G.P.

"GP" must rank as the best medical drama -and indeed the best Australian television series-that I have ever had the privilege of seeing. This TV show provided an in-depth, realistic and sometimes quite graphic portrayals of relevant and controversial medical issues -some which were particularly controversial during the late 1980s-early 1990s-and also provided us with an interesting insight into how treating these medical issues had an impact on the individual characters. Combined with an excellent cast of first-class actors and actresses -including Michael Craig (Dr. William Sharp), John McTiernan (as his nephew Dr. Robert Sharp), Denise Roberts (as the receptionist Julie), Brian Rooney (as Julie's son Michael), Sarah Chadwick (Dr. Cathy Mitchell), Judy McIntosh (Dr. Nicola Tanner) and many others-the excellent content contained in this script made it a privilege to watch.

Unfortunately toward the end of the show's tenure, the scriptwriters decided to transform "GP" into more of a soap and less of a medical drama. We had a lot of sickening love scenes, dramatic and unrealistic events and generally unappealing and unrealistic characters. It lost everything that had endeared it to me in the earlier days and I stopped watching it.

Nevertheless, during its peak, it was a wonderful show

I like the doctor with the massive eyebrows. I like the trumpet bit at the start.

"GP" was an excellent and insightful medical drama that provided interesting and enlightening insights into many controversial and previously taboo medical and social issues. The earliest episodes involved an excellent cast of actors that included Michael Craig as the wonderful Dr. William Sharp, John McTiernan as his nephew Robert Sharp, Michael O'Neil as the youthful and modern Dr. Steve Harrison and Sarah Chadwick as the modern, beautiful and outspoken Dr. Cathy Mitchell, Denise Roberts as nurse and medical receptionist Julie Winters and Brian Rooney as Julie's sometimes michevious but generally good-natured and kind son Michael Winters.

Over the next four years most of the original cast disappeared but new talent was injected into the show in the form of new actors/actresses including Judy McIntosh as the mysterious and somewhat reserved Dr. Nicola Tanner, Damian Rice as the controversial but kind Dr. Martin Dempsey, Marilynne Paspaley as the reserved but very professional Dr. Tessa Korkidas and Tony Lwellyn Jones as her psychiatrist husband and the various actors/actresses who portrayed their children. Each of these actors/actresses contributed a wonderful dimension to the show and made it the success that it was. While some of the episodes were better than others, a bad episode was the exception rather than the rule during that period.

Things started to decline in about mid-to-late 1994 when the producers of the show decided to modernize and "jazz up" the show. The emphasis was placed more on romantic storylines and main character relationships, the classic theme was replaced with a new and unappealing tune and the storylines became unrealistic. Good episodes became the exception rather than the rule and the show was scrapped in 1996. Nevertheless, for the majority of its time on air, the show was excellent