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The Good Karma Hospital is a medical drama series produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for ITV about a disillusioned doctor, Ruby Walker, who travels to South India hoping to make a fresh start. It stars Amanda Redman, Amrita Acharia, James Krishna Floyd, Nimmi Harasgama, and Neil Morrissey.[1] The series is shot in Unawatuna in southern Sri Lanka, Thiranagama Golden Beach Restaurant, and some other places in Galle District.
| The Good Karma Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama |
| Created by | Dan Sefton |
| Starring | |
| Composer | Ben Foster |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Frith Tiplady Iona Vrolyk Will Gould |
| Producer | Stephen Smallwood |
| Cinematography | Michael Snyman |
| Running time | 60 minutes (inc. adverts) |
| Production company | Tiger Aspect Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 5 February 2017 – 27 February 2022 |
The Good Karma Hospital was recommissioned for a second and a third series. Filming for the second series started in August 2017 and it was broadcast from 18 March 2018.[2][3][4] Series 3 first aired in October 2019 in Australia, with a UK premiere in March 2020.[5] A fourth series started airing in the UK on 23 January 2022. In November 2022 it was announced that the show has been cancelled after its fourth series.[6][7]
Plot edit
A medical drama about a junior doctor, Ruby Walker, who becomes disillusioned with her life and broken relationship, and decides to leave the UK. Seeing an advertisement for a hospital job in south India, she travels there hoping to make a fresh start and finds herself working at The Good Karma Hospital, an under-resourced and overworked cottage hospital run by an eccentric English expat, Dr. Lydia Fonseca.
Cast and characters edit
- Amanda Redman as Dr Lydia Fonseca
- Amrita Acharia as Dr Ruby Walker
- James Floyd as Dr Gabriel Varma
- Neil Morrissey as Greg McConnell
- Darshan Jariwala as Dr Ram Nair
- Nimmi Harasgama as Mari Rodriguez
- Sagar Radia as AJ Nair (Series 1–3)
- Phillip Jackson as Paul Smart (Series 1–2, 4)
- Phyllis Logan as Maggie Smart (Series 1, cameo Series 2)
- Priyanka Bose as Dr Aisha Ray (Series 3)
- Scarlett Alice Johnson as Tommy McConnell (Series 3)
- Kenneth Cranham as Ted Dalrymple (Series 3)
- Rebecca Ablack as Dr Nikita 'Niki' Sharma (Series 4)[8]
- Harki Bhambra as Dr Samir Hasan (Series 4)[8]
- Raquel Cassidy as Frankie Martin (Series 4)[8]
- Ritvik Sahore as Atul Nadar (Series 1)[9]
Episodes edit
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Ave. UK viewers (millions) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 5 February 2017 | 12 March 2017 | 7.39 | |
| 2 | 6 | 18 March 2018 | 22 April 2018 | 6.28 | |
| 3 | 6 | 12 October 2019 (AU) 15 March 2020 (UK) | 16 November 2019 (AU) 19 April 2020 (UK) | 5.87 | |
| 4 | 6 | 23 January 2022 | 27 February 2022 | TBA | |
Series 1 (2017) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Bill Eagles | Dan Sefton | 5 February 2017 | 8.13 | |
| Junior doctor Ruby Walker has become disillusioned with her life and decides to leave the UK. She heads to South India hoping to make a fresh start, and finds a new home working in an under-resourced and over-worked cottage hospital run by an eccentric English expat, Dr Lydia Fonseca. | |||||||
| 2 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Bill Eagles | Dan Sefton | 12 February 2017 | 8.02 | |
|
Ruby gets to grips with her challenging new routine working at the under-resourced and overworked hospital, but tension mounts when she begins to question Gabriel's professional conduct. The doctors have a troubling mystery on their hands when an unidentified man is discovered washed up on the beach, and also face a race against the clock to find anti-venom for local snake catcher whose luck may have run out, leaving him in urgent need of treatment Guest Stars Rajendranath Zutshi | |||||||
| 3 | 3 | "Episode 3"[10] | Bill Eagles | Nancy Harris | 19 February 2017 | 7.08 | |
| Ruby becomes personally involved in the case of an abandoned baby that is brought to the hospital during the Holi festival, and Lydia is reunited with an expat artist, whose unusual lifestyle may be about to catch up with him. | |||||||
| 4 | 4 | "Episode 4"[11] | Bill Eagles | Vinay Patel | 26 February 2017 | 7.30 | |
|
Ram clashes with Lydia as a medical case becomes personal on the day he is due to attend a lavish wedding. Ruby treats a patient from the UK whose story does not add up, and the experience leaves her wondering where she really belongs. Guest Stars Sharon Prabhakar | |||||||
| 5 | 5 | "Episode 5"[12] | Jon Wright | Dan Sefton | 5 March 2017 | 7.07 | |
|
Lydia and Ruby visit a convent to make a seemingly miraculous diagnosis, but the treatment of a young nun and the senior doctor's interfering attitude creates tension between them, which finally erupts in a fierce confrontation. Maggie and Paul join a group of pilgrims on a trek through the jungle, hoping to find the answer to their prayers. Guest Stars Madhur Jaffrey | |||||||
| 6 | 6 | "Episode 6"[13] | Jon Wright | Dan Sefton | 12 March 2017 | 6.71 | |
