Starting Out
| Company type | Television soap opera |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Founder | Reg Watson |
| Headquarters | Australia |
| Products | Television series |
| Parent | Reg Grundy Organisation |
Starting Out is an Australian television soap opera created in 1983 for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation.
Background
Developed by Reg Watson to succeed the long-standing series The Young Doctors, this five-evenings-per-week drama was produced by Sue Masters, who had also been behind The Young Doctors. The storyline was set within a medical college and centered on young adults navigating their initial experiences of independence. The show debuted on 5 April 1983 in Melbourne and on 18 April 1983 in Sydney, occupying the 6pm weekday timeslot prior to the network’s news broadcast.
Cast
- Leander Brett portraying Aggie Dean
- Antoinette Byron as Laurel Adams
- David Clencie in the role of Ben McNamara
- Nikki Coghill playing Margot Fallon-Smith
- Tottie Goldsmith as Trixie Sheldon
- Alexander Sebastian taking on Simon Hamilton
- Rowena Mohr as Michelle Rivers
- Julie Nihill portraying Tessa Staples
- Peter O'Brien as Craig Holt
- David Reyne in the character of Paul Harding
- Yves Stenning playing Will Brodie
- Gary Sweet as Rod Turner
- Paul Williams portraying Peter Nolan
- Maurie Fields as Mac Rankin
- Suzy Gashler playing Yvonne Rivers
- Caroline Gillmer as Eleannor Harris
- John Grant in the role of Dr. Greg Munro
- Jill Forster portraying Dr. Judith Holt
- John Hamblin as Dr. James Holt
- Gerard Maguire playing Dr. John Rivers
- Anne Phelan as Mrs. De Soosa
- Marie Redshaw portraying Mrs. Lynch
- Colin Vancao as Russell Dean
Cancellation
Due to insufficient viewer ratings, the series was discontinued and taken off air by 20 May 1983. A number of episodes that had not been broadcast initially were shown intermittently outside of rating periods later that year. It was only during a late-night rerun in late 1989 that the entire set of 85 episodes produced was finally transmitted.
Reception
Robert Fidgeon from the Herald Sun ranked Starting Out among "Australia's All-time Top 50 TV Turkeys," describing it as a "senseless soap about unintelligent teenage medical students residing in a boarding house," noting it was intended to run for 17 weeks but ended after just three. Fiona Byrne, also writing for the Herald Sun, featured it in an article about "long-forgotten Australian TV dramas that caused audiences to disengage," highlighting its low-key launch on Channel 9 in April 1983, rapid withdrawal after just over a month, and lack of renewal for a second season.