The Royal

This article is about British medical drama. For the sportsman with the same nickname, seeMark King (snooker player).For The cinema in Toronto, seeRoyal Cinema.For the tram stop in Wolverhampton, seeThe Royal tram stop.For other uses, seeRoyal.

The Royalis a British periodmedical drama,produced byYorkshire Television(later part ofITV Studios), and broadcast onITVfrom 2003 until its cancellation in 2011. The series is set in the 1960s and focuses on the lives of the staff at the fictional "St Aidan's Royal Free Hospital", aNational Health Service hospitalserving the fictional rural seaside town of Elsinby and its surrounding area. The programme was a spin-off of ITV'speriod dramaseriesHeartbeatand the first three series featured crossovers withHeartbeatand appearances by its cast members. From the start of the fourth series, the crossover elements were removed, andThe Royalfocussed on stories involving its own cast.

The Royal
The Royalintro.
Genre	Medical drama
Starring	Julian Ovenden Zoie Kennedy Robert Daws Amy Robbins Wendy Craig Ian Carmichael
Opening theme	"Somebody Help Me"byThe Spencer Davis Group,sung byMichael Starke
Ending theme	"Somebody Help Me" (instrumental) by The Spencer Davis Group
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No.of series	8
No.of episodes	87 (List of episodes)
Production
Running time	60 minutes
Production company	ITV Studios
Original release
Network	ITV
Release	19 January 2003(2003-01-19)– 31 July 2011(2011-07-31)
Related
Heartbeat The Royal Today

The series initially began with its cast includingIan Carmichael,Wendy Craig,Robert DawsandAmy Robbins,and gradually expanded. Much of the outdoor scenes were primarily shot withinNorth Yorkshire,including withinWhitbyandScarborough,with interior shots filmed at bothThe Leeds StudiosandSt Luke's Hospital, Bradford.The programme remained popular on television until its cancellation, generating its own spin-off,The Royal Today,with episodes later repeated onITV3.

Premise

The Royaltakes place within the fictional seaside town of Elsinby in the North Riding of Yorkshire, and focuses on the lives of the staff who work in St Aidan's Royal Free Hospital – acottage hospitalestablished by the ancestor of its hospital secretary, T. J. Middleditch, to serve its local community. Placed under the care of the National Health Service, the staff do their best to offer their patients care and treatment, including maintaining casualty facilities andoperating theatres,while coping with their own lives. LikeHeartbeat,episodes mainly focused on either one big story or two major storylines, medical problems, and an occasional side story, with overarching plotlines concerning the relationships and personal lives of the main characters. For the first three series, episodes featured crossovers withHeartbeatthrough some of theHeartbeatcast making appearances in plots onThe Royal,the most prominent of these beingBill Maynard,William SimonsandMark Jordon,but this element of the programme was dropped after the third series ofThe Royal.

The majority of the plots centred on medical emergencies or serious medical cases, and often featured moral dilemmas.The Royallargely avoided political topics, though theVietnam Warwas briefly the subject of one episode, and its main themes were the conflict between progressive and conservative social ideals, and the ethical challenges and social changes faced by the hospital's staff, reflecting the setting in the 1960s. LikeHeartbeat,the show had a number ofanachronisms,such as the use of the expression "theglass ceiling"

Filming

Filming of the interior scenes of "St. Aidan's" used bothThe Leeds StudiosandSt Luke's Hospital, Bradford.Most of the exterior scenes were shot during the summer months at the Red Court building on Holbeck Road, South Cliff,Scarborough,as well as the nearby park area and Holbeck Clock Tower.The remaining exterior scenes were filmed elsewhere in theNorth Riding of Yorkshire,includingWhitby.

