Breathtaking (2024)★ 7.6/10

GB · 47 min · February 19, 2024 · 1 seasons

Drama

Written by: Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio, Prasanna Puwanarajah

Drama series following a doctor looking after the most gravely unwell patients in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Original title

Breathtaking

Storyline

3-part docudrama following British medics during the Covid-19 pandemic. In early March 2020, weeks before the UK's first national lockdown, acute medicine consultant Dr Abbey Henderson and her team struggle with the first wave of Covid-19 patients. Running out of PPE, staff, and beds, Abbey is forced to make difficult healthcare decisions as her colleagues begin to be infected with Covid-19. When lockdown is finally imposed, the pandemic stretches Abbey and the team to their limits as they confront government policy in relation to care home discharges and inadequate PPE. Throughout 2020 and another lockdown, Abbey moves away from her family home to protect them from Covid-19. They try their best to save patients but are forced to endure the trauma of loss and tragedy caused by Covid-19. As winter arrives, a third wave hits the hospital and a third national lock-down. With Covid-19 deniers surfacing too, the pressure becomes unmanageable and causes the team to reach their breaking point. Scarred and enraged, Abbey cannot maintain her silence any longer and decides to risk everything by speaking out, voicing the pandemic's full effect on the NHS.

Rating

7.6 / 10 · 1,823

Companies

HTM Productions, ITV Studios, Northern Ireland Screen, ITV - Independent Television, ITVX

Release dates