THE creator of Line of Duty has announced a gritty new drama set in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Leading writer Jed Mercurio has written the new series, Breathtaking, alongside author Rachel Clarke and junior doctor Prasanna Puwanarajah.
Former Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt will star in the new three-part medical drama
Breathtaking recounts the devastating impact of the pandemic, seen through the eyes of a doctor in a fictional big-city hospital
Acclaimed actress Joanne Froggatt, 42, will star in the lead role of the show as Dr Abbey Henderson.
The series promises to be a searing, thought-provoking and poignant account of an NHS doctor.
She ‘s known for her roles in high-profile projects like Coronation Street, Bad Girls, Liar and of course she was part of the original cast of Downton Abbey.
Across her career she has received three Primetime Emmy nominations and won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2014 for her role as Anna Bates.
Her part in the new ITV drama will see her caught up in the eye of the storm during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It recounts the devastating impact of the pandemic, seen through the eyes of the Acute Medicine Consultant who is working in a fictional big-city hospital.
The show will take the form of a limited three-part series and filming for the programme was completed in Northern Ireland earlier this year.
After she finished shooting for the project, Joanne explained: “I feel truly honoured to be playing Dr Abbey Henderson in Breathtaking, based on Dr Rachel Clarke’s beautifully written, poignant and shocking book of the same name.
“When I first read the incredible scripts they moved me to tears on many occasions.
“I felt so passionately that I had to be a part of telling this story, the real story, of what was really happening behind the closed doors of the hospitals during the pandemic.”
She continued: “Our NHS staff are nothing less than absolute heroes in my eyes, and I hope telling this story goes a little way towards us understanding their truth, their lived experience and honouring their unbelievable commitment and sacrifice on behalf of us all.”
The three-part series is produced by Jed Mercurio’s independent production company, HTM Television.
The company has been responsible for producing the likes of Trigger Point, DI Ray, Bloodlands and the BAFTA-nominated factual drama Stephen.
He was also once a hospital doctor and during filming, he admitted he felt “privileged” to portray the “extraordinary challenges” of medical professionals on-screen.
“Everyone at HTM Television has felt privileged to dramatise Rachel Clarke’s hauntingly illuminating memoir of health workers struggling to cope with the extraordinary challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I’m honoured to have collaborated with Rachel and Prasanna on this important drama, and thrilled to be working with a cast led by Joanne Froggatt and crew led by director Craig Viveiros.”
Line Of Duty and Trigger Point creator Jed Mercurio is one of the names behind the series
Across her career, Joanne’s received three Primetime Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe in 2014
