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''Cardiac Arrest'' was a British
medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
series made by
World Productions World Productions is a British television production company, founded on 20 March 1990 by acclaimed producer Tony Garnett, and owned by ITV plc following a takeover in 2017. History The company's first major series was the police drama '' Betwe ...
for
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
. It first broadcast between 1994 and 1996. The series was controversial owing to its cynical depiction of doctors, nurses, and the
National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
(NHS), although it has often topped polls of the UK medical profession as the most realistic medical drama of all time. The series was created by
Jed Mercurio Gerald Gary "Jed" Mercurio (born September 1966) is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mer ...
(writing under the
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
John MacUre), a former junior doctor who had worked at a hospital in
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...
. Mercurio drew on his experience to provide a more visceral, albeit wryly humorous, look at the NHS in the 1990s. At the time of airing, Mercurio was still working as a doctor. Mercurio later went on to create another controversial medical drama for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in 2004, ''
Bodies Bodies may refer to: * The plural of body * ''Bodies'' (2004 TV series), BBC television programme * Bodies (upcoming TV series), an upcoming British crime thriller limited series * "Bodies" (''Law & Order''), 2003 episode of ''Law & Order'' * ...
''.


Cast


Doctors

*
Andrew Lancel Andrew Lancel (born Andrew Watkinson on 3 August 1970) is an English television and theatre actor, producer and director. He is best known for his appearance as Dr. Andrew Collin in ''Cardiac Arrest'', his role as DI Neil Manson in ''The Bill'' ...
as Dr Andrew Collin *
Helen Baxendale Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress of stage and television, known for her roles as Rachel Bradley in the British comedy drama '' Cold Feet'' (1997–2003), and Emily Waltham in the American sitcom '' Friends'' (19 ...
as Dr Claire Maitland *
Ace Bhatti Ahsen Rafiq "Ace" Bhatti (born 13 September 1969) is a British actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He has appeared in numerous television series, including ''Cardiac Arrest'', '' Holding On'', '' NCS: Manhunt'', '' ...
as Dr Rajesh Rajah *
Jonathan Dow Jonathan Dow (born 23 March 1965) is a British actor and voiceover artist. He joined the National Youth Theatre at the age of 14, and after finishing his A levels he trained at the Guildhall Drama School. His first big television role was as ...
as Dr James Mortimer * Michael MacKenzie as Dr Graham Turner * Tom Watson as Mr Ernest Docherty * Andrew Clover as Dr Phil Kirkby (series 2–3) * Peter O'Brien as Mr Cyril 'Scissors' Smedley (series 2–3) * Jack Fortune as Mr Adrian DeVries (series 2–3) *
Pooky Quesnel Joanna Gabrielle "Pooky" Quesnel (born 30 April 1966) is an English actress, screenwriter and singer. Early life Quesnel was born and raised in Eccles, Greater Manchester, Eccles, Lancashire, along with her five siblings. Her father was born in ...
as Dr Monica Broome (series 1) * Danny Webb as Mr Simon Betancourt (series 1) * Fred Pearson as Dr Barry Yates (series 2) * Caroline Trowbridge as Dr Liz Reid (series 3) *
Selina Cadell Selina Jane Cadell (born 12 August 1953) is an English actress. She is the younger sister of actor Simon Cadell and granddaughter of actress Jean Cadell. She is the great niece of the Scottish artist Francis Cadell. Biography Cadell was born ...
as Dr Sarah Hudson (series 3)


Admin staff

* Nicholas Palliser as Paul Tennant (series 2–3) *
Angela Douglas Angela Douglas (born 29 October 1940), born Angela McDonagh, is an English actress. Early life Douglas was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Career Douglas started acting as a teenager, joining the Worthing, West Sussex repertory comp ...
as Mrs Isobel Trimble (series 2–3)


Sisters

*
Ellen Thomas Ellen Thomas (born January 24, 1947) is an American peace activist. She first became involved with the White House Peace Vigil on April 13, 1984. The daughter of a US Marine, Thomas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in California. She became opp ...
as Sister Jackie Landers *
Melanie Hill Melanie Jane Hill (born 11 January 1962) is a British actress, known for playing Hazel Redfern in ''Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' (1985–1986), Aveline in ''Bread'' (1986–1991), Rita Dolan in Kay Mellor drama ''Playing the Field'' (1998–2002), Ma ...
as Sister Pamela Lockley (series 1) *
Jacquetta May Jacquetta May is a British writer, actress and theatre director. She co-founded the award-winning new-writing theatre company Plain Clothes Productions, commissioning, producing and directing for the company. She directed ''Her Sister Tongue'' at ...
as Sister Julie Novac (series 2–3) * Gabrielle Cowburn as Sister Debbie Pereira (series 2–3)


