This medical drama charts the professional and personal pressures faced by a team of general practitioners.
The series centres on a busy medical practice and the work of its three principal doctors: the senior partner, Dr. Henry Bennett (Godfrey Quigley), and his colleagues Dr. Bob Hamilton (Geoffrey Frederick) and Dr. Curtis (Scott Forbes). Each episode presents a new case, from industrial accidents and mysterious poisonings to domestic crises and ethical dilemmas. The narrative follows the doctors as they respond to emergencies at all hours, balancing the demands of their patients with the strains placed upon their own lives. Aileen Britton and Jessie Evans feature as key members of the practice’s support staff.
A spin-off from the earlier ATV series Call Oxbridge 2000, 24 Hour Call was a solidly constructed medical procedural, typical of its time but distinguished by the high calibre of its production talent. The series was a vehicle for some of British television’s most dependable dramatists, with scripts from N. J. Crisp, Wilfred Greatorex, Lewis Greifer, and William Hood. Its episodic format also attracted a formidable roster of guest performers, offering early roles to actors like Pauline Collins and Adrienne Posta, alongside established character actors such as Nigel Green and Peter Halliday. Produced by ATV, the programme delivered a weekly dose of human drama, grounding its stories in the everyday crises of a community and the dedication of the doctors who served it.
Broadcast: ITV – ATV, 21 Episodes, 3 February 1963 – 23 June 1963
Writers included: N. J. Crisp, Lewis Greifer (also as Joshua Adam), Peter Lambda, Bill Craig, William Hood, Richard Harris, Julian Bond, William Woods
Directors included: Josephine Douglas, Geoffrey Nethercott, Philip Barker, Vivian Matalon, Dennis Vance, Peter Saddy
Producers: Philip Dale, Raymond White, Hugh Rennie
Main Cast: Godfrey Quigley (Dr. Henry Bennett), Geoffrey Frederick (Dr. Bob Hamilton), Scott Forbes (Dr. Curtis), Aileen Britton (Mrs Bennett), Jessie Evans (Miss Davies)
Guest Cast included: Andrew Downie, Jennifer Kennedy, Peter Halliday, Nigel Green, Pauline Collins, Robin Chapman, Adrienne Posta, Glynn Edwards, Ian Shand, John Junkin
