The Royal Today was a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 medical soap opera

Soap opera

A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...

, a spin-off

Spin-off (media)

In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...

 of the similarly themed drama, The Royal

The Royal

The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot....

. The concept is that whilst The Royal is set in the late 1960s, The Royal Today featured the same hospital in the present day, with a new set of characters working in the same location. Each episode followed the events of a single day, and the show was broadcast daily (except for the weekends), so the series could be said to progress in real time. The first series of 50 half-hour episodes began on 7 January 2008 on the ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 network. Although there were a number of running storylines, the series generally eschewed the use of cliffhanger

Cliffhanger

A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...

s. The series was axed in March 2008 after poor ratings. On an average of 1.175 million viewers.

Cast and characters

Actor	Character	Role	Duration
Andrew Scarborough	Dr. Jonathan Ormerod	Consultant Consultant (medicine) In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...	1.01 - 1.50
Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas Paul Nicholas is an English actor and singer who has had considerable success on stage, screen and in the pop charts.-Biography:Nicholas was born as Paul Oscar Beuselinck in Peterborough, England...	Mr. Woods	General Surgical Consultant General surgery General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...	1.01 - 1.50
Kirsty Mitchell Kirsty Mitchell Kirsty Loretta Mitchell is a Scottish actress.Mitchell was born in Glasgow and was a student at Park Mains High School in Erskine. She trained as a ballet dancer before turning to acting and won the Miss Scotland title at aged just 17....	Dr. Sarah Chatwin	Medical Registrar Specialist registrar A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...	1.01 - 1.50
Fiona Dolman Fiona Dolman Fiona Dolman is a British actress best known for playing Miss Pamela Andrews in the ITV daytime drama series and spinoff to The Royal, The Royal Today, and for the role of Jackie Rosemary Lambert Bradley, PC Mike Bradley's solicitor wife in Heartbeat...	Pamela Andrews	General General surgery General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...  Surgical Registrar Specialist registrar A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...	1.01 - 1.50
Caroline Carver	Heather Dunstan	Staff Nurse	1.01 - 1.50
Ben Hull Ben Hull -Career:Ben's first appearance was in 1994 when he appeared ITV Drama, Revelations.He then went on to appear as Martin Wells in Children's ITV series Children's Ward....	Adam Fearnley	Charge Nurse	1.01 - 1.50
Mark Wells	Kieran Marwood	A & E Staff Nurse	1.01 - 1.50
Sophia Di Martino Sophia Di Martino Sophia Di Martino is an English actress of Italian descent, known for portraying Polly Emmerson in Casualty and Gemma Pennant in The Royal Today.-Background:...	Gemma Pennant	Student Nurse	1.01 - 1.50
Lucie Trickett	Carrie Jepson	Student Nurse	1.01 - 1.50
Jon Lolis Jon Lolis Jon Lolis is an Albanian/Greek actor who is most noted for his role of Aleksander Malota in British Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. He played the estranged husband of Jacqui McQueen who fell in love with her younger sister Carmel....	Kristaps	Porter Porter (carrier) A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...	1.01 - 1.50
Steve Huison Steve Huison Steve Huison , is a British actor, mostly on TV and occasional films. He trained at the Rose Bruford College in Sidcup. He is best known for his role as "Lomper" in the massively successful UK box-office and critical hit The Full Monty . He also appeared in a Ken Loach film The Navigators, made in...	Norman Dunstan	Porter	1.01 - 1.50
Libby Davison Libby Davison Libby Davison is a British actress who is best known for playing DC Liz Rawton in The Bill from 1996 to 1999. She made her name playing Geoff's assistant in Byker Grove. She has also appeared in Our Friends in the North, Holby City, Doctors and The Royal Today. She joined Hollyoaks as Rose...	Isla Watkins	Theatre Nursing Sister	1.01 - 1.50
Victoria Pritchard	Alana Sczumanska	Anaesthetist	1.01 - 1.50
Lisa Davina Phillip Lisa Davina Phillip Lisa Davina Phillip is a British actress and singer.Phillip began acting in her early teens, when she appeared in various productions for local theatre group Second Wave Centre For Youth Arts...	Pearl McDonald	Nurse	1.01 - 1.50
Pal Aron Pal Aron Pal Aron is a British actor, best known for playing Adam Osman in Casualty, Brandon Kane in The Bill, Jayesh Parekh and Sonny Dhillon in Coronation Street. Before turning professional he performed with the Theatre of the Unemployed in Birmingham...	Dr Vijay Chohan	Radiology Radiology Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...  Registrar Specialist registrar A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...	1.03 - 1.50
Leah Bracknell Leah Bracknell Leah Bracknell is an English actress, best known for her role as Zoe Tate in the long-running soap opera, Emmerdale.-Career:...	Jenny Carrington	Clinical Matron Matron Matron is the job title of a very senior nurse in several countries, including the United Kingdom, its former colonies, including the Republic of Ireland, although the title Clinical Nurse Manager has become acceptable as an alternative.-History:...	1.03 - 1.50
Flora Nicholson	Lesley Goodrich		1.01 - 1.02 (Murdered)
Edward Peel Edward Peel Edward Peel is a British actor.He has mostly appeared on television, his roles include Shogun , Juliet Bravo , Cracker , Emmerdale Farm and London's Burning...	David Collingworth		1.01 - 1.25 (Transferred)
Vickie Gates Vickie Gates (actress) Vickie Gates made her television acting debut in Brookside at the age of 16. After her initial storylines from 1990–1993, she joined an all-girl pop band called Dream Reality and then appeared in the TV series Springhill before returning to Brookside in 1997 for four additional years...	Maisy Spencer		1.40 - 1.47 (Discharged)
Laura Carter Laura Carter (actress) Laura Carter is an English actress originally from Bingley, West Yorkshire. She studied Drama at Intake Performing Arts College in Leeds in 2004 and followed this with a short successful stint in modelling after she won Miss Bradford...	Charlotte Winters	Patient	1.34

