Channel 7’s popular new drama, RFDS, follows fictional nurses and doctors in the Royal Flying Doctor Service – and gives TV lovers the perfect opportunity to reminisce on The Flying Doctors and celebrate their faves from Coopers Crossing.
WATCH: RFDS portrays the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service
Thirty-five years after the miniseries that inspired the show first premiered, cast member Liz Burch is sharing her cherished memories of filming, flying and fun on set.
“I remember I was always cold,” laughs Liz, as she tells New Idea about her days of playing Dr Chris Randall.
“We filmed in Minyip [in regional Victoria] one week out of four. So we’d do the studio stuff, and then we’d go drive down to Minyip and shoot there. And we were terribly naughty.”
Liz pauses and chuckles as a memory comes flooding back.
“There was a couple of bits where Andrew [McFarlane, who played Dr Tom Callaghan] and I had to swim in a dam. It was really cold and these things started to bite us – they were yabbies.
“I didn’t know that yabbies bit you, but let me tell you they do! Andrew’s going, ‘What’s that? What’s that? Let us out!’”
“The director said, ‘No. Stay in there and do the scene!’ He was particularly horrible and made us stay there until the scene was done.”
“We had the best time. We all became very good friends. I think about all the marvellous people that were in the show, the crew and some funny … bits that I did with Andrew, which was great,” she adds.
“But I don’t remember an awful lot because it is a hundred years ago!”
These days, Liz is spending time enjoying a slower pace of life, thanks to both COVID-19 restrictions and a recent knee replacement operation.
“I call it my bionic knee,” she quips.
“I’ve just had that done, which has been the most unpleasant experience in my entire life. I did not think it would hurt so much. And I’m going to kill the doctor when I meet with him, because he lied. He didn’t tell me it would hurt at all.”
While her time in Coopers Crossing may have ended several years ago, Liz is still best friends with her former co-star and on-screen love interest, Andrew.
“He lives around the corner. I see him a lot,” she says. “Andrew is one of the nicest people that you could ever meet. He’s warm, he’s affectionate, terribly funny and we have a great sort of repartee with each other. It’s great!
“Before COVID, he used to come over here for dinner and we’d watch a film. Now, of course, we can’t. He’ll just drive past and waves through the roof of his car!”
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