The last couple of pandemicky years have found me back at my old job, actually working as a real doctor in an Emergency Department, while simultaneously writing a show about pretend doctors. Most people can\u2019t believe anyone would give up bona fide doctoring for pretend writing about a fictional hospital, no matter how good its karma. It seems obvious that saving lives is far more rewarding than entertaining eyeballs. But I\u2019m not so sure.<\/p>\n
Tell someone you\u2019re a TV writer and you inevitably get one of two reactions; both in their ways are traps. To the first, \u201cReally, anything I will have heard of?\u201d, I have learnt that the correct response is always \u201cDeath in Paradise\u201d. Everyone has heard of Death in Paradise and even if they don\u2019t enjoy it personally, they know a distant family member who does. Talking at length about your own award-winning original series only to be met with a confused shrug can undo years of expensive therapy.<\/p>\n
The second reaction, \u201cOh, I must send you my script for feedback\u201d, is a nightmare but all you can do is shower the effort with praise. Any other response means you might as well have spat in their face. If someone tries to hand you their script the only honourable way out is to fake a stroke, a heart attack or both.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s for these reasons that I usually tell people I meet that I\u2019m an actual real doctor. Instant respect and NHS Hero status, especially when they find out you\u2019re basically playing Mark Green from ER in real life (I know I\u2019m no Clooney). However there are downsides. The pleasant surprise of an \u201cunexpected call from an old friend\u201d? One minute of awkward small talk is inevitably followed by a request for unofficial medical advice about their newborn child\/toddler\/mother\/partner because it\u2019s basically impossible to get to a GP these days. Yes, you all do it. And yes, it pisses us off.<\/p>\n
![\""Dan\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/02\/Dan-Sefton-d31f22f.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Dan-Sefton\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>But after that I\u2019m struggling to think of more. Being a doctor is emotionally hard, physically exhausting and intellectually taxing, but the reward is a lifetime of social capital, cheaper car insurance and getting to try all the drugs. There\u2019s no contest, obviously.<\/p>\n
Except\u2026 Sometimes, if we do our job well, a TV writer creates someone\u2019s favourite programme. It cheers them up when they\u2019re feeling low. It gives them something to look forward to. It helps them survive when everything else is a bit rubbish. It\u2019s not everything. Obviously. But it\u2019s still something. That doesn\u2019t happen very often when you\u2019re a doctor. Sure, sometimes you get to give good news when people are expecting the worst, but that\u2019s usually only a return to the status quo. Threatening to hit someone in the face and then pulling your punch is not a kindly act.<\/p>
My point is that there\u2019s more to life than simple survival, something that\u2019s becoming ever clearer in a COVID world. A silly TV show can make people\u2019s lives a little bit more bearable. And if that\u2019s true, it\u2019s not a huge leap to realise that most of the jobs we do every day all help to make the world a slightly better place. Over the last two years we\u2019ve seen what happens when we start to take all those vital little contributions away, one at a time. The world grinds to a halt. Spirits drop. Life continues, but only in boring old black and white. And doctors really can\u2019t help you with that.<\/p>\n
So which is better? It\u2019s not a good question. The answer is that we need all of us, all the time. Anything less isn\u2019t the real thing. And yes, I\u2019m aware this plot is taken directly from It\u2019s a Wonderful Life. But, scriptwriter or doctor, if you\u2019re going to pilfer, steal from the best\u2026<\/p>\n
The Good Karma Hospital airs Sunday at 8pm on ITV, with episodes available to watch on ITV Hub. If you\u2019re looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide<\/a>. Visit our Drama<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong>isten to the\u00a0Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Minnie Wright Published: Monday, 07 February 2022 at 12:00 am By: Dan Sefton The last couple of pandemicky years have found me back at my old job, actually working as a real doctor in an Emergency Department, while simultaneously writing a show about pretend doctors. Most people can\u2019t believe anyone would give up bona […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[1,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Minnie Wright Published: Monday, 07 February 2022 at 12:00 am By: Dan Sefton The last couple of pandemicky years have found me back at my old job, actually working as a real doctor in an Emergency Department, while simultaneously writing a show about pretend doctors. Most people can\u2019t believe anyone would give up bona…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/10872"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"