BBC Radio 4 Extra

Polyoaks

Comedy: Satire

Comedy: Sitcoms

NHS satire by Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer

Polyoaks: Series 1

Polyoaks: Series 1: Episode 4

Episode 4

Series 1

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Polyoaks, Series 1, Episode 4

Much to Betty's horror, Hugh discovers a huge hole in the consortium budget.

Much to Betty's horror, Hugh discovers a huge hole in the consortium budget. NHS satire stars Nigel Planer and Celia Imrie. From June 2011.

Written By Phil Hammond and David Spicer.

Nigel Planer, Celia Imrie, David Westhead, Phil Cornwell and Tony Gardner star in a timely satire on the NHS set in the bewildering new world of Coalition healthcare. 

This new sitcom is written by Private Eye's medical columnist, broadcaster, comedian and practising GP Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer ('Double Income No Kids' and 'Three off the Tee'.) As responsibility for the Health Service is stripped from managers and handed to doctors, brothers-in-medicine Roy and Hugh Thornton are struggling to work out what to do with all this sudden money and power. If they can diagnose acute appendicitis surely they can manage an £80 billion health budget. Can't they? But a useless celebrity TV doctor, an overly-aggressive South African nurse and a sinister GP Consortium Chairman don't make their lot any easier. 

This week, to Practice Manager Betty's horror, Hugh discovers an enormous fiscal hole in the Consortium budget. Polyoaks has no money, even though they're swamped with patients, most of whom are 'frequent flyers.' The worried well may well have not very much wrong with them, but they can prove very expensive to treat. The practice has to come up with a way of getting rid of them. Hugh is advocating swingeing cuts in the treatments on offer and Roy's beloved therapies are under threat. Could the brilliant bedside manner of the incompetent Dr Jeremy provide them with a surprising solution?

Cast:
Dr Roy Thornton ..... Nigel Planer 
Dr Hugh Thornton ..... Tony Gardner 
TV's Dr Jeremy ..... David Westhead 
Betty Crossfield ..... Celia Imrie 
Vera Du Plessis .... Carla Mendonca 
Mr Devlin ..... Phil Cornwell 

All Patients played by David Holt and Kate O'Sullivan

Producer/Director: Frank Stirling 
An Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

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Satire on the NHS, set in the bewildering new world of coalition healthcare

Satire on the NHS by Dr Phil Hammond and David Spicer, set in the bewildering new world of coalition healthcare

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