Robert Hampton

Another visitor! Stay a while… stay forever!

9th December 2010

Doctor … No!
Posted by at 11.54pm | 33 responses | Gay, Television

DoctorsThe BBC’s daytime soap Doctors has been around for over a decade, but I can’t say I ever noticed it, until yesterday.

Tipped off by a post on *ahem* Famousmales, I scurried over to iPlayer to download the latest episode of the show. I strongly recommend you do too — and if you do, please confirm to me that this blog post is accurate, because I had a couple of drinks after work last night, and am therefore not 100% sure that what I saw on screen actually happened.

Let’s start with the programme synopsis itself, shall we? It’s shrunk in the wash slightly – click to enlarge it.

Doctor Bond attempts to save the Mr Gay Letherbridge pageant and avert World War 3.

No, seriously – that IS what it says on the BBC web site, I have not doctored it (hoho!) in any way.

The show starts normally enough, with the regular title sequence showing what I assume is the regular cast doing various medical soapy things. 25 seconds later, that’s over and done with, and any pretence of decorum is abandoned. Strap yourselves in, it’s going to be a very strange ride.

(Seriously, I do suggest you go and watch it yourself before reading on. SPOILER ALERT and all that)

The show sets out its stall straight away, with a title card declaring that this is a presentation of “THE BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION AND LETHERBRIDGE FILM ACADEMY” before cutting to the inevitable James Bond spoof title sequence. Except the “blood” is pink! Because it’s gay! Hilarious!

James Bond-style opening

We open in a luxury hotel room. This could be any Bond film, were it not for the cheapness, because this is BBC daytime and not a multi-million dollar film franchise. You can tell it’s a film spoof though, because they’ve added faux-widescreen black bars to the picture!

Our hero, Dr Bond, 005, is found in bed in a state of undress, surrounded by discarded clothes, empty champagne bottles and all the signs of an evening of hot man-on-man action:

Dr Bond in bed

We hear a bit of “Rule Britannia” at this point, but I’m not sure if it’s incidental music or the ringtone for his phone. Either way, the TV bursts into life with a message for our secret agent — apparently MI5 can’t afford a widescreen camera, because the picture is a stretched 4:3 image. This is “J” (do you see what they did there?) who looks like a cross between Jenny Eclair and Hattie Hayridge.

Woman on TV screen

The conversation indicates that the visual communication is two-way and J can see Bond. I bet she watched him having sex, the dirty mare.

How do I know Bond had sex? Well, because at this point the door opens and in walks a rather nice-looking man wearing nothing but a towel — one that’s so small it doesn’t quite go all the way round his waist, the horror! This is apparently our “bond Boy”!

Man wearing nothing but a towel

This scene serves no purpose to the plot and the lovely gentleman doesn’t appear again in the rest of the show – it’s a completely gratuitous shot of a nearly-naked man. The BBC has just earned its licence fee for the next five years, in my eyes.

At this point we briefly fade back to “real life” and see that this is all a daydream concocted by one of the doctors on the show. We see him in his kitchen, staring at a mug, while a box marked “Cherry’s Knick-Knacks” lurks ominously in the foreground.

Dr Glasses stares at a mug in the kitchen

I should point out, again, that I have never watched Doctors before. I have no idea who this person is, why he’s staring at a mug, the identity of “Cherry” or why he or she would keep a box of knick-knacks on the kitchen table. But that’s OK, because after less than 30 seconds of reality, we go back to the high campery.

Dr Bond is being served breakfast in his hotel room (actual dialogue: “Sausage, sir?” “No thanks, I’ve already had one.”) while his assistant potters around picking up the sexy underpants that he so carelessly discarded.

Bond's housekeeper picks up some sexy undies

We jump forward in time a bit and see Dr Bond getting into his secret agent car (which has just come back from its MOT, apparently). He sees an unfamiliar knob and feels an irresistible urge to pull it. When he does so, he is immediately chided by the gadget man, “C”, who looks like Doc Brown would have looked if Back to the Future had been made in Pebble Mill instead of Hollywood.

