The Evil of Holby City

[Spiderpope]

Today BBC news have featured an article by Antony Sumara, a chief executive of a regional NHS trust, which lambasts hospital dramas for setting a bad example and not recreating reality exactly:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8363860.stm

Am i the only one who thinks this is utterly insane? He criticises the fact that a drama presents a distorted version of reality. Isnt that the point? A non distorted version wouldnt be drama, it would be a re-enactment.
If the BBC has to apologise for this, what next? Apologising for the poor representation of Aliens in Doctor Who? Spooks being changed to a show where the characters spend 90% of their time sat at a desk looking over phone records?

 

[cultcross]

I've always found it hilarious when hospital dramas are criticised for not being realistic. If you want a realistic hospital drama, go and sit in A&E for 45 minutes. Drama is meant to be dramatic. Now I do like some token appreciation of medical/legal/whatever reality on procedurals, but things like having lots more interesting cases than reality, having more office politics than reality, etc etc - just part of the entertainment.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I want my drama realistic. I want to see the doctors having to the toilet, and having to work a long shift even though they're unwell because there's no staff to cover...

 

[Starkers]

^Don't they do that on Holby/Casualty? Well maybe not the toilet bit...

The trouble is that Chief Exec goes on about confidentiality breeches and loss of patient data like it never really happens in the NHS when, unfortunately, it happens with alarming regularity!

 

[Kirks_Flying_Wig]

Anton Meyer wouldn't stand for that nonsense article.

EDIT: As I recall, Jed Mercurio created two realistic BBC medical dramas based on his own experiences working for the NHS: Cardiac Arrest (1993-1995) and Bodies (2004-2006). What happened when they were broadcast? Uproar from the NHS! "Eeeeeeeeeeeevil BBC! Eeeevil misrepresentation of the wonderful well-funded well-staffed NHS!" Cardiac Arrest even raised questions in the House of Commons, mostly rounding on the eeeeeeeeeevil BBC and the mysterious "John Macure".

There's no pleasing some people who just deliberately set out to be offended.

 

[WillsBabe]

Am i the only one who thinks this is utterly insane?

No. It's just a frakkin' symptom of how stupid this country is at the moment. *sigh*

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Am i the only one who thinks this is utterly insane?

No. It's just a frakkin' symptom of how stupid this country is at the moment. *sigh*

The country really does need a shake up. Everything from political to just plain common sense.

 

[WillsBabe]

Am i the only one who thinks this is utterly insane?

No. It's just a frakkin' symptom of how stupid this country is at the moment. *sigh*

The country really does need a shake up. Everything from political to just plain common sense.

Maybe we should get together and start a revolution. Oh wait... since my internet access is being monitored and stored, I'll probably be carted off and arrested in a minute... it's been nice knowing you!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

No. It's just a frakkin' symptom of how stupid this country is at the moment. *sigh*

The country really does need a shake up. Everything from political to just plain common sense.

Maybe we should get together and start a revolution. Oh wait... since my internet access is being monitored and stored, I'll probably be carted off and arrested in a minute... it's been nice knowing you!

Have you seen this?
What a fucking disgrace!

 

[Starkers]

Yeah, how dare people be brought to account for stealing the work of others. It's really not on...

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Yeah, how dare people be brought to account for stealing the work of others. It's really not on...

Oh shut up, it's not about people being brought to account for piracy, besides the fact the whole thing is pretty vague and wooly about the actual evidence of piracy, the fucking disgrace is the fact they're talking about giving the secretary of state powers to amend law without real commons debate, and hand out power to people with no business having it.

 

[Starkers]

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I wasn't actually telling you to shut up, I was being dismissive of making it sound like the only people it should bother are pirates.

 

[Starkers]

I can talk again?

I see your point!

 

[Bob The Skutter]

I can talk again?

I see your point!

No, be quiet again.

Here's more info about it, maybe a little more alarmist but nonetheless seems to be quite accurate from what other sources are saying too.

 

[wamdue]

just a quick CiN note, related to my Merlin post

well done to the writers of Casualty, presenting us with a mini episode which had a plot, a narrative, a beginning a middle & an end.

However I would ask why they didnt see fit to treat Pudseys eye, or ask if the fact the poor bear is blind in one eye had anything to do with this condition. (which now I think about it, is more of a House question, than a Charlie Fairhead question)

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

When Casualty first came out, wasn't it supposed to be dangerously realistic? Showing us an NHS that was close to being bankrupt or collapsing in some way, that was allegedly quite close to the truth.

Just a memory of an old TV review, in any case, it's neither grippingly realistic or wonderfully dramatic.