24 Hours in A&E

I just found this series and started binge watching it. I found seasons 1-6 particularly good. The doctors, introducing themselves to the patients by first name -- definitely not a practice in the U. S. The bedside manner of all the staff was just a treat to watch, so caring & friendly. I was also quite interested in how they mixed in the loved ones talking about their the injured person and how important family was to them. Really very well done. (though why they don't get the patients more pain killers when they perform a procedure is a mystery to me.) When they moved to another hospital in seasons 7+ the staff was quite different. Not as friendly, caring, not really bantering with the patient and the staff. And I do miss the staff at King's, who you get to know well.

I, honestly, was shocked to see A & E workers laughing on TV about their patients' problems. . We NEVER ever even talked about parecentesis, amputation, cancer, catastrophic problems outside of closed doors. I cannot get over it. The giggling on camera is what offended me the most. These patients need help. I totally understand gallows humor behind the scenes, because I was there, but on television? You people know better. The doctors appear respectful and able. Anyone else on this show does not. I hope I never end up in a U K hospital with you clowns in charge. I feel sick. I am really sad. I never thought that you doctors were leaving a bunch of passive aggressive twits in charge.

I had binged through the first few seasons (on Amazon Prime) of the episodes made at King's and rated it an emphatic ten. The production was pitch-perfect: Continuity, the cases they picked, the engaging focus on nurses, doctors and staff. Waiting room conversations, patients and relatives. Wuth perfect timing, it was just right, amazing camerawork (with one excellent must-see behind the scenes episode).

A few days ago I caught an episode of what appeared to be a different show, 24 hours in Emergency, on free to air. At a different hospital, King George. And slowly realized with great disappointment that most of the things that I loved had dropped away. Summarized in one term: production values. Gone was the focus on the doctors, nurses and emergency teams at work, replaced with long and interminable patient and relative interviews, ruined by bad editing.

Editing which was suddenly like a bad music video, a mashup of disconnected shots every few minutes. Always a sign of desperation at knowing the quality is sliding. And an across-the-board mess-up of just about every aspect if the early eps. But so uniform that it gets hard to find a clear reason. It just went bad.

I hate that this has happened to a brilliant series, and I would still exhort people to watch it.

And stop when they switch hospitals - or a bit before, because I think the slide started before the switch. Maybe budget, maybe production team changes.

A damned shame.

Documentary style production based on real life emergency scenarios. I love the realism, the pace, the way the narrator draws you into the story line. The way they produce and cut the stories to discuss with impacted family, doctors, nurses and loved ones is just perfect. Highly recommended to anyone who has an actual interest in medical prcedures and operations and not over dramatised american drivvel. Get connected with the patient, the staff and have a detailed view of real life paramedics.

Every episode filmed at Kings had me riveted and i binged on each season really craving more. Not sure what happened when they switched hospitals but the difference was impossible to overlook. Nothing about the other episodes even got much of my attention and they began to drag on so badly I knew I was soon going to abandon the rest of the series. The Drs were not as interesting, cases were mainly injuries, etc that most folks could easily figure out and maybe even fix things in a general doctor's office. No need to go sit for hours at a busy AE facility.

After all my complaints I hope folks give the series a try . No need to whine about blood, etc. After all you know that is coming. Gave it a ten several shows in then had to digress because the other facilities really dropped the ball. Will rewatch several seasons as I tended to miss things first round.