Cast announced for new medical drama
Sky 1 has announced Line Of Duty actor Lennie James will lead the cast of Jed Mecurio‘s 13-part medical drama, Critical.
Lennie James will star as locum trauma consultant Glen Boyle alongside Catherine Walker (Strike Back) who plays trauma registrar Fiona Lomas, Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) as trauma consultant Lorraine Rappaport and junior doctor Dr. “Harry” Bennett-Edwardes played by Kimberley Nixon (Fresh Meat).
Created by Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty, Bodies), Critical will be one story, in one place, in one hour – a real-time medical and emotional roller-coaster ride in which every second counts during the most life-threatening hour of a patient’s treatment. The real-time nature of the drama takes the sense of realism to genre-defining levels, transporting the viewer from the airy atriums of a gleaming new hospital to the inner space of the human body.
Set in a state-of-the-art Major Trauma Centre, a unit which treats only the most gravely ill or seriously injured. Each episode features a new and distinctive case told with thrilling intensity. Whether that patient lives or dies is determined by knife-edge decisions and procedures, but can the diverse team of medical professionals knit together and rise to the challenge?
Lennie James commented: “The chance to work with Jed again and to come home to be part of such an exciting and ballsy project was too good an opportunity to turn down.”
The rest of the Critical team are made up of: Neve McIntosh (Doctor Who), Prasanna Puwanarajah (The Half Light), John MacMillan (Silk), Ellen Thomas (Rev), Mali Harries (The Indian Doctor), Paul Bazely (Casualty), Danny Kirrane (Trollied) Peter Sullivan (The Hour), Emma Fryer (Chickens), Orion Lee (Skyfall) and Juliet Oldfield (Top Boy).
Adam MacDonald, Director of Sky 1: “Critical is a show with Sky 1’s DNA at its heart. It is fast paced, high octane storytelling, packed full of energy. We are thrilled that Lennie James is leading the cast and are very excited to be working with Jed and the team over at Hat Trick.”
Mark Redhead, Executive Producer, Hat Trick Productions: “Critical has an engaging, funny, attractive and complicated set of characters who work, fight, love and sometimes hate each other. Playing their stories in real-time unlocks a new dimension of emotional and psychological drama and medical detail that is really thrilling.”
Jed Mercurio, Creator and Executive Producer: “Sky has given the Critical team a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create the most realistic and thrilling medical drama. I’m hugely grateful to be involved in such an exciting project.”
The drama is produced by Hat Trick Productions. The Executive Producers are Mark Redhead for Hat Trick Productions and Cameron Roach for Sky. The lead director for the series will be BAFTA award winning Jon East (Downton Abbey Christmas Special) and produced by Christopher Hall (Dracula).
Production on Critical begins in February 2014
