The Doctor Blake Mysteries

The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Genre	Mystery Crime Period drama
Created by	George Adams Tony Wright
Starring	Craig McLachlan Nadine Garner Rick Donald (1st series) Cate Wolfe Joel Tobeck Charlie Cousins (2nd series)
Composer(s)	Dale Cornelius
Country of origin	Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	28 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Tony Wright Carole Sklan Christopher Gist
Producer(s)	George Adams
Location(s)	Australia
Production company(s)	December Media
Distributor	ABC Television
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	720p (HDTV)
Original run	1 February 2013 (2013-02-01) – present (present)
External links
Official Website

The Doctor Blake Mysteries is an Australian television series which premiered on ABC on 1 February 2013 at 8:30 pm.^[1] The series stars Craig McLachlan in the lead role of Doctor Lucien Blake, who returns home to Ballarat in the late 1950's to take over his late father's general medical practice after an absence of 30 years. Doctor Blake is a keeper of secrets and a solver of mysteries.^[2] The series is produced by Tony Wright and George Adams.^[3]

The Doctor Blake Mysteries was renewed by ABC for a second series on 28 February 2013; the series aired in 2014.^[4]

In April 2014, the programme was renewed for a third series.^[5]

Cast

• Craig McLachlan as Doctor Lucien Blake.

Blake left Australia in his 20s to study medicine in Scotland. Following a posting at a London hospital he joined the British Army as a medical officer. During World War II, Blake's service included the Far East where he fell in love and married a Chinese woman, with whom he had a child. However at the fall of Singapore, he lost them both. Dr Blake also spent time in Thailand's Ban Pong POW camp. After a 33-year absence, Blake returns home to take over his late father's practice as a medical general practitioner and also becomes the Ballarat area police surgeon.

• Nadine Garner as Jean Beazley

Blake's receptionist and housekeeper. Having previously served in the same capacity for his father, Jean has difficulty adjusting to Lucien's eccentric and sometimes oblivious behavior; although considered old-fashioned in her ideas about womanhood, she occasionally challenges Blake's expectation that she wait on him hand and foot. Her husband died in the war and she is aware that her living with the unattached Blake is a source of gossip. Shrewd and observant, she guards her territory zealously, missing nothing and expertly sifts gossip for kernels of fact, which she dispenses when necessary. Her maternal tendencies are often a source of annoyance to her nephew Danny Parks, whom she treats like a son, and lodger Mattie O'Brien, whose outgoing attitude she does not understand at all.

• Rick Donald as Constable Daniel Parks

Once a promising semi-professional cricket player, Daniel's career was cut short due to injury, as well as the need to care for his dying father. Dr. Blake chose to shoulder some of the responsibility, and in the process he and Daniel forged a kind of surrogate father-son relationship. As a policeman, Daniel often finds himself torn between loyalty to Chief Superintendent Matthew Lawson and Dr. Blake. He loves his aunt Jean unreservedly and forms a brother-sister relationship with Mattie O'Brien, despite her prickly nature.

Daniel is recalled to Melbourne at the end of Season 1 and is replaced by Senior Constable Charlie Davis (Charlie Cousins).

• Cate Wolfe as Matilda "Mattie" O'Brien

Ballarat's district nurse and a lodger at Dr Blake's house. She is driven by the urge to prove herself, often frustrated when she does not get the recognition she desires. Mattie often finds herself frustrated by the perceived failings of people around her, which does not endear her to others. She has a particularly prickly relationship with Jean Beazley, whom she considers behind the times and, as a housekeeper, a reminder of her own mother.

Mattie works closely with Dr Blake, whom she greatly admires. She takes it for granted that he favours her over the hospital staff, to the point that she appoints herself as his protégée. However, Blake maintains an emotional distance despite her attempts to break through.

• Joel Tobeck as Chief Supt Matthew Lawson

Born into a police family, Lawson is an old-school policeman who favours hard work and determination. Despite his exemplary record, he knows that the city police regard him with condescension. He maintains a wary respect for Blake, recognising his intelligence and contributions but annoyed by Blake's eccentric ideas and tendency to insert himself into investigations. Also, he expresses concern about the influence Blake has on Daniel Parks, to whom he acts as a mentor. Lawson also has a deep dislike of Patrick Tyneman (John Wood), with whom he is forced into a close working relationship.

Lawson is recalled to Melbourne due to "political reasons" and leaves the show in the ninth episode of Season 2, replaced by Douglas Ashby (John Stanton).

Production

The series is set and filmed in the gold rush town of Ballarat, in Victoria, Australia.^[3] It features Lydiard Street and many of the heritage buildings, including the Colonists Club of which Lucien Blake is a member.

The Doctor Blake Mysteries is produced by Melbourne-based December Media in association with Film Victoria and ABC Television, which also broadcasts it in Australia on ABC. The international sales are handled by British ITV Studios Global Entertainment.

It premiered in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2013 on BBC One.^[6] It is also shown by a number of other European TV channels and in New Zealand.^[5] The series airs on selected Public Television (PBS) stations in the U.S.^[7]

Episodes

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• The Doctor Blake Mysteries at the Internet Movie Database