Nurses

* Jayne Charlton McKensie as Staff Nurse Caroline Richards * Katy Hale as Staff Nurse Susan Betts * Annie Treadwell as Enrolled Nurse Becky Reece (series 1–2) * Joyce Falconer as Staff Nurse Tricia 'Whitecoat' Williams (series 1–2) * Sheila Whitfield as Staff Nurse Lisa Dalton (series 1–2) * Cassie Stuart as Staff Nurse Jayne Dugas (series 1–2) * Mandy Matthews as Staff Nurse Pam Charnley (series 2–3) * Peter Biddle as Charge Nurse Patrick Garden (series 2–3) * Lisa Harkus as Student Nurse Kirsty Reilly (series 3)


Others

*
Frank Mills Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer". Early life and education Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started pl ...
as Alf Grocott (series 2) *
Nisha Nayar Nisha K Nayar is a British actress. After coming to prominence in the 1993 film ''Bhaji on the Beach'', she had starring roles as Debra Kumar in the film ''Out of Hours'' in 1998 and as Elaine "the Pain" Boyak in the CBBC children's series, ...
as Nasreen (series 2) * Chris Woolgar as Chris Pereira (series 2–3) * James Healey as the Radiographer (series 3)


Characters and storylines


Series 1

Series 1 follows events in two separate wards of the same hospital, one medical and one surgical, largely through the eyes of junior doctors. Series 1 has six episodes and was originally broadcast between 21 April 1994 and 2 June 1994. The protagonist is Dr. Andrew Collin (
Andrew Lancel Andrew Lancel (born Andrew Watkinson on 3 August 1970) is an English television and theatre actor, producer and director. He is best known for his appearance as Dr. Andrew Collin in ''Cardiac Arrest'', his role as DI Neil Manson in ''The Bill'' ...
), an idealistic junior doctor, straight from medical school, and, initially, a devout
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. The series opens on his first day at work as a house officer, and in his first scene he proudly admires himself in his white coat, before coming onto the ward, and meeting his new colleague, the frosty but competent
SHO Sho, Shō or SHO may refer to: Music * ''Shō'' (instrument) (笙), a Japanese wind instrument * ''Kane'' (instrument) (鉦), a Japanese percussion instrument * Sho?, a Dubai rock band People * Shō (given name), including ''Sho'' * Shō (su ...
Dr. Claire Maitland (
Helen Baxendale Helen Victoria Baxendale (born 7 June 1970) is an English actress of stage and television, known for her roles as Rachel Bradley in the British comedy drama '' Cold Feet'' (1997–2003), and Emily Waltham in the American sitcom '' Friends'' (19 ...
). Andrew is soon aware that he has almost no idea how to be a doctor, as medical school training has left him grossly ill-prepared. The series follows him in his first few months as a doctor, as he deals with one crisis after another and is increasingly disillusioned with the indifferent care given to patients and the expectations of junior doctors. At one point during the first series, he is required to work a three-day and three night shift on call. Claire, who is more cynical and detached, both explains the realities of medical work to Andrew and tries to shield him from the worst abuses, in order to preserve his sanity. Claire has the second largest role in series 1. Although her defence mechanisms are generally better than Andrew's and the series seldom shows her as either exhausted or depressed, she claims to Andrew (after euthanising a patient with an overdose of painkillers) that the emotional demands of being a doctor are just as hard on her. Although Claire is normally frosty, the series reveals that this is her professional mask: she quickly becomes friends with Andrew and eventually takes his side in a conflict against her own lover, Simon Bettencourt. In one episode she plays warmly with the young daughter of a friend. In the final episode of the series this girl is brought into the hospital with a chest injury and dies due to the incompetence of another doctor. Afterwards Andrew finds Claire crying in the nurses' office. Other characters feature prominently in the series, including Dr. Rajesh Rajah, ( Ahsen Bhatti), a pleasant but initially incompetent house officer in a surgical ward, who indulges in as many sexual relationships as possible. By the end of series 3 he shows himself to be one of the best and most able doctors in the programme. He faces racism, a topical issue in the NHS in the 1990s. Dr. Monica Broome (
Pooky Quesnel Joanna Gabrielle "Pooky" Quesnel (born 30 April 1966) is an English actress, screenwriter and singer. Early life Quesnel was born and raised in Eccles, Greater Manchester, Eccles, Lancashire, along with her five siblings. Her father was born in ...
) is a surgical SHO and a new mother, who is desperately trying to hold down her demanding job and pass her
fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...
exam, despite constant bullying and sexual harassment by her boss Mr. Simon Bettencourt ( Danny Webb). At the end of the series, Monica fails her fellowship exam, and after her husband takes her children away from her to live with his mother in law, she takes her own life. While this has a major effect on Raj and on the consultant surgeon Mr. Ernest Docherty ( Tom Watson), Bettencourt defends his behaviour unreservedly and shows no remorse.


