Breathtaking is a new three-part drama set to start tonight on ITV tonight, here's what the gripping story is based on...
A new three-part drama following NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic, is set to begin tonight on Monday 19th February at 9pm, on ITV1. The series will follow acute medicine consultant, Dr Abbey Henderson (played by Joanne Froggatt) and the tough decisions she and her colleagues were forced to make as the first wave of Covid-19 patients began entering UK hospitals and rapidly infecting other patients and NHS staff.
What is Breathtaking based on?
The new ITV drama is based on a book of the same name by an NHS consultant who worked in hospitals during the pandemic. The book by Rachel Clarke recounts several stories about patients and the struggles faced by the NHS as they were unprepared and not given the right level of PPE to protect themselves from those who could infect them.
While the TV series is based on the real stories told in this book, the ITV series has created a fictional hospital and doctors and NHS staff to tell these stories. The book was adapted for TV by Jed Mercutio (writer of Line of Duty, Bodyguard, and Trigger Point) and Prasanna Puwanarajah, both of whom are former hospital doctors.
Here’s a new clip of #BREATHTAKING - on tonight, 9pm on @ITV Please watch if you feel able. Please don’t look away.#NHS 💙pic.twitter.com/o11JCtuE95February 19, 2024
Speaking about wanting to keep the show as true to life as possible, Joanne Froggatt told ITV News, "The ethos behind the drama is to make it the most realistic portrayal that we possibly could."
"It's not just a re-telling of Covid, this is the inside story of what was really happening behind the closed doors of the hospitals - the story we as the public were fortunate enough not to have dealings with," she said.
"I realise for a lot of people it will be incredibly triggering to watch depending on their experiences during the pandemic," said Joanna, speaking about the importance of the show, "but I would urge people if they're able to, to please not look away because this story is a story we should all be aware of."
The author of the novel Breathtaking, Rachel Clarke, spoke about 'gratitude' towards ITV for allowing this story to be told.
"There is so much misinformation and rewriting of history around what really happened inside our hospitals during the pandemic," she said.
"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."
When is Breathtaking on?
Breathtaking is set to take place on Monday, February 18th at 9pm. The series will be released on three consecutive nights, taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, concluding the three-part drama on Wednesday night. All three episodes are also available to view right now on ITVX.
