Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • Shows by Decade
        • 1950s Television
        • 1960s Television
        • 1970s Television
        • 1980s Television
        • 1990s Television
      • Shows by Genre
        • Comedy
        • Drama
        • Kids TV
        • Variety
        • News & Sport
        • Advertisements
      • Shows by Country
        • UK TV
        • USA TV
        • Australia & NZ TV
        • Canada TV
        • Europe TV
        • Japan TV
      • Shows A to K
        • Shows A
        • Shows B
        • Shows C
        • Shows D
        • Shows E
        • Shows F
        • Shows G
        • Shows H
        • Shows I
        • Shows J
        • Shows K
      • Shows L to Z
        • Shows L
        • Shows M
        • Shows N
        • Shows O
        • Shows P
        • Shows Q
        • Shows R
        • Shows S
        • Shows T
        • Shows U
        • Shows V
        • Shows W
        • Shows X
        • Shows Y
        • Shows Z
      • Shows 0 to 9
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • 1950s Music
        • 1960s Music
        • 1970s Music
        • 1980s Music
        • 1990s Music
      • Music A to K
        • Music A
        • Music B
        • Music C
        • Music D
        • Music E
        • Music F
        • Music G
        • Music H
        • Music I
        • Music J
        • Music K
      • Music L to Z
        • Music L
        • Music M
        • Music N
        • Music O
        • Music P
        • Music Q
        • Music R
        • Music S
        • Music T
        • Music U
        • Music V
        • Music W
        • Music X
        • Music Y
        • Music Z
      • Music 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • 1950s Movies
        • 1960s Movies
        • 1970s Movies
        • 1980s Movies
        • 1990s Movies
      • Movies by Country
        • UK Movies
        • USA Movies
        • Australia & NZ Movies
        • Canada Movies
        • Europe Movies
        • Japan Movies
      • Movies A to K
        • Movies A
        • Movies B
        • Movies C
        • Movies D
        • Movies E
        • Movies F
        • Movies G
        • Movies H
        • Movies I
        • Movies J
        • Movies K
      • Movies L to Z
        • Movies L
        • Movies M
        • Movies N
        • Movies O
        • Movies P
        • Movies Q
        • Movies R
        • Movies S
        • Movies T
        • Movies U
        • Movies V
        • Movies W
        • Movies X
        • Movies Y
        • Movies Z
      • Movies 0 to 9
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Radio
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Shows by Decade»1990s Television
    1990s Television Comedy Shows L 3 Mins Read

    Let the Blood Run Free

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 9 0 (Australia)
    13 x 30 minute episodes
    1 9 9 2 – 1 9 9 3 (Australia)
    13 x 30 minute episodes

    Let The Blood Run Free began life as a live improvised soap opera spoof about a decaying hospital that packed houses at The Last Laugh Comedy Club in Melbourne in 1985 and 1986. The stage version involved the audience voting at crucial stages of the plot, with the cast following their bidding.

    In 1989, Ian McFadyen, creator of The Comedy Company approached the cast about creating a television version and the show premiered in August 1990. Australian television audiences had never seen anything like it.

    The series – set in the crumbling St Christopher’s Hospital – featured wall-to-wall bad taste jokes, gallons of blood, grotesquely artificial violence and explicit sexuality and each 30-minute episode ended with a cliff-hanger and a voice-over asking viewers to phone in and vote for one of two possible storyline developments. The following week’s episode was then written to accommodate the viewers’ response.

    Lynda Gibson did a great job as the gleefully evil Matron Dorothy Conniving-Bitch, and Peter Rowsthorn hammed it up superbly as the bumbling, dribbling Warren Cronkshonk.

    The hugely talented Jean Kittson (The Big Gig) was wasted in her role as Nurse Pam Sandwich, while Brian Nankervis, as the ultra-pure Dr Ray Good, did not distinguish himself clearly enough from his other well-known TV persona, the poet Raymond J Bartholomeusz.

    David Swann played Dr Richard Lovechild, the Ferrari-driving medical entrepreneur with a string of lucrative private practices and an interest in football team ownership.

    The series attracted a cult following when it first aired (on Channel Ten) on Australian television in 1990 but did not rate well. Incredibly, it was subsequently sold to various countries including England, Germany, Canada, Spain, Sweden, Holland and Swaziland.

    A 13-episode second series was made in 1992/1993 specifically for the overseas market (particularly Germany) but showed no signs of advancement on the first, and – apart from some wonderful send-ups of classic scenes from Prisoner – offered little to sustain the viewer.

    Channel Ten declined to air the second series, although the episodes were screened for a short run in select Australian cinemas.

    Although Let The Blood Run Free was never meant to be taken seriously, it must rate very near the top of the list of ‘worst ever Australian television shows’.

