Cardiac Arrest, The TV Show
It’s only been about eight months since I moved to London and I’ve learned to love many of the shows produced in the UK, including The Apprentice with Sir Alan Sugar (I know the premise is based on the US Apprentice with Donald Trump but cut me some slack!). There may be one more show that I could learn to appreciate: Cardiac Arrest, a British hospital drama that ran for three series from 1994-96. Medical professionals here are now demanding that it be released on DVD.
Why the delay?
The series attracted the fury of the Royal College of Nursing, which complained that its members were being portrayed as witless, sex-obsessed and ‘callous’. The Health Secretary of the time, Virginia Bottomley, said the programme was closer to a Carry On film than a proper drama. Her Tory colleagues claimed Cardiac Arrest represented ‘all the usual propaganda’ aimed at running down the NHS.
Doctors and nurses who know what life is really like behind the scenes say the show is accurate. Based on the scenes I’ve read, I hope I don’t have to visit a hospital any time soon.
*OK, so this has nothing to do with heart disease except for the name but it’s Sunday and I’m easily amused. Besides, who doesn’t like a good medical drama? My favorite right now is House.
The Observer, September 10, 2006
Technorati Tags: cardiac arrest, bbc, jed mercurio, john macure, heart disease, heart, disease, illness, health, medical drama
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POSTED IN: Hearty News
3 opinions for Cardiac Arrest, The TV Show
Kim
Sep 19, 2006 at 12:44 pm
So, nurses get the same treatment in England, eh?
We are shown as ditzy sex starved airheads or as humorless doctor-following robots (Dixie McCall from Emergency, anyone?), or drug addicts (ER, first season?).
So, as one non-sex starved RN who has a collegial working relationship with physicians and only takes Vicodin when her head really hurts BAD, I take exception to the portrayal of nurses on TV.
I also think we nurses need to keep our sense of humor intact, something that is rapidly dissipating. You can change a lot more with humor than you can with complaining.
Hsien-Hsien Lei, PhD
Sep 19, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Kim: We love nurses!! :)
Substance Abuse Treatment
May 18, 2007 at 12:29 pm
I’m just sick of all the shows that are copied. Why cant they make something original. Want to make money, please the public.
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