Terence Elliott: Screenwriters' Punching Bag Quiz

Answer: Appendicitis

It took some months for the details of the tragic story to be revealed, but over time we learned that Terence was wracked with guilt over his son's death, roughly 3 years before the series started. When David complained of feeling sick Terence assumed he was making it up to get a day off school.

When the seriousness of his condition became obvious it was too late, as the boy's appendix burst.

Answer: She came to Australia as a refugee after believing him killed by Communist police.

Marta and Bela grew up in Hungary, behind the Iron Curtain. Bela participated in student protests in Budapest which turned violent, and Marta thought he had been killed. She left her home country soon afterwards and emigrated to Australia where she trained as a nurse. Years later it emerged that Bela survived the riots and after escaping Hungary dedicated himself to finding Marta.

Guest star trivia: Bela Szollos was played by Barry Otto, who is best known for winning an AFI Award for Best Supporting Actor in the hit movie "Strictly Ballroom". His daughter Miranda Otto gained international fame as Éowyn in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Answer: AIDS

In her first appearance on the show Sophie was portrayed as strong-willed but generally "a good kid". Sadly, over time her life spiralled out of control as she started injecting drugs, and she became infected with HIV from a dirty needle. She was diagnosed with AIDS while in Wandin Valley, because everyone in Australia seemed to save their medical crises for visits to this small country town.

Answer: Heroin overdose

Not long after her AIDS diagnosis, Sophie disappeared. Terence combed the streets for his daughter but when he found her it was too late; after her earlier assurances that she was off drugs, she relapsed and suffered an overdose.

Heroin addiction was a popular dramatic storyline for Australian shows in the 1980s, despite being relatively uncommon in real life. The media portrayal certainly made those of us in small towns wonder how anyone survived city life intact.

Answer: Terence's daughter who died soon after birth

Less than a year after the death of his older daughter, Sophie, Terence's new wife Alex gave birth to a baby girl who they called Laura. Laura was born prematurely and, with severely underdeveloped lungs, did not live long. To make matters worse, Alex nearly died from a post-partum haemorrhage.

Answer: A community in the outback

Not long after the death of her baby daughter, Alex was asked to provide medical services in a remote Indigenous community for 3 months. Working in the harsh conditions helped to bring a sense of meaning back to her life, and she decided to stay on permanently. Terence was unwilling to leave Wandin Valley but accepted that she needed a different life to his, so they divorced amicably.

Answer: Porphyria

Porphyria is a hereditary metabolic disorder that causes intermittent attacks. Symptoms include muscle pain, skin rashes, seizures and personality changes. History's most famous porphyria sufferer was King George III, although at the time the cause of the king's "madness" was unknown.

This wasn't the only time Terence fell foul of a child of a love interest. Later he was involved with Rosemary Prior, whose adult son was a gifted musician afflicted by schizophrenia. When Richard Prior met Terence the young man was suspicious of his future father-in-law, putting strain on relationships all round.

Answer: Post-polio syndrome

Terence was in a relationship with Rosemary Prior (another matron!) and things seemed to be going well when suddenly he broke it off and talked about retirement. It emerged that he was suffering from post-polio syndrome and, not wanting to be a burden, tried to cut himself off from people who loved him. Luckily he came to his senses and with treatment was able to maintain his lifestyle.

Post-polio syndrome is characterised by progressive muscular weakness, pain and fatigue. It can occur decades after an initial infection with the polio virus.

Answer: A drinking problem

Early in the series Terence was shown as a highly respected member of the local community, considered by his peers to be an exceptionally talented doctor and surgeon. However, his demons were hinted at when Dr Bowen, the new junior partner in the medical practice, found Terence passed out in his flat at night after drinking heavily.

While he usually managed to keep his alcoholism under control, even owning a vineyard, from time to time Terence would turn to the bottle and disappear for a while.

Answer: Yes

As they faced possible death, Rosemary promised to marry Terence if they made it out alive. He had wanted to marry her for some time, but she preferred a de facto relationship. They survived the fire intact, so the series ended on a high note with the celebration of the good doctor's third wedding.

For completeness, I should mention that a different TV network briefly reprised the series, but with a different format and very few of the original cast members it didn't last long, and is considered by many fans to be effectively a different show altogether.