Weird man with white hair and goggles

C says that Bond could have caused a nuclear incident of global magnitude. Bond apologises: “I have never been able to resist a big red knob”.

He arrives at MI5 headquarters, which has been affected by the budget cutbacks as Halfpenny is doing her typing on a netbook computer. He is ushered into a meeting with J, who is accompanied by a man with a comedy moustache named Delix (no, me neither).

Delix, the man with the moustache

J informs him that someone is attempting to sabotage the Letherbridge Mr Gay Pageant. The contestants are being struck down by a mystery virus and foul play is suspected. Delix says something similar happened to him at the International Swordsman Championship (mm-hm). Bond is tasked with identifying the virus and tracking down the source and — after a bit of homoerotic banter with Delix — departs on his mission.

Well, not quite; there’s just time to stop at C’s lab to pick up the latest gadgets. Including a pen which shoots pink laser beams! Check out the special effects:

Dr Bond shoots a laser pen

Back in the “real world”, and a mysterious stranger is trying to register as a patient, so he can see a doctor. Our protagonist (I don’t know his name – let’s call him Dr Glasses) agrees to see him. If the real-life plot is moving too quickly for you to keep up, don’t worry — the show again lasts about 60 seconds before drifting back to the much more fun Bond spoofery.

Patient in reception ("Doctors")

Arriving at the Letherbridge Mr Gay Pageant, Bond introduces himself to Mayor McGuffin, who gives him a tour of the hall. All around are men in pants; moaning, groaning and writhing around on the floor (because of the PAIN, you filthy people). “Naturally,” says the mayor, “everyone’s blaming the Germans.”

Bond is shown to the sick bay, where the camera lovingly pans over a line of contestants in hospital beds. At this point, McGuffin is contacted with shocking news: the virus has infected Mr Croatia (“his horn-blowing was the star turn of the talent section”).

Men lie in their pants in the sickbay

Dr Bond impresses those around him by greeting each patient in their respective languages (including “G’day Bruce” to Mr Australia). Mr Russia is showing the worst symptoms, so naturally Dr Bond wants to give him a thorough going over.

"I'm Doctor Bond. Take off your shirt"

His sunglasses (with built-in MRI scanner, natch) tell Dr Bond that this is a man-made virus, but don’t worry — there’s an app for that. His mobile phone dispenses an instantly-created antidote!

We briefly leave the fantasy and return to the mundane life of the GP surgery. But there’s plenty of gayness here too. A patient checks out Dr Glasses as he walks past. His colleague, Dr Talks-Like-Tilly-From-Miranda, encourages him to go after the hunky bloke (which sounds like a bit of an ethical violation, but perhaps I’m taking this too seriously). He accuses her of being “childishly obsessed by sex”, which is a bit rich, considering what he’s been daydreaming about for most of the morning.

A patient checks out Dr Glasses

Back in sexy gay fantasy world, Dr Bond has successfully cured Mr Venezuela. “How can I ever thank you?” he says gratefully. “I’m sure you can think of something,” is Dr Bond’s saucy reply. This is about the fifth time that a variation on this exchange has occurred in the episode, and yet Dr Bond hasn’t actually had any sex. Maybe he needs a different chat-up line.

Dr Bond and a grateful Mr Venezuela

Mayor McGuffin is impressed that Dr Bond is fluent in 15 languages. “I’ve always enjoyed learning new tongues,” says the good doctor. We are now in Carry On territory – all we need is Barbara Windsor’s bra pinging across the room.

Some more investigation reveals that a vitamin supplement taken by the contestants is to blame. Dr Bond visits the headquarters of the manufacturer, Lethercorp, to try and find out what’s going on. Unfortunately the stern, uniformed, German-accented receptionist (subtle, no?) tells him that he cannot see an executive without an appointment (“Except on Mondays, when we have a drop-in system”).

