Bodies

'Bodies' is a realistic and riveting medical drama set around the gynecological and labor ward staff of a London hospital.

Personally, I haven't been this taken with a British drama series in years, or any drama series for that matter. A medical drama is especially hard to do. To balance the medical procedures with the lives of the hospital staff is a very difficult thing to achieve.

'Bodies' not only uses realistic medical situations and procedures to keep you watching, but also uses the personal and professional relationships between the doctors and nurses. Both of which will make you want to come back over and over again.

The characters aren't black and white, they have layers and the audience finds them selves responding to them differently at different times.

The acting is absolutely perfect, most notably Max Beasley and Neve McIntosh as the torrid lovers Rob and Donna, Patrick Baladi as the enigmatic Dr. Hurley and of course the wonderful Keith Allen as Mr. Whitman. The direction is flawless and the cinematography is edgy and poignant, using a hand held camera and lots of close ups.

Despite the odd cringe worthy medical scene, this show really is worth watching. I'm waiting for the DVD to come out in Australia so I can watch it all over again.

If you are young and fancy a career in medicine sit through a season of this before you make your decision. This warts and all drama really hits home without compromise. Being set in an Obstetrics ward some of the scenes are incredibly graphic, they server to counterpoint what it really must be like working in a UK NHS hospital environment.

The acting is top notch as is the writing. A particular nod to Max Beasley and the excellent Patrick Baladi. Keith Allen also delivers his usual styled misogynist character to one of the roles.

I can not highlight enough this is not for the squeamish I couldn't watch certain scenes because of their graphic nature.

An excellent UK (home grown) masterpiece.

I'll keep this short and sweet...ish. I only watched this recently (Jan-Feb 2020), after finding it on one of the steaming services. Despite it being nearly 15 years old it has been the most enjoyable medical drama I have ever seen. Brilliantly written and brilliantly acted, it portrays a gripping and realistic depiction of the lives of doctors, nurses and management staff at a British NHS hospital, wrapped up in drama.

This drama does not hold back from showing some truly difficult and tragic scenes at times (such are the realities of life), but this is done in such a well constructed way that only top quality writing and acting can carry off. The darker aspects of this drama are well counter-balanced by the comedy, there are some very entertaining interactions between the characters that bring the audience out of the morbid depths and back into positive territory, I rarely see a show that does this so well.

As with all good dramas, virtually every character is essentially good but flawed in some way (I won't say who or what, you can find out for yourself), these flaws get tested. I found myself rooting for one character and disliking another in the beginning but then going full circle as the show progressed and finding good cause to sympathise with all of them by the end. These are not paper-thin characters that you get in so many dramas, over just a few episodes the layers are built up and they all become relatable (for good or for bad). The audience is left to make up their own mind, we are not fed a good vs evil story and this approach makes for a far more rewarding viewing experience.

Finally, the cinematography and medical prosthetics are very realistic, the visuals feel real and gritty, this is not a polished US drama where no hair is out of place, its like watching a documentary where nothing is edited out.

Well I tried to keep it short, just go and watch it. I'd love to see a follow-up but I think it is long dead. Such a shame.

I have been following this fantastic drama over the last few weeks. It was gripping. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Every week I kept thinking of a very small swear word to describe Dr Hurley.

I read the book and as Jed Mercurio rightly points out his book taken straight from page to screen would not have worked. I am pleased with the way in which he has handled the transition and made it real in a way that only television and the screen can do.

I felt that by making Donna Rix and Rob Lake older than their characters in the book (21 and 24 if i remember rightly) their lives held a better realm of realism. Max Beesley was far more believable as a doctor rather than trying to find a younger actor to play the part. When he makes mistakes you feel as though as an experienced doctor he should have known better.

All in all bodies was a fantastic piece of drama and my only point of criticism is that the ending of the series was a little abrupt, especially if this is to be a one off drama. I hope not as the doors have been widely left open. I hope to see a DVD release and a new series.

What an absolutely brilliant series. Great story lines, great cast and really well put together in a realistic way. It maybe over fifteen years old but it's definitely stood the test of time. This show should have been raved about so much more. I just wish they'd made more than 2 series!