Doctors has revealed what viewers can expect from their upcoming special lockdown episode, and it’s safe to say it’s not one to be missed.
‘Can You Hear Me?’ — which was written by Toby Walton — will be something of a revolutionary instalment not only for the daytime soap, but for continuing drama as a whole, as it was entirely self-shot by the cast members on their mobile devices.
The episode will centre around the soap’s protagonists, who will continue to work during lockdown given that The Mill is open to patients throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Much like they always do, the doctors are working incredibly hard amid the pandemic, but viewers will soon comes to realise the harsh reality of doing so, as our mainstays suffer from anxiety, withdraw from the world, and one develops coronavirus symptoms.
Strict social distancing rules were complied with both on and off screen amid production of the episode.
BBC Studios Series Producer, Peter Lloyd initially thought of the concept during the first week of lockdown and the episode took three weeks in total to complete — from the storyline to final edit — and production was done remotely to ensure the cast could shoot a full episode in only five days.
Peter said: ‘I wanted to capture the strange times we are experiencing and present it to our audience.
‘The very specific demands of producing an episode of this nature was a challenge for everyone involved, especially the cast as they were acting straight to camera, with only my voice performing all the other characters so that certainly required a lot of imaginative work on their part. It was a real team effort!
BBC Studios Executive Producer Mike Hobson says: ‘We’re never afraid to push the format on Doctors as our loyal viewers know, but this episode has been a challenge of a very different kind.
‘To turn it around at this speed has meant coming up with new ways of working and totally rethinking how to make the programme.
‘I’m incredibly proud of the work everyone has put into this episode, especially our brilliant cast who have had to learn new skills, while still giving outstanding performances.’
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fywCchTEexg%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26fs%3D1%26autohide%3D2%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26wmode%3Dtransparent
Head of BBC Daytime and Early Peak Carla-Maria Lawson added: “Doctors recently celebrated their 20th anniversary and this unique episode demonstrates why the programme continues to innovate, and remains so popular with viewers.
‘I think lockdown has presented challenges for everyone but it’s been wonderful to see the ingenuity within the creative sector and I’m delighted that Doctors is the first British continuing drama series to bring this very exciting format to fans.’
Doctors’ special lockdown episode airs on Friday 12 June at 1:45pm on BBC One.
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