The Royal

Infobox British television
show_name = The Royal


size =
caption =
format = Medical drama
picture_format =
runtime = 60 minutes
creator =
country = United Kingdom
starring = See Current cast
channel = ITV
first_aired = 19 January 2003
last_aired = Present
num_series = 7
num_episodes = 68 (as of 20 July 2008
producer = ITV Productions
related = "Heartbeat",
"The Royal Today"
imdb_id = 0313122

"The Royal" is a British medical drama. The serial television show features one hour episodes aired by ITV. The title refers to the fictional "St Aidan's Royal Free Hospital", which is located in the rural seaside town of Elsinby close to Whitby, Scarborough and Aidensfield. The town serves both the local farmers and townsfolk and visiting holidaymakers. The show is set in the 1960s and is filmed in the North Yorkshire holiday resort of Scarborough. It is a spin-off show from the popular ITV show "Heartbeat". Current stars include Wendy Craig, and Amy Robbins.

A daytime spin-off, "The Royal Today", comprising fifty thirty-minute episodes featuring the staff of "The Royal" set in the present day aired in January 2008, at the present moment there is no news of a second series.

Overview

"The Royal" was introduced in the 14th episode of the 12th series of "Heartbeat" entitled 'Out Of The Blue'.

Several "Heartbeat" characters appeared in the first couple of series of "The Royal", most notably Bill Maynard as a bed-ridden Claude Greengrass. However, as the series progressed, it generally dropped its character crossovers with "Heartbeat" to become its own entity.

The majority of the plots centre around medical emergencies and the moral dilemmas created or exposed by the emergencies. Typically there are several on-going crises, each being confronted by one or more staff members. The show tends to avoid political topics on the whole although the Vietnam War was touched upon in one episode, the conflict between progressive and conservative social ideals is central to the show and these issues were addressed in greater detail in season 5 following the arrival of the black woman Doctor Joan Makori, who joined "The Royal" in episode 49. She later departed for Cameroon in episode 55 with Nkeshi the Biafran refugee. The ethical challenges and social changes faced by the hospital staff and their patients mirror those faced by the world in the 1960s.

"The Royal" appears to be set primarily in 1969 and includes references to events such as the coming of colour television and the Vietnam War. Like "Heartbeat", all road tax discs bear the expiry date "DEC 69". However anachronisms sometimes appear, such as characters in the series 7 episode "To Love & To Lose" referring to "the new Beatles film" (there was no new Beatles film that year). Some such anachronisms are likely to be accidental, such as a reference in the same episode to a career "glass ceiling", a phrase not coined until some years later.

There is one on-going and as yet unsolved mystery in "The Royal": Matron's real name. She has never used a name throughout the series, nor has she ever been referred to by one (even her niece only refers to her as "auntie"). All that is known is that her nickname during the Second World War, when she served as a nurse, was "Toffee".

Filming often takes place on Scarborough South Cliff by Holbeck Clock Tower during the summer months. Many of the old cars used in the filming can be seen residing at the Motor Museum at Thornton-le-Dale just outside Scarborough.

Series 7 is currently on hold pending the return of Heartbeat, However, upon its return Episode 6 features a building collapse at Elsinby Amusement Park with two of the regular characters trapped inside. The building collapse and subsequent explosion scenes were filmed at Scarborough's former South Bay Pool, between 28th and 31st August 2007.

5 episodes of The Royal series 7 have aired so far, the series is due to continue its 7th series later in the year.

12 new episodes have been announced on the ITV The Royal website, this is to be for the 8th season of The Royal due to be shown on ITV screens in 2009. Location filming in Scarborough is due to commence mid-July 2008.

Trivia

*The telephone number for "The Royal" back in the late 60's was Elsinby 3323, and there was no Tuesday Evening Surgery.

*The code to the safe in Mr. Middleditch's office (which is now under the command of Adam Carnegie) is 1886, which is the same year "The Royal" was founded.

*Episode 05.09 in the Series 5 Presspack is clearly titled "Winners & Losers". However, in the opening credits, the episode title that appears on screen is "Winners & Loser".

* An illustrated booklet by Dr Edward Black giving a full history of "The Royal", Red Court, its owner Alfred Shuttleworth, and a history of Scarborough is available from the Clock Cafe, Scarborough Information Centres, Scarborough Library, Stephen Joseph Theatre - and the ice cream man outside Redcourt @ £4.

*The interior scenes are filmed at St Luke's Hospital Bradford, in the now disused Maternity Wing. It was chosen because it had not been updated in many years, and was very similar to how a 1960s hospital would have appeared.

*St Luke's Hospital Bradford was the Bradford Workhouse, and was a military hospital during and after WW1.

*The second half of Series 6 and 7 aired on DR1 in Denmark before being broadcast in the UK, even though the UK produces the series.

Cast

Current cast

eries One (2003)

eries Four (2004 - 2005)

External links

*itv.com|id=theroyal|title="The Royal"
*imdb title|id=0313122|title=The Royal