The Lethercorp receptionist

At this point, a guided tour enters, steered by Ivana Legova. Dr Bond takes advantage of the distraction and sneaks away. Because nobody in this programme can get away without wearing some sort of comedy clothes, he dons a lab coat and ludicrous pair of glasses to blend in with the crowd.

Dr Bond in ridiculous glasses

In the real world, Dr Glasses is seeing the mysterious stranger from earlier. He cannot find any reason for his symptoms. “Difficult to make an on-the-spot diagnosis,” remarks the stranger, “like that baby girl.”

I have no idea what he’s going on about, but that’s all right, because we quickly shift back to Agent 005 as he attempts to hack into Lethercorp’s computers. He has a tough job – they’re Macs, after all – but he manages to access the data he needs. At this moment, however, a Village People tribute act rush in and bundle him out of the room.

Dr Bond is captured by Lethercorp henchmen

The goons are acting on the instruction of Ivana Legova, who looks like Sarah Palin with a comedy Russian accent and Counsellor Troi’s hairdo from season 1 of Star Trek: TNG.

Back in the real world, the mysterious stranger unveils his real identity. He is Greg Steel, a reporter for the local newspaper. He wants to know the truth about “events”, and wants Dr Glasses to give his side of the story. Nothing to worry about, he’s a responsible journalist and everyone knows who’s really guilty: not the doctor, not social services, but the baby’s mother who killed him.

Now, let’s just stop and consider for a minute. This ridiculous Bond-fantasy episode is taking place against the backdrop of a quite serious-sounding baby-murder storyline; one that has obvious parallels with recent real-life events. You would expect it to be handled super-sensitively, and yet it is being juxtaposed with entendre-laced dream scenes.

It’s certainly a bold move from the show’s writers – like if the producers of The Human Centipede had lightened the mood by adding in a subplot about Dr Heiter hosting an important dinner to impress his boss and get a promotion – but I’m not sure if it’s entirely appropriate to blend the two strands together in this way. Having said that, pretty much everything in this episode has been completely inappropriate anyway, so let’s ignore it and move on.

Dr Bond is introduced to the arch-villain — it’s Mayor McGuffin! Except he now has a hook for a hand and an even more ludicrous moustache. And a toy guinea pig. Apparently most of the parts are played by the regular cast — I would have loved to see the reaction when they got the script for this episode.

Mayor McGuffin and Ivana Legova

In an unexpected plot twist, Dr Bond ends up strapped to a table with a laser pointed at his nether regions. Even more surprisingly, McGuffin and Legova decide to waste time telling Bond about their entire nefarious scheme before killing him. According to Legova, “When Mr Gay Letherbridge goes bottoms-up, it will cause international outcry.”

McGuffin (whose accent is wandering all over Europe at this point) says that the ensuing war will cause a massive demand for medicines, earning him millions.

My belief is sufficiently suspended by this point that I can go along with the idea that a gay beauty pageant in a small town in the Midlands could possibly cause World War 3 to break out. However, that’s not all – Mayor McGuffin has a plan B!

McGuffin: “I’ll give you a clue. It is a four letter word, beginning and ending with B.”
Legova: “Boob?”

Legova and McGuffin turn the laser scalpel on Dr Bond

McGuffin leaves Bond to his fate. We, the viewers, are left in suspense, as we go back to that stupid baby-murder storyline. Steel is trying to get information out of Dr Glasses. He’s not having much success, as the good doctor’s brain appears to be completely addled by homosexual spy tales at this point.

Dr Glasses tries to explain how he failed to pick up that the baby was being mistreated. Steel says he is not trying to apportion blame, but hold “the system” to account.

Steel and Dr Glasses discuss the case

This is really boring, so it’s just as well we go back to the spy plot at this point. As the laser gets dangerously close to his junk, Bond tells Legova that “it ain’t over till the fat lady sings” – cue much oh-I-don’t-understand-your-English-idioms hilarity.

Than… just as the laser is about to singe Bond’s trousers, Legova goes to the control panel and turns the laser OFF! At the same time, her comedy Russian accent is replaced by a comedy posh English accent. “Sorry old bean,” she says, “couldn’t resist winding you up.”

