''Innocents'' is a British television medical drama film, written by Neil McKay and directed by

Peter Kosminsky Peter Kosminsky (born 21 April 1956) is a British writer, director and producer. He has directed Hollywood movies such as ''White Oleander'' and television films like '' Warriors'', ''The Government Inspector'', '' The Promise'', ''Wolf Hall'' a ...

, first broadcast on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

on 1 October 2000 as part of Channel 4's ''Doctors on Trial'' season. The film, based upon the

Bristol heart scandal The Bristol heart scandal occurred in England during the 1990s. At the Bristol Royal Infirmary, babies died at high rates after cardiac surgery. An inquiry found "staff shortages, a lack of leadership, ... unit ... 'simply not up to the task' ... ...

of the 1980s and 90s,Rebecca Smith (29 July 2010)
Bristol heart scandal
''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

''. Accessed 28 August 2011. stars

Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...

as James Wisheart and Madhav Sharma as Janarda Dhasmana, who whilst working together to perform 33 arterial-switch operations, drew up a mortality rate of 66% among patients under a month old, and 43% among those over a month old.

Aden Gillett John Aden Gillett is a British actor. He is best known for playing the role of Jack Maddox on the BBC series '' The House of Eliott''. Biography and career Gillet was born in the city of Aden, Yemen, from which he got his name. He attended ...

co-stars as Steve Bolsin, the whistleblower whose testimony first brought the scandal to public attention. The film broadcast in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

as part of PBS' ''Masterpiece Theatre'' strand on 6 May 2002. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' review of the film commented that "Neil McKay's script captures the intelligent persuasiveness of the surgeons and the twisted rationales employed by fairly good people doing bad things. Obviously there is no shortage of human drama in this story, and the scenes of parents reacting to news about their babies are almost painfully real. Eventually the confused drama within the infirmary becomes gripping, too." The film was nominated for an international Emmy Award in 2001.

Cast

as James Wisheart * Madhav Sharma as Janardan Dhasmana *

as Steve Bolsin *

Emma Cunniffe Emma Cunniffe (born 3 July 1973) is an English film, stage and television actress. Early life Cunniffe was raised in Frodsham, Cheshire and attended Frodsham High School. She was in the local Frodsham panto group whilst growing up and was on ...

as Sharon Peacock * Andy Snowden as Daryl Peacock * Kate Redshaw as Julie Johnson *

Adie Allen Adie Allen (born in 1966) is a British actress who graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, RADA in 1987. She has appeared in new plays at the Royal Court, the Almeida, the Bush and the Tricycle Theatre(s). She frequently appears on B ...

as Helen Rickard *

Gillian Bevan Gillian Bevan (born 13 February 1956) is an English actress, best known for her roles in British television shows and West End theatre. In 1988 she played Dorothy in the Royal Shakespeare Company's revival of their version of '' The Wizard of O ...

as Alison Hayes *

Roger Brierley David Roger Brierley (2 June 1935 – 23 September 2005) was an English actor. Career Brierley appeared in dozens of television productions over a forty-year period. He twice appeared in '' Doctor Who'', as Trevor in ''The Daleks' Master P ...

as Dr. John Roylance *

Silas Carson Silas Carson (born 1965) is an English actor, mostly known for playing Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi and Viceroy Nute Gunray in all three of the ''Star Wars'' prequels and providing the voice of the Ood in ''Doctor Who''. Life and career In ''Sta ...

as Ash Pawade *

Oliver Cotton Oliver Charles Cotton (born 20 June 1944) is an English actor, comedian and playwright, known for his prolific work on stage, TV and film. He remains best known for his role as Cesare Borgia in the BBC's 1981 drama series '' The Borgias''. Early ...

as Mike Angelini * Jonathan Cullen as Dr. Rob Martin * Glyn Grimstead as Trevor Jones * Joanne Howarth as Rosemary Jones * Allin Kempthorne as Paul Bradley * Dawn McDaniel as Kay Armstrong * Darren Morfitt as William Booth *

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, Lancashire, along with her five siblings. Her father was born in Trinidad. She read English ...

as Michaela Willis * Darren Strange as Steve Johnson

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0322757, title=Innocents 2000 television films 2000 films British crime drama films Channel 4 television films Channel 4 television dramas Television series by ITV Studios Films shot in Bristol 2000s English-language films 2000s British films British drama television films