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Cameras roll on ABC’s Pulse

Claire van der Boom stars a transplant patient who became a doctor, in new ABC drama.

Production is underway on ABC’s new medical drama series, Pulse, in Sydney.

Claire van der Boom (Sisters of War, Rush, Game of Silence) high-flier Frankie Bell, a transplant patient who became a doctor. Eight years after she is brought crashing to earth by chronic kidney failure she is in her second year as a practising doctor in a western Sydney Hospital. Driven to use her second chance to save others, Frankie must confront an ailing health system, and face her toughest challenge – learning to let go.

Andrea Demetriades (Janet King), Owen Teale (Game of Thrones), Liam McIntyre (Spartacus: War of the Damned), Susie Porter (Puberty Blues), Arka Das (Top of The Lake), Penny Cook (A Country Practice), Blessing Mokgohloa (Hunters), Pallavi Sharda (Lion) and Renee Lim (Please Like Me).

Based on a true story, the series is created by Kris Wyld, Michael Miller and Mel Hill.

Producers Kris Wyld and Antony I Ginnane said “We have assembled an exciting and diverse world class cast for Clandestine TV’s first drama. Pulse will provoke and confront while tugging at your heartstrings.”

Beyond Entertainment’s Head of Fiction and Pulse Executive Producer David Ogilvy said: “Beyond is thrilled to be returning to scripted drama with Clandestine TV, a brilliant cast and creative team, and the inspirational stories of doctors surviving a life and death world.”

ABC’s Head of Scripted Production Sally Riley said, “With an extraordinary true story as inspiration and starring two of Australia’s finest young female actors, Pulse will rivet audiences with the life and death decisions faced daily by a group of young medical interns still grappling with the meaning of their own lives.”

Produced by Clandestine Beyond, Pulse is produced by Kris Wyld and Antony I Ginnane with Beyond Entertainment’s David Ogilvy and Ron Saunders and the ABC’s Sally Riley and Kym Goldsworthy as executive producers. Written by Kris Wyld, Michael Miller, Kristen Dunphy and Mandy McCarthy, Pulse is being directed by Peter Andrikidis, Jennifer Leacey and Ana Kokkinos.

Produced with major investment from Screen Australia in association with Screen NSW, Pulse is a Clandestine Beyond production for ABC, with international sales being handled by ABC Commercial

6 Responses

  1. Wow, it’s good to see Australian TV trying something new for a change. Because there just aren’t enough medical dramas on TV already. Nor are there enough legal dramas or cop dramas (it must be time for the ABC to announce a new cop drama – obviously with a middle-aged female protagonist).

    Can’t the ABC go a bit wild once in a while and try something new? We live in a world where seriously “out there” original TV is what people are after, so why does the ABC keep going back to its same old content? And it’s written, produced and directed by the same old faces. I can recall John Edwards’ warning about stagnant billabongs…

    1. I’ve written in the past how medical, legal and police have been the backbone of issue-based adult dramas for years for good reason (soaps aside): they bring in weekly cases, they allow for economic sets, enable heroic lead characters etc. You’ll find this in Aus, US, UK etc productions for similar reasons. At least this show has some new faces in its cast. ABC is also doing out there productions such as Cleverman and Glitch, amongst others, so the criticism seems harsh. I think wait for the execution before passing judgement.

      1. It sounds like it’s going to have the same problems Newton’s Law has. Maybe I will be wrong.

        I agree that Cleverman was out there, although it was poorly made and written.

        As for Glitch – no way is it out there. It’s a rehash of what the US and Europe have already done. And there was nothing interesting about it. The problem is that ABC probably thinks it’s a cutting edge show, and that they don’t have to do anything else cutting edge because they have Glitch.

        1. Agree Cleverman is not perfect, but at least they are doing something different, just as Glitch is doing. In an interview I published with the writer some years ago they spoke about how they devised it before The Returned etc. premiered and were very worried how it might impact their own show. Put that down to the long time it can take for Aussie productions to get to air. In any case, whether it is a re-hash as you suggest, a paranormal is “out there” by Aussie standards. Note it too has police at the centre, for reasons mentioned earlier.

  2. Thanks David. Sounds good, the fact it’s based on a true story gives it promise. Love Claire van der Boom. Haven’t seen her on screens for a while. I like the line up of the supporting cast too.

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