Series 2

In series 2, the viewpoint of the series expands to the administrative level, with the demands for efficiency by the administration shown to directly and indirectly lead to a number of deaths. Series 2 has eight episodes and was originally broadcast between 19 April 1995 and 7 June 1995. At the beginning of series 2, Andrew has just returned to the hospital and is now an SHO. To his chagrin, the consultant
physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
Dr. Graham Turner (Michael MacKenzie) has a far better relationship with the new house officer Dr. Phil Kirkby (Andrew Clover), whose father went to school with Graham, than he ever did with Andrew. The old boys' public school network and patronage was an effective way to speed career progression in medicine. Phil, despite his recent graduation, is a confident aggressive doctor whose faults contrast with Andrew's in the first series. Rather than being nervous and uncertain, in the first days he attempts diagnoses and treatments for which he is undertrained. Claire remains an SHO, but her skills and academic performance mean that the hospital is shown to be careful not to drive her off to work elsewhere. She is also working under the far more committed and friendly consultant Dr. Barry Yates (Fred Pearson). She has a brief relationship with the new Australian surgical registrar Mr. Cyril "Scissors" Smedley ( Peter O'Brien). At the organisational level, a new hospital administrator, Paul Tennant (Nicholas Palliser), demands ever more efficiency from the medical staff, placing Andrew on
ear nose and throat Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspeciality within medicine that deals with the surgical a ...
(ENT) duties even though he has no training in the required skills, and instructing Claire to abandon extended
resuscitation Resuscitation is the process of correcting physiological disorders (such as lack of breathing or heartbeat) in an acutely ill patient. It is an important part of intensive care medicine, anesthesiology, trauma surgery and emergency medicine. W ...
of a
hypothermia Hypothermia is defined as a body core temperature below in humans. Symptoms depend on the temperature. In mild hypothermia, there is shivering and mental confusion. In moderate hypothermia, shivering stops and confusion increases. In severe h ...
patient in order to fulfil her clinic duties. While Claire is covering for Andrew one night in casualty, a
haemophiliac Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruising, ...
man is brought in with a nosebleed and bleeds to death because Claire is not trained in ENT, no trained staff are available and she cannot stop the bleeding. Claire exposes the systemic failures in the hospital to the media and although this is within her rights as a doctor, she is fired on an unrelated technicality. Claire returns to the hospital as a
registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...
at the end of the series, after resuscitating a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
victim in a pub and being reminded of why she chose to be a doctor. The hospital soon attracts additional adverse publicity when the
anaesthetist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine, ...
Dr. James Mortimer ( Jo Dow) is diagnosed with
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
following the discovery that he has
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
and a
Kaposi's sarcoma Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is a type of cancer that can form masses in the skin, in lymph nodes, in the mouth, or in other organs. The skin lesions are usually painless, purple and may be flat or raised. Lesions can occur singly, multiply in a limite ...
. James is permitted to continue to work as his speciality does not put patients at risk. Some of the staff, particularly Raj, are sympathetic or actively supportive of James. However, the diagnosis is almost immediately leaked to the media by an unidentified party, another scandal ensues, and manager Tennant pressures James to take leave of absence. However, the payout over the death of the haemophilia patient means that the hospital cannot afford for Mr. Docherty to take his planned retirement, and Docherty demands that the pressure on James to take leave or resign be withdrawn in return for his remaining at the hospital. The second major medical error in the series contrasts Turner's treatment of his junior staff with Docherty's protection of James. At the end of the second last episode of the series, ''Running on Vapours'', Phil is attempting to draw up
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
doses for a patient on the evening of
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
despite being untrained. He cannot contact a
pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...
, consults with Andrew, who is also untrained in the matter, and finally rings a drunken Dr. Turner at home, who advises him to draw up the treatment. Phil gets the dose wrong and the patient dies of
anaphylactic shock Anaphylaxis is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of use of emergency medication on site. It typically causes more than one of the follow ...
. Turner and Tennant both advise Phil to take full blame for the incident and to deny that he sought Turner's opinion, and assure him that in return he will not suffer damage to his career. Phil does so, but the inquest returns a finding of
unlawful killing In English law, unlawful killing is a verdict that can be returned by an inquest in England and Wales when someone has been killed by one or more unknown persons. The verdict means that the killing was done without lawful excuse and in breach of ...
and refers it for a possible
manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...
prosecution.