It turns out she is actually agent Alexandra Carmichael from – wait for it – MI69 (“On Her Majesty’s Secret Cervix”). She quickly lets down her hair and whips off her lab coat to reveal a (somewhat inappropriate for daytime) PVC number. Dr Bond can only shrug apologetically as the outfit does nothing for him.

Alexandra Carmichael and Dr Bond in a moment of sexual non-tension

Two of the Village People appear, but they quickly fight them off. Bond and Carmichael then make their escape… on skis. Because they were trapped somewhere that needed skis to escape from. And they conveniently had skis on them.

Carmichael and Dr Bond make their escape on skis

I’ll just remind you again that this is Doctors, a daytime soap opera about a busy GP surgery in the Midlands. And they are doing a baby-murder storyline. While at the same time ski-ing away from an international supervillain’s headquarters, against an unconvincing chromakeyed backdrop.

Back at Letherbridge, they confront McGuffin, but are ambushed by more Village People. It looks like all hope is lost, until…

Delix points a weapon at McGuffin

It’s Delix! Armed with what appears to be some sort of squirting weapon. But McGuffin has a trump card – he has taken Mr Venezuela hostage!

Bond and Carmichael are shocked as Mr Venezuela is held hostage by McGuffin's henchman

We cut back to the real world, where — who’da thunk it? — that nice journalist has actually stitched up Dr Glasses and written a complete hatchet job on him. Thankfully this is the shortest “real” bit in the whole show, lasting mere seconds before we are dumped back in the mad but strangely comforting world that has been created in Dr Glasses’s mind.

Meanwhile, Dr Bond’s dreams have come true, as he has been tied to the (still topless) Mr Venezuela. The rope looks like it is extremely loosely tied and easy to get out of, but Bond is completely helpless — his MI5 escape training apparently only involved situations where skis can be used.

Dr Bond, Mr Venezuela, Carmichael and Delix are trapped

McGuffin horrifies our heroes by showing them what they are tied to: a USB laptop keypad, an oversized digital clock and some toilet roll tubes with “DYNAMITE” written on them. Sorry, what I meant to say was: a very scary BOMB!

A convincing-looking bomb set to go off in under 2 minutes

Dr Bond asks McGuffin if he’s considered counselling. Delix agrees, saying that he has a leaflet in his bag. “That’s not all that’s in your bag,” comments Carmichael, proving that you can’t escape the sexual innuendo just because you’re straight.

Back in the real world, Dr Glasses’s colleagues are studying the newspaper report. One of them is reading it out loud, not realising that he is standing behind them until it’s too late. It’s a very dramatic, tense scene, so naturally it doesn’t last very long.

BABY DEATH: LETHERBRIDGE GP SLAMMED

Dr Bond takes advantage of his Spanish-language skills again and asks Mr Venezuela: “I have something in my pocket, can you reach in and feel for it?”

Mr Venezuela fumbles in Dr Bond’s trousers, then comes up with the best facial expression I have ever seen on TV. Dr Bond has to patiently explain that he actually meant the pen.

Mr Venezuela's face indicates he has found something in Dr Bond's pocket

A disappointed-looking Mr Venezuela retrieves the pen and Dr Bond is able to use the built-in laser to cut the ropes. There is, however the small matter of the bomb. Which wire should Dr Bond pull out to defuse it? He chooses using the tried and trusted “Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo” method, although he stops before he says “Mo” (presumably there have been enough ‘mos in this programme already).

In a bit of pure comedy gold, it fails to work, but C’s magic pen saves the day again – it has a “high-frequency, magnetic radio wave, bomb-defusion detonator”.

In the real world, Dr Glasses is wracked with guilt over his perceived failings. He slumps into his bed and lies there, wide awake, contemplating his future.

Dr Glasses sits on his bed, depressed

Dr Bond’s fantasy life is going much better, however. He is in bed next to Mr Venezuela, toasting his success with more champagne. J chimes in on the TV again, but Dr Bond informs her that he “is in the middle of a debriefing” and throws a blanket over the TV. Doesn’t he know that’s a fire hazard?

