Shortland Street

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This article is about the New Zealand soap opera. For the fictional hospital in which the series is based, see Shortland Street Hospital.

Shortland Street
Shortland Street Logo, introduced May 2007
GenreDrama
Created byBettina Hollings
Caterina De Nave
Jason Daniel
Directed byOliver Driver
Kiel McNaughton
Katherine McRae
Ian Hughes
Richard Barr
Geoff Cawthorn[1]
Starring(Ensemble)
Country of originNew Zealand
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons22
No. of episodes5,400 (as of 11 December 2013 ) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersSimon Bennett
John Barnett
ProducersCaterina De Nave (1992)
Brian Lennane (1992-1993)
Tony Holden (1994-1995)
Gavin Srawhan (1995-1996)
Lisa Page (2000–2001)
Harriet Crampton (2001-2005)
Katie Wolfe (2005)
Jason Daniel (2005-2008)
Steven Zanoski (2009-2013)
Simon Bennett (1997-2000, 2013—)
Production locations8 Tolich Pl, Lincoln North, Waitakere, Auckland 0610 New Zealand
EditorsAnna Benedikter
Matthew Allison
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time30 minutes (including advertisements-
24 minutes excluding)
Production companySouth Pacific Pictures
Original release
NetworkTVNZ
Release25 May 1992 (1992-05-25) –
present

Shortland Street is a New Zealand prime-time soap opera centering around the fictitious Shortland Street Hospital, first broadcast on Television New Zealand's TV2 on 25 May 1992. It is the country's longest-running drama and soap opera, being broadcast continuously for over 5000 episodes and 20 years, and is one of the most watched television programmes in New Zealand.

The show was originally screened as five half-hour episodes each week and initially receiving mixed reviews on its premiere.[2] After its launch it dropped in ratings and would have been cancelled if TVNZ had not ordered a year's worth of episodes in advance. By early 1993, the show's rating picked up and TVNZ renewed the production. Today, it is one of New Zealand's highest-rated shows, frequently making AGB Nielsen Media Research's top 5 programmes of the week.

History

After the cancellation of Gloss, Television New Zealand noticed the lack of New Zealand content on their channel and in 1990 set about creating a local equivalent of the Australian soap Neighbours.[3] Greg McGee at South Pacific Pictures wanted to do a series about the new private clinics emerging under New Zealand's Labour government, and suggested the idea to scriptwriter Dean Parker, who declined due to a dislike of private medicine, so TV2 and South Pacific Pictures purchased a formula from Grundy Television, who get a royalty cheque for every broadcast.[4] $10 million was given for an initial 230 episodes.[5] Caterina De Nave was hired as the show's producer and subsequently travelled to Australia to work with Grundy Television to work out an idea for the five times a week soap.[3] TV2 programmer Bettina Hollings suggested the setting of a hospital after reading an article detailing ideal locations of a drama, which included a hospital, a police station and a school.[3] De Nave worked with several storyliners including Jason Daniel and they worked out an outline of the show.

De Nave noticed Neighbours and Home and Away had a generally straight forward Australian cast and wished for the cast of her show to be culturally diverse to reflect New Zealand.[3] She also wanted the cast to have strong female characters to attract the necessary female audience.[3] Daniel created the character of Kirsty while De Nave created Meredith and Ken Catran created Hone.[3] The character of Stuart was originally planned to be gay but the plans made TVNZ nervous and were scrapped.[5] De Nave also wished to counter-stereotype races and made Polynesian Sam Aleni a paramedic as there was only one paramedic of Polynesian descent throughout New Zealand.[3] De Nave decided to make the setting that of a private hospital as it reflected New Zealand medicine at the time.[3]

The longest running characters Chris and Rachel as they were in 1993 and 16 years later in 2009

The working title was The Shortland Street Project after its planned filming location in a TVNZ-owned studio at 74 Shortland Street in Auckland Central. However, the studio was found to be too small for the required sets, and the production studio was moved to a warehouse in Browns Bay. After running through many name options, the original working-title was chosen and subsequently truncated to simply Shortland Street.[6] The name subsequently is a homage to the Shortland Street studios, which were home to New Zealand's first regular television broadcast in 1960, and were home to TVNZ and its predecessors' Auckland operations until TVNZ moved to its new purpose-built television centre on Victoria Street West in 1990.