Series 3

Series 3 has 13 episodes and was originally broadcast between 2 April 1996 and 25 June 1996. In the third series there is more focus on the patients and the doctors' extended interactions with them. Claire has a friendly relationship with a regular dialysis patient and as a result, pursues families of accident victims about
organ donation Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or dead with the assent of the next of kin. Donation may be for re ...
. Raj becomes affected by the diagnosis of a baby severely injured by shaking and Scissors, whose own wife had been killed by a drunk driver, operates unsuccessfully on a woman injured by a
drunk driver Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...
and attempts to kill the driver by neglect. In series 3, the hospital has another new house officer, Dr. Liz Reid (Caroline Trowbridge). Liz is different from both Andrew and Phil: she is shown to be not answering pagers, leaving work in the middle of the day for errands, asking the nurses and orderlies to do procedures for her, blaming colleagues for her own constant mistakes, frequently sighing and rolling her eyes in response to Claire and Andrew's requests and charming her way out of trouble. Claire has little respect for Liz. Their new boss, medical consultant Dr. Sarah Hudson (
Selina Cadell Selina Jane Cadell (born 12 August 1953) is an English actress. She is the younger sister of actor Simon Cadell and granddaughter of actress Jean Cadell. She is the great niece of the Scottish artist Francis Cadell. Biography Cadell was born ...
), reprimands Claire for frightening Liz with her open contempt: however, Hudson also later confronts Liz over the latter's habit of blaming mistakes on colleagues. Towards the end of the series Claire describes Liz as "mad". Liz eventually breaks down at the end of a very long shift and smashes her
pager A pager (also known as a beeper or bleeper) is a wireless telecommunications device that receives and displays alphanumeric or voice messages. One-way pagers can only receive messages, while response pagers and two-way pagers can also acknow ...
to pieces, and Andrew breaks into her room to find her crying and screaming at the broken device. Turner's position becomes less secure. Dr. Hudson assures Claire that Turner's neglect of his duties at the hospital in favour of his private practice has not gone unnoticed. Soon an audit into consultants' attendance begins but the junior doctors quickly find that Turner, as head of the consultants committee, was forewarned. When Turner advises Andrew to attempt the insertion of a temporary
pacemaker An artificial cardiac pacemaker (or artificial pacemaker, so as not to be confused with the natural cardiac pacemaker) or pacemaker is a medical device that generates electrical impulses delivered by electrodes to the chambers of the heart eith ...
even though he has only seen it done once, Andrew has to call Claire in. Claire and Andrew make sure the hospital knows that Claire had to come in, off duty and slightly drunk, due to Turner's negligence. Tennant soon has to unofficially caution Turner about his approach to his duties. Phil, now a surgical house officer and facing continual taunting from his new boss Mr. Adrian DeVries (Jack Fortune) about his supposed incompetence, begins to aggressively suggest to Turner that he should be the one facing manslaughter charges over the Series 2 chemotherapy death. Docherty decides to stand against Turner as head of the consultants' committee. Phil confesses the story to Docherty and Docherty brokers a deal with the hospital in which records of the accident are lost and Phil cannot be charged, in return for Turner being removed as head of the committee. There are continuing public scandals about patient care at the hospital. The hospital has written letters to all patients cared for by James warning them of their possible HIV exposure. The outrage of the patients places further pressure on James to resign. Sister Jackie Landers (
Ellen Thomas Ellen Thomas (born January 24, 1947) is an American peace activist. She first became involved with the White House Peace Vigil on April 13, 1984. The daughter of a US Marine, Thomas was born in Brooklyn and grew up in California. She became opp ...
) speaks on television about bad patient care and is severely reprimanded by Tennant. However, soon Casualty Sister Julie Novac (
Jacquetta May Jacquetta May is a British writer, actress and theatre director. She co-founded the award-winning new-writing theatre company Plain Clothes Productions, commissioning, producing and directing for the company. She directed ''Her Sister Tongue'' at ...
) makes similar comments to reporters, and Tennant ends up suspended over her remarks: it is revealed that she is Tennant's estranged wife and that he has protected her to his own cost. After being reinstated following Phil's exoneration, Tennant attempts to have Julie's new partner, Scissors Smedley, fired over procedural errors he committed asking a student nurse to administer intravenous medication to a critically ill child when casualty was understaffed, and fails to protect James from false accusations of child abuse. When Julie finds out both that Scissors had not told her about Tennant's manipulations, and that he had failed to confide in her that his neglect of the drink driver was due to his own wife's death in a similar accident, she breaks up with him. James's HIV infection also affects Andrew. Andrew has begun an affair with Staff Nurse Caroline Richards (Jayne MacKenzie), whom he dated briefly in Series 1. Caroline's ex-lover Luke (
Terry Sue-Patt Terence Anthony "Terry" Sue-Patt (19 September 1964 – circa May 2015)Simon Hattenston"Terry Sue-Patt: what became of the boy who was Grange Hill's Benny Green?" ''The Guardian'', 27 June 2015 was a British actor, best known for playing Benny Gr ...
), was also a partner of James's and Luke has tested positive for HIV, leaving Caroline at risk and Andrew needing to explain to his wife why he might have an infection. After Caroline tests negative, Andrew repeatedly refuses to leave his wife, and Caroline eventually leaves him. At the end of series she reveals to him that she is pregnant. Towards the end of the series, Adrian DeVries's son, Steven (Christopher Woodger), the result of a past relationship with Sister Debbie Pereira (Gabrielle Cowburn) with whom he had been forming a relationship following the break-up of his marriage, is brought in seriously injured after being hit by a car. DeVries and his team do their utmost to save Steven's life, but sadly to no avail. DeVries is left in tears. In the last episode of the series, Liz is in a psychiatric ward following a breakdown. Another psychiatric patient is roaming the hospital pretending to be a locum and murdering patients with drug overdoses. He breaks into Liz's room while Andrew is visiting her, and stabs Andrew with a needle containing
insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...
. Raj rescues Andrew and the casualty team, assisted by the newly reunited Claire and Scissors, attempt to treat him. With Claire asking Andrew if he were to be in a vegetative state, would he want her to euthanise him. The series closes with the team carrying a convulsing Andrew towards a resuscitation room. Throughout series 3, there is a touching subplot concerning the growing love interest between Mr Docherty and his personal secretary, Mrs Isobel Trimble (
Angela Douglas Angela Douglas (born 29 October 1940), born Angela McDonagh, is an English actress. Early life Douglas was born in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire. Career Douglas started acting as a teenager, joining the Worthing, West Sussex repertory comp ...
), his attempts to ask her to marry him and their ultimate marriage in the series finale.


