Breathtaking

I'm binge watching this on ITVX -- the free streaming service associated with UK terrestrial broadcaster ITV. I just got to the end of the first episode and wanted to write an early review because the first episode was just so wonderful.

Joanne Froggatt provides a wonderfully restrained central performance. Despite not having the appropriate PPE -- because the central authorities have deemed it not essential -- she soldiers on.

The use of Boris Johnson -- the Prime Minister at the time -- is also restrained. It would have been easy to have included all his ignorant and ill-judged comments, but a few well-chosen clips are sufficient to damn him.

The only very minor niggle I have with this is that the font used for the onscreen text is very hard to read -- it's quite small and all uppercase.

Excellent drama, that tackled all sides, Covid, The NHS, The idiots in charge, the other idiots that try to run the country, oh, and the conspiracy nutters, but my main action to undertake after watching this drama was to read the reviews, and in doing so they have covered the drama all over again. Whether you believe it or not, over this period, people of all ages died, and others who were sick, have to this day not recovered. The reason why we will always fail in this country, is we do not know how to stick together, and the people in power will always use this to their advantage. Watch it!!

In much the same vain as Mr Bates vs the Post Office, a blistering representation of the crass incompetence of a dead weight Johnson govt. The problems started several years before when Hunt mainly ignored the results of the pandemic test exercise, downgrading stock piles of PPE kit and reducing the beds per 1000 population to almost the lowest in the EU.

Then followed by the absolute shambles of the govt response given the early warning from the Italian experience. To have failed the public and all health workers all the way through the pandemic, to then shaft all staff in pay negotiations was completely and utterly disgusting.

This drama is excellent. The writing is superb and it is evident that the script was penned by Medics at the front line during Covid. It is all too easy to forget the horrors that front line NHS saw and the sacrifices that they made to care for Covid patients. I am inspired to read the book that this drama series is based on. There are only 3 episodes in the series but each one is a powerful reminder of the pandemic and how it impacted on families and the health professionals who cared for them. The side of HMG and NHS England is told through news reel clips and that makes the drama all the more powerful.

Anyone who still thinks this was a lie might need proper help at this stage, the NHS was brought to its knees by a lying incompetent government led by a narcissistic womanizer whos entire cabinet were complacent in leading the U. K. through the worst avoidable catastrophe in its history.

Eat out to help, Christmas meet ups, late lockdowns, not enough ICU beds after advice ,elderly patients discharged into care homes, useless PPE, the list is endless and the jokers responsible still refuse to accept proper responsibility and just continue to blame each for the tragedy. I knew 4 people personally that died as a result of this, the youngest being 24 with no previous illness.....without the bravery of the NHS work force this catastrophe would have been even worse. The actors are marvelous along with the script.