Ratings were originally high after a successful marketing campaign but fell steadily throughout the year until 1993 when they rose dramatically.[3] The show would have been cancelled in the first year if it was not for the fact TVNZ ordered a year's worth of episodes.[3]

With high public interest in the show and a viewing figure of a constant 600,000, Shortland Street received more sets and the nursing uniform which was considered outdated was redone.[3] In 2000 an Australian consultant drastically changed the show so that it would suit the 21st century tone of New Zealand.[7] This included transitioning the hospital to a public hospital, bringing in low income families and writing off 14 characters.[7] Michael Galvin and Angela Bloomfield were brought back as their characters Chris Warner and Rachel McKenna and the show received a new producer.[7]

The show reached huge ratings in 2007 when a serial killer storyline was introduced, with five characters meeting their demise.[8] Episode 4000 saw the return of series original Dr. Hone Ropata for a six-week stint in 2008.

Shortland Street aired its first ever 90 minute episode on 2 August 2010. The episode featured Chris discovering he had a son with series original Alison Raynor in 1996, and the conclusion to the three-year Kieran Mitchell storyline which saw the shows second highest ever ratings. Shortland Street has since made the 90-minute episode an annual feature. On 18 April 2011, Shortland Street screened its first episode in high definition.

In July 2011, Shortland Street achieved a New Zealand first when it made its 2011 feature length episode available to purchase via Facebook, becoming the second ever TV show in the world to utilize this technology.[9] In August 2011 All Blacks Keven Mealamu, Anthony Boric and Jerome Kaino filmed a scene that aired on the opening night of the 2011 Rugby World Cup on 9 September.[10][11] The show added short transition scenes in which two characters in the hospital elevator discussed the wins or losses (the latter never actually happening) the All Blacks endured during the tournament.[12][13]

Characters

See also: Current Shortland Street Characters, List of Shortland Street characters, and List of original Shortland Street characters

Shortland Street stars an ensemble cast. Most of the characters are either employees of Shortland Street Hospital, or relations to employees of the hospital.

Since 1992, many notable faces have appeared on the soap with the only still remaining character from the original cast being that of Chris Warner. Though taking a 4 year break, Chris has been on the show the longest of the current cast and outstayed all of his family who either died or left. Rachel McKenna is another current long standing character, arriving to the soap in 1993 and making regular appearances since. Nick Harrison was also a long running character being on the show till 2005.

Characters on the show attribute and portray numerous different demographics found in New Zealand. These range from the rich and well off (such as Chris Warner) to the struggling and poor (Wendy Cooper). Other areas that are covered are groups such as ethnicities with Asian, Polynesian, Romanian and even Zimbabwean characters appearing on the show. In the first year of the show, it was decided CEO Michael McKenna's personal assistant Jenny, should be a solo mother to help draw in that demographic who statistically would be watching TV at 7pm. The show has also had a long string of families, such as the Warners, McKennas, Harrisons, Crombies, Hudsons, Jeffries, Valentines, McKays, and currently the Coopers and Avia-Levis, teenagers, helping young audiences and families relate to the show.

Several past cast members have made a name for themselves on the international scale with the likes of Temuera Morrison who portrayed Dr. Hone Ropata from 1992–1995 and a guest appearance in 2008, being cast in several Hollywood films and being recognized as Jango Fett in Star Wars. Martin Henderson who portrayed Stuart Neilson from 1992–1995 went on to star in The Ring and starred alongside James Franco in Flyboys and Cate Blanchett in Little Fish. Karl Urban who portrayed the recurring role of gay paramedic Jamie Forrest went on to play Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the 2009 Star Trek remake and is set to star as Judge Dredd in the upcoming superhero blockbuster Dredd. Marton Csokas who played Leonard Rossi-Dodds from 1993 to 1994, then again from late 1994 to 1995, went on to star in films such as The Bourne Supremacy alongside the previously mentioned Karl Urban and Alice in Wonderland. Kieren Hutchison who played the recurring role of Jonathon McKenna from 1993-1996 and again in 2011 went on to star as Andy Hargrove on One Tree Hill, Kerry Connelly on Wildfire and Jake Preston on Monarch Cove (2006). Kimberley Crossman, who played Sophie McKay from 2006- 2011, has also become famous both nationally in New Zealand and internationally with her work in America as a journalist, interviewing stars of the likes of Selena Gomez, and featuring as a protagonist character in Power Rangers (2012). Besides these breakout stars, Shortland Street has also produced a number of successful actors who participate in successful homegrown material.

Production

Shortland Street is produced by South Pacific Pictures, with assistance from FremantleMedia and Television New Zealand. In the first few years, the production was also assisted by New Zealand on Air.

