Breathtaking viewers praise cast in 'harrowing' and 'gut-wrenching' Covid drama
ITV's Breathtaking left viewers "sobbing" and appalled once more on Tuesday night, as the second episode of the Covid drama aired "heartbreaking" scenes.
Viewers were quick to praise the cast of the ITV series for their portrayal, both as medical staff members and patients, as tragedy continued to strike at the hospital where the series was set. Joanne Froggatt led the cast as Dr Abbey Henderson in the drama, with the NHS Consultant forced to make some huge decisions on the ward, some of which led to devastating events.
Breathtaking launched on Monday night, as it follows the true story of frontline hospital consultant Abbey as she witnesses coronavirus take hold in her own hospital. The drama is based on writer Rachel Clarke's own experiences as a doctor working on the NHS frontline during the pandemic.
Abbey and other NHS staff members were seen in turmoil as they lost colleagues and patients, while doing all they could for those admitted with coronavirus. In harrowing scenes, staff members including Abbey faced the fury and heartache of loved ones as patients lost their lives.
Breathtaking viewers were quick to praise the cast of the ITV series (ITV)After the first episode showed how hospitals had to rapidly adapt, alongside clips of real advice and conflicting guidance coming from the Conservative government, the latest episode covered issues with faulty PPE, the care home crisis and the physical and mental impact the pandemic had on those on the frontline. In one gut-wrenching scene, Abbey and a colleague begged those at the top to enforce testing on patients before anyone was discharged, but their pleas were ignored.
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With demands "from the top" seeing patients sent home before being tested in a bid to free up beds, staff members' concerns about the lack of PPE to protect them as well as nursing home patients being released from hospital with the virus were soon validated. Not only did Abbey learn that a patient she had "no choice" but to discharge back to a care home did have Covid-19, she was horrified to realise the virus then spread and infected and killed other people living there.
As she urged for a change to procedure regarding testing and discharging patients, she and other staff members were devastated to be ignored and told "just do your job". Several staff members were also seen confiding in a counsellor and each other about their fears over the lack of protective wear, worried they might not wake up after the loss of their colleagues.
ITV's Breathtaking left viewers 'sobbing' and appalled (ITV)As scenes echoed the reality of what hospital and healthcare staff, and patients and loved ones, faced during the pandemic, viewers watching at home called it "tough" and "harrowing", as some were forced to turn over the channel. Amid the "heartbreaking" episode, with scenes triggering memories and trauma for many viewers, fans heaped praise on the cast admitting it was easy to forget they were actors.
Taking to X during the second episode, one viewer posted: "@JoFroggatt deserves the TV equivalent of an Oscar for this portrayal of the NHS of the COVID shambles. Gut wrenching." Another wrote: "I know this drama is not about Joanne Froggatt per se, but what a brilliant and adaptable actor she is."
A third viewer said: "Its easy to forget these doctors and nurses and dying patients are actors. Breathtaking is a difficult watch but it mustve been difficult for the actors to portray such traumatic events.," as a fourth commented: "#BREATHTAKING has an outstanding ensemble cast. The actors playing patients gave precise and heart rending performances."
Breathtaking is available to watch now on ITV X. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on , , , , , and .
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