RPA (TV series)
Encyclopedia
RPA is an Australian reality television
show that is filmed at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
and shows the everyday workings of this major hospital in Sydney, Australia. Premiering in 1995, the program is based on the British series Jimmy's which was filmed at St James's University Hospital
in Leeds.
Operations are recorded on camera and the doctors provide commentary as they operate on patients.
A new RPA: Where Are They Now series, begun in 2007, runs for half an hour. It profiles the lives of patients who have previously appeared on RPA, recapping the original stories and showing follow-ups on the patients' lives or deaths following their initial appearance on the programme.
Both series are narrated by Max Cullen
.
A brand new series of the medical/observational series aired on the Nine Network
in October 2008. Max Cullen will continue to narrate. The program returned in February 2009 for another brand new series.
, who appeared in every episode of the 2001 series and in an episode of RPA: Where Are They Now.
Chris O'Brien
, a head and neck surgeon
, appeared since the start of the show but retired after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November, 2006. He recovered from his operation and his story was told on 60 Minutes..
A statement from Lifehouse at RPA on Thursday 4 June 2009 said the surgeon was nearing the end of his two-and-a-half year battle with the disease, and he was admitted to hospital on Wednesday 3 June. "Professor Chris O'Brien was last night admitted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after suffering a significant deterioration in his condition," Lifehouse said.Prof Chris O'Brien in hospital after condition deteriorates. He died on 4 June 2009, with the following episode of RPA dedicated to Professor O'Brien's work at the hospital and the show throughout the years
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show that is filmed at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
The Royal Prince Alfred Hospital is a major public teaching hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Missenden Road in Camperdown...
and shows the everyday workings of this major hospital in Sydney, Australia. Premiering in 1995, the program is based on the British series Jimmy's which was filmed at St James's University Hospital
St James's University Hospital, Leeds
St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, popularly known as Jimmy's, is one of the United Kingdom's most famous hospitals...
in Leeds.
Format
For the majority of its thirteen year run, each episode of RPA has run for half an hour. However, its initial 2007 run was broadcast in combined hour-long episodes, and its return later in the year saw it assume a permanent one hour timeslot.Operations are recorded on camera and the doctors provide commentary as they operate on patients.
A new RPA: Where Are They Now series, begun in 2007, runs for half an hour. It profiles the lives of patients who have previously appeared on RPA, recapping the original stories and showing follow-ups on the patients' lives or deaths following their initial appearance on the programme.
Both series are narrated by Max Cullen
Max Cullen
Max Cullen is an Australian stage and screen actor. Max has appeared in many Australian films and television series but is best known for his role in the film Spider and Rose and the television series The Flying Doctors and Love My Way.Cullen was born in Wellington, New South Wales...
.
A brand new series of the medical/observational series aired on the Nine Network
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
in October 2008. Max Cullen will continue to narrate. The program returned in February 2009 for another brand new series.
Awards
RPA has been nominated for an award at the annual TV Week Logie Awards in every year since 2000 (eight times in succession); from 2000–2006, it was nominated in the Most Popular Reality Program category, while in 2007 it was nominated in the Most Outstanding Factual Series category. It won silver Logies at the 2000 and 2003 Logie Awards.Other stories
A feature of RPA is its storyline nature, in that it has a strong emphasis on following the stories of patients throughout the series. Examples include Kenyan burns victim SafariSafari Kimanzi
Safari Kimanzi , best known as just "Safari" is a Kenyan who as a boy received surgery to correct disfigurement from severe burns...
, who appeared in every episode of the 2001 series and in an episode of RPA: Where Are They Now.
Chris O'Brien
Chris O'Brien (surgeon)
Christopher John "Chris" O'Brien AO was an Australian head and neck surgeon. He achieved national recognition as a compassionate surgeon in the reality television series RPA.-Early life:...
, a head and neck surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
, appeared since the start of the show but retired after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November, 2006. He recovered from his operation and his story was told on 60 Minutes..
A statement from Lifehouse at RPA on Thursday 4 June 2009 said the surgeon was nearing the end of his two-and-a-half year battle with the disease, and he was admitted to hospital on Wednesday 3 June. "Professor Chris O'Brien was last night admitted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after suffering a significant deterioration in his condition," Lifehouse said.Prof Chris O'Brien in hospital after condition deteriorates. He died on 4 June 2009, with the following episode of RPA dedicated to Professor O'Brien's work at the hospital and the show throughout the years