Today, most of the filming for Shortland Street occurs at South Pacific Pictures Waitakere City studios, with Ferndale High School scenes being filmed at the nearby Waitakere College.[citation needed] The exterior shots of the Hospital are filmed on location at the Waitakere Studios at an existing section of a building dressed up to appear as the facade of a hospital entrance. Location scenes are filmed in Auckland, but other locations, including Fiji, Mt Ruapehu, Rotorua and Rarotonga have been used.

Originally, Shortland Street was filmed in North Shore City at South Pacific Pictures Browns Bay studios until their relocation to purpose built studios in Waitakere City in 2000. The original Ferndale High School was played by a North Shore college until the studio relocated. When cast members are hired their contracts are either 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 6 months or a year.

High definition production of Shortland Street started in early 2011, with the first HD episode broadcast on 18 April 2011 on the Freeview HD and Sky platforms.

Controversy

The show has always retained the appeal of being raunchy and controversial with the very first episode of the show featuring a sex scene between resident "Dr. Love" Chris Warner and his aerobics instructor. Another early controversy was that of a lesbian kiss between Meredith Fleming and Annie Flynn with several complaints laid to the Broadcasting Standards Authority but it went no further. It was not until 2008 that the show received its first ever BSA warning, when it featured an oral sex scene in mid-2008 between sexually confused Gerald and a fellow man.[14] A few months later, the show received a second warning for an episode in August 2008 depicting the brutal murder of Craig Valentine, who was beaten unconscious, then set alight in his car.[15] Again, a few months later, the show received yet another warning about a scene in January 2009 where Tania Jeffries hit a gang leader in the head with a hammer.[16]

Scenes aired in April 2010 sparked criticism when Leanne Miller and her daughter Nicole stated that the city of Tauranga was not "gay friendly".[17]

The show caused controversy in August 2010 when the character of Sophie McKay was shown to be being stalked by her university lecturer who she had been dating.[18] This upset the family of murdered girl Sophie Elliott who was killed by her university tutor, Clayton Weatherston, who she had been dating. The similarities upset the families with producer Steven Zanoski saying: "the storyline was a classic and not inspired by real events."[19]

The shows production department received several complaints following the lesbian love storyline involving Maia Jeffries and Jennifer Mason.[20]

A storyline aired in April 2011 which featured the Cooper Family try to go to the beach, but they get confronted by a group of Maori who demand money. This sparked criticism with some saying it was discrimination against Maori people.[21] Maori adviser Ngamaru Raerino stated that viewers shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and should have let the storyline completely unfold which reveals the group of Maori are protesting against a corrupt camp owner who had been polluting the beach.[22]

In September 2011, Shortland Street was identified as one of the main influences to people who self-harm, airing two storylines involving suicide attempts.[23]

International Broadcasting

 Australia airs on Foxtel's Arena channel weekdays at 11.30am - episodes are 6 weeks behind New Zealand.[24] Free-to-air digital channel 7TWO broadcasts the show at 5.00pm weekdays, and repeated the following morning at 09:30am. Episodes are almost 3 years behind current New Zealand episodes. Previous Australian broadcasters include: ABC1 2010-2011, UKTV 1997-2000, and SBS TV briefly between 1994-1995.

 Ireland airs on RTE One weekdays around 12:00pm and repeated late night at around 03:00am. Episodes are almost 4 years behind current New Zealand episodes. RTE has broadcast Shortland Street since 1996.

 Fiji , the show has been on air since 1994 screening weekdays on Fiji One usually around 8:30pm weekdays. It is one of the most popular shows in Fiji.

 Cook Islands, the show is screened on Cook Island Television at 8.00pm weekdays. It is one of the most popular shows in the Cook Islands.

 United Kingdom. The series was originally screened on various regions of the ITV network from 1993 to 2003. From 29 March 1993, Central Television were the first ITV region to screen the soap, beginning in an afternoon timeslot, 1520-1550. From April 1994 to 2000, it was shown in an early evening timeslot, at either 1710-1740 and, later at 1730-1800. Eventually the serial was moved to a lunchtime slot, 1300-1330 from June 12, 2000 and it remained here for over two years.
Meridian become the second region to start the series in mid 1993 around early afternoons until late 2001. Anglia start in April 1994 and followed central pattern before switching to Meridian from January 1995.
From May 1994, Border, Granada start showing the series as a replacement for A Country Practice, broadcast in the afternoons, at the own piece, although did use the early-evening example for a short time. In January 1995 Tyne tees and Yorkshire started the series as a replacement for The Young Doctors. By 1999 Border, Granada, Yorkshire Television and Tyne tees, dropped the series entirely, opting for local programming instead.
Grampian Television also started the series in 1994 but was dropped in late 1998. Scottish Television have never shown Shortland Street.
HTV, started the series in August 1994 showing the series in the afternoons, at the own piece, including early-evening example for a short time. The series was dropped in early 2000 but reappeared in by May 2000 and continued until early 2003.
From January 2003, the Carlton-owned ITV regions including Central Television, Westcountry, HTV and Carlton-London networked Shortland Street in an afternoon slot, 1430–1500, Monday to Wednesday, with a Thursday episode added a few months later. A special programme was aired (presented by Michael Galvin and Angela Bloomfield) introducing new viewers from Westcountry and Carlton-London to the show. However, Shortland Street failed to attract a significant audience in its new afternoon slot and it was axed completely by ITV and was last shown on 28 August 2003, finishing at episode 2367.[1] Central had shown the serial consecutively for over 10 years, leaving many fans in the Midlands very disappointed.

