The Covid-19 series Breathtaking has left viewers ‘heartbroken,’ after they called it ‘one the most distressing’ dramas they’ve ever seen.
The final episode of this three-part drama aired Wednesday evening. It depicted how a hospital was overwhelmed with patients during the first Covid Wave in 2020.
The ‘heartbreaking scenes’, inspired by the book by Rachel Clarke, palliative doctor, were praised by people watching them. They praised the NHS staff for their heroic efforts during the pandemic.
Some viewers were almost unable watch the scenes as they brought back memories of losing loved ones to Covid while in hospital.
Doctors, nurses, and patients who were traumatised by the primetime program shared their memories of overcrowded wards as well as the death of loved ones due to the deadly virus.
ITV’s latest drama Breathtaking explores life in the hospital during the pandemic.
Joanna Froggatt’s Dr. Abbey Henderson in a scene of the three-part drama depicting how a hospital was overwhelmed with patients during the first wave pandemic outbreak in March 2020.
The ITV drama Covid-19 was labelled ‘one the most distressing series’ by viewers of X. They were left ‘heartbroken.’
One X viewer, formerly Twitter explained that the show brought back memories about spending time in the hospital and losing a loved one during pandemic.
She said: “I’m not sure if I’m feeling so ill right now, or if I’m so upset because I was in the hospital so long at the time, or if I’m so sad because so many of my family members died from #Covid and suicide as a result but #Breathtaking broke me completely tonight.” It’s just too early!
One viewer said: ‘Anyone who watches #BREATHTAKING without crying is not a human. It’s the most disturbing drama I’ve ever seen.
Third expressed his sympathy to the NHS doctors who are on the frontline. ‘These poor children man, heartbreaking#BREATHTAKING.
Someone wrote that the final episode of the series was the most difficult to watch. She said that the first two episodes were difficult to watch, and impossible to endure. But episode three was devastating.
“Incredible performances & writing. Thank you to all of your NHS colleagues who are brave and courageous. #Breathtaking.
One viewer said that the scenes in the final episode were so harrowing, she almost couldn’t watch it. The writer wrote: ‘I’m heartbroken after watching #BREATHTAKING. I’m not sure I can watch it any longer, but I think it’s important.
Breathtaking: Viewers react to distressing scenes on X
The first episode, Containment covers the critical three weeks leading up to March 2020’s original lockdown
Dr. Abbey observes a man with a heart problem, aged 80, lying on a gurney inside a cupboard.
The series makes use of news footage, audio archives from Covid press conference to track the progression of the disease. It starts with the earliest cases and ends when the entire city is under lockdown.
The key scenes broadcast on last night’s news highlighted the shortage of respirator face masks. These are mainly designed for men with large noses and wide jaws.
Staff who asked for alternatives were told that they could get them on Amazon, which cost about 300 pounds.
The show stars Joanne Froggatt (formerly of Coronation Street and Downton Abbey), who plays Dr Abbey Henderson, a consultant who is frustrated that officials are letting people die instead of defying Public Health England protocols.
The shocking scenes seemed to resonate with many of the frontline medics who shared their memories and reactions from the heights of the health crisis.
Mercurio’s previous TV hits, including Cardiac Arrest, and Line Of Duty were posted before last night’s broadcast. ‘As an ex-junior hospital doctor, I could not be more proud of cowriting this three-part drama that pays tribute to the unsung sacrifices of NHS staff.
When the program aired this week, there was a wave from doctors who suggested that their own pandemic experiences were being reflected in the screen.
Kathryn de Prudhoe shared her tribute to Tony Clay, 60 from Leeds, who was a coronavirus patient and described as being ‘totally devoted to his grandchildren and family’.
She wrote: ‘I experienced that nightmare as a daughter of a father who died after contracting Covid during those early days.
Kirstie, a temporary outreach nurse, shared a picture of her with visible strains from PPE on her face as she debated whether or not to watch the program.
When the program aired this week, there was a wave from doctors on X who suggested that their own pandemic experiences were reflected onscreen.
She wrote: “Not tonight, perhaps not tomorrow, I’m not sure if I will…but watching a lot people watch #BREATHTAKING.”
This photo is a heartbreaker. I can see the pain and exhaustion on my face. I can still remember the pain in my face. I often think of the patients and scenarios I have experienced.
“The emotions in these eyes still haunts me as I embark upon another round of therapist. Since then, I have never been the same. Not quite.’
Saleyha Ahsan was one of those who tuned in. She posted photos from her pandemic experience in PPE, as well as her thoughts about her father’s suffering.
She wrote: All the #BREATHTAKING material is making me recall what I had buried – the memory of how it was, the fear, brutality, and the lying and parties of the gov. and civil service, as well as my patients and my father.
The gastroenterologist, Dr Ajay Verman, shared pictures of himself wearing and not wearing PPE. He added: “Throwback March and April when the first lockdown was due to Covid-19 surges.
“A very challenging and scary time. We completed our wills by April 2020. My #Breathtaking moments.’
The dental surgeon Dr Vinay Raniga said: “In February 2020 I contracted COVID-19 while working at A&E in Northwick Park.
ICU Frontline in March 2020 to Save Lives. I worked 12-hour shifts for four months in a Holiday Inn. It was traumatic, but it was an honor to serve.
One poster shared pictures of her mother in PPE who ‘worked on her intensive-care unit throughout Covid-19’. She added: ‘I didn’t really understand the depth of trauma until I watched #BREATHTAKING.
“My mum and the other NHS workers who she works with are heroes.”
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