Ovation TV, America’s premier arts network, will begin airing the first season of The Doctor Blake Mysteries next month. The original, period murder mystery series, stars one of Australia’s favorite, most versatile actors – Craig McLachlan – as the maverick town doctor Lucien Blake, an impulsive risk-taker who’s not afraid to upset the status quo. Created by George Adams and Tony Wright, the first season of The Doctor Blake Mysteries will begin airing on Ovation TV on Thursday, July 7 at 8am ET. With four episodes airing back-to-back every Thursday, season two will then begin airing on Thursday, July 21 at 11am ET.
It’s 1959. Dr. Blake has returned to this place he once called home, to take over his dead father’s medical practice. Everything seems peaceful on the surface, but seething underneath are the age-old passions of a regional town clashing head-on with the tension and fears of the decade to come. Haunted by the horrors of war, his own personal loss and changed by his experiences as a POW, the wry, dry, yet very human Dr. Blake undertakes his other role as Police Surgeon with precision and gusto – yet many find his unpredictable and unconventional manner unnerving. Ahead of his time, Blake looks to the science of forensics and his own understanding of the human heart and mind to help solve the mysteries that inevitably come his way.
Set in the gothic gold rush town of Ballarat, the wealth that built its grand architecture is long gone – but not the mysteries, murder, and deceit that linger beneath the surface of its faded glory. Beside Blake, helping and at times hindering, are his housekeeper Jean (Nadine Garner); her nephew Danny (Rick Donald), a young Constable; District Nurse Mattie O’Brien (Cate Wolfe); and Chief Superintendent Matthew Lawson (Joel Tobeck).
Episode descriptions below:
Episode 101 “Still Waters” airs on Thursday, July 7 at 8am ET
When a wayward girl from the local reform school is found dead in Lake Wendouree, Dr. Lucien Blake is immediately suspicious. He shocks the police with his unconventional investigative methods.
Episode 102 “The Greater Good” airs on Thursday, July 7 at 9:30am ET
On the eve of Anzac Day, Dr. Lucien Blake is called to the morgue where the attendant has been murdered. With the autopsy tools and a body missing, Dr. Blake smells a rat.
Episode 103 “Death of a traveling salesman.” airs on Thursday, July 7 at 11am ET
When a travelling salesman dies in a car accident, police blame alcohol. Dr. Blake concludes that the victim was not drunk and died before the crash of very unusual causes.
Episode 104 “Brotherly Love” airs on Thursday, July 7 at 12:30pm ET
A delirious prisoner on death row tells Dr. Lucien Blake he is innocent of the police shooting for which he is soon to hang. Dr. Blake pulls out all stops to uncover the truth.
Episode 105 “Hearts and Flowers” airs on Thursday, July 14 at 8am ET
Things get very ugly in Ballarat when the Begonia Festival’s head judge is found incinerated in his own glasshouse, all eyes turn to two feuding contestants.
Episode 106 “If the Shoe Fits” airs on Thursday, July 14 at 9:30am ET
The death of a migrant factory foreman initially looks like an industrial accident. Dr. Blake digs deeper revealing a hideous string of crimes and the ugly side of post war Australia. Meanwhile, Jean receives a marriage proposal.
Episode 107 “Bedlam” airs on Thursday, July 14 at 11am ET
A psychiatric inmate is found murder weapon in hand at the scene of a brutal murder. The inmate also confesses but Dr. Blake doubts the case is quite as neat as it appears.
Episode 108 “Game of Champions” airs on Thursday, July 14 at 12:30pm ET
Doctor Lucien Blake is drawn into the new world of TV when contestants of a successful TV Quiz Show start dying.
Episode 109 “All That Glitters” airs on Thursday, July 21 at 8am ET
A prospector announces to a crowded pub that he has struck gold and later that night is found dead at the bottom of his mine shaft after showing off the nugget in the pub. The location of the murder triggers distressing war memories for Dr. Blake.
Episode 110 “Someone’s Son, Someone’s Daughter” airs on Thursday, July 21 at 9:30am ET
The suicide of Ballarat Hospital’s first female doctor shocks the community. Dr. Lucien Blake suspects foul play and sets out to find the murderer amongst the staff and board of the hospital.
Episode 201 “The Heart of the Matter” airs on Thursday, July 21 at 11am ET
Blake returns to Ballarat to find the newly elected Mayor lying dead at the bottom of the steps of the Town Hall.
Episode 202 “The Food of Love” airs on Thursday, July 21 at 12:30pm ET
Blake investigates the death of an up-and-coming rock and roll star, after he collapses in an alleyway behind the Hall after a show.
Episode 203 “A Foreign Field” airs on Thursday, July 28 at 8am ET
Doctor Blake struggles to discover the identity of an unknown man and uncover the mystery of who may have killed him.
Episode 204 “Smoke and Mirrors” airs on Thursday, July 28 at 9:30am ET
When a body plunges from the Colonists’ Club onto the street below, Blake is thrown into a case that takes him far beyond an accident or even a possible suicide.
Episode 205 “Crossing the Line” airs on Thursday, July 28 at 11am ET
Cinema patrons are shocked when a fire breaks out in the projection booth during a packed screening of Hitchcock’s Vertigo.
Episode 206 “Mortal Coil” airs on Thursday, July 28 at 12:30pm ET
When a second body is found in a coffin, Doctor Blake must work out how it got there and who killed this unwanted guest and that’s just the start of it.
Episode 207 “The Silence” airs on Thursday, August 4 at 8am ET
When a Ballarat school Principal is found dead, Blake and Lawson find themselves back at the school where they first met as boys.
Episode 208 “The Ties of the Past” airs on Thursday, August 4 at 9:30am ET
The murder of an artists’ model draws Doctor Blake into the art world, taking him on a journey of self-discovery as he uncovers a secret about his beloved mother.
Episode 209 “The Sky is Empty” airs on Thursday, August 4 at 11am ET
When the old parish priest is found dead, Doctor Blake needs to unravel the secrets and lies of parishioners to get to the truth.
Episode 210 “An Invincible Summer” airs on Thursday, August 4 at 12:30pm ET
When members of a wealthy, much respected Ballarat family are discovered brutally murdered in their own home, the town demands justice.
Episodes will also be available on demand and on the Ovation NOW app.
About OVATION TV America’s Premier Arts Network
As an independent television, production, and digital media company, OVATION TV has an unparalleled commitment to the arts, culture, and captivating entertainment. Showcasing a lineup of critically acclaimed premium dramas, specials, documentaries, and iconic films, OVATION TV salutes innovative storytelling with popular programming that includes Inside the Actors Studio, Murdoch Mysteries, Riviera, Frankie Drake Mysteries, Arts Engines, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, The Fall, Midsomer Murders, The Art Of, Celebrity Conversations, and The Sound of New York. Ovation also powers JOURNY, the dedicated streaming service where art, culture, and travel intersect. The company has provided more than $15M in contributions and in-kind support to arts institutions and arts education. Its signature advocacy platform, STAND FOR THE ARTS, includes a coalition of over 130 arts organizations, cultural institutions, and arts leaders throughout the country raising awareness about art’s positive impact, protecting access for everyone, and encouraging action on behalf of the arts. OVATION TV is available on major providers via cable, satellite and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DIRECTV/AT&T U-verse, SPECTRUM, Verizon FiOS, as well as on demand. You can follow OVATION TV on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, OvationTV.com, and through our App, OVATION NOW.