Series synopsis
RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service is an Australian drama television series that premiered on Seven Network on August 11, 2021. It was created by Imogen Banks, Ian Meadows, Mark Fennessy. It stars Emma Hamilton, Stephen Peacocke, Rob Collins and Justine Clarke.
Based in Australia’s red heart, the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service navigate private lives as turbulent and profound as the heart stopping emergencies they attend. This series captures the beauty and brutality of Australia’s vast centre where the doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff of the RFDS negotiate the unique challenges of emergency retrievals across some of the most inhospitable places in the country.
Premise
Based in Australia’s red heart, the modern-day heroes of the Royal Flying Doctor Service navigate private lives as turbulent and profound as the heart stopping emergencies they attend. This series captures the beauty and brutality of Australia’s vast centre where the doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff of the RFDS negotiate the unique challenges of emergency retrievals across some of the most inhospitable places in the country.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Emma Hamilton as Dr. Eliza Harrod
- Stephen Peacocke as Peter Emerson
- Rob Collins as Wayne Yates
- Justine Clarke as Leonie Smith
- Ash Ricardo as Mira Ortez
- Jack Scott as Nurse Matty Harris
- Sofia Nolan as Taylor Emerson
- Rodney Afif as Graham Morley
Supporting cast
- Kate Mulvany as Rhiannon
- Emma Harvie as Chaya Batra
- Thomas Weatherall as Darren Yates
- Ash Hodgkinson as Henry Harrod
Guest cast
- Fiona Press as Sue
- Seb Muirhead as Barry
- Rick Davies as Ryan Jarvis
- Luke Furlan as Joe Galanis
- Luca Sardelis as Poppy Galanis
- Brendan Rock as Owen Tidwell
- Elijah Valadian as FIFO Sam
- Albert Ngo as Ambo Billy
- Elena Carapetis as Anna Galanis
- Lysa Maywald as Triage nurse
- Henry Cooper as Josh
- Mark Fantasia as Caleb Walters
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 24 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | August 11, 2021 | September 22, 2021 |
| Season 2 | 8 | August 15, 2023 | October 4, 2023 |
| Season 3 | 8 | October 1, 2025 | November 12, 2025 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 When new senior medical officer Eliza Harrod's first retrieval with the RFDS turns problematic, her team will be left wondering whether or not she has what it takes. |
August 11, 2021 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Eliza questions her decision to come out to Australia, as Pete's simmering resentment towards her comes to a head during a tense mid-air birth. |
August 18, 2021 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 When a seven-year-old boy goes missing in the outback, it's a race against time to find him as the RFDS is called to help his injured father. |
August 25, 2021 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Episode 1 Staff shortages have the team working at their limits. Amidst the chaos of the White Cliffs rodeo, Pete is forced to act outside his scope of practice when faced with a multi-casualty car accident. |
August 15, 2023 |
| 2 |
Episode 2 Pete discovers an emergency intervention he performed has had major repercussions, while the team are called to a retrieval where they are challenged with keeping a patient's explosive secret. |
August 22, 2023 |
| 3 |
Episode 3 Dr Harrod's first day back on the job produces some awkward moments and Wayne finds something of Mira's that causes concern. The condition of a child with a suspected head injury becomes life threatening when a snake bite is discovered on his foot and the RFDS is asked to transport a prisoner. |
August 29, 2023 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Sieve & Sort One year on, a devastating bus crash brings the RFDS team together again. |
October 1, 2025 |
| 2 |
Separation Anxiety In the wake of the crash, Eliza second-guesses herself; Pete and Wayne struggle to separate their personal grievances from the job at hand. |
October 8, 2025 |
| 3 |
Source Control Eliza and Pete remain at odds as they work on an embarrassing case together; Wayne struggles to turn his professional switch off while looking after Kalthi. |
October 15, 2025 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | Seven Network |
|---|---|
| First aired | August 11, 2021 |
| Last aired | November 12, 2025 |
| Runtime | 43 minutes |
| Status | continue |
| Schedule | Wednesday at 19:30:00 |