
Join Costa Georgiadis, Melissa Leong & Samuel Johnson For New Ground-breaking Series: The Hospital: In The Deep End
8 May, 2024
Media releases
How Healthy Is Our Health System? Australian Icons Costa Georgiadis, Melissa Leong and Samuel Johnson Go Beyond the Headlines to Find Out The Hospital: In The Deep End premieres Thursday 6 June on SBS and SBS On Demand *Interviews Available*
Watch the trailer here
Images available here
News headlines constantly tell us our public health system and its workers are at breaking point. But what's it really like to work on the hospital frontline?
In this ground-breaking series three Australian icons with a unique connection to the health system go beyond the headlines to find out. Host of Gardening Australia Costa Georgiadis, food writer and TV host Melissa Leong, and actor Samuel Johnson are thrown out of their comfort zones and onto St Vincent's Hospital Sydney's frontline.
The Hospital: In The Deep End sees Costa, Melissa and Sam put to work for a week at one of the country's busiest and most well-known hospitals. From drug and alcohol treatment, heart transplants, mental health wards and brain surgery, nothing is off limits. They will meet hospital staff at their most capable and patients at their most vulnerable. The pressures are intense, the outcomes at times uncertain, and the care factor is turned up high.
Melissa Leong's mother spent decades working as a Nurse Unit Manager in a hospital emergency room. She's about to follow in her mother's footsteps, being put to work in St Vincent's Emergency Department, which sees over 50,000 presentations per year, including the highest concentrations of homelessness, and those related to mental health and drug and alcohol presentations. This sees her tending to patients who are extremely vulnerable, with the pressures in the department ramping up as soon as she begins her shift.
Melissa also spends time in the Neurosurgery Department, meeting a patient in the public system who requires immediate brain tumour surgery. She soon learns of the competing priorities at play to ensure the operation goes ahead. She also witnesses a breast cancer patient undergo reconstruction surgery, gaining an insight into what's required of our health care system in the years to come.
Melissa said: If you're a curious person like me, an invitation to go behind-the-scenes in one of Australia's most well-known - and busiest - hospitals, is a once in a lifetime gift. My week at St Vincent's is now a life memory filled with extraordinary people; doctors, nurses, and patients, alike. I hope The Hospital: In The Deep End gives viewers a new perspective on the services we - and the ones we love - will all have a personal experience with at some point in our lives. From heartwarming stories, to what it takes to keep it going, how much do we really know about our own public health system?
Costa Georgiadis has a deeply personal connection to palliative care, having been the primary carer for his father until he passed away at St Vincent's Hospital. Costa said: To arrive at the hospital with him and then leave without him is something that you never forget. That connection is about to go far deeper than Costa could ever have imagined. A visit to St Vincent's Sacred Heart Palliative Care unit reveals that one of his school friends is receiving end-stage treatment, giving him a unique insight into how the palliative care system operates.
Costa also spends time with the Hospital's Homeless Outreach team, providing care on the street for those who fall through the cracks in the health system. And he's taken well and truly outside of his comfort zone as he witnesses a world class surgical team perform a heart transplant, watching a heart take its first beat inside its new recipient's chest, and discovering what the future holds for organ transplants.
Almost three years ago, actor Samuel Johnson was put back together in the public health system after being hit by a car. Samuel said: Not once did I sense any stress coming from the hospital staff who nursed me during that time. I want to lift the curtain and find out how this is possible.
Sam begins his time at St Vincent's by stepping into a world he's familiar with to a degree from a patient's perspective, the Alcohol and Drug service. He's interested to find out how things have changed since he was treated for drug and alcohol issues years ago.
Sam also spends time in the hospital's mental health unit. He knows this will bring his own battles with mental health to the surface, as well as those of his mother. He's introduced to the Emergency Department's innovative psychiatric emergency care centre, where he uses his personal experience to provide support to a patient experiencing suicidal ideation.
Sam is also introduced to Caritas, St Vincent's inpatient mental health unit. He's relieved to discover how much things have changed since his mum was hospitalised, and how our mental healthcare system has evolved to help vulnerable patients in need.
In The Hospital: In The Deep End, Costa, Melissa, and Sam find the answers they're looking for and so much more. They discover how healthy our public health system is and what's needed to keep our hospitals fighting fit well into the future. Through their emotionally charged experiences we see them - and our health system - as we've never seen them before.
SBS Commissioning Editor Bethan Arwel-Lewis, said: What's exciting about the series is that this is the story behind the headlines. With remarkable access to one of Australia's busiest hospitals, the story of these three intrepid well-known Australians embarking on a fish out of water experience has created a raw and unflinching insight into the healt
Asia, Australia & Oceanic Stories
29/08/2025
Australian Red Cross and SBS launch training to help workplaces in the fight aga...
27/08/2025
27 08 2025 - Media release ABC, Screen Australia and ACTF unveil two new original children's series
Happy House.
The ABC, Screen Australia and the Austra...
25/08/2025
Watch SBS as 49 World Champions are crowned in nine days at the World Athletics ...
25/08/2025
Got a podcast idea? SBS Audio opens annual pitch season
25 August, 2025
Media releases
Three-time Australian Podcast Publisher of the Year, SBS, invites th...
21/08/2025
Statement on Acting Managing Director arrangements at SBS
21 August, 2025
Insights & articles
The SBS Board of Directors has today confirmed it will appoin...
20/08/2025
SBS unleashes landmark docu-drama The People vs Robodebt
20 August, 2025
Media releases
Our Government. Half a Million Victims [1]. Zero Accountability Un...
