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Clip description
Anxious about competition from the 24-hour surgery up the road, Dr William Sharp (Michael Craig) has been urging his staff to adopt a more overtly caring attitude towards the clinic’s patients. As receptionist Julie Winters (Denise Roberts) sees off a patient, he hovers in the background keeping an eye on things. Patient Janelle Simpson (Georgina Gonczi) arrives with her mother Mrs Simpson (Mary Krogdahl) and the normally tetchy Dr Sharp has to try extra hard to follow his own advice.
Curator’s notes
This clip presents the episode’s lighter sub-plot and makes a useful contrast to the presentation of the central drama in clip two. There is no difference in camera set-up, lighting, sets or music; the difference is conveyed chiefly through the writing and performances, with an assist from the costume department in the case of Mrs Simpson’s oversized glasses and garish ‘80s jacket.
Mrs Simpson makes a comically appalling mother – tetchily snapping at her daughter – while the whining Janelle is not sympathetic at all. Dr Sharp’s condescending tone as he tries to maintain his cool, nicely contrasts with the clipped retorts of Mrs Simpson and the drawled colloquialisms of her daughter (‘Sez you … Well, whadda ya reckon?’). For a more sincere display of Dr Sharp’s style, see how he interacts with another young girl, Zoe, in clip two.
This scene works with the regular audience’s knowledge of William Sharp’s character and their ability to see that his ‘nice’ behaviour is different to his usual old-fashioned, no-nonsense bedside manner. This more comedic storyline also revisits a recurring theme from this point in the series: a contrast between the personalised care delivered at this small, family-run practice and the impersonal, production-line care at the 24-hour clinic down the road.