Themes

Although billed as a comedy, and darkly humorous in many respects, ''Cardiac Arrest'' explores several disturbing themes. It demolishes many cherished concepts of healthcare one after the other, and did not attempt to be
politically correct ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...
. It attracted complaints from many quarters during its airing, although enjoyed huge support amongst junior doctors.


Racism

:Andrew: "Mrs. Singh doesn't speak any English." :Claire: "Then screw her. I'm not a frigging vet." (smiles at Mrs. Singh and exits) ''Cardiac Arrest'' is stark in its portrayal of
racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
attitudes, which are depicted as endemic throughout the health service. In one episode, an Indian
locum A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...
who is clearly incompetent is assumed to be so, not because of his deeds, but because he is Indian. In Series 3, Raj is not chosen for a GP training scheme to Docherty's surprise: DeVries calmly reveals that doctors with "foreign" names are never chosen. Raj is often shown arguing with his mother on the telephone about her desire for him to get married.


Sexism

Female patients and staff are portrayed as subject to continual
sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...
. Raj and James – who is actually a
bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...
man with many male partners – have a "babe alert" system whereby they page other male doctors to come and ogle attractive female patients admitted to casualty. When Claire suggests to a female nurse that she would support a sexual harassment case that the nurse could make against James, the nurse replies that she would lose her job over it.


