The British Medical Association has encouraged people to see the new drama Breathtaking.
The ITV drama, based on Rachel Clarke’s 2021 book about the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, stars Joanne Froggatt as Dr. Abbey Henderson, an acute medical specialist.
Set in a metropolis hospital, the series blends news footage from early 2020 with Abbey and other frontline medical personnel attempting to save the lives of coronavirus victims as the virus threatens to overrun the NHS.
Abbey is forced to make difficult healthcare decisions as her coworkers become infected with Covid-19.
Despite their best efforts to rescue patients, they are forced to face the anguish of loss and tragedy caused by the virus, as well as the hurdles posed by Covid-19 denialists.
Following the release of the three episodes online, the trade union expressed its opinions on the show.
‘We encourage all those who can to watch the new #BREATHTAKING series on ITV which brings to life @doctor_oxford experiences on the frontline, many of which will be shared across the medical profession,’ it posted on X, tagging Dr Clarke.
It came after Dr Clarke shared a clip from the show and asked viewers to ‘please watch if you feel able’ and to not ‘look away’.
She added: ‘I hope we did justice to what NHS & care staff endured, and continue to endure now xx’
After watching, viewers also weighed in.
‘Terrifying to watch,’ Kaye posted on X.
‘Saw the first episode: Heartbreaking,’ Pam Thorn shared.
Meanwhile Gillian Knight said the clip sent ‘shivers down my spine’.
‘What those poor doctors and nurses had to endure! Absolutely shocking! That clapping was a bloody insult to them,’ she added.
However, some others said they wouldn’t be watching as living the experience was ‘traumatising’ enough.
In a recent interview, Dr Clarke said sharing her experience of working as a palliative care doctor was necessary to prevent ‘historical revisionism’.
‘Everyone in the NHS went through this incredibly traumatic experience,’ she stated before taking a breath to compose herself as her eyes filled with tears.
‘We were not like soldiers who had been trained to go onto a battlefield. We were ordinary, flawed human beings trying to be brave while being wholly unprepared for the risks.’
She added that the ‘trauma of the deaths happening in such a short period has deeply scarred every person I have spoken to’.
‘We wished we could do something to stop patient after patient after patient from dying in the same way, but we didn’t have the resources,’
Jed Mercurio of Line of Duty and Prasanna Puwanarajah, a former doctor recognised for her role as Martin Bashir in The Crown, adapted the series.
Breathtaking is streaming on ITVX.
Source My Celebrity Life.
