The trials and tribulations faced by hospital staff in west London will return to our screens after the BBC announced it has recommissioned two new series of "Hospital".
The medical documentary programme that looks at the challenges faced by the NHS focused on St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, and other hospitals run by the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, including Charing Cross and Hammersmith.
The second series of the show will return to Imperial College hospitals, while the location of the third series is yet to be announced.
The first six-part series of "Hospital" was filmed during the end of 2016 and highlighted the debate around health tourism and the chronic shortage of beds across the UK, averaging 2.5 million viewers per episode.
Viewers of the first episode, screened on January 11, were left heartbroken after medics had to decide which patient to operate on because of a chronic bed shortage.
The future series will look at other areas within the NHS , including maternity and mental health care provision.
They will also venture away from the hospitals to look at primary and social care and examine its relationship with the NHS.
Patrick Holland, channel editor at BBC Two, said: “The first series of Hospital was everything I want BBC Two to be.
“It is timely, brilliantly made and challenging TV.
“It was editorially brave to make a series with such a short turnaround but it felt so timely for the audience.
“It was creatively ambitious, attracting the very best team of committed filmmakers to produce it.
“And it wasn’t afraid to embrace complexity, engaging the audience with powerful personal dramas that illuminate the challenges faced by the NHS today.
“I am delighted to announce further episodes over the coming year.”
Michelle Dixon, from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “Hospital has given us the opportunity to show the amazing care and commitment of our staff as well as the growing challenges we face as we respond to the changing needs and demands of our patients.
“It’s so important to develop a shared understanding of what’s happening in the NHS and what’s at stake.
“While the first series has provided a great insight to a whole range of issues and services, there is still much more to see.”
Readers were full of praise for the show and the hospital staff, and so were TV critics, with the Mirror’s David Hyland saying: “The BBC will no doubt be accused of meddling in politics, but at the heart of it was a superb documentary that had you holding your breath one minute and crying your eyes out the next.”
The final episode of the first series of Hospital aired at 9pm last night (Wednesday February 15) on BBC2.
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