St. Aidan's royal free hospital
THE ROYAL, 8 Holbeck Road, Elsinby. Tel 3323 - Founded & Established 1886
EPISODES & SONGS
SERIES 7
07.01 AGAINST ALL ODDS - 22nd June 2008
It’s a hectic start to the day at THE ROYAL. They’re short staffed and Lizzie and Dr. Ormerod are struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Chief Porter Ken is away following a family bereavement and Banner has gone to Australia to tend to his gravely ill father. Dr. Weatherill is also out of action after having a hysterectomy. Everyone’s feeling rather stretched and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new locum. Nurse Marian has been on holiday in Glasgow and is on a train heading back to Elsinby, sharing a carriage with Colin, a vicar who works in Africa, and a mysterious man called Nick. She’s happily making small talk with her fellow passengers when suddenly there’s a terrible screeching noise. The carriage begins to judder and the train crashes. Carriages are catapulted off the rails and scattered on the hill side. Broken glass, spilled luggage and passengers are thrown from the train, and cries of pain and panic slowly start to desend. As the shocking news of the crash reaches THE ROYAL, everyone launches into action and prepares for the expected flood of casualties, while Dr Ormerod and Nurse Stella Davenport make their way to the scene of the crash. Marian and Nick are both conscious, but are trapped inside the wreckage of a compressed compartment. As they manoeuvre their way through shattered glass doors, they find Colin the vicar covered in debris and groaning with pain. Nick begins to tend to Colin and it dawns on Marian that Nick is in fact a doctor. The two of them work together to manoevre the injured vicar out of the wreckage. Outside, injured passengers are making their way out of the train while Nick finds fatally wounded bodies. Marian sets about patching people up and hears noises from inside one of the carriages. She discovers Jacqui and Tony, who were on their honeymoon. They’re trapped and the bride is unconscious. It doesn’t look good for Jacqui whose legs are trapped and she’s bleeding from the head, but Dr. Nick Burnett finds a pulse and tries to free her. However, the wreckage is unstable and begins to shift. Jacqui is freed, but diesel fumes begin to fill the carriage. In the meantime, Dr. Ormerod and Stella have arrived at the scene with the help of local farmer, Ned Worsley. They are stunned by the sight that greets them and begin treating the injured straight away. Back inside the shaky wreckage, the newlyweds, along with Nick and Marian wait to be rescued. A fireman luckily hears Marian’s cries, but as they are being lifted out, Dr. Ormerod notices the engine is on fire. As the firemen leap into action to put out the fire, Marian, Nick and the newlyweds are safely lifted out of the carriage and Dr. Ormerod is shocked when Marian introduces Nick as THE ROYAL’s new locum, Dr. Nick Burnett. Back at THE ROYAL, Casualty is a hive of activity as the injured arrive, and with Ken absent and Alun rushed off his feet, even Carnegie steps in to help wheel patients in and out of the wards. After hearing about the crash, Colin’s mother arrives at the hospital. Adam Carnegie goes to look for him and finds him in acute distress. He raises the alarm and Mr Rose realises he’s seriously ill and rushes him into theatre. Nick and Marian rush in with an unconscious Jacqui and demand that she’s seen promptly. Tony is worried about his new wife and won’t let anyone take a look at his own injuries. However, Dr. Weatherill notices Tony has no feeling in his arm and, after examining it, she realises he’s in danger of losing his limb. He goes straight into theatre. Can Dr. Weatherill save his arm? In another theatre room, Rose discovers Colin has suffered a catastrophic haemorrhage of the lung. Will the vicar pull through in time? Get Together - The Youngbloods Sunshine Superman - Donovan Time Has Told Me - Nick Drake While My Guitar Gently Weeps - George Harrison / The Beatles We’re Going Wrong - Cream 07.02 ON THE ROAD - 29th June 2008 Dr Burnett and Marian help Sister Brigid distribute soup and blankets to Elsinby’s homeless population. They admit some of the vagrants to THE ROYAL for treatment, but there’s a shortage of beds and Dr. Burnett is forced to settle them into the private suite, knowing that Carnegie will disapprove. Nick sets about treating the homeless patients. George has a maggot infested leg ulcer, Dermot is an alcoholic with an infected toenail, and the others are riddled with scabies, lice, and other unpleasant ailments. When Adam arrives he complains about a bad smell. Lizzie denies smelling anything, but as Carnegie continues to moan and orders Alun to check the drains, he eventually discovers the patients and is horrified to find that his rooms are being used to accommodate the vagrants. He orders Marian to clean the rooms before the next private patient arrives. Can Marian spruce things up in time? Meanwhile, there’s a new student nurse arriving at THE