For the majority of its thirteen-year run, each episode of RPA would run for half an hour. However, its initial 2007 run was broadcast in combined hour-long episodes, and its return later in the year saw it assume a permanent one-hour timeslot. Operations would be recorded on camera in a graphic nature and the doctors would provide commentary as they operate on patients. A new RPA: Where Are They Now series, begun in 2007, ran for half an hour. It profiled the lives of patients who have previously appeared on RPA, recapping the original stories and showing follow-ups on the patients' lives or deaths following their initial appearance on the programme. Both series have been narrated by Max Cullen. A brand-new series of the medical/observational series aired on the Nine Network in October 2008. Max Cullen continued to narrate. The program returned in February 2009 for another brand new series. In 2012, the series returned to Nine on Wednesday, 30 May, at 9.30pm, with Australian actor and artist, Max Cullen again narrating. This series was also the last of this franchise and its final episode was broadcast on 18 July.
Awards
RPA has been nominated for an award at the annual TV Week Logie Awards in every year since 2000 ; from 2000–2006, it was nominated in the Most Popular Reality Program category, while in 2007 it was nominated in the Most Outstanding Factual Series category. It won silver Logies at the 2000 and 2003 Logie Awards.
Legacy
In 2019, TV Week listed RPA at No. 100 in its list ofthe 101 greatest Australian television showsof all time, which appeared in its monthly TV Week Close Up publication. The magazine said it recognised the program's sensitivity when showing emotional scenes, but it also celebrated victories of patients and medical teams.
Other stories
A feature of RPA is its storyline nature, in that it has a strong emphasis on following the stories of patients throughout the series. Examples include Kenyan burns victim Safari, who appeared in every episode of the 2001 series and in an episode of RPA: Where Are They Now. Chris O'Brien, a head and necksurgeon, appeared since the start of the show but retired after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in November, 2006. He recovered from his operation and his story was told on 60 Minutes. A statement from Lifehouse at RPA on Thursday 4 June 2009 said the surgeon was nearing the end of his two-and-a-half-year battle with the disease, and he was admitted to hospital on Wednesday 3 June. "Professor Chris O'Brien was last night admitted to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital after suffering a significant deterioration in his condition," Lifehouse said. He died on 4 June 2009, with the following episode of RPA dedicated to Professor O'Brien's work at the hospital and on the show throughout the years.
