“The panic, sweat and shaking hands are real!”
NIAMH ALGAR ON PLAYING A FRONTLINE MEDIC AT CRISIS POINT IN THIS TENSE AND UNSETTLING NEW SERIES…
This nail-biting new thriller stars Deceit’s Niamh Algar as Dr Lucinda Edwards, for whom a nightmare shift in A&E prompts the trauma of an official investigation after a patient dies on her watch. The eye-opening five-part series – written by former NHS medic Grace OforiAttah – also features James Purefoy as Lucinda’s medical supervisor Dr Leo Harris, Priyanka Patel as junior doctor Ramya Morgan, Hannah Walters as Matron Beth Relph, and Lorne MacFadyen as Lucinda’s husband Tom.
As Lucinda’s investigation intensifies, the stark realities and gruelling responsibilities of her highly pressurised job are disturbingly apparent, her personal relationships and professional exterior crumbling as her involvement in a dangerous conspiracy is unveiled. Inside TV joined star Niamh at an exclusive screening to find out more…
Hello, Niamh! How did you prepare for playing Lucinda, and how challenging was it? I do love a challenge, but I had Grace as an incredible mentor to rely on. Playing a doctor is hard because we’ve seen it so many times, so for me it was trying to find a new take on portraying someone who is so timely at this moment. I was fascinated to play Lucinda at the worst time of her life – how do you go back to your family and pack away that pressure at the end of the day?
What kind of research did you undertake for the role? I shadowed at an A&E in London and tried to speak to as many doctors as possible and listen to them – because I think that’s what’s not happening at the moment, no one’s actually listening to the fact that these people are being underpaid and undervalued. I’ve always wanted to play a superhero, and I think playing a doctor is the closest thing to it…
Would you say that Lucinda is a good doctor? Yes, Lucinda loves her job and she’s trying to do the best she can – it’s the thing that keeps her alive. But she’s a cog in a machine, and that machine is falling apart, and she’s trying to be the best she can be with the tools she’s given. I’ve never come across a character I had so much compassion for, even though I know she’s making mistakes. She’s under incredible pressure, and how do you do that job day in, day out, and not burn out, not become
emotionally caught up in what’s going around you?
What kind of doctor might you make, in real life?
I would absolutely burn out from the sheer emotional strain. While I was shadowing in the real A&E I saw someone come in with a cardiac arrest – they’d been waiting four hours for an ambulance, and they ended up passing away. I would take things on too personally. There’s always that thing of you can do better – the government can do better…
The series is such a tense watch. How did it feel during filming?
We had a magical team of medical advisers, and it felt very real with the blood and prosthetics. The beads of sweat, and shaking hands, that’s all real because you’re terrified – there’s a sense of sheer panic because the clock is ticking, and you have to get the shot right.
Do you think viewers will be rooting for Lucinda?
I hope people will identify with her. When I read the scripts, I immediately went, “I know that woman, I’ve met her”. It’s that feeling that you’re failing, not only your job, but your family. That feeling of no matter what I’m doing, it’s not going to be good enough. I never want to play a character that’s looking to be liked, and we played it real. It’s about getting the audience to question, and create difficult conversations that need to be had…
Some of the most memorable campmates from I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! will vie to become the show’s first-ever ‘Legend’, as the series moves locations to Kruger National Park in South Africa. While it’s been confirmed which campers will be kicking things off, more past stars are set to join them – and they’ll face challenges promised to be tougher than ever. But for ex-Coronation
Street star Helen Flanagan (Rosie Webster), it’s the taking part that counts…
“I want to do a lot better than the first time around and give the Trials a go,” shares Helen, who came seventh in the 12th series. “I am just going to be brave and get on with it… I want to make myself proud.”
Helen’s 2012 stint saw her voted by the public to take on seven Trials on the trot, after confessing on arrival that she was a “scaredy-cat”. But now, she wants to prove to the nation she has the guts…
“It’s going to be different this time,” she resolves.
“I was only 22 back then. I have grown up a lot and had three children! When I went in the jungle the first time, I didn’t have a clue what I’d let myself in for
– I cried even when my phone got taken off me after landing in Australia. I’m not saying I’m going to be a jungle warrior, but I will have a go!”
Despite her famous Bushtucker freakouts, Helen admits that her previous experience did have its plus points…
“I really liked the social aspect,” she cheers.
“I got on really well with everyone, and I do have fond memories of my time on the show.
I was never bored, either, because I was always doing Trials!”
I AM JUST GOING TO BE BRAVE AND GET ON WITH IT…”