Homophobia

When the media reveals that James has
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
, Raj is sympathetic and unsurprised by the revelation of James' sexuality, saying merely that he assumes James acquired
HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...
via "unprotected sex with an infected woman... or man." He then goes on to explain that he has known for some time and knows that James had to be secretive given the pervasive homophobia of the medical system and community. James is later falsely accused of child abuse after a man who recognised him from media coverage of his infection sees him feeling for a pulse in his son's leg. The father is openly and aggressively
homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, m ...
.


Junior doctors

In an early scene, we see several
junior doctor In the United Kingdom, junior doctors are qualified medical practitioners working whilst engaged in postgraduate training. The period of being a junior doctor starts when they qualify as a medical practitioner following graduation with a Bachelor o ...
s smoking in the doctors' office, and Claire commenting that soon someone will say it gives you cancer. This is just one scene where doctors are depicted as acting very far from their cherished public persona. Andrew is rapidly seen as being the most put-upon person in the hospital. Nurses will not flush venous lines: Andrew must do it. Porters will not transport blood specimens: Andrew must do it. Every menial job seems to default to him, and he rapidly runs out of patience. After three days of continuous duty, Andrew is speaking to a patient's family, breaking bad news. One male relative stands up to Andrew in a threatening manner and says "What sort of doctor are you? You couldn't even be bothered to shave before you came to work today!"


Consultants

Consultants are mostly portrayed as callous and uncaring towards matters of patients and their own staff such as junior doctors, nurses and house officers. Andrew's consultant, Dr. Turner, at first seems friendly and approachable. However, he never appears on the ward, leaving the treatment of patients to Claire. We see him chatting on the telephone about his golf fixtures. Later he attempts to persuade an exhausted and desperate Andrew to forgo his holiday, bribing him with a good reference for his next job. Finally, he attempts to have Phil take the blame for a medical error that kills a patient. Both of the younger surgical consultants, Bettencourt and DeVries, are portrayed as aggressive bullies. The more positive portrayals of consultants are with the portrayals of Dr. Yates, Dr. Hudson and Mr. Docherty, the last being the most notable example of all. Early in the first series Mr. Docherty is portrayed as pleasant and cheerful, but also bumbling and incompetent, frequently requiring to be rescued by Monica. He often loses his way in the middle of a sentence. His characterisation changes slowly as the series progresses. To the point of Mr. Docherty becoming the most notable senior doctor of the programme. Dr. Yates is portrayed as a sympathetic character who, in stark contrast to Turner, genuinely supports his juniors and stays behind to assist them, and more than once is vocal in his opposition to management's tendency to look for a scapegoat for patient deaths caused by systemic flaws. Dr. Hudson is portrayed as a no-nonsense yet scrupulously fair character.


Managers

Managers are portrayed with considerable venom. The Series 1 hospital manager is uncaring and dismissive, even of Andrew's most desperate complaints of abuse: :Manager: "Your contract states that in emergencies you are expected to come to work." :Andrew: "I fail to see how a holiday I booked six weeks ago can be called an emergency!" :Manager: "Hospital managers are accustomed to the disaffection of junior medical staff." In Series 2 and 3, Tennant is primarily interested in protecting his own job, and that of his ally Dr. Turner, and in improving hospital metrics such as outpatient waiting times, rather than improving working conditions for staff, or care for patients.


Nurses

In Series 1, nurses attract perhaps the cruellest depiction of all. They are frequently shown as gossiping, conniving women, chatting at the nurses' station while ill patients languish without attention, or Andrew fumbles around, hopelessly busy and in great need of assistance. In Series 2 and 3 senior nurses become participants in storylines and are treated with less caricature and portrayed more positively. One of these is Charge Nurse Patrick "Hanging" Garden (Peter Biddle), although he has his moments of being portrayed negatively, especially during the second series where is one of the most unsympathetic towards James and opines that he should be sacked. Many nurses have suggestive nicknames, such as "Nurse White-Coat" (Joyce Falconer), so called because she would apparently sleep with "anyone in a white coat".


