Just what the doctor ordered
Tina Bursill is a fixture of Australian TV. But you won’t find her playing the role of the bimbo, writes Debi Enker.
‘ At its heart, the show is about a community and the values in a community, right or wrong, and this is a woman who absolutely loves her community and loves to see the brighter side of things.’ TINA BURSILL
IN the second episode of Doctor Doctor, prodigal son and disgraced surgeon Hugh Knight (Rodger Corser) discovers his mother, Meryl (Tina Bursill), burying a swag of cash behind the family farm.
Initially she’s evasive, then she tries tears. When Hugh doesn’t fall for the pretence, she gets bolshy: yes, Meryl has used her position on the local council to blackmail a mine owner, but, she tells him, she has her reasons and they’re good ones.
She intends to use the money to fund the local flower show, but her vision is broader than that.
‘‘People are ridiculously sensitive about impropriety these days,’’ she protests. ‘‘I fight for this town, its institutions and communities. And the mines, with their tidal waves of money and their city trash will consume us in time. Then it will be all titty bars and meth labs.’’
‘‘And what if you get caught?’ inquires her slightly incredulous son.
‘‘Then I get caught,’’ retorts Meryl. ‘‘But I’m not the kind of person to sit by and watch my town be consumed. I will fight. I will use their money to sustain the things that matter to us. And things matter beyond ourselves, Hugh. It’s an imperfect world: we do our best.’’
The defiant speech, written by series creator Tony McNamara and delivered with conviction by Bursill, was her audition scene and she reckons it’s a fine summary of both her ‘‘earthed’’, clear-eyed character and the mindset that shapes the show.
Acknowledging the term is generally applied to men, Bursill admiringly describes Meryl as ‘‘gallant’’.
‘‘She doesn’t shy away from conflict or sensitive issues, and she calls a spade a spade. At its heart, the show is about a community and the values in a community, right or wrong, and this is a woman who absolutely loves her community and loves to see the brighter side of things.’’
Bursill clearly loves her character, a marmalade-making, buttercake baking, Whyhope powerhouse.
This is one country wife who won’t be seen in a check shirt, mainly as a result of the fruitful collaboration between the hair, makeup and wardrobe departments on the show, which Bursill describes with admiration as paying an attention to detail that extended ‘‘right down to the hair follicles on my head’’.
Remarking on the upbeat mood that infused the production, she says, ‘‘There was excitement and a sense of ‘Ooh, this feels good’.’’
When Bursill notes the positive spirit of the production, she makes the assessment from the vantage point of an actress with a 43-year career and a substantial body of work. She started out in revues and political satires before recognising she ‘‘wanted to be viewed as a serious actress, not as a blonde blue-eyed girl’’.
The first significant step in expanding her repertoire came with the drama series Skyways, in which she played the ambitious assistant airport manager. A role in Prisoner followed, as have stints on Neighbours and Home and Away, a more recent, unflinching performance as the alcoholic Lenore in The Time of Our Lives, and Maree in The Moodys.
‘‘Maree’s a project mum,’’ says Bursill. ‘‘Every Christmas is about bringing the family together. But she was just there, really, pfaffing around. I was struggling to get my head on the screen with all those boys. I kept saying, ‘I’ll just walk through with a plate of sandwiches or something’.’’
Through the range of roles over the years Bursill is rarely cast as the blonde bimbo; more often, she’s cool and capable. ‘‘I like playing strong women,’’ she says. ‘‘I like representing women with strength and spine, as much as I like to see women with vulnerabilities. But that comes with any character: we’re all vulnerable.’’
Keeping a career going over decades has demanded determination and adaptability. To pay the mortgage, Bursill has done cleaning jobs, run a B&B, worked in a pet shop and a shoe store. ‘‘We’re in an unforgiving country as far as our culture in the arts goes,’’ she observes.
‘‘We struggle hard and the amount of money available is constantly being shaved back and eroded. It does force people to make it work because you have to think of other ways around it.’’
For now, though, there’s satisfying work. ‘‘I love the texture and the layers of this show and it’s a gift for me to run with it and be given a paddock to play in.’’
With Nine’s recent announcement of a second season, it looks like Bursill will have more room to roam with the estimable Meryl. Doctor Doctor, Wednesdays, 8.30pm, TVNZ 1.