Casualty@Holby City Interactive
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| “Something We Can Do” | |||||||
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| Casualty episode | |||||||
 Robert Winston in Holby City Hospital's ED. |
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| Episode no. | Season 19 Episode 49 |
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| Written by | Steve Lightfoot | ||||||
| Directed by | Shani S. Grewal | ||||||
| Guest stars | Robert Winston Luisa Bradshaw-WhiteH |
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| Original airdate | 27 August 2005 | ||||||
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| List of Casualty episodes, Series 19 | |||||||
Casualty@Holby City Interactive refers to the second Casualty@Holby City crossover of BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City. The episode was broadcast on 27 August 2005 as part of the BBC's DoNation season, raising public awareness of the shortage of UK organ donors. An hour long, the first forty five minutes of the episode were dramatized, presenting two patients in need of a heart transplant. A third patient was pronounced brain stem dead and went on to act as donor. Viewers were asked to vote by phone or text message for the patient they wished to receive the transplant. The concluding fifteen minutes of the episode were presented by Robert Winston, who discussed the medical facts and ethics of organ donation and transplantations, before revealing the patient the public selected to receive the donor heart. Despite receiving a number of critical reviews in the press, the episode received high ratings, and was the second most watched terrestrial programme of the day.[1]
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[edit] Plot
Three patients are introduced in the beginning of the episode. Matt is a thirty year old man involved in a road traffic accident, who arrives at Holby City Hospital's Emergency Department having suffered significant head trauma, and is later pronounced brain stem dead. Lucy is a nineteen year old student who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and is awaiting a heart and lung transplant, while Tony is a forty one year old ex-smoker in the end stages of heart failure, also in need of a transplant. While Matt's parents and pregnant wife deliberate over agreeing to donate his organs, Lucy's father and Tony's fiance create conflict amongst the staff over which patient is more deserving of a transplant.
The episode breaks three quarters of the way through, as Professor Robert Winston narrates on the subject of real life transplants, with testimonies from Don MacKechnie, an A&E Consultant, Dr. Anne Sutcliffe, an Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Specialist, Chris Rudge, Medical Director for NHS UK Transplant, as well as Eamonn and Erika Phillipson, parents of Andrew, a nine year old donor. Presented with all the facts, viewers are asked to vote for the patient they wish to receive the transplant. As the episode ends, it is revealed that of 98,800 votes receives, 65% selected Lucy to receive the donor heart, and only 35% selected Tony. Lucy is seen happy and healthy, graduating from University having recovered well from the transplant, while Tony is revealed to have married despite his condition, and remain awaiting a new heart.[2]
[edit] Production
Week beginning 22 August 2007 saw the BBC launch a week long organ 'DoNation' season, in order to "raise awareness, explain the facts, dispel myths and encourage people to make an informed decision about whether to add their name to the Register."[3] The Interactive Casualty@Holby City special was one of the headlining shows of the season, putting viewers in the place of doctors in order to decide the recipient of a fictional heart transplant.
Despite being billed as a Casualty@Holby City crossover, the episode was written, directed and produced by Casualty crew members, and shot on location at the Casualty studios in Bristol. Only two Holby City characters actually appeared in the episode - Matron Lisa Fox and Critical Care Consultant Lola Griffin. The episode was also broadcast in the usual Casualty time slot, on a Saturday evening.
Two different endings for the episode were shot, to account for both possible outcomes of the public vote. As well as the one which was broadcast, an alternate exists in which Tony receives the transplant instead of Lucy. This is available for viewing on the Casualty@Holby City DoNation Interactive website.[4]
[edit] Reception
The episode received mixed reviews after broadcast. The Daily Mirror's Jim Shelley deemed the special "a horrible mess",[5] while The People kept their criticism brief, limiting their review to: "CASUALTY@Holby City? Takings up@pub."[6] The Times were more explicit with their criticism, writing that:
- "The notion that any television can be “interactive” is always dubious, as it usually involves little more than voting on limited choices. That is certainly the case in this “interactive” drama devised for the BBC’s DoNation season to draw our attention to the urgent need for fresh human organs... The twin hospital dramas have never been afraid of didactic storylines, but this example, constructed to illustrate the ethical dilemmas of those involved, is about as didactic as it gets. Let’s hope this benevolent propaganda works."[7]
The Sun, however, selected the episode as a televisual 'Pick of the Day',[8] while The Daily Mail reported that:
- "John Evans, chairman of the British Organ Donor Society, welcomed the series, adding: "There's a continual need for positive stories to be fed to the public to highlight the desperate need for organ donation." At present, there is a critical shortage of donors, with around 400 deaths each year of people whose lives could have been saved through organ transplants."[9]
The episode received 7.32 million viewers, making it the second most watched terrestrial programme of the day, and also the BBC's second best rated programme of the week, behind only popular soap opera EastEnders.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Weekly Viewing Summary - w/e 28/08/2005. BARB. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
- ^ "Something We Can Do". Casualty@Holby City. BBC. 2005-08-27.
- ^ Major BBC organ donation season launches in August. bbc.co.uk (28 April 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
- ^ Casualty at Holby City - Interactive. bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 2007-09-24.
- ^ Shelley, Jim, “SHELLEYVISION: Down.”, The Daily Mirror (London, England), 30 August 2005
- ^ Bushell, Garry, “Bushell on the Box: Brief points.”, The People (London, England), 28 August 2005
- ^ Television: Saturday, August 27. The Times (27 August 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ What to watch this weekend. The Sun (27 August 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
- ^ Donate your kidney while you watch TV. The Daily Mail (29 April 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-10.
[edit] External links
- BBC Official Casualty@Holby City "DoNation Interactive" website
- BBC Official Casualty@Holby City specials website
- BBC Official Casualty website
- BBC Official Holby City website
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