Intensive scare BREATHTAKING
Joanne Froggatt plays an NHS doctor at the sharp end of the COVID-19 pandemic…
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the British public was reassured that our NHS wasn’t being overwhelmed with stricken patients, and there was sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) for hospital employees at the sharp end. However, as ITV1’S drama Breathtaking reveals, the reality of life on the frontline was very different from the narrative being spun by politicians.
Unprepared
Based on a memoir by real-life medic Dr Rachel Clarke, the three-parter stars Joanne Froggatt as Abbey Henderson, a doctor who witnesses chaotic and heartbreaking scenes as her hospital sees an influx of COVID-19 cases.
‘Abbey is an NHS consultant in acute general medicine,’ says Joanne, 43. ‘She’s married with two children, and very passionate about what she does. And then the pandemic hits.’
Abbey is fraught with worry as her daughter is at risk if she catches COVID-19. At the same time she also realises the country is woefully unprepared for what is to come, with health-service COVID-19 guidelines lagging behind what’s happening on the ground. Christopher Hatherall stars as Abbey’s husband, Nick, while her medical colleagues are played by Bhav Joshi, Donna Banya and Georgia Goodman. All who work at the hospital are at risk of contracting the virus there, because of a lack of PPE.
Although it will be a challenging watch for many viewers, Joanne says the message Breathtaking conveys is hugely important. ‘I realise it may be triggering, depending on your personal experience,’ she admits. ‘This is a story that needs to be told and one that we weren’t told.’