2 0 0 4 – 2 0 0 6 (UK)
16 x 60 minute episodes
1 x 90 minute episode
This darkly realistic medical drama from the BBC is set within the obstetrics and gynaecology department of the fictional, crumbling South Central Infirmary.
Passionate junior doctor Dr Rob Lake (Max Beesley) starts his new post at the hospital and is placed under the guidance of Mr Roger Hurley (Patrick Baladi), a charming, polite, and universally liked consultant obstetrician.
Rob quickly discovers that Hurley is dangerously incompetent and his repeated, panicked surgical blunders have left a trail of stillborn babies and brain-damaged mothers.
The hospital’s management fiercely protects Hurley because his clinical research brings in massive funding and glowing external ratings, and turns on Rob when he tries to blow the whistle, weaponising his own minor mistakes to destroy his career.
The fiercely cynical, arrogant head of the department, Tony Whitman (Keith Allen), is deeply misogynistic, faces sexual harassment allegations, and holds complete contempt for hospital bureaucracy.
Dedicated ward sister Sister Donna Rix (Neve McIntosh) has a messy affair with Rob and is one of the few voices trying to put patient care first while navigating toxic departmental politics.
Rob’s colleague, Dr Polly Grey (Tamzin Malleson), is fiercely ambitious and constantly deliberates on whether to help Rob or exploit the chaos to secure her own promotion.
The show – created by Jed Mercurio, who later created massive hits like Line of Duty and Bodyguard – painted a damning portrait of targets, budget constraints, and the blame culture that forces medical professionals to hide mistakes rather than learn from them.
The series was controversial for its highly graphic, anatomically precise surgery scenes. The show used hyper-realistic prosthetics to detail the messy, bloody complications of emergency C-sections and hysterectomies.
The explosive, feature-length 2006 Christmas special wrapped up the series, pushing the toxic rivalry between Dr Rob Lake and Roger Hurley to its absolute breaking point.
Polly Grey
Tamzin Malleson Tony Whitman
Keith Allen Dr Rob Lake
Max Beesley Roger Hurley
Patrick Baladi Donna Rix
Neve McIntosh Maya Dutta
Preeya Kalidas Tim Sibley
Simon Lowe Hazel Melrose
Karen Bryson Sir Paul Tennant
Nicholas Palliser Dottie Sands
Liz Hume Dawson
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The fiercely cynical, arrogant head of the department, Tony Whitman (Keith Allen), is deeply misogynistic, faces sexual harassment allegations, and holds complete contempt for hospital bureaucracy.