Dr Bond and Mr Venezuela share a drink in bed

And that’s it. I’m amazed that they would ever consider even doing an episode like this — dream sequences are one thing, but over an entire episode? Astonishing. Bouncer’s dream in Neighbours pales in comparison. I have to give them credit though — they took the idea and ran with it, throwing caution to the wind.

Also, I think with this episode, Doctors may have overtaken Doctor Who as the gayest show on British television. I’m amazed they got away with that level of smut on daytime BBC One.

In short, I loved it! Well done to all concerned! 🙂

Tags: , , , , ,

33 Responses
  1. Comment by Scott
    10th December 2010 at 12:11 am

    I’m still not sure this actually happened.

  2. Comment by David Pendry
    16th December 2010 at 10:21 pm

    Quite agree!
    It was incredibly funny, and I mean both
    funny ha-ha, AND funny peculiar!
    How they managed to sneak it past the lunchtime censors is beyond me (and my wife) – but it was fantastic!
    True entertainment has to include a certain amount of the ol’ “suspension of disbelief”, and this show had it by the bucket-load.
    And as for the lady doctor (I can’t remember her name – sorry – plus, I wasn’t really paying that much attention to the – ahem – plot) who was doing the Russian accent…. my goodness me – her legs go all the way to the top and she certainly needed the next size up in lab-coat! There was no way she would have been able to do up the poppers.

    My congratulations to all concerned.

  3. Comment by David Pendry
    16th December 2010 at 10:33 pm

    I know I said you need suspension of disbelief for good entertainment… but – the “pre-Christmas” scenes were cringe-making and just tad ‘appalling’, really.
    Filming the scenes in deep mid-summer, with the trees in full leaf, some people wearing tee-shirts and appearing not to notice the “cold” – whilst sitting next to other members of the cast (wrapped in coats) pretending it was “brrr, cold!”
    (This stuff must be page 1 at telly-programme-making school?!)

    Ooh, how we laughed 😀

  4. Comment by sue c
    4th January 2011 at 1:18 pm

    As an avid Doctors fan this episode was yes funny and peculiar but if you follow the programmes it has a tragic end. In my opinion it is one of the most under estimated soaps on tv. MORE POWER TO THE DOCTORS LONG MAY IT CONTINUE

  5. Comment by gill allen
    4th January 2011 at 4:23 pm

    Could somebody please tell me if Simon is dead. I’ve missed 2 weeks of Doctors and only tuned in again today and am completely confused. Thanks!

  6. Comment by John Baker
    5th January 2011 at 6:40 pm

    Could the person that answers gill allen’s query answer this one , “who’s funeral did virtually all the practice attend yesterday and who’s grave did cherry put a rose on??”

  7. Comment by J Mawson
    5th January 2011 at 10:21 pm

    I agree with Gill Allen and John Baker – the episode on 4 January did not seem to follow on from where we left off before Christmas. It’s not the first time I have had the impression of having missed an entire episode. Maybe this one was aired in error and out of sequence … it should have been kept on the shelf for a month!

  8. Comment by Arlene
    6th January 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Could somebody PLEASE explain to me what happened with Simon………. i thought he died,they had the funeral,THEN,he is back in the series again……..WHAT HAPPENED??????
    Arlene

  9. Comment by John Baker
    6th January 2011 at 1:17 pm

    Can no one from the programme itself answer the above obvious errors spotted by at least 3 of us. This is not the way to win any further awards or keep your viewers.

  10. Comment by crayonmonkey
    6th January 2011 at 2:32 pm

    I enjoyed your description more than actually watching the episode!

    Doctors is used as a training ground for writers, so quality does vary. There’s a one hour special airing soon which promises to be every bit as entertaining as ‘The Living Gaylights’… so we can all look forward to that!

