AustLit

'Helen Tremaine returns to a remote island in Australia's far north Torres Strait where she had previously worked as the Remote Area Nurse (aka RAN). Helen has a talent for breaking rules and taking on the bureaucracy. That, along with local politics, love affairs and a savage outbreak of Dengue Fever, RAN draws you into the world of a woman who yearns to belong, and a community who love her but want her gone.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 12/6/2013)

'The island is rocked by a sudden and cruel death. Giddy, the son of the island's cop Mick (Belford Lui), drowns at sea while attempting to ferry contraband alcohol onto the island. Island Chairman Russ Gaibui (Charles Passi) goes on the warpath, enraged by the system that entices islanders to behave like furtive delinquents.

To ensure that Giddy's death was not in vain, he proposes to overturn the ban on alcohol and establish a wet canteen. Russ's daughter Nancy (Margaret Harvey), leads the opposition to the plan, claiming that it would spell disaster; a return to the bad old days. Russ woos Helen to his side, while an infuriated Nancy accuses Helen of being bought out by the promise of funds for a new clinic, and their long-term friendship feels the strain.

'But it is Russ's personal overtures towards Helen that are more unnerving. The moves he makes are subtle, refined, even flattering, but if Helen were to act on her feelings, it would destroy all the trust she has built up on the island, including that of the influential female elders. It would also be a betrayal of Russ's wife, Ina, whom Helen admires. And there's also a professional consideration; Helen has to guide Russ through a health crisis. It's all too impossible, however much Helen feels herself drawn towards this charismatic and powerful man.'

Source: Australian Television Information Archive. (Sighted: 12/6/2013)

The Cooks, a 13-part series made for Network Ten, centres on the relationships between the staff of rival restaurants. The series first went into production in October 2003 after the screening of the telemovie Temptation, on which it is based, in August. Episode one was screened on Network Ten 18 October 2004. Only one season of the series was produced, the final episode was screened 2 July 2005. The series was also screened in Canada.

'The Cooks begins with the return of Gabe Francobelli (Toby Schmitz) a young hot-shot chef who comes back to Sydney's inner-west after a year away working in the top kitchens of Europe. Gabe is shocked to find his family restaurant has closed down, having lost the battle to rival restaurant "R & R" run by Rita (Rhondda Findleton) and Gabe's former classmate and lover Ruth (Kate Atkinson). With help from two of his best mates Sachin (Nicholas Brown) and Dishpig (Leon Ford), Gabe reinvents his family restaurant renaming it "Snatch and Grab" and throws down the gauntlet to the girls. The battle of the restaurants begins: Classmate vs Classmate. Lover vs Lover. Boys vs Girls.'

Source: Network Ten publicity, October 16, 2003 (Sighted 27/01/12)

Adaptation of Jill Ker Conway's The Road from Coorain, focusing on her childhood at a remote sheep station and her secondary and tertiary education in Sydney.