| The monsoon season is beginning, and as the first rains start to fall, the tension between Lydia and Ruby is reaching boiling point - driving the younger doctor to make a shocking decision. Maggie's health begins to decline dramatically, and Debbie is adamant that the family must return to the UK. However, Maggie remains determined to remain in India for the time she has left, and struggles to persuade her daughter to honour her last wishes. | |||||||
Series 2 (2018) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Alex Winckler | Dan Sefton | 18 March 2018 | 6.90 | |
| Ruby encounters new challenges as a blistering heatwave hits Kerala, while Lydia decides she is ready for her first solo night shift. But when a storm hits Barco, Ruby faces an agonising test that stretches her medical skills to the limits. | |||||||
| 8 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Alex Winckler | Ben Edwards | 25 March 2018 | 6.58 | |
| Lydia tries to regain the trust of a former patient who has turned to a herbal doctor for medical care. Gabriel reveals something about his past as he and Ruby treat a patient with a mysterious condition. | |||||||
| 9 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Alex Winckler | Nicola Wilson | 1 April 2018 | 6.05 | |
| Gabriel joins Ruby on an outreach programme to a tea plantation, but discovers that she has not been completely honest about her reasons for wanting to go there. Back at the clinic, Lydia tries to help a patient who she believes is a victim of domestic abuse. | |||||||
| 10 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Lisa Clarke | Gabbie Asher & Dan Sefton | 8 April 2018 | 6.05 | |
| Ruby is still reeling from her discoveries at the tea plantation, and must decide whether she can forgive past mistakes. Meanwhile, Mari goes head to head with Lydia when a surrogate mother gives birth in the hospital. | |||||||
| 11 | 5 | "Episode 5"[14] | Lisa Clarke | Ben Edwards | 15 April 2018 | 6.05 | |
| The clinic is pushed to its limits when a building collapses in Barco and the doctors face a desperate struggle to save the injured survivors. Ruby's objectivity is put to the test when she discovers a secret concerning one of her patients, and Ram helps a woman whose husband is missing. | |||||||
| 12 | 6 | "Episode 6"[15] | Lisa Clarke | Dan Sefton | 22 April 2018 | 6.06 | |
| The staff of the hospital come together to celebrate Ram and Mala's wedding. Ruby and Gabriel intervene in a dispute that has erupted between two fishermen, while a heart to heart at the wedding ceremony brings the two doctors closer together. Meanwhile, Lydia is confronted with a difficult dilemma when she receives a visit from her former mentor, who has come to the hospital seeking her help. | |||||||
Series 3 (2019) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Philip John | Dan Sefton | 12 October 2019 (AU) 15 March 2020 (UK) | 6.07 | |
| After months away with her family, Ruby returns to the hospital for her pregnant sister to give birth. A life-and-death medical crisis unfolds, forcing Ruby to see where her loyalty lies. Greg has a surprise family visitor. | |||||||
| 14 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Philip John | Kelly Jones | 19 October 2019 (AU) 22 March 2020 (UK) | 5.60 | |
| A medical train rolls into in town providing miracle operations, and carrying a surprise for Gabriel—a glamorous older surgeon from his past. One of the team is viciously attacked, leaving Lydia reeling. | |||||||
| 15 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Philip John | Ben Edwards | 26 October 2019 (AU) 29 March 2020 (UK) | 5.85 | |
| Gabriel and Aisha get closer when they work on an operation together, threatening Ruby and Gabriel's blossoming relationship. Ruby and Ram fall out over a patient's care, and Edmund's search for his lost love hits a dead end. | |||||||
| 16 | 4 | "Episode 4" | John McKay | Dan Sefton | 2 November 2019(AU) 5 April 2020 (UK) | 5.95 | |
| AJ returns home from medical school to assist at the hospital on his break, while Greg discovers his daughter, Tommy, is hiding a shocking secret. Lydia sends Ruby to investigate a possible case of dengue fever at a nearby mission. | |||||||
| 17 | 5 | "Episode 5" | John McKay | Glen Laker | 9 November 2019 (AU) 12 April 2020 (UK) | 5.88 | |
| It's Diwali, and revelers cause chaos throughout the town. Lydia tries to help a deaf runaway teenager, while Gabriel and Aisha are thrown together in a festival clinic. | |||||||
| 18 | 6 | "Episode 6" | John McKay | Nicola Wilson | 16 November 2019 (AU) 19 April 2020 (UK) | 5.87 | |
| As Lydia and Mari disagree about how to support Jyoti, AJ helps a patient with mysterious abdominal pain. Still reeling from what happened with Gabriel, Ruby struggles to return to her normal duties at the hospital. | |||||||
Series 4 (2022) edit
| No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | 1 | "Episode 1" | Philip John | Dan Sefton | 23 January 2022 | 5.74 | |
| Lydia is forced to admit a patient who has the highly contagious Nipah virus when Ruby and new British-Asian doctor Samir Hasan break protocol in the fight to save the girl's life. | |||||||
| 20 | 2 | "Episode 2" | Philip John | Nyla Levy & Dan Sefton | 30 January 2022 | 5.12 | |
| Ruby faces difficult questions when her actions have devastating consequences, while Greg keeps a troubling secret from Lydia and the hospital welcomes a new doctor. | |||||||
| 21 | 3 | "Episode 3" | Nimer Rashed | Jess Williams | 6 February 2022 | 5.02 | |
