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'Like walking into hell': Casualty and Holby City tap into the Covid crisis

The last time Holby City made news was when it donated its ventilators to the NHS. Now, along with its sister show, its latest episodes feature topical coverage of a health system in peril

On 10 November, a stark, uncompromising episode of Holby City, set at the peak of the first Covid spike, is set to air. In it, staff nurse Donna Jackson likens her work to “walking into hell each day”, while clinical lead Ric Griffin expresses concern that the hospital is “not even close” to being prepared. CEO Max McGerry, meanwhile, is seen admitting to her staff that the PPE they are wearing is four years past its use-by date.

So profound has been the impact of the pandemic on the NHS, that when Casualty and Holby City resumed production recently, big changes had to be made. Pre-existing scripts for BBC One’s perennial medical dramas were binned, and planned storylines jettisoned as the focus shifted on to capturing life at Holby City hospital in the midst of a Covid crisis.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/34Dp5t5

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