20/08/2025
Dan Bourchier appointed General Manager of NITV
20 August, 2025
Media releases
The respected journalist, presenter and accomplished leader will join Nation...
14/08/2025
Statement on the passing of David Stratton
14 August, 2025
Insights & articles
Statement by SBS Managing Director, James Taylor
SBS is deeply saddened by...
12/08/2025
SBS Managing Director James Taylor steps down
12 August, 2025
Media releases
SBS Managing Director will depart the organisation later this year
SBS Managi...
12/08/2025
Millions join SBS for a month of Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes action
12 August, 2025
Media releases
Total TV Reach of 5.57 million, including 1...
11/08/2025
11 08 2025 - Media release Screen Australia celebrates emerging creatives and cu...
07/08/2025
A bold new sporting documentary series celebrating First Nations athletes, cultu...
06/08/2025
SBS heralds sweeping historical drama King & Conqueror coming soon
5 August, 2025
Media releases
James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau star as the rivals ...
31/07/2025
31 07 2025 - Media release The Creators 2025 Participants Announced
Top (L-R): Tamara Asmar, Anna Barnes and Sarah Bassiuoni.
Bottom (L-R): Glen Dolman, Mich...
24/07/2025
NITV and SBS to celebrate the significance and spectacle of the 25th Garma Festi...
24/07/2025
Pure Drama continues with the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift hot on the wheels...
23/07/2025
SBS shortlists proponents to proceed to next stage for Western Sydney production...
21/07/2025
SBS reveals expert commentary team for the World Athletics Championships in Toky...
21/07/2025
21 07 2025 - Media release Australian gamemakers level-up with major funding from Screen Australia
Retopia
New games capture distinctive stories, landscapes ...
09/07/2025
Explore Love Without Limits in a bold, funny and unapologetic SBS Audio podcast ...
08/07/2025
SBS strengthens commitment to inclusion with new commissioning guidelines
8 July, 2025
Media releases
SBS has launched new Commissioning Inclusion Guidelin...
08/07/2025
Secrets, Spies and Sabotage: 40 years on, SBS podcast investigates historic bomb...
07/07/2025
SBS Farewells Chair George Savvides AM
7 July, 2025
Media releases
Born of Greek Cypriot parents, Mr Savvides joined the SBS Board as Deputy Chair in Febru...
30/06/2025
SBS On Demand boosts global news offering with launch of France 24 FAST Channel
30 June, 2025
Media releases
SBS is expanding its international news offeri...
27/06/2025
27 06 2025 - Media release Game, set, action! Screen Australia and ABC announce new mini-series Goolagong
Marton Csokas and Lila McGuire of Goolagong. Image c...
26/06/2025
Buckle up for Great Australian Road Trips launching 31 July on SBS and SBS On De...
20/06/2025
Hit, run, oh sh#t: NITV and SBS get RECKLESS with filming underway in Western Au...
13/06/2025
Pure Drama and Fierce Rivalries set to dominate the world's most iconic spor...
12/06/2025
50 Years Strong: SBS and NITV Supercharge NAIDOC Week 2025 in a joint 50th celeb...
06/06/2025
06 06 2025 - Media release Award-Winning TV Creators Richard Gadd, Sally Wainwri...
03/06/2025
Stories of love, loyalty and self-discovery among six shortlisted Digital Origin...
28/05/2025
SBS celebrates 50 years of reflecting a diverse and contemporary Australia
28 May, 2025
Media releases
Marking 50 years of broadcasting on 9 June 2025, SBS...
28/05/2025
ABS and Verticloud announce a Strategic Partnership to accelerate Digital Transf...
22/05/2025
SBS and Screen Australia showcase the next wave of Australian storytellers with ...
22/05/2025
Rune Pedersen unpacks How Humans Talk in new SBS Audio podcast
22 May, 2025
Media releases
Ever caught yourself using baby talk with your pet and wondered ...
19/05/2025
Eurovision delivers strong Total TV audiences for SBS, dazzling more than 2.21 m...
16/05/2025
Proper Loved Up Stage One Recipients Announced
16 May, 2025
Media releases
Screen Australia's First Nations Department, the Australian Broadcasting Cor...
15/05/2025
Australia's boldest network SBS launches new brand campaign: We Go There...
15/05/2025
We Go There SBS On Demand's new Hub is entirely bold and unmistakably SBS
15 May, 2025
Media releases
The We Go There Hub brings together over 300 ti...
14/05/2025
ABS and SpaceBridge to Join Forces to Strengthen Managed Services Across Europe,...
13/05/2025
Alone Australia Season 3: The Reunion
13 May, 2025
Media releases
As the latest season nears its end, SBS's hit series brings full cast together for re...
13/05/2025
Teletimes interviews ABS CEO, Mark Rigolle...
12/05/2025
And They're Off! The Pure Drama of the Cycling Grand Tours Continues on SBS,...
12/05/2025
10 05 2025 - Media release Australian Filmmaker Lucy Mckendrick Set For Directin...
07/05/2025
SBS and NITV mark National Reconciliation Week with compelling premieres recogni...
07/05/2025
SBS commences search for a new Western Sydney production hub location
7 May, 2025
Media releases
SBS has today launched a Request for Expressions of Intere...
02/05/2025
SBS On Demand achieves stellar month on the back of Alone Australia and The Hand...
01/05/2025
01 05 2025 - Media release Screen Australia empowers 100 distinctive Australian narratives
All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It s All...
30/04/2025
Slam poet Huda the Goddess wins 2025 Les Murray Award
30 April, 2025
Media releases
Australia for UNHCR and SBS are proud to announce that Huda Fadlelmawla...