    The episode featuring the funeral followed on from Simon (Dr Bond)’s overdose. The audience was supposed to believe that Simon had died (again), so the identity of the deceased was kept deliberately vague. The funeral was for a young teenage boy who had lost his battle with cancer, who probably has never been mentioned before. I do hope that’s eased the anxiety of some commentators here :3

  11. Comment by Tracey
    6th January 2011 at 9:50 pm

    I am a middle aged housewife 47 and a 1/2. In a previous life – pre childen I was a science consultant.

    Sadly, I watch Doctors while cooking lunch for my children.

    I am not a prude..neither am I a homophobe..but when I watched the Living Gaylights I was so angry that I posted a complaint to the BBC.

    I was even more Mrs angry when my request for a response from the BBC was fobbed off with a patronising ‘sorry but we don’t care what you think’

    I am glad that so many of you enjoyed it, but I find child death, penile amputation, mental breakdown, multiple rapes in one practice a little bit hard to swallow at lunchtime.

    Luckily for me, I no longer work at the Beeb.

    Tracey Surtees Stace

  12. Comment by Brian Potts
    10th January 2011 at 11:00 pm

    Just watched doctors episode signs and wonders Tues Jan 4 does anyone know what the piano music is called at the beginning of this episode

  13. Comment by A. Withers
    13th January 2011 at 12:36 am

    Bring back Selina Chilton and please cut out the tuneless pop music backgrounds – not everybody shares the producers musical taste. Bach or Mozart would be acceptable.

  14. Comment by Holman
    25th January 2011 at 1:05 pm

    so i am still confused,
    is Simon dead?
    Why is he backin the show ?

  15. Comment by Andrew
    1st February 2011 at 1:09 am

    I realise Jimmy is the character that makes us laugh most, but why is his hair like a clowns white wig? Dr Clay is not a clown and I hope will never become one.

  16. Comment by rachel
    1st February 2011 at 2:21 pm

    Just watched todays episode 01.02.2011, it was so hard to watch but brilliantly done. Im sat here in tears.

  17. Comment by Therese M G
    2nd February 2011 at 6:48 pm

    I would like to congratulate everyone concerned in writing yesterday’s episode 01.02.2011. I agree with the above review – very hard to watch but like Rachel sat with tears streaming down my face. Brilliantly acted by the characters Rob and Karen. Karen’s part was very good and very much like real life. Many women in their 50s who accidentally fall pregnant must go through the same emotions and have to decide the outcome of their circumstances. If anyone has not watched it I recommend they do. Well worth a vote for an award for best story line. Keep up the good work.

  18. Comment by Jenny
    4th February 2011 at 2:28 pm

    Thank you for the funniest and most moving getting drunk scene. Thank goodness the sad moments of this soap are balanced so well with brilliant well timed comedy. Other soaps would do well to bear this in mind.

  19. Comment by Carol
    7th February 2011 at 2:54 pm

    Does any one else feel that Mrs Tembe’s character is way too over the top? I know this is entertainment, but she seems to be a caracature figure. If I were practise manager, she would have been suspended by now for inappropriate behaviour, including homophobia, pushing her religious beliefs, and treating her fellow workers (including her boss, Julia) with contempt!!

  20. Comment by Heeln Grieve
    9th February 2011 at 12:37 am

    I didn’t manage to catch the episode with Simon’s dreams.

    Two things annoy me intensely at the moment – Karen and Rob’s situation ( come on, people, it has gone on for FAR too long, and I would have taken the wedding ring off long before, if I felt like that. I wouldn’t wait until it was suggested to me by the husband! Trite, and unbelievable).

    And Mrs Tembe…. I’ve read most of Alexander McCall’s novels about Precious Ramotswe in Botswana, and I cannot believe that this sanctimonious and judgmental character ( obviously copied therefrom) is to be believed! I want to strangle her, watching her on the screen! Even though she made Jimmy take Cherry to the festival, instead of to the Cotswolds, the rest of the time she is someone that we all love to hate,i.e. the over-religious, unforgiving, unaccepting, preaching and slightly scary “Christian”. I hope the storyline has something good in line for her, as I disliked her as soon as she managed to wangle her way into the job of receptionist by slagging off the temp.

