Casualty@Holby City Interactive

Infobox Television episode
Title =Something We Can Do
Series =Casualty


Caption =Robert Winston in Holby City Hospital's ED.
Season =19
Episode =49
Airdate =27 August 2005
Production =
Writer =Steve Lightfoot
Director =Shani S. Grewal
Photographer =
Guests = Robert Winston
Luisa Bradshaw-White^H
Sharon D. Clarke^H
Annette Badland
Hywel Bennett
Steven Pinder
Nina Wadia Sarah Bedi Brian Cowan
Yvonne O'Grady
Emily Hamilton David Alderman Matthew Pidgeon Nila Aalia Mr. Don MacKechnie Eamonn Phillipson Erika Phillipson Mr. Chris Rudge Dr. Anne Sutcliffe
Episode list = List of Casualty episodes, Series 19
Prev =Truth, Lies and Videotape
Next =Holding On, Part I

Casualty@Holby City Interactive refers to the second "Casualty@Holby City" crossover of BBC medical dramas "Casualty" and "Holby City". The episode was broadcast on 27 August 2005 as part of the BBC's DoNation season, raising public awareness of the shortage of UK organ donors. An hour long, the first forty five minutes of the episode were dramatized, presenting two patients in need of a heart transplant. A third patient was pronounced brain stem dead and went on to act as donor. Viewers were asked to vote by phone or text message for the patient they wished to receive the transplant. The concluding fifteen minutes of the episode were presented by Robert Winston, who discussed the medical facts and ethics of organ donation and transplantations, before revealing the patient the public selected to receive the donor heart. Despite receiving a number of critical reviews in the press, the episode received high ratings, and was the second most watched terrestrial programme of the day.

Plot

Three patients are introduced in the beginning of the episode. Matt is a thirty year old man involved in a road traffic accident, who arrives at Holby City Hospital's Emergency Department having suffered significant head trauma, and is later pronounced brain stem dead. Lucy is a nineteen year old student who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and is awaiting a heart and lung transplant, while Tony is a forty one year old ex-smoker in the end stages of heart failure, also in need of a transplant. While Matt's parents and pregnant wife deliberate over agreeing to donate his organs, Lucy's father and Tony's fiance create conflict amongst the staff over which patient is more deserving of a transplant.

The episode breaks three quarters of the way through, as Professor Robert Winston narrates on the subject of real life transplants, with testimonies from Don MacKechnie, an A&E Consultant, Dr. Anne Sutcliffe, an Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Specialist, Chris Rudge, Medical Director for NHS UK Transplant, as well as Eamonn and Erika Phillipson, parents of Andrew, a nine year old donor. Presented with all the facts, viewers are asked to vote for the patient they wish to receive the transplant. As the episode ends, it is revealed that of 98,800 votes receives, 65% selected Lucy to receive the donor heart, and only 35% selected Tony. Lucy is seen happy and healthy, graduating from University having recovered well from the transplant, while Tony is revealed to have married despite his condition, and remain awaiting a new heart.cite episode |title=Something We Can Do |episodelink=Casualty%40Holby_City_Interactive |series=Casualty@Holby City |serieslink=Casualty@Holby City |network=BBC |airdate= 2005-08-27]

Production

Week beginning 22 August 2007 saw the BBC launch a week long organ 'DoNation' season, in order to "raise awareness, explain the facts, dispel myths and encourage people to make an informed decision about whether to add their name to the Register."cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/04_april/28/donation.shtml|title=Major BBC organ donation season launches in August|publisher=bbc.co.uk|date=28 April 2005|accessdate=2007-09-24] The Interactive "Casualty@Holby City" special was one of the headlining shows of the season, putting viewers in the place of doctors in order to decide the recipient of a fictional heart transplant.

Despite being billed as a "Casualty@Holby City" crossover, the episode was written, directed and produced by "Casualty" crew members, and shot on location at the "Casualty" studios in Bristol. Only two "Holby City" characters actually appeared in the episode - Matron Lisa Fox and Critical Care Consultant Lola Griffin. The episode was also broadcast in the usual "Casualty" time slot, on a Saturday evening.

Two different endings for the episode were shot, to account for both possible outcomes of the public vote. As well as the one which was broadcast, an alternate exists in which Tony receives the transplant instead of Lucy. This is available for viewing on the "Casualty@Holby City" DoNation Interactive website.cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/casualty/donation/|title=Casualty at Holby City - Interactive|publisher=bbc.co.uk|accessdate=2007-09-24]

Reception

The episode received mixed reviews after broadcast. The Daily Mirror's Jim Shelley deemed the special "a horrible mess",Citation
last=Shelley
first=Jim
author-link=
publication-date=30 August 2005
date=
year=
title=SHELLEYVISION: Down.
periodical=The Daily Mirror
publication-place=London, England
place=
publisher=
volume=
issue=
pages=
url=
doi=
oclc=
accessdate=] while The People kept their criticism brief, limiting their review to: "CASUALTY@Holby City? Takings up@pub."Citation
last=Bushell
first=Garry
author-link=
publication-date=28 August 2005
date=
year=
title=Bushell on the Box: Brief points.
periodical=The People
publication-place=London, England
place=
publisher=
volume=
issue=
pages=
url=
doi=
oclc=
accessdate=] The Times were more explicit with their criticism, writing that::"The notion that any television can be “interactive” is always dubious, as it usually involves little more than voting on limited choices. That is certainly the case in this “interactive” drama devised for the BBC’s DoNation season to draw our attention to the urgent need for fresh human organs... The twin hospital dramas have never been afraid of didactic storylines, but this example, constructed to illustrate the ethical dilemmas of those involved, is about as didactic as it gets. Let’s hope this benevolent propaganda works."cite web|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article558872.ece|title=Television: Saturday, August 27|publisher=The Times|date=27 August 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10]

The Sun, however, selected the episode as a televisual 'Pick of the Day',cite web|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2001330008-2005390850,00.html|title=What to watch this weekend|publisher=The Sun|date=27 August 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10] while The Daily Mail reported that::"John Evans, chairman of the British Organ Donor Society, welcomed the series, adding: "There's a continual need for positive stories to be fed to the public to highlight the desperate need for organ donation." At present, there is a critical shortage of donors, with around 400 deaths each year of people whose lives could have been saved through organ transplants."cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=346791&in_page_id=1774|title=Donate your kidney while you watch TV|publisher=The Daily Mail|date=29 April 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10]

The episode received 7.32 million viewers, making it the second most watched terrestrial programme of the day, and also the BBC's second best rated programme of the week, behind only popular soap opera EastEnders.cite web|url=http://www.barb.co.uk/viewingsummary/weekreports.cfm?report=weeklyterrestrial&RequestTimeout=500|title=Weekly Viewing Summary - w/e 28/08/2005|publisher=BARB|accessdate=2007-09-24]

References

H. "Holby City" character crossover.
C. "Casualty" character crossover.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/casualty/donation BBC Official "Casualty@Holby City" "DoNation Interactive" website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/casualty/specials BBC Official "Casualty@Holby City" specials website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/casualty BBC Official "Casualty" website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/holbycity BBC Official "Holby City" website]