Bodies

The finale of Bodies has just aired in the UK and I can say without doubt that this is the most compelling and tense drama to come out of Britain for a very long time. Combining an acting and shooting style both muscular and assured in execution; a brave, gripping, convincing script and appropriately realistic prosthetics, Bodies is hard to beat in its genre. With all the colourless, vapid dross being churned out on British TV nowadays, it seems almost unbelievable that the BBC in its wisdom saw fit to axe it.

Max Beesley brings a riveting, pinched intensity in his outstanding portrayal as hard-done-to doc Rob Lake struggling in a sea of incompetence, dishonesty and sheer managerial mediocrity. His central, career-defining role in tandem with oleaginous Dr Whitman (Keith Allen), comely foils Donna Rix (Neve McIntosh), Polly Grey (Tamzin Malleson) and his nemesis, the pusillanimous, dangerous Roger Hurley (Patrick Baladi), provides the viewer with an at times uncomfortable but undeniably unmissable experience.

There is no sentiment at work here, no shirking away from numerous, unpalatable aspects of the British NHS or dilution of the viscera involved in child delivery. Bodies is destined to remain a classic TV series; a far cry from the cloying sloppiness and user-friendly mollycoddling of, say, the BBC's Casualty. Closer in concept to ER yet far superior in the sheer quality of the conflict on screen, Bodies packs a bloody punch as a tremendous watching experience which has yet to be unsurpassed in medical drama.

Highly. highly recommended.

'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.

One of if not THE finest medical TV series ever!

I should perhaps quantify that by saying I'm not really a fan of medical dramas. I used to watch Casualty back in the late eighties/early nineties but I've never had much time for ER or Holby or Chicago Hope or any of the seemingly endless programmes about pathologists...

BODIES on the other hand is a real treat! It's darkly comic, actually realistic [so some doctors have told me, all be it a endlessly the worst day ever], superbly written, acted and directed.

Why oh why isn't there more British Drama like this!!! This excellent programme does go to show BBC THREE is worth it's chunk of the license fee!

I work as medical doctor at emergency department in a little town in Poland. For me, watching this series was very important experience - I realized that people who work in medical field all over the world are always the same : greedy and thirsty for power,revengeful, cowardly etc. Hospitals are full of bureaucracy, statistics,nasty people, procedures and doctors who sometimes want just to treat patients good -and they have to fight with management, insurance companies etc Other doctors are interested only in money and brilliant career, not particularly caring for their patients. All of this is shown in "Bodies" and also seen in real life.

Watching this series I've felt like being in my own hospitals...very weird

to summaries : "Bodies" is the most realistic and breathtaking medical drama I've ever seen. anna salwierz, MD, Lesko

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.