Breathtaking
British Television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Breathtaking is a British medical drama television series, written by Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio, and Prasanna Puwanarajah, based on Clarke's 2021 memoir of the same name on the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It stars Joanne Froggatt and was directed by Craig Viveiros.
- Rachel Clarke
- Jed Mercurio
- Prasanna Puwanarajah
| Breathtaking | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Medical drama |
| Based on | Breathtaking by Rachel Clarke |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | Craig Viveiros |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Brian J. Falconer |
| Cinematography | John Pardue |
| Editors | Sam White Josh Mallalieu Chris White |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITVX |
| Release | 19 February – 21 February 2024 |
Synopsis
Cast
- Joanne Froggatt as Dr Abbey Henderson
- Bhav Joshi as Dr Ant Vyas
- Donna Banya as Emma Mutamba Irungu
- Joseph Charles as Archie Williams
- Jodie McNee as Nurse Jules Jarman
- Stephanie Street as Dr Joanne Alba
- Thom Petty as Dr Neil Westland
- Naomi Denny as Chantelle Gregory
- Afro Parise as Dr Rossi
- Philip Arditti as Dr Metin Ozkul
- Tamer Doghem as Yussuf Ahmad
- Lucy Montgomery as Clare Boxall
- George Georgiu as Dr Huw Shelby
- Georgia Goodman as Divina Aquino
- Christopher Hatherall as Nick Henderson
- Henry Meredith as Tommy Henderson
- Eleanore-Beatriz Viveiros as Robyn Henderson
- Mark Dexter as Dr Mike Prentiss
- Tammy Heath as Alison Frampton
- Mary Woodvine as Cressida Frost
Production
Rachel Clarke's memoir regarding being on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic was released in 2021. Mecurio and Puwanarajah helped adapt the book for the screen; all three are qualified doctors. Puwanarajah previously worked with Clarke as a medical professional, and previously worked with Mercurio on television productions.[3] Craig Viveiros is director with HTM Television producing the three-part series along with Northern Ireland Screen. It is produced by Brian J. Falconer and executive produced by Mercurio, Clarke and Puwanarajah with ITV Studios an in-association producer and distributing internationally.[4]
Filming
Filming took place in Belfast and wrapped in the first half of 2023.[5][6] Viveiros has reportedly used long, real-time sequences as part of the filming process to allow the audience to become “immersed”.[7]
Broadcast
The series was broadcast in the UK on ITV from 19 February 2024.[8]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Containment" | Craig Viveiros | Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah | 19 February 2024 | 5.04 |
| 2 | "Delay" | Craig Viveiros | Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah | 20 February 2024 | 4.57 |
| 3 | "Mitigation" | Craig Viveiros | Rachel Clarke, Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah | 21 February 2024 | 4.29 |
Reception
Sean O'Grady of The Independent gave it four out of five stars.[9] Lucy Mangan of The Guardian awarded the first episode three out of five stars.[10] It was nominated for Limited Series or Single Drama at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards in March 2025.[11]