Is this a "comedy"? It's not really jokes. It's story of strong women working under impossible conditions and against impossible odds. Maybe is the human comedy.
Kim Wilde (Jo Brand) is the lowly nurse who does the work of cleaning up, taking care of endless tasks, and trying to stay sane with a breaking marriage and a job with very little hope. Sister Den Scanlan (her line manager) is the main onduty nurse who is trying to be decent to the people under her care but also navigating difficult personal situations, especially with her own line manager, Hilary Loftus (Ricky Grover). And Dr. Pippa Moore (Vicki Pepperdine) is trying to keep the ward and hospital running by grasping for grants and performing bewildering research projects in hope of getting funding.
The ward is for elderly women, some who are there for their last journey, and some who are there for palliative care in hopes they will be well enough to be transferred to a better long-term care facility.
It's humour found in bathos. Small victories, small failures, some bright moments and perhaps more sad moments.
I loved the show and binge-watched it. I had seen Jo Brand first on "Would I Lie to You," and then when I saw her listed as a cast member in "Damned," I binged watched that. But it was over in 2 seasons. So this series comes up, and I am finding that I love this person who plays these characters: world-weary, gruff, testy, but really there is a person who wants to be kind and wants to be respected.
I wish there were more to this series just as I wish there was more to "Damned." But at least neither of them wear out their welcome. They're cut short before they get stale.
British humour like this is so different from American humor. We have a need on this side of the pond for the happy ending, and there's a greater freedom in British productions to let failure end a story. Much more realistic, sure, and harder to watch, but I think it's more satisfying.
