BEDSIDE MANNERS
AMANDA REDMAN AND AMRITA ACHARIA TELL US WHY LYDIA AND RUBY ARE STANDING THEIR GROUND, AS THE HIT MEDICAL DRAMA RETURNS…
The combination of compelling medical drama, an exotic location and lots of familiar faces made The Good Karma Hospital an irresistible proposition for viewers when it launched last February.
The show makes its return to our screens this week, and promises to delve deeper into the relationships between the staff at the underfunded South Indian hospital, as well as tackling darker storylines…
“At the beginning of the first season, I said, ‘For my money, this needs to be grittier’,” says Amanda Redman, who plays Dr Lydia Fonseca in the drama. “Of course, we had to wait and see how it was received, because they get so scared about all of that – they’d say, ‘We can be a bit braver next series’, and I’m all for that. I don’t believe you can do a story set in a place like this and not actually see the cheek-by-jowl stuff there. You have the beauty, and right next to it you’ve got ugliness, and I think you have to show that if you’re going to be truthful.”
While the first series focused on new arrival Dr Ruby Walker getting used to a very different way of working, this series sees Ruby a lot more confident in her own abilities and in her position. However, she still has to struggle to assert her authority with patients who think they know better – as in this week’s episode, when a patient’s father refuses to accept her diagnosis.
“That is what doctors go through all the time,” explains Amrita Acharia, who plays her. “I think it’s nice to see the challenges they face. Ruby still seems to have this need to prove herself, which I think is a natural trait anyway. But we see her as a stable part of the team, rather than somebody who’s just come in and is trying to find her feet.”
Indeed, Ruby treats herself to a flash new motorbike for home visits – though Amrita wasn’t quite as excited by the new bike as her alter ego is!
“I really loved the old one,” she chuckles. “Personally I like vintage stuff, though I think for Ruby it’s probably right. I was very enthusiastic about riding it, but I’m just not very good. I needed a hell of a lot more practice, and there’s only so much you can do on a five-
YOU NEED TO SEE THE CHEEK-BYJOWL STUFF IN THIS PLACE” AMANDA
day course. James [Krishna Floyd, who plays Dr Varma], on the other hand, is really, really good at it!”
Meanwhile, getting to play a character who speaks her mind remains a delight for Amanda.
“I admire that Lydia actually is tough – that in this day and age, where everything is so PC, she says it like it is,” shares the star. “She’s not always right, by a long chalk, but I love that. I adore the fact that she’s fallible and does screw up, and then she gets very upset that she’s screwed up…”