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ed in a 24-hour period. So it was a ise to us that King’s College ital was so receptive. the time headlines were domid by NHS scandals and waiting and it was having quite an impact orale. Those we spoke to at King’s rightly proud of their staff – the rtise, care and kindness – and they ed the public to see that too. was a logistical challenge. w would we install and cable ns of cameras into a department never closes? here could we put the huge broadcast truck? And, most importantly, how would we gain the permission of patients and relatives to film their treatment and ensure that their safety and best interests were never compromised by our presence?
We worked each one out carefully with the hospital.
It was an early October morning when the cameras began to roll. Six weeks of filming round the clock lay ahead of us.
Standing in the gallery watching the patients start coming through the doors was an extraordinary and humbling experience.
The extensive coverage allowed us to capture not only the heart-in-the-mouth moments of intense drama, but also some joyful and even comic interactions that could never have been
scripted in the waiting room.
Perhaps most affecting was the incredible emotional tenderness in some of the encounters we witnessed.
For a place often associated with suffering, it was striking how much love there was.
I remember Charlie, a London cabbie who had crashed after a suspected stroke. His close-knit family quickly rallied round with overwhelming love for this husband and father who was facing the possible end of his livelihood. There was barely a dry eye in the gallery.
Indeed, some of the most memorable and engaging moments have not centred on the medical drama at all, but rather the human relationships.
If there’s anything I’ve learnt from A&E, it’s that we all have a life story worth hearing. Who can forget the touching and tender goodbye from Jonathan to his 89-year-old father Sir John, or hearing about the 60-year marriage between Doreen and Andrew – an early inter-racial relationship between a white girl from Surrey and one of the Windrush generation of immigrants. The clip of them on Facebook has received an incredible 130 million views.
The interviews are as crucial to the show as the medicine.
Each episode sees staff, patients and their relatives talk to camera. They tell stories that go way beyond the walls of A&E.
When a serious accident or illness strikes you or a loved one, it’s natural to reflect and take stock of life as a whole.
Over the years this has allowed us to cover so much of life’s rich tapestry, but also some serious issues not always directly related to A&E, such as alcoholism, racial prejudice, knife crime, battlefield PTSD and homophobia. Looking back, it seems funny that when the first episode aired, we were braced for disappointment.
But the audience came, and stayed.
Awards
24 Hours in A&E won the Royal Television Society Award for best documentary series, with many other awards and BAFTA-nominations since.
Even in its portrayal of loss, there is something ultimately reassuring about the show – a reminder of the enduring power of love and of a life well lived.
Despite all the bad stuff that can happen, the resounding feeling you’re left with after watching an episode is of the essential goodness in humanity.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the kindness and care of the NHS staff who, as we know, are the real heroes of the series.
After the year we’ve had, no one should need reminding of what an incredible job they do – and it feels appropriate that the latest series was filmed in the midst of the pandemic.
I hope it can serve as a tribute to all those on the medical frontline who have risked and sacrificed so much to keep us safe and well.
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Each episode leaves you appreciating the essential goodness in humanity
● Magnus Temple is co-founder and former chief executive of The Garden Productions. All new 24 Hours in A&E is on Mondays at 9pm on Channel 4