australian television information archive

SBS Independent announces new mini series

SBS Independent today announced the production of a new Australian mini series RAN (Remote Area Nurse).

This 6 x 1 hour series commissioned by SBS Independent and produced by Chapman Pictures and will screen on SBS Television in 2005.

The series has been written by John Alsop (Brides of Christ), Sue Smith (Brides of Christ) and Alice Addison (The Cooks) and will be produced by Penny Chapman (Brides of Christ) and directed by both David Caesar (Mullet) and Indigenous director Catriona McKenzie.

The series is being shot on location on the tropical and remote Torres Straits Islands.

RAN tells the story of Helen Tremayne, who returns to the remote island, where she has spent the last five years as its only medico, with a strong sense that this place is now her only home. Her mother has died and Helen is the last of her family.

But the island isn't the tropical paradise she remembers. The substitute nurse was a disaster and the Indigenous health workers are rebelling.

Helen has a talent for breaking just about every rule in the book. She has no choice - rules don't work in a place like this. She puts a local woman's needs ahead of departmental edict and only just avoids the sack. She veers close to an affair with the charismatic but Machiavellian island leader. She goes head to head in a major political battle with this same man. And ultimately she has to deal with a savage outbreak of Dengue fever and the near death of the man she has come to love.

Miranda Dear, Senior Commissioning Editor for SBS Independent said that, 'It has been a gift to work with such a talented writing and producing team on this uniquely Australian story - and I couldn't be more excited to be moving into production with Catriona and David at the helm.'

SBS Independent General Manager, Glenys Rowe said 'We are delighted to be able to bring such quality Australian drama to the SBS audience.'

'With a budget of over $6 million, RAN is not only the most exciting drama mini series we've ever done, but also the biggest single drama investment by either SBS Independent or SBS Television.'

Other investors in the mini series are the Australian Film Finance Corporation, Pacific Film Television Corporation and the NSW Film and Television Office.

Press release
July 23, 2004