| The happy news that Karishma is awake is offset by her loneliness. Samir realises she needs more than medicine to fix her and arranges a little magic. Meanwhile Lydia discovers there's only one answer to Greg's visa problem. | |||||||
| 22 | 4 | "Episode 4" | Nimer Rashed | Dan Sefton | 13 February 2022 | 5.03 | |
| A tragic case leads Samir and Mari to grow closer still. Lydia and Niki are reminded of how testing life can be as Good Karma Hospital doctors and a familiar face returns to Good Karma but will he find the forgiveness he's looking for? | |||||||
| 23 | 5 | "Episode 5" | Philip John | Sumerah Srivastav | 20 February 2022 | 4.98 | |
| Ruby is shocked with the unexpected arrival of someone from her past who insists on helping care for her father. Can she really be expected to trust again? A misstep teaches Niki the dangers of overconfidence and Lydia is forced to confront her past in the form of her first husband, the charismatic Dr Jules Fonseca. | |||||||
| 24 | 6 | "Episode 6" | Philip John | Matt Evans | 27 February 2022 | 5.30 | |
| Lydia and Greg's wedding plans are upset by three emergency admissions. Greg wonders if disappearing to help her patients is a ploy and in truth, Lydia has cold feet. Will they tie the knot? | |||||||
Reception edit
On Rotten Tomatoes season 1 received an 80% rating based on reviews from 5 critics.[16]
Gayle Pennington of the St. Louis Post Dispatch described the first season as “a magical combination of familiar and exotically foreign…. a drama you’ll remember long after you finish watching it.“[17]
Writing for the Indian digital news publication Scroll, Vikram Johri says: ”The series…has its heart in the right place even if it cannot entirely avoid tone-deaf generalisations… Ignore these irritants and the show can be engaging, especially when it is not trying to train the viewer in Indian mores… It is Walker who is the show’s beating heart. Unaware of Indian customs and rituals,..she takes to her new home and assignment with gusto, quickly imbibing that all-important Indian lesson of making do with what’s available. As a paediatrician, she finds herself performing minor surgical procedures. However, it is her deep reserves of empathy – and the gentle eyes of the actress who plays her – that make her the ideal doctor. “[9]
Deborah Ross for Event Magazine says that the series, “…does not have an original bone in its body…. It’s intended as Sunday night ‘unchallenging’ fare but if you can sit through it without feeling so challenged you want to throw a shoe at the TV, you are made of stronger stuff than I. “[18][better source needed]
DVD releases edit
| Title | Number of discs | Year | Number of episodes | UK Release date | Australia Release Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series 1 | 2 | 2017 | 6 | 20 March 2017 | 2 August 2017[19] | |
| Series 2 | 2 | 2018 | 6 | 23 April 2018 | 6 June 2018[20] | |
| Series 3 | 2 | 2019 | 6 | 20 April 2020 | 27 November 2019[21] | |
| Series 1-3 | 6 | 2017-2019 | 18 | 20 April 2020 | 27 November 2019[22] | |
| Series 4 | 2 | 2022 | 6 | 11 April 2022 | N/A | |
| Series 1-4 | 8 | 2017-2022 | 24 | 11 April 2022 | N/A | |
References edit
- ^ "ITV Media - The Good Karma Hospital". ITV Media. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
- ^ Louise McCreesh (13 March 2017). "ITV's The Good Karma Hospital is coming back for a second series". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "ITV orders a second series of The Good Karma Hospital" (Press release). ITV. 12 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Ben Dowell (12 March 2017). "The Good Karma Hospital is coming back for a second series on ITV". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "BBC Benelux | Home". Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ "The Good Karma Hospital axed by ITV after four series | Virgin Radio UK". Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "The Good Karma Hospital season 4: Release date, cast and latest news". Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ a b c Morris, Lauren (21 January 2022). "Meet the cast of The Good Karma Hospital". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
- ^ a b Johri, Vikram. "A doctor tries to navigate India and cliches in TV show 'The Good Karma Hospital'". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Series 1 – Episode 3". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "Series 1 – Episode 4". Radio Times. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Jane Rackham. "The Good Karma Hospital". Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Jane Rackham. "The Good Karma Hospital". Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ "Series 2 − Episode 5". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ "Series 2 − Episode 6". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ "The Good Karma Hospital: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
- ^ Pennington, Gail. "TV review: 'Good Karma Hospital' is charmer from India, by way of the UK". STLtoday.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "The Good Karma Hospital: Season 1 - TV Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
- ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 1, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 2, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 3, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 1-3 | Boxset, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
