Where did we leave Lydia in series three?
The main storyline for Lydia through series 3 was the burns victim, Jyoti. From being with her when it happened to treatment to confronting her fiancée and family, to helping Jyoti psychologically which of course is one of the hardest parts. On top of that we had Greg’s daughter Tommy turn up out of the blue, so we got to know more about Greg and in turn their relationship which was nice. Then of course Gabriel’s shock departure. Looking back it did feel like a series full of shocks, some good some bad! But that’s the beauty of The Good Karma Hospital, it can get grittier and more hard-hitting but that allows for the lighter, more comedic moments to shine through.
How has your character developed over the past few series? And what’s in stall for her this series?
Lydia has developed in a few ways. She has become less acerbic. She’s still bossy and still opinionated, but I feel that she’s begun to not be too scared of the softer sides of herself. Lydia’s past has always been shrouded in some sort of mystery but this series but we get to know a bit more about her which was fun.
Where is Greg and Lydia’s relationship at the start of series four?
At the start of series four, Greg and Lydia are happily living together in a new house and things are ticking along nicely. Fairly early on, due to an unfortunate incident with the police, Greg finds himself in a very hard situation, which means some hard decisions for both of them. It isn’t easy.
This series sees two new faces in the hospital. How does that come about and what was it like working with Rebecca and Harki?
We have two new doctors who join us. Dr Niki Sharma, who is brought in by Dr Nair much to Lydia’s surprise. She isn’t happy about it at all and makes it very clear that he is to be in charge of her and her training. But Rebecca brought in a lot of energy to the show, which was brilliant. Then we have Harki Bhambra who has joined as Dr Samir Hasan, who is a surgeon from the UK. We slowly get to know a bit more about him as the series goes on, and of course Lydia throws him in at the deep end and will continue to test him. It was wonderful having two new cast members join us is Sri Lanka and join our family as it were.
How does the relationship between Dr Ram and Lydia play out in this series?
The relationship between Ram and Lydia, remains the same. They’re old friends. He still gives her advice, even though she doesn’t always take it. In the first episode Lydia makes a rash decision that could endanger the future of the hospital again which exasperates him but equally he brings in a new doctor without consulting her so it’s always fun between them. As I always say, she does it for the right reasons and her heart is always in the right place.
What are the prosthetics like in this series?
The prosthetics in this series, developed and done by the great Davy Jones and team, are out of this world, I mean they are fantastic. I’m not squeamish, but even I have felt my stomach go at some points. They just look so real. One of the stand out aspects of the show is the attention to detail by all departments but particularly Davy and his team.
As always, we see a number of different stories and issues tackled in the series. What’s your favourite storyline from this series?
I have to be honest and say, my favourite storyline in this series, is Greg and Lydia’s and all that is thrown in their way. Playing out these storylines and to see them go through tricky times was fun. Made even more fun with the introduction of a new character. It’s important to not let storylines stagnate so I’ve really enjoyed this. I love working with Neil, he is just a gem and such a softie.
Have you learned anything that would be useful in an actual medical emergency?
I would love to think that I could be useful in a real medical emergency. But I doubt whether I can. I find the world fascinating and I have such admiration for people in the medical profession but I don’t think anyone would really want to be treated by me.
What was it like being back in Sri Lanka and filming with the cast and crew?
I love Sri Lanka. I love the Sri Lankan crew, the British crew. I love the cast. I’m so happy out there, I always have been. It is such a beautiful country so I was thrilled when we finally were able to come out. It was different of course because of COVID, we were in lockdown for a long time when we first arrived. The positive side of that was all of us staying in our bubble, in the hotel, we became a really tightly knit family. There was so much laughter and a lot of love. That was very special.
What are your favourite memories from filming over this series? My favourite memories from this series would be the closeness between all the cast. Because of lockdown, we had to entertain ourselves, we had movie nights, quiz nights. We were always thinking of different things to do on our days off together in the hotel, and it was a lot of fun.
What are the benefits and challenges of filming in Sri Lanka?
The benefits of filming in Sri Lanka, is that you get some glorious weather, you can also get monsoon rains, torrential downpours. I love that because it adds to the drama of it. The scenery is spectacular. You’re always guaranteed a fantastic backdrop. The disadvantages are that it’s a long way from home so I miss my family, we all do.
What can fans look forward to in series four?
More of the same, fantastic storylines, brilliant guest actors, some tears and as always, laughter.
