A Country Podcast

Merry Christmas, We Thought We’d Talk About Brides Of Christ

It's the A Country Podcast Christmas Special!
And, we thought we'd mix it up a bit and look at the greatest Australian mini-series Brides Of Christ, which shares a lot of ACP DNA.
Joining us to chat about it is the host of The Week On Wednesday podcast, playwright and Guardian Columnist Van Badham.
Links:
Brides Of Christ on iView
The Week On Wednesday Podcast
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Original Mc Dreamy: Shane Porteous & Being Dr Terence For Over A Decade

Since the beginning of A Country Podcast, there's been one guest who's been the star of each episode, like he was the star of each episode of A Country Practice: Shane Porteous.
Dr Terence Elliot was the nucleus of the ACP world, and today Shane Porteous joins Mel and Kim to talk about his time on the show as an actor and writer.
Mel and Kim dig into six of the most wrenching episodes of Dr Terence's time in Wandin Valley: the Bethany stories.
Links:
Leigh Spence Obituary by Andrew Mercado A Country Podcast Facebook Page Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter
Let The Sun Shine In - Part 1Let The Sun Shine In - Part 2Let The Sun Shine In - Part 3Let The Sun Shine In - Part 4Let The Sun Shine In - Part 5Let The Sun Shine In - Part 6See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus: Diane Smith Extended Interview

We loved talking to Di Smith so much about her time on ACP, how Alex Fraser came about and what she's been doing since... that we thought it wasn't enough what we gave you last week!
Hope you enjoy this extended interview with Di Smith.
Links: Ep 7 of A Country Podcast 'Diane Smith on the politics and romance of Dr Alex Fraser' Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diane Smith On The Politics And Romance Of Dr Alex Fraser

Dr Alex Fraser was not only one of Wandin Valley's most beloved characters, but also became red headed representation on mainstream television for gingers everywhere.
This week, she takes us inside her time on A Country Practice, the politics of Dr Fraser, and the famous romance with the much older Dr Elliot.
Mel and Kim discuss an episode where Shirley
Links: Indigenous Healthhttps://www.naccho.org.au/about/aboriginal-health-history/history/https://ctgreport.niaa.gov.au/overviewGary Foleyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Foleyhttp://www.kooriweb.org/foley/whoisgf/who_is_he.htmlhttps://web.archive.org/web/20150601154357/http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/postcolonial-blog/2015/may/29/book-opens-pandoras-box-of-sad-tales-but-true-of-indigenous-experience
A Country Podcast Facebook Page Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter Last of the Wine Part 1 Last of the Wine Part 2 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACP’s Serial Killer: Writer Judith Colquhoun Talks Murdering Molly & The Rest

She killed Molly. She killed Sophie. She killed Alex and Terrence's baby.
This week, we meet Judith Colquhoun, known in ACP circles as someone who can 'do a good death'.
Jude wrote more episodes than anyone else of A Country Practice, so if you love ACP, you'll love her. She shares with us what it was like to kill off beloved characters, how Esme Watson became the character she was and what it took to get her to kill Alex's baby.
Mel and Kim are looking at Sophie Part 1-4, where Terrence's daughter Sophie succumbs to heroin addiction and HIV/AIDS.
Links: A Country Podcast Facebook Page Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter
Sophie Part 1Sophie Part 2Sophie Part 3Sophie Part 4Standing Up To The Grim Reaper: The Early Days of AIDS by Dr Alex Wodak AMTony Morphett's Bottom Drawer
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why Didn’t Lorrae Desmond Date David Bowie? Meet Shirley Gilroy at 91

Shirley Gilroy was the warm, beating heart of Wandin Valley, and today we're going to hear from Lorrae Desmond, the star who played her.
Lorrae takes us inside the show, who she loved working with and how David Bowie came to be a fan of the show.
Kim takes us inside the complicated history of adoption in Australia, Melanie does a deep dive on the Buchanan siblings.
Links:
Little Voices Part 1 on 7 Plus
Little Voices Part 2 on 7 Plus
Buchanan Siblings Fan Page
A Country Podcast Facebook Page Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How Australia’s Most Iconic TV Theme Was Composed by Mike Perjanik

It's Australia's most famous TV theme, isn't it? So exactly how did the composer of the A Country Practice theme, Mike Perjanik, come up with those magic bars of music that every kid who learned the piano in the 80s knows off by heart?
Mike joins Mel & Kim to take them through it.
This week: it's a look at a controversial storyline from the beginning of the series, and the life of an Australian acting legend you might not have heard of.
Links:
A Town Tragedy Part 1 on 7 Plus
A Town Tragedy Part 2 on 7 Plus
Colleen Clifford Life Story
A Country Podcast Facebook Page Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus: How ACP Handled Euthanasia and Sexual Harassment in 1988

Mel and Kim love doing the fortnightly episode of A Country Practice, but we missed talking about it this week, so thought we'd make an October surprise we could all enjoy!
This is an actual recap episode of A Country Practice where we look at Season 8, Eps 65 & 66. Conveniently for us, called 'Ethics'.
Big things go down in Wandin Valley: Terrence has cleared out in grief over losing the second of his three kids... and sexual harassment and euthanasia visits the town.
How does it all hold up in 2020? How is the sexual harassment dealt with? Is dear old Polly being taken advantage of by handsome Scott?
Links:
A Country Podcast Facebook Page A Country Practice on 7Plus - Ethics Part 1A Country Practice on 7Plus - Ethics Part 2
The Monthly - The Right To Die Or The Right To Kill?
Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Death More Shocking Than Molly’s? Caroline Johansson & The Demise Of Donna

Of course, the most famous death on A Country Practice was Molly's, there's no denying it.
But was the most shocking the death that came out of nowhere: Donna Manning's?
For Melanie, it's the most memorable episode of ACP from her childhood. In this podcast, Kim looks at how beautifully, storytelling-wise, Donna's death reflected the social issue being focused on.
Special Guest: Caroline Johansson (Donna Manning 1986-1987)
Links:
Mozart Rules Part 1Mozart Rules Part 2
A Country Podcast Facebook Page Melanie Tait on Twitter Kim Lester on Twitter
________________________________________________________________________
A Country Podcast is a fortnightly look at one of Australia's most beloved television shows A Country Practice - and what stories it told about Australian society in the 1980s and 1990s.
We'll be joined by all sorts of guests who worked on the show to find out what the show meant to them, and to the Australian television and film industry: actors, writers, producers, script editors. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From Extra To Esme: Writer Margaret Morgan On The Soft Power Of The ACP Script Office

My Sister's Keeper: Dr Elliot is held hostage, a visitor to Wandin Valley nearly drowns and Bob and Cookie get up to shenanigans.