The Albert Memorial Hospital, in Sydney, Australia, was a hotbed of romance, intrigue, danger and suspense. The dashing young doctors and glamorous nurses were often so busy giving each other thorough examinations that patients were left languishing on a trolley in the background. For over six years, from late 1976 to 1983, there was a constant stream of attractive, but often tortured, medics passing through the hospital corridors. Tempers flared, voices and temperatures were raised, friends and lovers fell out, made up and fell out again. It's not difficult to see why The Young Doctors was a huge hit with fans not only in Australia, but all over the world.
The original interns (left to right): Craig Rothwell, Greg Mason, Gail Henderson, Jim Howard and Graham Steele.
The idea for the medical soap came from three men with a proven track record in creating successful television. Reg Grundy had brought Reg Watson and Alan Coleman over to Australia from the UK, where they worked on the teatime telly favourite Crossroads. The trio first worked together on Class of '74, but it was a couple of years later when they hit on the winning formula of a continuing drama set in a busy city hospital.

The Young Doctors premiered on 8th November 1976, in the same week that The Sullivans was launched. From the beginning, the network made it clear to Grundy's (The Young Doctors) and Crawford's (Sullivans) that there would only be room for one show in the long run. After 13 weeks, The Sullivans was the critical success, and cast and crew of The Young Doctors were informed that their show was being cancelled. When this news was released, loyal fans protested to Channel 9, who bowed to public opinion and reversed their decision. However, 9's faith in the show was still shaky, and they returned it in the 6.00 pm "graveyard" slot. (continues here)
Gail and Jim's affair ended in tragedy for them both.
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