A Country Practice began quietly in non-ratings in November, 1981, but by the end of the summer, Seven knew they had a smash hit on their hands.
Cast member Anne Tenney, who became one of its breakout stars playing Molly Jones, had grown up without television, so she was somewhat unprepared for the reaction. “I never understood the connection people had with a soap or long running series,” she told the Guardian. “It was only years later, when I became hooked on UK series This Life, that I got the appeal.”
The characters all became household names – including Doris the pig and Fatso the wombat – but the audience was particularly obsessed with two young couples in Wandin Valley: fashionista and environmentalist Molly (Tenney) and her husband, nurse Brendan (Shane Withington); and vet Vicky (Penny Cook) and doctor Simon (Grant Dodwell), who were circling each other in the lead-up to the wedding of the year.
But in 1985 – in a scene remembered by many as one of the most heartbreaking in Australian TV history – Molly would die of leukaemia, while lying on a couch in the garden watching Brendan play with their daughter Chloe (Emily Nicol). The couple’s on-screen romance spilled over into real life; they are still married today.
We spoke to cast and creatives about the lead-up, the moment and the aftermath.
‘We did things other shows wouldn’t’
Anne Tenney (Molly): I had always been passionate about the local environment, so I really identified with that part of Molly. But Wandin Valley was a conservative place and she worked outside of the norm – which is why the locals called her “Mad Molly”.
Judith Colquhoun (writer): Molly was radical, but environmental issues weren’t considered dangerous or evil back then. It was OK to want to save the planet. All of the writers were leftwing and liberal, but we needed the audience to come along with us on certain issues, and not be offended.
Shane Withington (Brendan): We did things other shows wouldn’t. Brendan was a male nurse – a gentle, softly spoken, kind-hearted man, and one not seen before in country dramas where men were often cow hands or yokel stereotypes. Lots of men say they became nurses because of Brendan, but women did too. Even today, if I ever have to go to casualty, I get treated like royalty.
Judith Colquhoun: We tackled difficult topics like euthanasia, domestic violence, nuclear disarmament and homosexuality – plus Molly was very big on feminist issues.
Anne Tenney: It was made easy for us to have access to the writers, and there was respect for artists’ creativity and having your own voice. I am so appreciative of that because that’s not something you usually get. They were wonderful.
‘I didn’t want to be her forever’
Molly was diagnosed with leukaemia, inspired by Debra Winger’s death in 1983’s Terms of Endearment, but also chosen because scriptwriters wanted to keep their options open. Colquhoun became known as the show’s “Queen of Death” for also killing off Molly’s premature baby boy, and most of Terence’s (Shane Porteous) family. Creator James Davern promised that Molly herself would get “a lovely, long, sad death, the best we can manage”.
Shane Withington: In 1986, there was a survey of the most recognisable people in Australia. Bob Hawke was number one, Grant Dodwell [Simon] was second and I was third. But nothing lasts forever … I always felt like Brendan was tagging along on Molly’s coattails, especially given her hysterical wardrobe. Compared to that, I was the plain Jane, but always happy to be in her shadow.
Anne Tenney: I had been there four and a half years and as much as I loved Molly, I didn’t want to be identified with her forever, or be typecast.
Shane Withington: I was concerned about [Anne] leaving because I always thought we would go together. But our producer thought it was too big a wrench to lose both Molly and Brendan at once, so I said I would hang for another year.
Judith Colquhoun: There was always the possibility that Annie might change her mind, so Molly needed to get something she could survive from. We all loved her, she loved the show, but Annie felt she had done her time and we understood that. When we finally wrote her final episode, everyone in the writers’ room was shedding tears, including all the guys.
Shane Withington: I always refer to “Molly’s death” as “Brendan’s grief” because I was the one running with a kite, which technically qualifies as a stunt, plus I was wrangling the kid. And there was dialogue too, as I cried out her name – once. All she had to do was close her eyes! … Annie always says her epitaph will be: “This time Molly really dies.”
‘I was really concerned about kids watching’
Seven executives panicked when they realised that Molly would die during a non-ratings period. Repeats, showing a healthy Molly in happier times, were hastily inserted, so that her last episode could reap big ratings on 5 June 1985. As full-page newspaper ads ran that simply said, “Thanks for everything Molly,” Anne Tenney, in need of a break, flew out of the country to avoid the reaction.
Shane Withington: I can’t ever remember getting flak from anyone. Instead, it was always people saying how beautiful it was and how it helped explain death to kids.
Anne Tenney: I was really concerned about kids watching because it was a family show that got fan mail from grandparents all the way down to five-year-olds.
Shane Withington: There were fiery debates with writers and cast because we all understood the power of the show. We received letters for years afterwards from people whose kids had leukaemia, and they all said we had helped them get through their own grief. Now that is a privilege.
Anne Tenney: I don’t think you can separate the death of Molly with the life of the show. It was so brilliantly conceived and all of the characters were loved. People were attached to them, and any character dying like that would have had an impact. But Molly was particularly loveable, and it wasn’t just her dying, it was the death of a partnership and marriage, and a young child being left without a mother.
Judith Colquhoun: I went on the publicity trail for my first novel, Thicker in Water, in 2014, but all anyone wanted to talk about was Molly’s death. It was nice that it still resonated, but I was a trifle annoyed at the book getting no publicity because of someone dying a long time ago.
‘Molly would be concerned about Adani’
Judith Colquhoun: Molly would be out there with Greta Thunberg and all those school kids protesting climate change, and probably getting arrested like Jane Fonda. Good for her, too!
Shane Withington: Climate change for sure. And no more plastic!
Anne Tenney: Would she still be a hobby farmer? If so, she would definitely be more into embracing new farming methods and going biodynamic. She would be concerned about food production, rubbish in the oceans, and Adani and the Great Barrier Reef. Molly was always very passionate about things – and there would be lots to keep her busy today.
