Label1 returns to Royal Free London for BBC Hospital special
January 20, 2022
Nearly two years after Label1’s cameras were given unprecedented access to the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (Royal Free London) to document the peak of the Covid crisis in May 2020, their award-winning team is returning for another ‘Hospital’ special episode to witness how staff endeavour to deliver the best possible patient care despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic. The 1×60” episode will air on BBC Two and iPlayer.
The new one-off episode will return to the Royal Free London to chart the next stage of the story, as the trust strives to keep its elective work going during another Winter and as Covid-19 and its aftermath continues to dominate the headlines.
Filmed and broadcast within weeks, the programme will document how NHS trusts are facing their most challenging period yet. It will explore the continuing pressures on all aspects of our healthcare system including widespread staff shortages caused by Covid and ongoing pressures in ICU, all at a time when waiting lists for NHS treatment are at their highest since records began.
This special will return to follow up with key staff who were filmed during the height of the pandemic as part of Label1’s critically acclaimed two-part ‘Hospital Special: Fighting Covid-19’, which was filmed with the Royal Free London from the first day of lockdown in Spring 2020 and was nominated for BAFTA best factual series. After almost two years, working life for staff across the trust is far from normal.
This new ‘Hospital special’ will once again go beyond the headlines, highlighting the vital work of our NHS who continue to serve our country through the toughest of times.Emma Loach, Commissioning Editor, BBC Documentaries said: “Our first two Hospital specials, filmed during the first peak of the pandemic, gave an extraordinary insight into the frontline battle against Covid 19. I’m delighted that we are returning to the Royal Free London two years on to discover how staff are continuing to respond to another incredibly challenging winter.”
Label1 co-founder Lorraine Charker-Phillips said: “It’s a privilege to be invited back to the Royal Free London to document the story of this winter in one of the country’s largest hospital trusts.”
Royal Free London group chief executive Caroline Clarke said: “We are delighted to be able to welcome the Label1 team back to the Royal Free London. It’s another fantastic opportunity for us to showcase the phenomenal patient care provided by staff day in day out across the trust. It’s a testament to the incredible commitment and dedication of our staff that the producers are keen to return to the trust for a third time.”
This ‘Hospital’ special episode was commissioned by Clare Sillery, Head of Commissioning, Documentaries, History and Religion. The Commissioning Editor is Emma Loach. It is Executive Produced by Lorraine Charker-Phillips, Simon Dickson and Jackie Waldock for Label1 Television. It will be produced by Kate O’Hara, and directed by Dan Howell and Aaron Lloyd.