Dr Finlay is a fictional character, the hero of a series of stories by Scottish author

A. J. Cronin Archibald Joseph Cronin (Cronogue) (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981) was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is ''The Citadel (novel), The Citadel'' (1937), about a Scottish physician who serves in a Welsh coal mining, minin ...

Short stories

The character Dr Finlay first appeared in Cronin's novella ''Country Doctor'' and in several subsequent short stories published in '' Hearst's International Combined with Cosmopolitan'' magazine from 1935 to 1939. The stories were later collected and republished under several titles, including ''Adventures of a Black Bag'', ''Dr Finlay of Tannochbrae'', ''Further Adventures of a Country Doctor'' and ''Dr Finlay's Casebook''. Dr Finlay is a general physician beginning his practice in the fictional Scottish town of Levenford. One of the later short stories takes him to the lochside village of Tannochbrae. In these stories he is charming and becomes well-acquainted with his patients over many years. It is thus his trademark to know them from birth to death and so provide a continuous relationship.

Adaptations

The stories were used as the basis of the long-running

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

television programme ''

Dr Finlay's Casebook ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' is a television drama series that was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's 1935 novella ''Country Doctor'', the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fiction ...

'', screened from 1962 to 1971, and the radio series of the same title (1970–78). In these productions the main character, rechristened Dr Alan Finlay, was played by

Bill Simpson Bill or Billy Simpson may refer to: * Billy Simpson (jockey) (c. 1840–1873), South Australian jockey * Billy Simpson (footballer, born 1878) (1878–1962), English football player for Sunderland and Lincoln City * Billy Simpson (footballer, born ...

. He was made the newly joined junior partner in the Tannochbrae practice of Dr Angus Cameron, played by

Andrew Cruickshank Andrew John Maxton Cruickshank (25 December 190729 April 1988) was a Scottish actor, most famous for his portrayal of Dr Cameron in the long-running UK BBC television series ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', which ran for 191 episodes from 1962 until ...

, with Janet, their unflappable housekeeper and receptionist at Arden House, played by

Barbara Mullen Barbara Mullen (9 June 19149 March 1979) was an American-born actress well known in the United Kingdom for playing the part of Janet McPherson, the housekeeper in ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook''. Although the role of Janet brought her fame in later ye ...

. Dr Finlay returned to television in the ITV series, ''

Doctor Finlay ''Doctor Finlay'' is a British television series based on A. J. Cronin's stories about the fictional medical hero, Dr. Finlay. It was first broadcast on 5 March 1993 on ITV. It is a follow-up to ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'', the successful BBC ...

'', continuing the stories into the late 1940s. This version starred

David Rintoul David Rintoul (born David Wilson; 29 November 1948) is a Scottish stage and television actor. Rintoul was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He studied at the University of Edinburgh, and won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ...

as Dr Finlay,

Ian Bannen Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long film, stage and TV career. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, Academy Award for his performance in ''The Flight of the Phoenix ( ...

as Dr Cameron and

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actress.Annette Crosbie fi ...

as Janet. It was later broadcast in the U.S. on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

's ''

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on PBS on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. Many of these ...

''. The characters made their return to radio in 2001, when BBC Radio 4 broadcast a six-episode series, ''Dr Finlay: Adventures of a Black Bag'', set in Levenford, with

John Gordon Sinclair John Gordon Sinclair (born Gordon John Sinclair; 4 February 1962) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for playing Gregory in the 1981 film '' Gregory's Girl''. There was a Gordon Sinclair already registered with Equity, so he took John Gordon ...

voicing Dr Finlay,

Brian Pettifer Brian Pettifer (born 1 January 1953) is a Scottish actor who has appeared in many television shows, and also on stage and in film. He is the younger brother of folk musician Linda Thompson. Biography He intended to become a photographer, but ...

as Dr Cameron,

Katy Murphy Katy Murphy (born 8 December 1962) is a British actress and teacher from Glasgow, Scotland, who has appeared in many television programs, most of them for the BBC and ITV. While most associated with television drama, she has worked across a vari ...

as Janet and the nurse Peggy Angus played by

Sharon Small Sharon Small is a Scottish actress known for her work in film, radio, theatre, and television. Perhaps best known for her portrayal of Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers in the BBC television adaptation of ''The Inspector Lynley Mysteries'' b ...

. This was followed by two series of ''Dr Finlay: Further Adventures of a Black Bag'' in 2002 and 2003, with Sinclair and Pettifer joined by

Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is a British actress and author. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' film series, '' Calendar Girls'' (2003), '' Nanny McPhee'' (2005), '' The Best Exotic Marigold ...

as Janet and

Stella Gonet Stella Gonet (born 12 December 1960) is a Scottish theatre, film and television actress. She is known for her roles in the BBC dramas ''The House of Eliott'' (1991–94) and ''Holby City'' (2007–09). Her stage credits include playing Ophelia i ...

as Nurse Angus. A Dutch adaptation of the Doctor Finlay series entitled '' Memorandum van een dokter'' was broadcast on Dutch television from 1963 to 1965 , starring

Bram van der Vlugt Bram van der Vlugt (28 May 1934 – 19 December 2020) was a Dutch actor. He is known for playing the role of Sinterklaas for over two decades. He died on 19 December 2020, at the age of 86, after contracting COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic ...

References

External links

British Film Institute Screen Online
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Finlay, Doctor Characters in British novels of the 20th century Finlay, Dr Literary characters introduced in 1962 Fictional Scottish people