 2007, therefore seasons 1 to 5 were discontinued.

Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Australia were later awarded DVD rights to the show, releasing seasons 8 to 12 in 2009 and 2010. The two "missing seasons" - seasons 6 and 7 - were released on 2 March 2011. It has been confirmed by Universal Sony Pictures Home Entertainment that the first five seasons of All Saints will not be re-released.

DVD Season Format #
Episodes
#
Disc(s)
Region 4
The Complete First Season DVD 41 10 28 November 2005 (2005-11-28)[11]
The Complete Second Season DVD 43 11 20 June 2006 (2006-06-20)[12]
The Complete Third Season DVD 41 10 17 November 2006 (2006-11-17)[13]
The Complete Fourth Season DVD 43 10 27 November 2006 (2006-11-27)[14]
The Complete Fifth Season DVD 43 10 13 September 2007 (2007-09-13)[15]
2003 Season DVD 43 11 2 March 2011 (2011-03-02)[16]
2004 Season DVD 40 10 2 March 2011 (2011-03-02)[17]
2005 Season DVD 41 11 29 September 2010 (2010-09-29)[18]
2006 Season DVD 40 10 29 September 2010 (2010-09-29)[19]
2007 Season DVD 41 10 9 September 2010 (2010-09-09)[20]
2008 Season DVD 40 10 9 September 2010 (2010-09-09)[21]
2009 Season DVD 37 9 2 March 2010 (2010-03-02)[22]

See also

References

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External links