Critical: Every second counts as Lennie James leads ground-breaking Sky1-HD medical drama
Production to start in February 2014
As part of Sky’s continued investment in original content, Sky 1 HD today (27TH January, 2014) announces the cast oAs part of Sky’s continued investment in original content, Sky 1 HD today (27TH January, 2014) announces the cast of its ultra-realistic real-time medical drama CRITICAL. Lennie James (The Walking Dead, Line of Duty) will lead an ensemble playing locum trauma consultant Glen Boyle. Catherine Walker (Strike Back) plays trauma registrar Fiona Lomas with Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) playing trauma consultant Lorraine Rappaport. Finally, junior doctor Dr. “Harry” Bennett-Edwardes is 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.
The 13-part series is 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? CRITICAL is a series about medicine where our team hold a life in their hands but in every case they face the agonisingly real fear that it could slip through their fingers. 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, Phone Shop), 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.”
Cameron Roach, Commissioning Editor, Sky Entertainment: “Sky 1 feels like a perfect home for this high energy, fast paced drama. There is nothing like it on television and we hope our customers relish the characters, atmosphere and pace of this ground breaking show.”
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 13 x 60’ series was commissioned by Sky’s previously acting Head of Drama, Cameron Roach, and will be 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 (That Summer Day, Downton Abbey Christmas Special) and produced by Christopher Hall (Dracula, Murder on the Home Front).
By 2014, Sky will invest £600 million a year in British programmes across its portfolio of channels. This commitment includes home-grown content such as upcoming entertainment quiz DUCK QUACKS DON’T ECHO, dramas such as MOONFLEET, THE TUNNEL, DRACULA, A YOUNG DOCTOR’S NOTEBOOK, FLEMING and THE SMOKE, comedies such as STELLA, DOLL & EM,THE KUMARS and factual shows such as KARL PILKINGTON: THE MOANING OF LIFE, THE SOUTH BANK SHOW, THE FACE and ROSS KEMP EXTREME WORLD.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
Elena Kemp – Senior Publicist, Sky 1 HD
T: +44 (0) 20 7032 1495
Annabel Rudden – Publicist, Sky 1 HD
T: +44 (0)207 6845
Notes to editor
About Sky
Sky is the UK and Ireland’s leading home entertainment and communications company. Around 40% of all homes have a direct relationship with Sky through its range of TV, broadband and home telephony services.Sky is the UK’s biggest investor in television content, investing more than £2.5 billion a year in channels such as Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, Sky Arts, Sky Sports, Sky Movies and Sky News. Around two-thirds of Sky’s content spend is invested in the UK and Sky is the fastest-growing source of investment in original British programmes. More than 30 million people watch Sky content each week.Alongside its commitment to offering customers a greater choice of high-quality content, Sky is a leading innovator. Customers enjoy total control and flexibility over their favourite TV through Sky+, watch TV on the move through Sky Go, and enjoy the best quality TV experience at home through High Definition and 3D. Sky distributes its content broadly over several platforms, including satellite, cable, IPTV, mobile and WiFi. NOW TV, Sky’s second consumer brand, builds on the company’s leadership in internet TV. Sky is also the UK's fastest-growing home communications company and favourite ‘triple-play’ provider of TV, broadband and home phone. Sky believes in making a wider contribution to the communities in which it operates by taking positive action on the environment, supporting grassroots sports and increasing access to, and participation in, the arts. Sky employs 24,000 people, has annual revenues of £7.2 billion and is estimated to support a £5.9 billion contribution to UK GDP. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (BSY).
About Hat Trick Productions (www.hattrickproductions.co.uk / @hattrickprod)Founded in 1986 by Jimmy Mulville, Denise O’Donoghue and Rory McGrath, Hat Trick Productions has since grown into one of the country's leading producers of popular and award-winning comedy, drama, entertainment and digital media, regularly bringing to the screen distinctive and popular programmes across many channels, including: OUTNUMBERED, BODIES, THE SUSPICIONS OF MR WHICHER, CASE SENSITIVE, EPISODES, THE KUMARS, ROOM 101, SOME GIRLS, THE REVOLUTION WILL BE TELEVISED, FACEJACKER, SPY, GREAT NIGHT OUT and, of course, the long running BBC1 series HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU which Jimmy created in 1990. Other Hat Trick programmes include: NIXON, DINNER DATE, IT'S ONLY A THEORY, FONEJACKER, DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, GOD ON TRIAL, THE ARMSTRONG & MILLER SHOW, THE BUBBLE, CHARTJACKERS, FAIRY TALES, MISS MARIE LLOYD – QUEEN OF THE MUSIC HALL and NEWS KNIGHT WITH SIR TREVOR McDONALD as well as FATHER TED, THE KUMARS AT NO 42, DROP THE DEAD DONKEY, TREVOR'S WORLD OF SPORT, WHO DARES WINS, WHOSE LINE IT IS ANYWAY?, LIFE ISN'T ALL HA HA HEE HEE and THE WORST WEEK OF MY LIFE