The Royal

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The Royal
Format	Drama
Run time	60 minutes
Starring	See Current cast
Channel	ITV1
Production company	ITV Productions
Related shows	Heartbeat
Air dates	19 January 2003 – Present
No. of series	5
No. of episodes	51

The Royal is a British medical drama. The serial television show features one hour episodes aired by the ITV1. The title refers to the fictional "St Aidan's Royal Free Hospital", which is located in the rural seaside town of Elsinby close to Whitby, Scarborough and Aidensfield. The town serves both the local farmers and townsfolk and visiting holidaymakers. The show is set in the 1960s and is filmed in the Yorkshire holiday resort of Scarborough. It is a spin-off show from the popular ITV show Heartbeat. Current stars include Wendy Craig, Paul Fox and Amy Robbins.

The majority of the plots centre around medical emergencies and the moral dilemmas created or exposed by the emergencies. Typically there are several ongoing crises, each being confronted by one or more staff members. The show tends to avoid political topics on the whole although the Vietnam War was touched upon in one episode, the conflict between progressive and conservative social ideals is central to the show and these issues will be addressed in greater detail in season 5 following the new black Doctor Joan Makori joining The Royal in episode 49. The ethical challenges and social changes faced by the hospital staff and their patients mirror those faced by the world in the 1960s.

There is one on-going and as yet unsolved mystery in The Royal: Matron's real name. She has never used a name throughout the series, nor has she ever been referred to by one. All that is known is that her nickname during the Second World War, when she served as a nurse, was "Toffee".

Series 6 is currently in production and is due to be screened in 2007.

ITV1 bosses are in talks about axing The Royal after its sister show Heartbeat was rumoured to have been axed this year after 16 series to make room for new shows.

1 Interesting facts
2 Current cast
3 Previous cast members
4 Series guide
5 External links

[edit] Interesting facts

The telephone number for The Royal is Elsinby 3323 and there's no Tuesday Evening Surgery.

The code to the safe in Mr. Middleditch's Office (which is now under the command of Adam Carnegie) is 1886 which is the same year The Royal was founded!

Episode 05.09 in the Series 5 Presspack is clearly entitled "Winners & Losers" however, in the opening credits the title of the episode that appears on screen is "Winners & Loser".

The series was introduced in the twelfth series episode 'Out Of The Blue' of Heartbeat. Several 'Heartbeat' characters appeared in the first couple of series of The Royal, most notably Bill Maynard as a bed-ridden Greengrass; However, as the series has progressed, it has generally dropped its character crossovers with Heartbeat to become its own entity.

[edit] Current cast

Natalie Anderson - Nurse Stella Davenport (2005- )
Linda Armstrong - Sister Brigid (2003- )
Robert Cavanah - Adam Carnegie (2006- )
Wendy Craig - Matron (2003- )
Amelia Curtis - Nurse Catherine Deane (2006- )
Robert Daws - Dr. Gordon Ormerod (2003- )
Paul Fox - Dr. Jeff Goodwin (2004- )
Michelle Hardwick - Lizzie Hopkirk (2003- )
Denis Lill - Mr. Rose
Andy Wear - Alun Morris
Amy Robbins - Dr. Jill Weatherill
Michael Starke - Ken Hopkirk
Scott Taylor - Frankie Robinson
Tara Berwin - Katie Ormerod #2 (Series 6-) - Daughter of Dr Gordon Ormerod and late wife Caroline
Thomas Fox - Tom Ormerod #2 (Series 6-) - Son of Dr Gordon Ormerod and late wife Caroline
Helena Blair - Angela Deane - 12-year-old daughter of Nurse Catherine Deane
Kananu Kirimi - Dr. Joan Makori (2006- )

[edit] Previous cast members

Ian Carmichael - Hospital secretary T.J. Middleditch (2003 – 2006)
Julian Ovenden - Dr. David Cheriton (2003)
Anna Madeley - Nurse Samantha Beaumont
Polly Maberly - Dr. Lucy Klein
Zoie Kennedy - Staff Nurse Meryl Taylor (2003 – 2006)
Sophie Foster - Katie Ormerod #1 (2003 – 2006) (Series 1 – 5) - Daughter of Dr Gordon Ormerod and late wife Caroline
Daniel Feltham - Tom Ormerod #1 (2003 – 2006) (Series 1 – 5) - Son of Dr Gordon Ormerod and late wife Caroline

[edit] Series guide

Series 1		7 episodes
Episode	Title	Aired
1	First Impressions	19 January 2003
2	Second Time Around	26 January 2003
3	Coffin Fit	2 February 2003
4	Sister of Mercy	9 February 2003
5	Immediate Care	16 February 2003
6	Kiss and Tell	23 February 2003
7	Crash	2 March 2003

Series 2		6 episodes
Episode	Title	Aired
8	All at Sea	25 May 2003
9	Snakes and Ladders	1 June 2003
10	Thicker Than Water	8 June 2003
11	Wishing and Hoping	15 June 2003
12	One of Those Days	22 June 2003
13	The Last Waltz	29 June 2003

Series 3		14 episodes
Episode	Title	Aired
14	The Unbreakable Chain	16 November 2003
15	If Not for You	23 November 2003
16	Doing the Rounds	30 November 2003
17	Consequences	7 December 2003
18	Poison	14 December 2003
19	Famous for a Day	21 December 2003
20	Skin Deep	28 December 2003
21	Cliff hanger	4 January 2004
22	All the Fun of the Fair	11 January 2004
23	Holding on Tight	18 January 2004
24	For Those in Peril	25 January 2004
25	Reckoning	1 February 2004
26	Doing Time	8 February 2004
27	Home to Roost	15 February 2004

Series 4		12 episodes
Episode	Title	Aired
28	For Better for Worse	5 December 2004
29	Beggars and Choosers	12 December 2004
30	No Room for Ravers	19 December 2004
31	The Rose Queen	9 January 2005
32	It's What's on the Inside That Counts	16 January 2005
33	Duty Bound	23 January 2005
34	Sins of the Father	30 January 2005
35	Everybody Needs Somebody	6 February 2005
36	Say a Little Prayer	13 February 2005
37	The Way We Were	20 February 2005
38	Sinking Feeling	27 February 2005
39	While the Cat's Away	6 March 2005

Series 5		12 episodes
Episode	Title	Aired
40	Loved and Lost	12 March 2006
41	Cometh the Hour Cometh the Man	19 March 2006
42	Thinking Too Hard	26 March 2006
43	Seeking Refuge	2 April 2006
44	Fever	9 April 2006
45	Letting Go	16 April 2006
46	Love Is All You Need	17 September 2006
47	Waifs and Strays	24 September 2006
48	Winners and Losers	1 October 2006
49	Price of Progress	8 October 2006
50	Keep on Running	15 October 2006
51	From This Day Forward	22 October 2006