RFDS (TV series)
Australian TV series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service is an Australian drama television series which centres on the lives of workers for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.[1] Commissioned by the Seven Network and produced by Endemol Shine Australia, it began airing on 11 August 2021. The second season commenced screening on 15 August 2023, and on 18 August 2024, the series was renewed for a third season, and filming began in South Australia.
- Imogen Banks
- Mark Fennessy
- Ian Meadows
- Ian Meadows
- Claire Phillips
- Adrian Russell Wills
- Jon Bell
| RFDS | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Production location | Broken Hill |
| Production company | Endemol Shine Australia |
| Original release | |
| Network | Seven Network |
| Release | 11 August 2021 – present |
Synopsis
RFDS centres around the lives of workers for the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Australia.
Cast
- Emma Hamilton as Dr. Eliza Harrod[2]
- Stephen Peacocke as Nurse Pete Emerson
- Rob Collins as Dr. Wayne Yates
- Ash Ricardo as Mira Ortez
- Jack Scott as Nurse Matty Harris
- Rodney Afif as Graham Morley
- Sofia Nolan as Taylor Emerson
- Thomas Weatherall as Darren Yates
- Justine Clarke as Leonie Smith
- Emma Harvie as Chaya Batra
- Elaine Crombie as Ursula
- Victoria Eagger as Georgie Madden
Production
Production on RFDS commenced in 2020. The series is written by Ian Meadows and produced by Imogen Banks for Endemol Shine, executive produced by Mark and Carl Fennessy for Endemol Shine Australia and Julie McGauran for Seven.[3]
The series was due to begin production in Broken Hill in March 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the series was temporarily suspended.[4] Production resumed in August 2020 along with announcement of more cast members including Emma Hamilton, Ash Ricardo, Kate Mulvany, Rodney Afif, Jack Scott and Sofia Nolan, with newcomers Thomas Weatherall and Ash Hodgkinson.[5] The first promotional trailer for the series was released in July 2021.[6]
In June 2022, it was reported that the series had been renewed for a second season, which was broadcast in 2023.[7]
In October 2023, it was announced that the series would be renewed for a third season,[8] which commenced production in August 2024.[9] Filming started in South Australia, in Adelaide Studios as well as on location in the Flinders Ranges town of Quorn, the Port Augusta RFDS Base and regional surrounds, which will double for Broken Hill, as the real Broken Hill airport and RFDS base were being upgraded.[10][11][12] The third season premiered on 1 October 2025.[13]
Broadcast
Episodes
Season 1 (2021)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Australian viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Jennifer Leacy | Ian Meadows | 11 August 2021 | 604,000[20] |
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Jennifer Leacy | Ian Meadows | 18 August 2021 | 513,000[21] |
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Jeremy Sims | Claire Phillips | 25 August 2021 | 465,000[22] |
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Jeremy Sims | Claire Phillips | 1 September 2021 | 472,000[23] |
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Adrian Russell Wills | Ian Meadows & Adrian Russell Wills | 8 September 2021 | 427,000[24] |
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Adrian Russell Wills | Ian Meadows & Jon Bell | 8 September 2021 | 396,000[24] |
| 7 | 7 | "Episode 7" | Jennifer Leacey | Claire Phillips | 15 September 2021 | 417,000[25] |
| 8 | 8 | "Episode 8" | Jennifer Leacey | Ian Meadows | 22 September 2021 | 417,000[26] |
Season 2 (2023)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Australian viewers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | "The Vortex" | Jeremy Sims | Ian Meadows | 15 August 2023 | 378,000[27] |
| 10 | 2 | "The Return" | Jeremy Sims | Claire Phillips & Ian Meadows | 22 August 2023 | 392,000[28] |
| 11 | 3 | "Corrections" | Rachel Ward | Magda Wozniak | 29 August 2023 | 375,000[29] |
| 12 | 4 | "Yartu/Crosswinds" | Rachel Ward | Kodie Bedford | 5 September 2023 | 307,000[30] |
| 13 | 5 | "Kaakutja/Brother" | Adrian Russell Wills | Adrian Russell Wills | 12 September 2023 | 283,000[31] |
| 14 | 6 | "Kaanya/Collapse" | Adrian Russell Wills | Ian Meadows | 19 September 2023 | 324,000[32] |
| 15 | 7 | "Boundaries" | Jeremy Sims | Claire Phillips | 26 September 2023 | 299,000[33] |
| 16 | 8 | "Kiira/Country" | Jeremy Sims | Ian Meadows | 4 October 2023 | 279,000[34] |
Season 3 (2025)
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Australian viewers (National) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Sieve & Sort" | Shawn Seet | Ian Meadows | 1 October 2025 | 771,000[35] |
| 18 | 2 | "Separation Anxiety" | Shawn Seet | Kodie Bedford | 8 October 2025 | 777,000[36] |
| 19 | 3 | "Source Control" | Adrian Russell Wills | Magda Wozniak | 15 October 2025 | 759,000[37] |
