The high-pressure professional and personal lives of the staff in a busy hospital’s Accident and Emergency department are chronicled in this medical drama.
A continuation of the serial Always and Everyone, the programme is set in the A&E department of St. Victor’s Hospital. The first series begins with the arrival of trauma surgeon Jack Turner (Michael Kitchen), whose abrasive methods immediately clash with the more patient-focused approach of department consultant Christine Fletcher (Niamh Cusack). Their fractious working relationship forms the core of the drama, as the team, including senior consultant Robert Kingsford (Martin Shaw), deals with a relentless stream of critical cases. The second series sees further staff changes and continues to follow the team as they balance the demands of their chaotic work with their complicated personal lives.
This programme was Granada’s second attempt at a flagship medical drama, retooled from the less successful Always and Everyone. While retaining key cast members, including Niamh Cusack and Martin Shaw, A&E was a deliberate pivot towards a more conventional, character-driven format. The introduction of Michael Kitchen’s formidable surgeon provided a new centre of gravity for the narrative; the focus shifted from the procedural aspects of emergency medicine to the interpersonal conflicts among the staff. The series aimed for a grittier tone than its predecessor, grounding its medical crises in the ongoing professional and romantic entanglements of its core characters in a bid to compete in the primetime hospital drama market.
Broadcast: ITV, 22 Episodes. Series 1: 11 April 2001 – 12 July 2001. Series 2: 4 July 2002 – 22 August 2002.
Producers: Pamela Wilson (Series 1), Richard Broke (Series 2)
Executive Producer: Hugh Warren (Series 2)
Writers include: Kate Brooke, Stephen Butchard, Joe Ainsworth, Lisa Hunt
Directors include: Peter Smith, Ian Knox, Christopher King, Moira Armstrong
Main Cast: Michael Kitchen (Jack Turner), Niamh Cusack (Christine Fletcher), Martin Shaw (Robert Kingsford), Jane Danson (Sam Docherty), Connor McIntyre (Terry Harker), Dominic Mafham (Andrew Argyle), Jaye Griffiths (Ruth Cole), Ben Taylor (James Da Costa)