ROYAL and Matron tells Stella to prepare for her arrival. However, Matron’s not prepared for the shock when the new nurse turns out to be her niece, Susie Dixon. Susie almost gets sacked on her first day when she persuades Frankie to take her to the station in his ambulance to pick up her record player. How will Matron cope with having Susie back in the hospital? It’s also Dr. Weatherill’s first full day back at work since her emergency hysterectomy and Dr. Ormerod tries to protect her by asking Lizzie to make sure no pre or post-natal cases are put through to her, and not to let her to do anything physically demanding. However, Jill’s left wondering what’s going on when she has so few patients. An emergency call comes through and Jill, pleased to make herself useful, heads to the scene, meeting Frankie and Susie on her way. They arrive to find a couple, Mark and Teresa, whose car has almost slipped off the coastal road. Mark is barely conscious and Teresa appears to be in labour. Jill desperately tries to free Teresa’s trapped foot and the fire brigade eventually arrive. However, is it too late to free Teresa before she gives birth. How will the experience affect Jill so soon after her own ordeal ? Gordon attends to Doris Nightingale who works at the Elsinby telephone exchange. She’s had an asthma attack and suffers from angina. Once admitted to THE ROYAL it becomes clear Doris uses her job to listen in on people’s conversations and spread gossip throughout the town. She’s heard Lizzie’s and Ken’s conversation in which Ken revealed that he’s staying in Torquay to look after the B&B and, after a lifetime at THE ROYAL, he’s going to leave. Adam has been getting suspicious of Ken’s whereabouts and finds out from Doris, not Lizzie, that he’s handing in his notice. However, everyone’s shocked when Lizzie reveals that she’s needed in Torquay to help her mum and dad and will also be leaving THE ROYAL. Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba - Europa Consort Break On Through - The Doors For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her - Simon & Garfunkel Happy Feet - The Temperance Seven Living In The Past - Jethro Tull Monday Monday - The Mama’s & The Papa’s Sneakin' Around - Billy J. Kramer & The Dakota's Time - Cat Stevens Yesterday - The Beatles Unknown Tracks Suzie Arrives in Taxi Frankie Helps Suzie With Her Bags In The Nurses Home 07.03 BLOODS THICKER THAN WATER - 7th July 2008 It’s Ken and Lizzie’s last day at THE ROYAL, but Lizzie’s starting to have second thoughts about leaving her job and friends behind. Dr. Weatherill receives a house call from Penny Darnby, an old school friend of Lizzie’s who went off the rails when her mum died and is now addicted to tranquillisers. Divorced with a daughter, she’s moved back in with her father at his butchers shop and is reluctant to leave the house. However, when Dr. Weatherill diagnoses her with pneumonia she agrees to be admitted to hospital only if her daughter Karen can come with her. Elsewhere, there’s an accident at the harbour when a fisherman, Donald, gets his hand caught in a winch on the boat. Marian, Burnett and Mr Rose rush to the scene and are shocked to see Donald suspended over the boat, dangling by his arm. His hand is in a terrible state and when Mr. Rose makes his way up a ladder to inspect it, he realises it’s damaged beyond repair. As Mr. Rose attempts to anaesthetise him, the fisherman panics and sends Mr. Rose flying into the sea. Dr. Burnett resumes the treatment and is forced to amputate Donald’s hand. How will Donald feel when he comes round and realises his loss? Back at the hospital, Dr. Weatherill’s concerned when she finds Penny hallucinating and shouting out for her dad to leave her alone. She has a word with Mr. Darnby who dismisses Dr. Weatherill’s concern, but once alone with Penny, he tells her he’ll have her admitted to a mental asylum if she carries on with her “evil speak”. Penny’s deeply distressed by her father and when he takes Karen home with him, she is horrified and escapes from the hospital. Meanwhile, Donald has come round and is devastated to discover his hand has been amputated as this means the end of his career on the boats. He’s worried about how he’s going to support his family especially as his wife is expecting another baby. However, when Nurse Marian finds a drawing he’d left on the boat, she discovers he’s a brilliant cartoonist. In a bid to cheer him up, Marian buys him a drawing pad and easel, and he begins to draw caricatures of the staff. Over at the butchers shop, Penny has crept back to collect Karen as she plans to run away. However, when she sees her father, a blazing row ensues. As Mr. Darnby advances towards her, she picks up a kitchen knife. Looking for Penny, Dr. Weatherill and Dr. Ormerod arrive at the butcher’s only to find Mr. Darnby on the floor with serious stab wounds. He’s rushed to THE ROYAL and Penny and Karen are brought back in. Penny assures Dr. Weatherill she’s not mentally unstable, as she was just trying to protect her daughter. Penny