Malpractice is the latest series from ITV1, who call it a ‘nail-biting medical thriller’.
The series starts this week and follows fiercely intelligent and hard working A&E doctor Lucinda Edwards who, as the title suggests, is faced with an accusation of malpractice.
Like recent TV hits Maternal and This Is Going to Hurt, viewers will follow Lucinda as she endures a nightmare shift, which ends up having horrifying consequences for both her – and a patient.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new series Malpractice, from the creators of Line of Duty, Vigil and The Suspect.
Malpractice plot: What’s the series about?
The medical thriller follows a day in the life of Dr Lucinda Edwards, a smart, battle-hardened doctor who is months away from achieving her dream of becoming an A&E consultant. However, her world is turned upside down when a nightmare shift ends in tragedy.
In what might be seen as a painful reflection of the real life crisis in the NHS, experienced A&E doctor Lucinda Edwards treats a gunshot victim and an opioid overdose patient Edith Owusu – both of whom need a bed in resus, but there’s only room for one of them.
When patient Edith dies, investigators are tasked with assessing whether Lucinda is fit to practise medicine.
Edith’s grieving father demands an inquiry into Lucinda’s actions on the fateful night. While investigator Dr Norma Callahan is suspicious of Lucinda’s behaviour, Lucinda’s former colleague, Dr George Adjei, feels this was an unavoidable tragedy.
As the pressure of the investigation intensifies, Lucinda’s relationship with her husband Tom starts to fracture, and her confident professional exterior begins to crack. But is Lucinda hiding something?
How many episodes is Malpractice on ITV1?
Malpractice is five episodes in total.
Each episode will be just over one hour, including ad breaks.
When does Malpractice start?
Medical thriller Malpractice starts on Sunday, April 23, 2023 on ITV1.
The first episode airs at 9pm and will finish at 10:05pm.
All episodes will be streaming on ITVX after the first episode has aired on ITV1.
Who is in the cast?
Niamh Algar portrays Dr Lucinda Edwards in the cast of Malpractice on ITV1.
The Irish actress is perhaps best known for playing Dinah in The Virtues opposite Stephen Graham, a role for which she won Best Actress in a Leading Role in a TV Drama at the 2020 IFTA Film & Drama Awards.
She’s also known for playing
James Purefoy portrays Lucinda’s medical supervisor, Dr Leo Harris.
Actor James is known for playing Jim in the hit film Fisherman’s Friends and its sequel, as well as numerous TV roles including Mark Anthony in Rome,
Hollyoaks‘ Brian Bovell – aka Leo Valentine – plays Edith’s grieving father, while newcomer Jordan Kouamé stars as Dr George Adjei.
Holding actress Helen Behan, who is a trained nurse in real life, portrays Dr Norma Callahan.
Vigil and Grantchester actor Lorne MacFadyen plays Lucinda’s boyfriend Tom, while All Saints’ Douglas Hansell stars as Dr Rob Thornbury.
Tristan Sturrock plays Dr Mike Willett, Scott Chambers is Dr Oscar Beattie, Priyanka Patel portrays Dr Ramya Morgan, and Adei Bundy plays Kathy Miller.
Boiling Point actress Hannah Walters – aka Mrs Stephen Graham – plays Matron Beth Relph.
Michelle Parker, Sherelle Armstrong, Kate England, Duggal Ram, Darren Kent, Katie Bellwood, Megan Griffiths, Rebecca-Clare Evans, Simon Naylor, Shaun Fagan, Twana Omer, Daniel Waterhouse, Charlotte Anthon, and Liberty Miller also star.
Is Malpractice based on a true story?
Malpractice is not based on a true story, but there are nuggets of truth within the script.
Writer and executive producer Grace Ofori-Attah was a doctor for 15 years, before swapping medicine for storytelling.
She says: “As I progressed through my career and was doing psychiatry, that story and its relevance became all the more important. Psychiatry is the black sheep of the medical family. But I feel that mental health is present in every part of medicine. And mental health discussions are becoming more relevant today.”
She added: “So I wanted to write a medical story. But while Malpractice is set in A&E to reflect what was probably the most difficult junior doctor rotation I’ve ever done, the underlying story is really one about psychiatry, mental health, addiction and how that is pervasive. Not just in medicine but in wider society.”
Grace explains that one of the main themes of the series is pressure, adding: “That work-life balance pressure and the idea of doctors as people.
“What had really bugged me a lot during my training was this perception of doctors as being any different from their patients when they are obviously one and the same.”
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Malpractice starts on Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 9pm on ITV1.
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