Starting Out

Starting Out is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983.

Background
The five-night-a-week series was created by Reg Watson as the network's replacement for the long-running serial The Young Doctors. It was produced by Sue Masters who had also been the producer of The Young Doctors. It was set at a medical college with an emphasis on young people getting their first experience of living away from home and leading independent lives. Starting Out debuted on 5 April 1983 in Melbourne and 18 April 1983 in Sydney. It aired in an early evening slot of 6pm week night’s before the network's news service.

Cast
The youthful cast included:


 * Leander Brett – Aggie Dean
 * Antoinette Byron – Laurel Adams
 * David Clencie – Ben McNamara
 * Nikki Coghill – Margot Fallon-Smith
 * Tottie Goldsmith – Trixie Sheldon
 * Rowena Mohr – Michelle Rivers
 * Julie Nihill – Tessa Staples
 * Peter O'Brien – Craig Holt
 * David Reyne – Paul Harding
 * Yves Stenning – Will Brodie
 * Gary Sweet – Rod Turner
 * Paul Williams – Peter Nolan

The more experienced cast members complementing the young leads included:


 * Maurie Fields – Mac Rankin
 * Suzy Gashler – Yvonne Rivers
 * Caroline Gillmer – Eleannor Harris
 * John Grant – Dr. Greg Munro
 * Jill Forster – Dr. Judith Holt
 * John Hamblin – Dr. James Holt
 * Gerard Maguire – Dr. John Rivers
 * Anne Phelan – Mrs. De Soosa
 * Marie Redshaw – Mrs. Lynch
 * Colin Vancao – Russell Dean

Cancellation
The series failed to gain sufficient ratings and was quickly cancelled and removed from network schedules by 20 May 1983. Some of the unaired episodes were screened sporadically out-of-ratings in late 1983. Not until a late night repeat run during the later half of 1989 several years after production did all of the 85 produced episodes go to air.

Reception
Robert Fidgeon of the Herald Sun named Starting Out as one of "Australia's All-time Top 50 TV Turkeys". He stated "For some reason Peter O'Brien said yes to this dumb soap about dumb teen medical students living in a boarding house. Planned 17-week run lasted three."