‘Breathtaking’: ITV Announces New Pandemic Drama From Jed Mercurio Starring Joanne Froggatt (photo credit: Christopher Barr)
ITV has announced new drama ‘Breathtaking‘, a searing, thought-provoking and poignant account of an NHS doctor in the eye of the storm during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, starring Golden Globe award-winning actress Joanne Froggatt, written by Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah.
The drama stars Froggatt (‘Downton Abbey’) in the role of a frontline hospital consultant. ‘Breathtaking’ is based on doctor-writer Rachel Clarke’s unflinching personal memoir of the greatest public health crisis in living memory. The series is adapted for television by Clarke herself, alongside Jed Mercurio (‘Line Of Duty’, ‘Bodyguard’), who you may not have realised given his success as a writer/producer, is also a former doctor, and actor/writer/director (and also a former doctor) Prasanna Puwanarajah (‘Diana’, ‘Ten Percent’, ‘The Crown’).
“Everyone at HTM Television has felt privileged to dramatise Rachel Clarke’s hauntingly illuminating memoir of health workers struggling to cope with the extraordinary challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Mercurio. “I’m honoured to have collaborated with Rachel and Prasanna on this important drama, and thrilled to be working with a cast led by Joanne Froggatt and crew led by director Craig Viveiros.”
Froggatt plays Abbey, a mother of two small children and known for her calm approach in a crisis, who witnesses first-hand the virus begin to take hold, overwhelming the NHS and creating conditions of unprecedented adversity. Set in a fictional big-city hospital, the drama narrates how frontline medical staff endured fear and frustration as they desperately tried to save the lives of coronavirus patients.
“I feel truly honoured to be playing Dr Abbey Henderson in Breathtaking, based on Dr Rachel Clarke’s beautifully written, poignant and shocking book of the same name,” commented Froggatt. “When I first read the incredible scripts they moved me to tears on many occasions. I felt so passionately that I had to be a part of telling this story, the real story, of what was really happening behind the closed doors of the hospitals during the pandemic. Our NHS staff are nothing less than absolute heroes in my eyes, and I hope telling this story goes a little way towards us understanding their truth, their lived experience and honouring their unbelievable commitment and sacrifice on behalf of us all.”
Filming of the three-part series was completed in Northern Ireland earlier this year. The drama has been directed by Craig Viveiros (‘Angela Black’, ‘The Watch’, ‘The War of the Worlds’), and is produced by Mercurio’s HTM Television.
“I’m honoured to be working with Jed, Rachel and Prasanna on this timely, important project,” adds Viveiros. “After reading the first few pages of the script, I knew this was a project I wanted to be involved with. Its unique, bold and unflinching take on life on the front line during the pandemic was immediately captivating. I’m delighted to once again be working with Joanne Froggatt, her ability to effortlessly bring the humanity and empathy to any character she portrays meant she was the perfect performer to bring Abbey to life. Shooting a large part of the miniseries in long, real-time sequences should make for captivating viewing and allow the audience to be immersed in the struggles our real-life heroes faced in the wards and emergency departments across the country, day after day, during the pandemic. This story is a chance for their voices and sacrifices to be seen and heard.”
The three-part series is produced by Jed Mercurio’s independent production company, HTM Television, which has been responsible for producing ‘Trigger Point’, ‘DI Ray’, ‘Bloodlands’ and the BAFTA-nominated factual drama ‘Stephen’.
“Breathtaking is a heartbreaking account of life as an NHS doctor during the pandemic,” said ITV’s Polly Hill who commissioned the miniseries. “It’s a chapter of recent history that should never be forgotten, and I can think of no one better than Jed, Rachel and Prasanna to write this topical and unflinching drama for ITV.”
The drama is based on Rachel Clarke’s own experiences as a doctor working on the NHS frontline during the pandemic. Rachel is an author of three Sunday Times bestselling books of which Dear Life was shortlisted for the 2020 Costa Biography Award. Your Life in My Hands documents life as a Junior Doctor working on the frontline. ‘Breathtaking’ was acclaimed as “a searing insider’s account of being a doctor during the tsunami of coronavirus deaths” (The Independent) and “a beautiful, blistering account of a key moment in our history” (Sunday Times).
“There is so much misinformation and rewriting of history around what really happened inside our hospitals during the pandemic,” commented author, screenwriter and doctor, Rachel Clarke. “The truth is, NHS staff gave everything they had in impossible conditions that sometimes cost them their lives. It is an honour to try and depict the courage and decency of my NHS colleagues on screen, and I’m so grateful to ITV and HTM Television for giving me the chance to show the public the truth.”
Against a backdrop of news footage from the early months of 2020, the drama will follow Abbey in her daily work whilst weaving together the stories of her fellow doctors, nurses, patients and the paramedics whose ambulances were queued outside hospitals as the NHS tried to cope with a tsunami of devastating cases. All of human life is present, and in parts, it’s an uplifting account of resilience and fortitude.
The drama is produced by Brian J. Falconer (Derry Girls, Ordinary Love and The Dig) and executive produced by Jed Mercurio, Rachel Clarke and Prasanna Puwanarajah. Prasanna is an actor, writer, producer and director whose acting credits include Ten Percent, The Crown, Line of Duty and Doctor Foster. His award-winning debut feature film Ballywalter will open in cinemas in the Autumn.
“It has been a privilege to collaborate with Rachel and Jed on Breathtaking,” adds Prasanna Puwanarajah. “Joanne, Craig and the cast and crew brought extraordinary commitment and skill to the work of doing justice to this account of the terrifying and extraordinary realities faced by NHS staff and patients in the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re grateful to HTM and ITV for bringing this untold story to the widest possible audience.”
The drama is produced in association with Northern Ireland Screen and filming took place in Belfast from April to May of this year. ‘Breathtaking’ is produced in association with and distributed internationally by ITV Studios.
‘Breathtaking‘ does not yet have a UK premiere date, but if you want to keep track of this or any other shows, you can add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when they get a UK premiere date.
