Monroe (ITV1 2011, James Nesbitt, Sarah Parish)

Published

5 years ago

May 18, 2019

Medical drama series Monroe (which comes from the pen of the always excellent Peter Bowker) follows neuro surgeon Gabriel Monroe both inside and outside the environs of hospital life as he deals with some highly dramatic medical emergencies, tangles with fellow doctor, cardiac surgeon Jenny Bremner and tries to instill knowledge into his weak-stomached trainee Kitty Wilson.

Monroe is of course not your typical neuro surgeon, his manner and accent mark him out as just a normal guy however his superb brain does make him a God on the operating table. Best friend, Anaesthetist Lawrence Shepherd provides plenty of amusement for Monroe, especially with his none too clever love life. Meanwhile at home craks are starting to appear in the relationship Monroe has with wife Anna.

Creator Bowker says of the series “neurosurgeons are the nearest thing we have to real-life miracle workers, yet they share the same human failings as the rest of us. We want them to be brave enough to take the decisions they take, yet they can’t always be right. We don’t have to like them, but we have to believe in them. Monroe dramatises what it is like to be at the sharp end of those expectations.”

Whilst it isn’t breaking any new ground Monroe is strong, high quality drama with a great cast, besides the somewhat ubiquitous James Nesbitt in the lead there are also prominent roles for the fab Sarah Parish, Susan Lynch (as Monroe’s wife) and a guest starring role for Sarah Smart.

production details
cast
JAMES NESBITT as Gabriel Monroe
SARAH PARISH as Jenny Bremner
TOM RILEY as Lawrence Shepherd
MANJINDER VIRK as Sally Fortune
LUKE ALLEN-GALE as Daniel Springer
MICHELLE ASANTE as Kitty Wilson
ANDREW GOWER as Andrew Mullery
CHRISTINA CHONG as Sarah Witney
LIZ HUME-DAWSON as Nurse Wickens
THOMAS MORRISON as Lee Bradley
SUSAN LYNCH as Anna Monroe
PERRY MILWARD as Nick Monroe
CAROLINE STOLTZ as Tatiana
SARAH SMART as Alison Bannister (Episodes 1-3)

crew
Creator And Executive Producer: Peter Bowker
Producer: Jennie Scanlon
Prosthetics: Davy Jones
Co-Executive Producers: Michele Buck, Damien Timmer

UK / ITV1 – Mammoth Screen – Ingenious Broadcasting and Capico Productions / 12×50 minutes / Broadcast Thursday 10 March 2011 – 5 November 2012

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Alastair James

Alastair James is the editor in chief for Memorable TV. He has been involved in media since his university days. Alastair is passionate about television, and some of his favourite shows include Line of Duty, Luther and Traitors. He is always on the lookout for hot new shows, and is always keen to share his knowledge with others.