There is no British institution more revered and respected than the NHS. Richard Eyre’s Allelujah, based on the 2018 Allan Bennett play of the same name, is a love letter to the service that takes us “from the cradle to the grave” - but somehow ends up exposing its worst flaws through a spectacularly awful plot twist.
When the geriatric ward of the Bethlehem hospital in Wakefield is threatened with closure due to Tory cuts, its staff spring into action to fight for its survival. Colin Colman (Russell Tovey), a Department of Health consultant, is sent from London to inspect the ward before it is shut down, but his estranged father Joe is later moved there as an inpatient. Time spent around the staff caring for his father helps to thaw his icy heart as the pair attempt to repair their broken relationship. At the same time, a local camera crew arrives to document life on the wards in the hope that it will galvanise public opinion and stop the closure.
