Bodies (BBC Drama, Max Beesley, Patrick Baladi)

Medical drama series Bodies saw the Doctors and nurses in a maternity unit become increasingly concerned that their boss Roger Hurley (Patrick Baladi) is not as competent as he should be with difficult cases – but they find that reporting his failings to senior management is not as easy or as welcome as it should be.

Initially shown on the BBC’s digital only channel BBC3 (at the time you could only access the channel if you had a digital set top box or integrated TV) it later got a network repeat on BBC2 which could be seen by the whole country on 10 November 2004. There was a 90 minute special broadcast 13 Dec 2006 a year after the second season had ended which tied up some loose ends.

See also Critical from 2015, also by Jed Mercurio (himself a former doctor) and which refines the format so that the whole episode takes place in the critical emergency room.

Cast: MAX BEESLEY as Rob Lake; PATRICK BALADI as Roger Hurley; NEVE McINTOSH as Donna Rix; KEITH ALLEN as Tony Whitman; TAMZIN MALLESON as Polly Grey; SUSAN LYNCH as Maria Orton; PREEYA KALIDAS as Maya Dutta; INGEBORGA DAPKUNAITE as Katya Bredova; SIMON LOWE as Tim Sibley

Writer and Producer: Jed Mercurio / Director: John Strickland

UK / BBC / 16×60 minute episodes 1×90 minute episode / Broadcast 23 june 2004 – 13 December 2006