You're not in Guatemala now, Dr Ropata

Post date: May 25, 2012 2:1:9 AM

As many of us know, this week they are celebrating 20 years of Shortland Street. I watched the 90 minute special on Monday with Mum (who cannot deny she was in the room) and it was kind of lame despite the helicopter crash, Chris Warner being framed for the murder of the crazy ginge woman who had been trying to seduce him for the last few months and the standard revelation that somebody's baby daddy is, in fact, not the daddy of the baby in question.

From the ads it looks like Marge is going to be back on tonight though so that's pretty legit I guess. Stuart must be too busy in Holywood.

Anyway, a blog on Stuff had a list of the top 20 moments in Shortland Street's history (this post's titular quote was merely #5, something I find ridiculous) and I thought this one was funny enough to share:

18) 1999: Greg (Tim Balme) and Caroline (Tandi Wright) ride off into the sunset, on the back of Greg's motorbike. The role of Greg Feeney had an interesting side-effect for actor Tim Balme: "It was no secret Greg Feeney had a drug history. 1994 and Michael Galvin and I were doing a publicity gig in Dunedin. Got off the plane with a massive fever. Got the taxi from the airport to stop at a chemist. Asked for the strongest cold tablets they had to get me through. This was back when pseudoephedrine was freely available. But I was refused. The chemist clearly thought I (Greg) was on the hunt for P. she said 'Mr Feeney, I know what you types are after. It may be acceptable in Auckland but this is Dunedin.' I was sent on my way with a packet of Throaties. Driving off with Caroline put an end to the mistaken-identity episodes."

As far as iconic Shortland Street moments I think they've missed, I will go with (entries marked with a * suggest that Mark will remember them even if no-one else does):

• • The time someone angrily told someone else "Stuff you mate!"*

  • The time Helen Clark guest starred to welcome Marge to parliament

  • The time where Chris Warner went to a dress-up party as Let's Dance-era Bowie

  • The time when some girl pretended like she thought the nurse who had just released a CD was a really good singer and got a free copy of her CD but then the nurse followed her when she left the hospital and the girl met up with another young ruffian who gave the first girl some cigarettes then said "Here's your smokes, now where's my CD?"*

  • The time Guy Warner's wife saw Guy Warner hugging some lady in a car and got really upset and when someone asked what the problem was she shouted "She was a sex worker!". I think I was about 8 and had to ask mum if being a sex worker was what she did (mum worked at Family Planning at the time). From memory mum took it in her stride.