    But can we lay off the Jesus bit a little, please?

  21. Comment by Ros
    11th February 2011 at 8:09 am

    I’ve just watched the episode when Karen had the abortion (I work during the day, so record it then catch up at the weekend – much to my colleagues’ entertainment!). I thought it was very sensitively done and I watched it with tears rolling down my cheeks.

  22. Comment by Mavis
    11th February 2011 at 2:11 pm

    The latest few episodes have lost the plot. Its always been such a great series with excellent storylines, but the recent ones have been stupid. I can see that we will stop watching soon. This is a great shame because storylines have always been good, realistic and well acted. As for Mrs Tembe..?

  23. Comment by Ron
    15th February 2011 at 3:05 pm

    What an annoying caracter Mrs. Tembe is!

  24. Comment by Barry Smith
    16th February 2011 at 3:04 pm

    I think that the last episode of Doctors was very good, but think that it is time to get rid of Karen, her hypochondria is now over the top and she interfears to much in her childrens lives.

  25. Comment by Jude
    16th February 2011 at 3:14 pm

    Usually, lesbians are portrayed as crazed murderers, or it’s just a silly phase they are going through… Silly stereotyping. Now they have Mrs Tembe I despair of there ever being a “normal” foreign person who isn’t completely overbearing and ridiculous.

    This looks like a hoot, though, sorry I missed it.

  26. Comment by Michael Deighton
    16th February 2011 at 5:27 pm

    I must admit, I have become ‘Hooked on’ Watching Doctors but have to comment that some of the Stories are a little bizarre at times. Also, I find it very strange to watch recent Episodes which are meant to represent the present Month i.e. February, yet the Outside scenes have quite clearly been filmed last Summer and bathed in lovely Sunshine with Trees still in full Leaf. Can’t wait till we get to the Summer and the outside scenes will show Snow on the Ground and Bare Trees, explain that one BBC Doctors Programme Makers – Hee-hee 🙂

  27. Comment by Michael Deighton
    16th February 2011 at 5:29 pm

    ….can I also echo Ron’s comments about the New Receptionist Mrs.Tembe – Very annoying Character and we’d be better without her – Bring back Karen and her slightly less irritating but amusing Brummy accent please :))

  28. Comment by Michael Deighton
    17th February 2011 at 7:35 am

    Just watched the latest Episode 16th February. I thoight I was watching some sorty of Sci-Fi Movie – Quite outstanding but a little over the Top maybe. Very entertaining and do hope Nurse Cherry survives ?

  29. Comment by Diane
    17th February 2011 at 11:51 pm

    Why Doctors is only on day time TV I do not know…. it’s brilliant. You never know what you’re going to get, sometimes really well written and acted stories such as the abortion, and then you’ll get a bizarre story involving ghosts or the latest one with the deathly virus. The humourous ones are acted with such gusto and so tongue in cheek you have to take your hat off to the cast…. but they do look like they have a great time. I think some of you are taking it far too seriously !

  30. Comment by Diane
    17th February 2011 at 11:54 pm

    PS I forgot to mention the DR Bond episode, hilarious, I too couldnt believe they got away with it, but I’m so glad they did.

  31. Comment by Elena
    28th February 2011 at 5:48 pm

    I am a big fan of Doctors.
    Do you know where I can watch the previous series? Or if a DVD set exist?

    Please let me know.

    BTW. I liked the episode with Simon in charge of everything…

    Thanks

  32. Comment by Anna
    8th March 2011 at 2:10 pm

    PLEASE CAN THEY GET RID OF MRS TEMBE, SHE’S AWFUL.
    OTHERWISE IT IS MY FAVOURITE SOAP1

  33. Comment by Sharon
    9th March 2011 at 11:48 am

    Please tell me why does this not have a prime slot and have they ever won any awards.
    I love it!! And yes Mrs T is awful!!