''Critical'', styled with a time-clock format as ''CR:IT:IC:AL'', is a British medical drama series that aired on

Sky 1 Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

from 24 February to 19 May 2015. The series is set in a fictional major trauma centre (MTC), City General Hospital, which treats critically ill patients. Each episode is based on one patient and efforts to save his or her life within one hour. Created by

Jed Mercurio Gerald Gary "Jed" Mercurio (born September 1966) is a British television writer, producer, director and novelist. A former hospital doctor and Royal Air Force officer, Mercurio has been ranked among UK television's leading writers. In 2017, Mer ...

('' Line of Duty'' and '' Bodies''), the drama follows the team of medical professionals whilst they make life-changing decisions. The title refers to critical condition, the most serious

medical state Medical state is a term used to describe a hospital patient's health status, or condition. The term is most commonly used in information given to the news media, and is rarely used as a clinical description by physicians. Two aspects of the pati ...

, as well as the decisions and actions of the staff; everything done within the first hour is absolutely vital and could determine whether a patient lives or dies. The show was axed on 15 July 2015 after the series pulled in an average of 192,000 viewers.

Cast

Lennie James Lennie Michael James (born 11 October 1965) is a British actor, screenwriter, and playwright. His work includes playing Morgan Jones in the television series, '' The Walking Dead'' and in its spin-off, '' Fear the Walking Dead'', and starring ...

as Glen Boyle, Trauma Consultant and Team Leader * Catherine Walker as Fiona Lomas, Vascular Surgical Registrar and Trauma Fellow *

Kimberley Nixon Kimberley Nixon (born 24 September 1985) is a Welsh actress. Nixon is known for her role as Sophy Hutton in the BBC One period drama '' Cranford'', and appearances in various films such as '' Wild Child'' and '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snoggi ...

as Dr. Angharad ('Harry') Bennett-Edwards, Senior House Officer * Neve McIntosh as Nicola Hicklin, Consultant Nurse, Acting Clinical Lead and Deputy Clinical Lead * John MacMillan as Justin Costello, Staff Nurse * Danny Kirrane as Billy Finlay, Operating Department Practitioner *

Prasanna Puwanarajah Prasanna Puwanarajah ( ta, பிரசன்னா புவனராஜா; born 1981) is an English actor, director, writer, and former junior medical doctor. Early life Puwanarajah was born at Ipswich Hospital in Suffolk to Eelam Tamil pare ...

as Ramakrishna Chandramohan, Anaesthetics Registrar * Peter Sullivan as Clive Archerfield, Clinical Lead Consultant and Major Incident Officer * Mali Harries as Nerys Merrick, Ward Sister * Paul Bazely as Giles Dhillon, Trauma Manager *

Emma Fryer Emma Fryer is a British stand-up comedian, actress and writer from Coventry, best known for playing Tania in BBC Three's ''Ideal'', Janine in E4's '' PhoneShop'' and Gaynor in BBC Two's ''Home Time'', which she co-wrote with Neil Edmond. In 20 ...

as Rebecca Osgood, Orthopaedic Registrar * Juliet Oldfield as Shelley Imms,

Radiographer Radiographers, also known as radiologic technologists, diagnostic radiographers and medical radiation technologists are healthcare professionals who specialize in the imaging of human anatomy for the diagnosis and treatment of pathology. Radi ...

* Jack Fortune as Robert Street, Consultant General Surgeon *

Claire Skinner Claire Skinner (born 1965) is an English actress, known in the United Kingdom for her television career, particularly playing Sue Brockman from the BBC television series '' Outnumbered''. Early life Claire Skinner was born and brought up in ...

as Lorraine Rappaport, Consultant Trauma Surgeon, Consultant Vascular Surgeon and Trauma Team Leader * Orion Lee as Brian Zhao, CT Radiographer

Guest cast

* Maya Barcot as Tessa Yarwood (4 episodes) * Daphne Cheung as Debbie Wong (4 episodes) * Anna Koval as Ania Dubczek (4 episodes) * Kirsten Foster as Dalisay Guinto (3 episodes) * Garry Marriott as Lloyd Watson, Paramedic (2 episodes) * Elliot Cowan as Tom Farrow, O/G Consultant (2 episodes) * Tim Faraday as Bob Webster (6 episodes)

Episodes

Reception

Reviews were predominantly positive, noting the ground-breaking style and structure of the series; however some critics expressed a preference for a more traditional approach to medical drama.

International broadcasters

In Australia, the series premiered on

BBC First BBC First is an entertainment subscription television channel featuring comedy, crime, drama and film programming, originating from UK and mostly from the BBC. The channel is wholly owned and operated by BBC Studios. The channel began rolling ou ...

on 28 July 2015.

References

External links

* {{Sky1 2015 British television series debuts 2015 British television series endings 2010s British drama television series 2010s British medical television series 2010s British television miniseries English-language television shows Sky UK original programming Television series by Hat Trick Productions