The following article is taken from TV Week 2/3/91


FLYING DOCTOR LANDS IN GP!

Former Flying Doctors star Brett Climo has been signed as a special guest for three episodes of G.P. Brett is particularly excited about the role because the high-rating ABC drama is one of his favourite television programmes.

He begins filming this month as Daniel, the brother of Dr Nicola Tanner, played by Judy McIntosh.

"I believe the episodes were written for me, which is absolutely great," Brett says. "Daniel is a rebellious sort of guy. He hates resonsibility, but in the end he has to come to terms with that. There's a journey there which I like. It's different from the other characters I've played. Also, I think GP is breaking new ground for drama, the scripts are tight and the acting has a really ensemble feel about it. I'm looking forward to being part of that."

Brett's 18 months with The Flying Doctors ended last week when his character of Doctor David Ratcliffe died while attempting a daring rescue - and Brett couldn't have been happier!

"I asked the producers if David could die. I wanted it. I saw the episodes as a way of tying it all up for the character. And for me, after 3 solid years of television -18 months in Doctors and 18 months in A Country Practice - it was almost like a cleansing process. There was a sense of relief when I finished. I was very happy, but I tend to be happy when I finish something. I enjoyed my time in the show immensely, but I very much like moving on to something else."

That "something else" won't include a move back to his former home town, Sydney. Brett and long-time girlfriend Michelle have bought a house in suburban Melbourne. Brett draws distinct lines between work and his private life, believing the more he values and enjoys his "non-work" time, the more he brings to his acting.

"In the first few years I thought that it was fun getting paid a lot of money to do virtually nothing," he says. "But then you realise that if you want to keep acting, you've got to be realistic about what you get out of it. So, early on, I had it worked out that it was just work, that there was more to life that just acting, and I'm thankful that I was able to learn that while I was young."

"Obviously, acting is a very important part of my life, but I love my life away from work. I met Michelle when I was 21 and we have a strong relationship, so the past three years have been important to me in achieving balance between work and home. In this line of work, what you do when you're not doing it, is, in fact, what you bring to it."

Brett has no firm plans after his GP episodes, but would like to use the film experience he gained through working in the The Flying Doctors.

"It is hard to leave a series because it is secure, but television is such that in a long-running role you can often end up playing yourself," he says. "I think it's important that you put yourself in the firing line to experience something new. I'd like to be nervous about something again."