Setting

There are two separate blocks at St. Luke's in Bradford used for shooting The Royal and The Royal Today. One of the previously unused blocks has undergone a makeover to transform it into a modern hospital, this also includes a bar area (seen in episode one) having been built. The last day of shooting the series was Friday 16 November 2007.

Named wards include:

Ward	Opened by	Named After	Explanation
Middleditch Wing (General Surgery General surgery General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft... )	Unknown	Middleditch Family	Mr. TJ Middleditch was the Hospital's Secretary from 1948 until the late 1960s and his Grandfather was the founding member of The Royal when it was opened in 1886.
Woods - Koones Ward	Mr. Koones	Mr. Woods Mr. Koones	Woods - Koones ward is part of Middleditch wing. in 2008 millionaire Mr Koones was taken into surgery for a life saving operation. Mr Woods had a bet with Koones that if he got out alive he would fund a new ward. As Mr Woods convinced him to, Matron said his name could be on the ward instead of Koones'. But Mr Woods said that would be unfair and that both their names should be on it.
Middleditch Ward	Unknown	Middleditch Family	Middleditch Ward is housed in the Middleditch Wing and run by Charge Nurse Adam Fearnley.
Goodwin Ward	Unknown	Dr. Jeff Goodwin	Goodwin Ward is housed in the Middleditch Wing upstairs and as of episode one of series one is currently closed for redecoration as stated by Pearl.
Premature Baby Unit	Dr. Jill Weatherill	Dr. Jill Weatherill	Jill campaigned to open this ward in the late 1960s. However, the Maternity unit at The Royal was closed in 2006 (assuming TRT is set in 2008).
High Dependency / Intensive Care Unit	NHS	Nobody	Ward where critically ill patients are closely monitored and treated.
Radiology	NHS	Unknown	X-ray Department ran by Vijay

Trivia

• Former EastEnders
  EastEnders
  EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
  
  actor Jack Ryder
  Jack Ryder (actor)
  Jack Seigfried Ryder is an English actor, best known for playing Jamie Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1998 to 2002.-Biography:...
  
   auditioned for the role of a radiology student but was later cast as charge nurse Adam Fearnley. However, feeling he was too young to play a charge nurse, Ryder withdrew from the role before filming started and was replaced by Ben Hull
  Ben Hull
  -Career:Ben's first appearance was in 1994 when he appeared ITV Drama, Revelations.He then went on to appear as Martin Wells in Children's ITV series Children's Ward....
  
  .
• It was rumoured that the show would feature an older version of Lizzie Hopkirk played by Helen Mirren
  Helen Mirren
  Dame Helen Mirren, DBE is an English actor. She has won an Academy Award for Best Actress, four SAG Awards, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, and two Cannes Film Festival Best Actress Awards.-Early life and family:...
  
  
• The actor that played Brownlee / Capt. Kirk in TRT episode 01.05 was the same actor that played the part of the paparazzi journalist and photographer in The Royal episode 06.02 Home and Dry, the character in that episode was also called Brownlee who bribed Ken & Alun to gain him access to the private suites in order to obtain a picture of Dorcus.
• Fiona Dolman
  Fiona Dolman
  Fiona Dolman is a British actress best known for playing Miss Pamela Andrews in the ITV daytime drama series and spinoff to The Royal, The Royal Today, and for the role of Jackie Rosemary Lambert Bradley, PC Mike Bradley's solicitor wife in Heartbeat...
  
   who plays Pamela played Jackie Bradley in Heartbeat (The idea behind The Royal
  The Royal
  The Royal is a British medical drama series produced by ITV. The show comprises one hour episodes which were normally first aired on ITV in the Sunday early evening slot....
  
   and The Royal Today) for 3 series.
• Actor Luke Adamson who played Chris Bilson in Episode Eight appeared as Keith Gledhill in parent show Heartbeat in the 9th Christmas episode (Series Fifteen Episode Twelve) "Auld Acquaintance" alongside Todd Carty
  Todd Carty
  Todd Carty is an Irish actor and director, who has grown up on television screens in a variety of roles. His stage work has varied from pantomime to serious drama, as well as radio plays, voiceovers, commercials, narrations, and films...
  
  

External links

• Show information and cast interviews
• itv.com