Medical ethos

In common with other medical dramas, (such as '' The House of God'' or even ''
M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...
''), ''Cardiac Arrest'' portrays junior hospital medicine as an unending parade of sexual adventure for the staff, partly because longer-term relationships are placed under enormous stress by their working hours. Very few characters are in stable relationships. In the first series, among the junior doctors, only Monica is married. Later, even this relationship breaks down, and Monica eventually takes her own life. By the second series, Andrew is married but shortly begins an affair with his old girlfriend Caroline. Claire has relationships with several of the surgeons: Simon Bettencourt, Cyril Smedley, and Adrian DeVries.


Training

The series is extremely critical of medical training. Claire and Mr. Docherty, both sympathetic characters, repeatedly discuss in detail that medical training is unduly demanding of junior doctors and that both the knowledge and training needed are increasing without recognition or appropriate supervision. At the end of the first series Docherty directly addresses the question of
hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...
practices in medical training when Bettencourt tries to defend his treatment of Monica by saying that he went through a similar process. Junior medicine is portrayed as a school of hard knocks, where junior doctors achieve success and skill over the corpses of their mistakes. They achieve promotions and status by underhand means. No-one is supportive to anyone else's problems.


Production

''Cardiac Arrest'' was produced by
Island World Island World was a film company formed in 1988. They originally produced anime, but then over the years made live action films. It shut down in 1995 after producing ''The Cure''. Films *'' Dominion: Tank Police'' *''Chôjin densetsu Urotsukidôji ...
. It had envisaged creating a
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
set in a hospital, but when Jed Mecurio responded to its advertisement for a writer the show became a portrait of the NHS from the perspective of junior doctors. Series 1 and 2 were filmed on location at both
Ruchill Hospital Ruchill Hospital was a fever hospital in the Ruchill area of Glasgow, Scotland. The hospital was closed in 1998 and was sold to Scottish Enterprise in July 1999. It was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow. __TOC__ History In 1891 when the boundaries ...
and Stobhill Hospital in
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. Mercurio appears briefly in a cameo role in series 3 where he plays a friend of Raj's called Baz.


Episodes


Series 1 (1994)


Series 2 (1995)


Series 3 (1996)


Reception

The critical response to the series was generally positive; it was twice nominated for Best Original TV Drama Series/Serial by the
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and twice in the same category by
BAFTA Scotland BAFTA in Scotland is the Scottish branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Formed in 1986, the branch holds two annual awards ceremonies recognising the achievement by performers and production staff in Scottish film, televi ...
. Doctors were reported as finding the series to be representative of life in an NHS hospital. In a 1999 survey of British doctors' attitude to television depiction of their profession, 15% of doctors voted for Claire Maitland as the fictional doctor they would most like to be compared with. When the series had not yet been released on DVD, an online forum for doctors ran a campaign for its release. The
Royal College of Nursing The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is a registered trade union in the United Kingdom for those in the profession of nursing. It was founded in 1916, receiving its royal charter in 1928. Queen Elizabeth II was the patron until her death in 2022. ...
however complained that it portrayed nurses as witless and callous.
Virginia Bottomley Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, (née Garnett, born 12 March 1948) is a British Conservative Party politician, and headhunter. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons from 1984 ...
, the Health Secretary at the time of airing, described it as closer to a ''
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'' film than a drama. During the height of the controversy Jed Mercurio wrote a letter to the newsletter accompanying the
British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...
claiming that most of his criticism came from "retired old consultants", but says he has since decided that much of the controversy was a media creation. Notably, the series originated the medical term " killing season" for the supposed association between newly qualified doctors starting hospital practice and an increase in medical errors and mortality, which data do not support. In 1994, the ''
British Medical Journal ''The BMJ'' is a weekly peer-reviewed medical trade journal, published by the trade union the British Medical Association (BMA). ''The BMJ'' has editorial freedom from the BMA. It is one of the world's oldest general medical journals. Origi ...
'' concluded that, "newly qualified house officers have been falsely accused of increasing the number of deaths in hospital and that the idea of the killing season is very much fiction. A 2009
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
study of records for 300,000 patients at 170 hospitals in the years between 2000 and 2008 found that death rates were 6% higher on
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than the previous Wednesday.


DVD release

The complete series was released as a five-disc DVD set, ''Cardiac Arrest: The Complete Collection'', on 16 April 2007. The DVD contains all three series, but no extras such as commentary.


References


External links

* * {{IMDb title, id=0108719, title=Cardiac Arrest
British Film Institute Screen Online
BBC television dramas 1990s British medical television series 1990s British drama television series 1994 British television series debuts 1996 British television series endings Television shows set in the West Midlands (county) BBC controversies