Shortland Street return to British screens on 23 August 2010, Living began airing two episodes a day from the 2007 season with Episodes 3736/3737 which originally aired in New Zealand on 21/22 May 2007 beginning on 23 August 2010 at 15.00-16.00 (and repeated at 10.00 the following morning). However four weeks into its run, the morning repeats were dropped by Living, and as of Monday 20 September moving from 15.00-16.00 and 12.00-13.00. As from Monday 27 September 2010, it was shown on Living Loves from 18.00-19.00 Monday to Friday with five repeat episodes shown on Saturday and Sunday mornings. After just over two months on-air, it was axed by Sky with the final episode shown on 29 October 2010.[25]

 South Africa, in previous years South Pacific Pictures publicity has claimed the show was sold to the South African black homeland of Bophuthatswana, which journalists have used to demonstrate Shortland Street's interracial appeal.[26][27]

References

  1. ^ http://tvnz.co.nz/shortland-street/meet-directors-take-2-5458076
  2. ^ "And they said it wouldn't last - Shortland Street - tvnz.co.nz". Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Shortland Street - Production, Text and Audience (First ed.). Auckland: Macmillan Publishers New Zealand. 1996. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |month= (help); Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  4. ^ Hay, Natasha (27 October 2012). "Dean Parker's The Tigers of Wrath". NZ Listener. APN Holdings NZ Ltd. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  5. ^ a b Bennett, Cath (23 May 2010). "Shorty road to success". stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media. Retrieved September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ "Shortland Street's secrets". The New Zealand Herald. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Cleave, Louisa (5 April 2001). "Shortland Street gets real". The New Zealand Herald. APN News & Media. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
  8. ^ "We're rating through the roof! " SHORTLAND STREET FEATURES " tvnz.co.nz". Retrieved 25 February 2008. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ TVNZ. "Shortland Street goes viral | Shortland Street | News". Throng. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Players get in on the action with Shortland Street". NZherald. August 2011. Retrieved August 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  11. ^ "All Blacks film Shortland Street cameo". Throng. August 2011. Retrieved August 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  12. ^ "Shortland Street to acknowledge RWC results as they happen". Throng. August 2011. Retrieved August 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  13. ^ "All Blacks to star in Shortland Street". TVNZ. August 2011. Retrieved August 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  14. ^ "Shortland Street Gay Scene Breaches BSA | Scoop News". Scoop.co.nz. 8 December 2008. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  15. ^ regan. "BSA deals Shortland Street its second ruling | Shortland Street | News". Throng. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Shortland Street in trouble with BSA again". Throng forum.[dead link]
  17. ^ "Shortland St gay remarks outrage Tauranga locals". 3 News. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  18. ^ Grunwell, Rachel (1 August 2010). "Shortland Street stalker storyline shocks fans, family". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  19. ^ Brad Kreft. "Shortland Street storyline upsets Sophie Elliott's family | Shortland Street | News". Throng. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  20. ^ "Increased Mother figures". Throng. January 2011. Retrieved September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  21. ^ Tahana, Yvonne (28 April 2011). "Shortland St defends Maori beach levy plot". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
  22. ^ Brad Kreft (28 April 2011). "Shortland Street defends Maori beach storyline | Shortland Street | News". Throng. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  23. ^ "TV soap linked to suicide bids". NZherald. September 2011. Retrieved September 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  24. ^ http://www.arenatv.com.au/shows/shortland-street.html
  25. ^ "ATV Network Today". Atvnewsnetwork.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  26. ^ Grant, Frances "Now We Are" New Zealand Herald 16 May 1998 p. D2
  27. ^ Wilson, Tim "Street Cred" Metro May 1999 pp. 71-77

External links

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