‘Doctors’ is to air a special lockdown episode entirely self-shot by the cast.
The BBC daytime soap will feature the special 45-minute ep, entitled ‘Can You Hear Me?’, on Friday June 12th, after the show’s stars captured the episode on their mobile phones.
In the ep, the characters will be seen dealing with lockdown in Letherbridge, and it will focus on how the doctors at The Mill are coping, because the surgery is still open to patients during the coronavirus pandemic, so the fictional medics have been hard at work, just like their real-life counterparts.
Peter Lloyd, BBC Studios Series Producer, came up with the concept during the first week of lockdown and the episode took three weeks to complete from the storyline to final edit, with production working remotely to ensure the cast could shoot a full episode in just five days.
He said: "I wanted to capture the strange times we are experiencing and present it to our audience. "The very specific demands of producing an episode of this nature was a challenge for everyone involved, especially the cast as they were acting straight to camera, with only my voice performing all the other characters so that certainly required a lot of imaginative work on their part. It was a real team effort!"
Mike Hobson, BBC Studios Executive Producer, added: "We’re never afraid to push the format on ‘Doctors’ as our loyal viewers know, but this episode has been a challenge of a very different kind. To turn it around at this speed has meant coming up with new ways of working and totally rethinking how to make the programme.
"I’m incredibly proud of the work everyone has put into this episode, especially our brilliant cast who have had to learn new skills, while still giving outstanding performances."
Doctors’ ‘Can You Hear Me?’ epsiode will air on June 12th at 1:45pm on BBC One.