| 20 | 4 | "Non Negative" | Adrian Russell Wills | Ian Meadows | 22 October 2025 | 838,000[38] |
| 21 | 5 | "Blood" | Leticia Caceres | Julia Moriarty | 29 October 2025 | 794,000[39] |
| 22 | 6 | "Step Potential" | Leticia Caceres | Adrian Russell Wills | 5 November 2025 | 849,000[40] |
| 23 | 7 | "Duty of Care" | Ian Watson | Kodie Bedford | 12 November 2025 | 761,000[41] |
| 24 | 8 | "Accountability" | Ian Meadows | Ian Meadows | 12 November 2025 | 707,000[41] |
Reception
Ratings
| Season | Episode number | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||
| 1 | 604 | 513 | 465 | 472 | 427 | 396 | 417 | 417 | |
| 2 | 378 | 392 | 375 | 307 | 283 | 324 | 299 | 279 | |
| 3 | 771 | 777 | 759 | 838 | 794 | 849 | 761 | 707 | |
Season 1 (2021)
| No. | Title | Air date | Overnight ratings | Consolidated ratings | Total viewers |
Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewers | Rank | Viewers | Rank | |||||
| 1 | "Episode 1" | 11 August 2021 | 604,000 | 12 | 101,000 | 10 | 705,000 | [20] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 18 August 2021 | 513,000 | 15 | 116,000 | 10 | 632,000 | [21] |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 25 August 2021 | 465,000 | 14 | 100,000 | 11 | 565,000 | [22] |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | 1 September 2021 | 472,000 | 15 | 98,000 | 10 | 570,000 | [23] |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 8 September 2021 | 427,000 | 16 | 109,000 | 9 | 536,000 | [24] |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | 8 September 2021 | 396,000 | 19 | 118,000 | 11 | 514,000 | [24] |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | 15 September 2021 | 417,000 | 19 | 132,000 | 11 | 549.000 | [25] |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | 22 September 2021 | 417,000 | 17 | 124,000 | 12 | 542,000 | [26] |
Season 2 (2023)
| No. | Title | Air date | Overnight ratings | Consolidated ratings | Total viewers |
Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewers | Rank | Viewers | Rank | |||||
| 1 | "Episode 1" | 15 August 2023 | 378,000 | 13 | 104,000 | 10 | 482,000 | [27] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 22 August 2023 | 392,000 | 14 | 220,000 | 9 | 392,000 | [28] |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 29 August 2023 | 375,000 | 13 | 228,000 | 8 | 375,000 | [29] |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | 5 September 2023 | 307,000 | 16 | 120,00 | 10 | 307,000 | [30] |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 12 September 2023 | 283,000 | 16 | 148,000 | 10 | 283,000 | [31] |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | 19 September 2023 | 324,000 | 15 | 134,000 | 10 | 324,000 | [32] |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | 26 September 2023 | 299,000 | 16 | 125,000 | 11 | 299,000 | [33] |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | 4 October 2023 | 279,000 | 17 | 105,000 | 11 | 279,000 | [34] |
Season 3 (2025)
| No. | Title | Air date | Overnight ratings | Consolidated ratings | Total viewers |
Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Viewers | Rank | Viewers | Rank | |||||
| 1 | "Episode 1" | 1 October 2025 | 1,207,000 | 9 | 384,000 | 5 | 1,591,000 | [35] |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 8 October 2025 | 1,245,000 | 8 | 340,000 | 5 | 1,585,000 | [36] |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 15 October 2025 | 1,242,000 | 7 | 367,000 | 5 | 1,609,000 | [37] |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | 22 October 2025 | 1,336,000 | 6 | 354,000 | 3 | 1,690,000 | [38] |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 29 October 2025 | 1,302,000 | 6 | 398,000 | 3 | 1,700,000 | [39] |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | 5 November 2025 | 1,330,000 | 6 | 357,000 | 3 | 1,687,000 | [40] |
| 7 | "Episode 7" | 12 November 2025 | 1,147,000 | 9 | 365,000 | 3 | 1,512,000 | [41] |
| 8 | "Episode 8" | 12 November 2025 | 1,045,000 | 12 | 454,000 | 4 | 1,499,000 | [41] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Association | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Logie Awards | Most Popular Actor | Steve Peacocke | Nominated | [43] |
| Most Popular Drama Program | RFDS | Nominated | |||
| Most Outstanding Drama Series | Nominated | ||||
| 2024 | Best Drama Program | Won | [44] | ||
| 2026 | Won | [45] | |||
| Best Lead Actor in a Drama | Rob Collins | Nominated | |||
| Steve Peacocke | Nominated | ||||
Home media
It was announced by Via Vision Entertainment in June 2024 that they would be releasing the RFDS Seasons one and two on DVD in one collection.
| Title | Format | Ep# | Discs | Region 1 (USA) | Region 2 (UK) | Region 4 (Australia) | Special features | Distributors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFDS (Season One) | DVD | 8 | 2 | 21 December 2021 | None | PBS | ||
| RFDS (Season Two) | DVD | 8 | 2 | 9 April 2024 | None | PBS | ||
| RFDS (Season One & Two) | DVD | 16 | 4 | 4 September 2024 | None | Via Vision Entertainment | ||