    Nurse Pam Sandwich
    Jean Kittson
    Dr Ray Good
    Brian Nankervis
    Nurse Effie Shunt
    Helen Knight
    Dr Richard Lovechild
    David Swann
    Warren Cronkshonk
    Peter Rowsthorn
    Matron Dorothy Conniving-Bitch
    Lynda Gibson
    Inspector Slabb
    Mark Cutler
    Carla La Bum Diai
    Paula Gardner
    Saint Christopher
    Matthew Green
    Announcer
    Andrew Goodone

    Related Posts

    • Cuckoo in the Nest
      Cuckoo in the Nest
      1 9 7 8 - 1 9 7 9 (Australia) 4 x 30 minute episodes This atrocious sitcom from Channel…
    • Father Dear Father In Australia
      Father Dear Father In Australia
      1 9 7 8 (Australia) 14 x 30 minute episodes Five years after the last Father, Dear Father was made by Thames Television,…
    • Late Show, The
      Late Show, The
      1 9 9 2 - 1 9 9 3 (Australia) 40 x 60 minute episodes One of the most successful and…
    • Take That
      Take That
      1 9 5 7 - 1 9 5 9 (Australia) 70 x 15 minute episodes Australia’s first TV sitcom and…
    • Tea Ladies, The
      Tea Ladies, The
      1 9 7 8 (Australia) 8 x 30 minute episodes This short-lived Australian comedy series from ATV-0 was set in Parliament…
    • Animal Hospital
      Animal Hospital
      1 9 9 4 - 2 0 0 4 (UK) Animal Hospital began as Animal Hospital Live, a twice-daily report on events at…
    • Tonight with Bert Newton
      Tonight with Bert Newton
      1 9 8 4 (Australia) One of the biggest television flops in Australia in 1984 was the Nine Network's Tonight with…
    • Ryan and Ronnie
      Ryan and Ronnie
      1 9 7 1 - 1 9 7 3 (UK) 20 x 30 minute episodes Originally broadcast regionally in the Welsh…

    Australia
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleFair Game
    Next Article Dogs Playing Poker

    Comments are closed.

    A Labour of Love

    Nostalgia Central has been a labour of love for me since 1998.

    If you find the site informative or enjoyable, please consider a donation – no matter how small – to help me with the running costs of the site and ensure I can keep Nostalgia Central running for your entertainment and education.

    Thank you so much, and please enjoy your trip in the time machine!
    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Ruth Brown
      Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, in 1928,  Ruth Brown (real name […]
    • Private Lessons (1981)
      Sylvia Kristel takes her notoriety as princess of soft-porn in […]
    • I Married Joan
      1 9 5 2 – 1 9 5 7 (USA) 98 x 30 minute episodes Comedienne […]
    • Bread (1971)
      On their way home from the Isle of Wight Pop Festival, five […]
    • Kodak Instamatic Camera
      The first Kodak Instamatic camera – the 50 – arrived […]
    • Intrigue
      1 9 6 6 (UK) 12 x 60 minute episodes Investigator Gavin Grant […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    60 years of Billy Liar: how the Bradford locations have changed today ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    60 years of Billy Liar: how the Bradford locations have changed today

    theb.fi

    Not everything is at it seems about the shooting locations for this classic story of a Yorkshire daydreamer.
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 7
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    “I’ll tell you what Charlie, there’s always been a Holroyd at Holroyd’s mill and by god there always will be” Love this film.

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-65006801 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Terry Hall: Coventry scooter ride-out pays tribute to singer

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Hundreds of people ride through Coventry on what would have been the singer's 64th birthday.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    metro.co.uk/2023/03/13/the-whos-roger-daltrey-thinks-theres-no-point-releasing-an-album-18434779/ ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    The Who's Roger Daltrey thinks there's 'no point' releasing another album

    metro.co.uk

    Bad luck.
    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-64963359 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Sir Michael Caine's first Rolls Royce sells at Duxford for £120K

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The Italian Job actor hired a chauffeur to drive the 1968 Silver Shadow, with its doors still intact.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64900348 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mystic Meg: Astrologer dies aged 80

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The TV star, whose real name was Margaret Lake, was a well-known TV figure in the 1990s.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Do you think she know it eas going to happen

    PlayTalk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay

    Talk Teletext (1976) | BFI Replay ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 8
    • Shares: 2
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71.
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Gary Rossington: Lynyrd Skynyrd's last founding member dies aged 71

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Guitarist Gary Rossington had survived a 1977 air crash that killed several of his bandmates.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 2
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    What a talented man. Lucky enough to see original band in concert. BRILLIANT.

    Rest in peace Dickie Davies. An absolute giant of British sports broadcasting.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Dickie Davies, World of Sport presenter, dies at 94

    www.theguardian.com

    The broadcaster became something of a cult figure after fronting the ITV show for 20 years
    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    Yes, one of the great presenters. R.I.P.

    For fans of the radio series Round The Horne (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty close to the edge, even by modern standards. Bona! 

https://open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA

    For fans of the radio series "Round The Horne" (1965 - 1968) - starring the inimitable Kenneth Williams - there are several full episodes on Spotify. Some of the humour is still pretty "close to the edge", even by modern standards. Bona!

    open.spotify.com/show/7DIM1wfGKwDis0uzsjHeP7?si=pG0_U0TjRKGzVDvrePs4vA
    ... See MoreSee Less

    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 12
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    For those interested, the complete “Jules and Sandy” is available on Audible…

    Bona to vada your jolly old eek. Lovely riah....

    RIP the beautiful Stella Stevens, who has died at the age of 84.

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Stella Stevens: Nutty Professor and Poseidon Adventure star dies at 84

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The co-star of Elvis Presley also worked in TV on series such as Murder She Wrote and Magnum, P.I.
    1 month ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Tag Cloud
    Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games British Invasion Britpop Bubblegum music Canada Civil rights Cold War Computer games Crime Disc Jockeys Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Folk rock Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen James Bond JFK Kraütrock Labels Madchester Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave New Zealand Nixon Northern Soul NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Politics Power Pop Prog rock Pub rock Punk Radio Reggae Rolling Stones Scotland Ska Ska revival Skiffle Soul music Space Race Sport Surf music Video games Vietnam war
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central. Run by volunteers. Funded by donations.
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.