reveals Mr. Darnby used to abuse her and she is afraid of leaving her daughter alone with him. She’s also worried the police won’t believe her because of her medical record. Will Mr. Darnby pull through and will justice be done? Later, as Ken is enjoying a farewell drink with Mr. Carnegie, Lizzie bursts in and tells him she doesn’t want to leave THE ROYAL. She wants to stay in Elsinby and stand on her own two feet. Ken respects her decision, but admits he’ll miss her terribly. That evening, Ken gets another more pleasant surprise when the staff hold a leaving party in the nurses’ accommodation. He’s delighted when he’s presented with a sign reading “Dunporterin” for the new B&B, but everyone gets soaked when the homebrew Alun’s been making goes off with a bang! Blackbird - The Beatles Bring It On Home To Me - Sam Cooke Dizzy Miss Lizzie - The Beatles Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying - Gerry & The Pacemakers Every Little Bit Hurts - Brenda Holloway Leaving Here - The Isley Brothers Look Into The Sun - Jethro Tull Nurses Home The Mighty Quin - Manfred Mann 07.04 SLINGS & ARROWS - 14th July 2008 It’s the first day of Lizzie’s life as an independent woman and she decides to celebrate with a fondue party at her newly decorated psychedelic house. Romance is in the air at the party as Marian and Nick surprise everyone when they kiss at the table. Frankie finally admits to Stella that he fancies her but she’s nervous about getting involved in a relationship again. Will she learn to trust Frankie? At the hospital, Dr. Ormerod and Dr. Weatherill are forced to take on a new partner in the practice when they receive a letter of resignation from Dr. Banner who’s decided to stay in Australia. Dr. Ormerod’s all set to offer the position to Dr. Burnett, but when Claire Massey, an old friend of Dr. Weatherill’s, comes to visit, Jill thinks Claire’s a perfect candidate and would rather have a fellow female colleague. Will Dr. Burnett miss out on the opportunity to stay at THE ROYAL ? Meanwhile, Alun is disappointed when he approaches Carnegie to ask about applying for Ken’s job, only to be introduced to Eric Fogle, the newly appointed Head Porter. Eric instantly gets up the noses of the hospital staff, particularly Matron, who later discovers that his references don’t do him justice and his ex-employers were so keen to get rid of him they just did as he’d asked and wrote a glowing report. How long will the new porter last at THE ROYAL ? Elsewhere, Dr. Ormerod has been called out to see to Lucy Bayliss and her daughter, Estelle who both been involved in horse riding accidents. As Dr. Ormerod treats Estelle, Lucy refuses to let him take a look at her own injury, more concerned on hearing that her daughter will be out of action for six weeks. Lucy has been training Estelle for the national Olympic team and has high hopes that she’ll follow in her own footsteps to become an award winning rider. Dr. Ormerod finally manages to persuade Lucy to have an x-ray and has to break it to her that she has a severe case of arthritis and won’t be able to ride again. When Estelle and her father Aidan, discover she’s left the hospital, they panic she will take drastic action, unable to face giving up her beloved horse-riding. However, when they eventually find Lucy galloping through the moors on her horse, she reveals she only wanted one last gallop before hanging up her boots and isn’t going to give up on training Estelle. Reminding Lucy she’s in no fit state to ride, Dr. Ormerod is forced to take the reins and ride back to the stables himself. Dr. Burnett is called out to the moors to attend to Sid, an outward bound course leader who has collapsed during manoeuvres. However, when Nick arrives, Sid assures him that he feels fine; he doesn’t want to let down the cadets on his course and refuses to come back to the hospital with Nick for a check up. However, when Dr. Burnett gets called out to the moors again the following day, Sid has collapsed and has to be rushed to THE ROYAL for urgent surgery. Will the cadets get back safely or has Sid’s stubbornness put them at risk? Back at the hospital, new Porter Eric is left injured when he lights up a cigarette in the staff kitchen, not realising Susie has left the gas on. Eric’s furious and tries to enlist Alun into going on strike with him, while Matron tells a hurt Susie that maybe nursing isn’t the right career for her. Will Susie leave THE ROYAL ? Meanwhile, Dr. Weatherill’s friend politely refuses Jill’s job offer, but when Dr. Ormerod later offers it to Nick he feels like second choice. Will he accept the position? Blow Me A Kiss - Mama Cass Come Softly To Me - Frankie Vaughn & The Kaye Ssisters She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - The Beatles Take 5 - The Dave Brubeck Quartet Take Me In Your Arms & Love Me - Gladys Knight & The Pips You Can’t Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones Background Tracks - At Lizzie’s Party If Paradise Is Half As Nice - Amen Corner Baby Now That I Found You - The Foundations