Cast and characters

Main cast and characters

• Julian Ovendenas Dr David Cheriton (series 1–3), ageneral practitioner(GP) and the series' original protagonist.
• Zoie Kennedyas Meryl Taylor (series 1–5), a senior staff nurse and Cheriton's primary love interest.
• Robert Dawsas Dr Gordon Ormerod (series 1–8), a GP andanaesthetistwho in series 4 married Dr Jill Weatherill (played by Daws' real-life wife). Their only biological child together, Jonathan, a baby on the show, became a lead doctor at the hospital as an adult, as featured inThe Royal Today
• Amy Robbinsas Dr Jill Weatherill (series 1–8), a GP and a staunch promoter ofmaternal medicine,who in series 4 married Dr Gordon Ormerod (played by Robbins' real-life husband).
• Linda Armstrongas Sister Brigid (series 1–8), a nursing administrator, ward sister and nun (néeAisling Donahue) who lives in a convent.
• Francis Matthewsas Dr James "Jim" Alway (series 1–2), Dr Cheriton's predecessor, seen in only two episodes.
• Ian Carmichaelas T. J. Middleditch (series 1–5, recurring thereafter), Hospital Secretary and Chairman of the Middleditch Trust, which helps to fund the hospital.
• Wendy Craigas Matron (series 1–8), nursing administrator, nicknamed "Toffee" ever since airmen at theRoyal Air Force Stationshe served at as a nurse during theSecond World Wardecided that she was "toffee-nosed" (snobbish/stuck up).
• John Axonas Nigel Harper (series 1–4), unpopular administrator for thedistrict health authority.
• Michelle Hardwickas Lizzie Hopkirk (series 1–8), the receptionist at St Aidan's, daughter of thehospital porterKen Hopkirk, and cousin of auxiliary nurse Roz Hopkirk; she was married to Dave Kennoway, who was only seen in one episode (in Series 2), but her husband left her off-screen for another woman during Series 4.
• Denis Lillas Mr Rose (series 1–8), a consultantgeneral surgeonoften assigned to St Aidan's.
• Andy Wear as Alun Morris (series 1–8), a porter and theatre technician.
• Michael Starkeas Ken Hopkirk (series 1–7), St Aidan's head porter, father of Lizzie Hopkirk and uncle of Roz Hopkirk.
• Stefanie Wilmore as Roz Hopkirk (series 1), an auxiliary nurse, niece of Ken Hopkirk and cousin of Lizzie Hopkirk.
• Polly Maberlyas Dr Lucy Klein (series 2–3), a consultant psychologist and afoilfor Cheriton.
• Anna Madeleyas Samantha Beaumont (series 3–4), a student nurse.
• Paul Foxas Dr Jeff Goodwin (series 3–6), a GP and later, Makori's primary love interest.
• Scott Tayloras Frankie Robinson (series 4–7), an ambulance driver.
• Natalie Andersonas Stella Davenport (series 4–7), a senior staff nurse and Frankie's longtime love interest.
• Amelia Curtisas Catherine Deane (series 5–6), a senior staff nurse.
• Kananu Kirimias Dr Joan Makori (series 5–6), a GP and a member ofDoctors Without Borders.
• Robert Cavanahas Adam Carnegie (series 5–7), hospital secretary.
• Sam Callisas Dr Mike Banner (series 6), a GP, anaesthetist, and sought-afterlocumphysician.
• Kari Corbettas Marian McKaig (series 6–7), a staff nurse.
• Sarah Beck Mather as Susie Dixon (series 6–8), a student nurse.
• Damian O'Hareas Dr Nick Burnett (series 7), a GP recruited by Jill following the departures of Goodwin and Makori.
• Chris Coghillas Bobby Sheridan (series 7), an ambulance driver.
• Gareth Haleas Jack Bell (series 7–8), head porter of St Aidan's, who takes over from Ken Hopkirk.
• Neil McDermottas Dr Ralph Ellis (series 8), a locum GP noted for his forward-thinking approach to medicine.
• Glynis Barberas Jean McAteer (series 8), hospital secretary.
• Lauren Drummondas Faye Clark (series 8), a student nurse.
• Diana May as Carol Selby (series 8), a staff nurse.

Episode list

Main article:List of The Royal episodes

Ratings

Below is the list of ratings ofThe Royal,giving an overall result for each series.

Series	Year	Rank	Average audience share
1	2003	10th	10.12 m
2	2003	11th	7.16 m
3	2003–2004	13th	9.17 m
4	2004–2005	12th	8.49 m
5	2006	10th	7.93 m
6	2007	11th	7.24 m
7	2008–2009	15th	4.91 m
8	2009–2011	15th	4.62 m (incl. ITV1+1)
Overall rating		12th	7.45 m

The Royal Today

Main article:The Royal Today

In 2007, ITV commissioned a daytime spin-off ofThe Royal,entitledThe Royal Today.The spin-off focused on the same settings of the main show, but set in the present day with a new cast of characters. The show ran for one series in 2008 between 7 January to 14 March. The show was axed due to low ratings.

End of production

Speculation surrounding the future of bothHeartbeatandThe Royalbegan in 2009, whenITVannounced on 4 March that a loss of £2.7 billion was forcing it to make cutbacks in employment numbers, the biggest of which were made at ITV Yorkshire Studios. Many raised concerns that the shows were to be axed, after reports were made to that effect in early January, though a spokesperson stated later that the production of the shows was simply "resting".No official news was given that the show was axed, but likeHeartbeat,the series ended with a cliffhanger surrounding one of its main characters, when the final episode was aired on 31 July 2011.

DVD releases

To date, only the first two series ofThe Royalhave been released on DVD, in bothRegion 2andRegion 4.Series One was released on 3 October 2011 in Region 2, and on 5 December 2012 in Region 4. Series Two was released on 27 February 2012 in Region 2, and on 6 March 2013 in Region 4. Series 3–8 ofThe Royalremain unreleased, as of 2024.

External links

• The RoyalatIMDb