''Life Support'' is a British television medical drama series, written and devised by

Ashley Pharoah Ashley Pharoah (born 13 September 1959) is a British screenwriter and television producer. He is best known as the co-creator/writer of the successful drama series ''Life on Mars'', which began on BBC One in 2006, and creator/writer of the fami ...

, that first broadcast on

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, ...

on 19 July 1999. Produced by

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: ''BBC Alba'') is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. It is one of the four BBC national regions, together with the BBC English Regions, BBC Cymru Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. I ...

, the series follows the work of clinical ethicist Katherine Doone (

Aisling O'Sullivan Aisling O'Sullivan (born in Tralee, County Kerry) is an Irish actress. Career O'Sullivan attended the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin and joined the Abbey Theatre in 1991. Theatre In 2011 and 2012, she toured Ireland with Druid, playing the t ...

) and her colleagues based at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

's Caledonian hospital. Just a single series of six episodes were broadcast, with the final episode broadcasting on 23 August 1999. The series was directed by Richard Laxton and Morag Fullerton, while Matthew Hall, Peter Hall and Andrea Earl contributed scripts.

Art Malik Athar ul-Haque Malik (born 13 November 1952), known professionally as Art Malik, is a Pakistani-born British actor who achieved international fame in the 1980s through his starring and subsidiary roles in assorted British and Merchant Ivory tel ...

, Richard Wilson, Gilbert Martin and

Julie Graham Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress. Career Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Call� ...

are also credited as principal members of the cast. O'Sullivan said of her role in the series; "Initially, when I read the script and saw that it was a medical drama, I wasn't interested, but then I saw that it was addressing these subjects in a very different way from what we're used to. Medicine has become so complicated that the man in the street doesn't know what's going on. So this is a new and necessary discipline." Series creator Ashley Pharoah said of O'Sullivan's casting; "As soon as we saw her audition tape, we knew. She had just what we wanted. You can believe the intellectual stature. the gravitas; she's young and attractive - and she can do comedy. She is perfect for Katherine." Notably, the series remains unreleased on VHS or DVD. The ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' noted of the series axing; "On the whole, ''Life Support'' failed to captivate audiences, although several critics liked it."

Cast

as Dr. Katherine Doone *

as Dr. Kamran Blake * Richard Wilson as John Doone * Gilbert Martin as James McConnell *

as Alison McIntyre *

Edith MacArthur Edith MacArthur (8 March 1926 – 25 April 2018) was a British actress noted for her elegant screen presence. Early life MacArthur was born in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, the daughter of Donald MacArthur and Minnie Ross MacArthur. She studie ...

as Joan Andrews *

Ellie Haddington Ellie Haddington (born 17 February 1955 in Aberdeen) is a British actress with a career spanning over 40 years. Early life and education Haddington was born in Scotland. She trained as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1975 ...

as Fiona Drummond *

Stephen Moyer Stephen Moyer (born Stephen John Emery; 11 October 1969) is an English film and television actor who is best known as vampire Bill Compton in the HBO series ''True Blood''. His first television role was in 1993 as Philip Masefield in the TV ad ...

as Dr. Tom Scott *

Brian Pettifer Brian Pettifer (born 1953) is a British actor who has appeared in many television shows, and also on stage and in film. He is the younger brother of folk musician Linda Thompson. Biography He intended to become a photographer, but pursued a career ...

as Gordon Travers * Paul Goodwin as Rod Kerr * Georgina Sowerby as Sally Rivers * Gregor Truter as Dr. David McKewan

Episodes

References

External links

*{{IMDb episode, 0207259 1999 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British drama television series 1990s British medical television series 1990s British television miniseries BBC Scotland television shows BBC television dramas English-language television shows Television shows set in Scotland