Malpractice

I loved series 1 (majorly helped by the always-excellent Niamh Algar) but S2 falls into the realm of ludicrous. Tom Hughes (excellent individually) plays a doctor who has such bad luck it's a wonder that he didn't choose to take a few days off.

Affairs, bullying, drugs, mother/daughter drama and lying senior staff makes this feel a bit 'naff'. There's several solid acting performances but the material limits them.

It's actually a concern if 'real doctors' ever have this level of poor judgement...I also think s2 would put anyone off having a baby again on an NHS ward.

The whole of series 2 beckons the question 'Why didn't anyone think it was getting a bit silly?!' I don't recommend. In a world where there's lots of good T. V Dramas on various platforms, I'd avoid...in fact I'd go and watch Casualty instead.

It's a truism that it's easier to start an interesting story than it is to finish it. I found this one gripping in the first couple of episodes. By episode 3 I was looking up how many more episodes there were left to go.

The story and the predicament of the lead character got more and more fraught, but it might have been hurried along, in my opinion.

In episode 5, not surprisingly it all reaches a crescendo - but then rather lamely, too smoothly and quickly comes to the conclusion.

I think it's almost a rule now that TV drama serials have one or two episodes too many. I presume it's somehow cheaper to spin out one series out than to generate two.

There are some clichés, for example those TV drama disputes where characters have an argument lasting one minute, which ends when one of them simply leaves the room.

Doctor Lucinda Edwards faces a huge decision, whether to treat an overdose victim or a young gunshot victim, as she chooses the other is left to a Junior colleague, but dies, Lucinda is grilled.

I'll be honest, after recent medical drama Maternal, my expectation were quite low for this, but this was altogether a different kind of medical drama.

When you hear that The Line of Duty team are involved, you get an idea of what to expect, and despite essentially being a hospital set melodrama, the whole thing is full of tension, twists and turns and intrigue.

It's one of those shoes that's easy to binge watch, as there are several things going on. One thing you come to realise, is that Doctors do essentially have to make some pretty huge choices, I'm not saying it's always life or death, but their decisions do have consequences.

Each episode offers something, and leaves you with more questions, I liked that it was just five episodes long. This one is worth your time.

Very well produced, it looks great and moves by at a pace. Very well acted also, Niamh Algar is excellent as Lucinda, strong performances all round.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, 8/10.

Look, this didn't send frissons of excitement up my spine but it was reasonably tense at times. The thing is not to take everything at face value or there wouldn't be a TV series.

How anyone in charge, no matter what class of work - could have access to such detailed personal information about one of their employees is mind boggling, admittedly.

At any rate, I did enjoy it and even rooted for the main character even though I found her to be rather unlikable. There were other unpleasant characters too, I guess none of them really covered themselves in glory.

Still, in the end it was a good watch. The only guy I vaguely recognised, still not sure from where, turned out to be the baddy!!!

The level of tension was kept high from the first to the last episode of this first season. In the end, they still leave open the possibility of a second season, which I hope will cover the failures of the NHS as a whole, addressing other forms of malpractice.

I also want to highlight the outstanding performances of Niamh Algar as Dr. Lucinda, as well as the entire supporting cast. The chemistry between the characters was palpable, and their portrayal of the stresses and moral dilemmas faced by healthcare professionals was both realistic and nuanced.

However, while the show offered a gripping portrayal of the internal conflicts of healthcare professionals, I couldn't help but notice the artificiality of the investigations into medical misconduct. The speed at which they occurred, coupled with the questionable access to information, seemed overly convenient and unrealistic. As a viewer, it made me question whether such investigations can truly take place at such a rapid pace in the British healthcare system, where bureaucracy and red tape can often hinder progress. Nonetheless, I hope this is something the show will address in future seasons, as it has the potential to add another layer of authenticity to an already compelling drama.