$10 million lands in SA with Royal Flying Doctor Service series

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) series has flown into South Australia for the first time and is bringing $10 million for the state’s economy with it.

The TV Week Logie award-winning series has just begun production on season 3, which is now being filmed across South Australia.

For the first time, it is being filmed at the South Australian Film Corporation’s Adelaide Studios as well as at the Port Augusta RFDS base and in Quorn. It had previously been filmed in Broken Hill, where the airport, runway and RFDS facilities are undergoing works.

The production is expected to inject more than $10 million into South Australia’s economy and create more than 450 jobs across cast, crew and extras.

Co-created by Ian Meadows, Executive Produced by Sara Richardson and Julie McGauran and produced by South Australian producer Lisa Scott, RFDS will have a predominantly South Australian crew including 10 South Australian Heads of Department.

It will also deliver economic and employment benefits for South Australians outside the screen industry, with more than two thirds of expenditure on a typical screen production going to suppliers and service providers in other sectors such as construction, transport, hospitality, retail and more.

With much of the action unfolding in the stunning Flinders Ranges, the production will particularly deliver economic benefits for the local region, both during filming and then after, with an expected tourism boost.

The series, which won the 2024 Logie Award for Best Drama Program, is inspired by the heroic real-life stories of doctors, nurses, pilots and support staff of the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

The new season picks up one year later as the RFDS family is forced to grapple with the fallout of choices and deal with the domino effects of a tragedy.

The lead cast are all set to return including Emma Hamilton, Stephen Peacocke, Rob Collins, Justine Clarke, Ash Ricardo, Emma Harvie, Rodney Afif, Jack Scott, Sofia Nolan and Thomas Weatherall.

RFDS is produced by Endemol Shine Australia (a Banijay Entertainment Company) in association with the Seven Network. There is major production investment from Screen Australia, Seven Network and the South Australian Film Corporation.

It is set to air on Channel 7 and 7plus in 2025.

Quotes

Attributable to Andrea Michaels

It is very exciting to welcome RFDS to South Australia. It is the latest in a continued pipeline of major productions taking place in our state with the support of the Malinauskas Government.

Securing this amazing series is a huge win for the state, injecting $10 million into South Australia’s economy and creating hundreds of jobs for our local screen sector while showcasing Adelaide and our incredible Flinders Ranges to a national audience.

It demonstrates that South Australia is the perfect home for Australian television production.

Attributable to SAFC Chief Executive Kate Croser

We are thrilled to welcome Endemol Shine to South Australia for the first time with this beloved Australian drama series, strengthening our state’s international reputation as the premier location for Australian stories on screen.