Doctors is a British medical soap opera, first broadcast on BBC One on 26 March 2000, and concluded on 14 November 2024. Filmed in Birmingham and set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff of both an NHS doctor's surgery and a university campus surgery, as well as the lives of their families and friends. Initially, only 41 episodes of the programme were ordered, but due to the positive reception, the BBC ordered it as a continuing soap opera. Doctors was filmed at the Pebble Mill Studios until 2004; production then relocated to the BBC Drama Village, where it filmed until 2024. Episodes are filmed three months prior to transmission. The soap is typically broadcast on weekdays at 1:45 pm on BBC One, as well as having classic episodes broadcast on Drama. It took three annual transmission breaks across the year: at Easter, during the summer and at Christmas.
Stephanie Louise Waring is an English actress, known for her roles in the Australian soap opera Crash Palace (2001–2002), the BBC1 drama series Nice Guy Eddie (2001–2002), and Channel 4's Hollyoaks (1996–2024), where she appeared for almost three decades as Cindy Cunningham. Her other television work includes guest appearances on Merseybeat, Holby City, Doctors, and Coronation Street, as well as competing in the tenth series of Dancing on Ice in 2018.
Julia Parsons is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Diane Keen. She was introduced as the ex-wife of Mac McGuire who begins working as a receptionist at the Riverside Health Centre alongside him. She met with Doctors producers in September 2002 where she was offered the role of Julia for a three-month stint. She made her onscreen debut on 13 January 2003 and her storylines throughout her tenure see Julia get remarried to Mac, become the practice manager of the surgery and expanding their endeavours, getting accused of blowing up their surgery, a second divorce from Mac and meeting a new love interest in Martin Millar.
Dr. Heston Carter is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Owen Brenman. He made his first appearance in 2008, and he continued to appear until 2018, when Brenman left Doctors, with Heston being killed in a car accident.
Dr. Lily Hassan is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Seeta Indrani, who made her first appearance on 28 October 2008. Her backstory involves going from a rebel in her youth to reinventing herself and achieving a medical career. During her time on Doctors, Lily is depicted as a talented and devoted doctor who "does everything by the book". She struggles with social interaction and does not find it easy to trust people. Lily made her final appearance on 31 March 2010 when she leaves the fictional Mill Health Centre to go on sabbatical leave to take care of the drug-addicted Sapphire Cox. Producers of the soap felt Lily was a successful character since she provided a contrast between herself and other colleagues.
Imogen Hollins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Charlie Clemmow. Before her first appearance, Imogen is mentioned by her on-screen mother Karen ; Clemmow watched the episode and wrote a letter to the BBC asking if they would be casting actresses for the role of Imogen. She made continued contact with the BBC and was eventually invited to audition for Imogen, and despite having no agent, she was cast in the role and made her first appearance on 4 August 2009. She is introduced as the daughter of Karen and Rob Hollins and the sister of Jack Hollins.
Jack Hollins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Nicolas Woodman. Jack first appeared on 4 August 2009 and left Doctors on 21 September 2012. He returned for brief stints in 2013 and 2014. His storylines in the series have included his secret relationship with Zara Carmichael and completing a degree at university. Following the completion of his degree, it was confirmed by producer Peter Eryl Lloyd that the character would face numerous life decisions that ultimately resulted in his exit.
Charlie Clemmow is an English actress. In 2009, Clemmow began portraying the role of Imogen Hollins in the BBC soap opera Doctors; she initially left the soap in 2012, later making a guest appearance in 2014. Clemmow had appeared in Doctors on a recurring basis since 2019. For her role as Imogen, she has received nominations at the RTS Midlands Awards, the British Soap Awards and the Inside Soap Awards. Away from Doctors, Clemmow has appeared in two films and voiced a character in a period drama podcast.
Dr. Elaine Cassidy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Janet Dibley. She made her first appearance during the series 12 episode "Frozen", broadcast on 31 August 2010. She departed Doctors on 28 September 2012.
Winifred Tembe is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Lorna Laidlaw. She is introduced on 5 January 2011 as a new receptionist at the fictional Mill Health Centre as a replacement for Ruth Pearce. Despite initially being introduced as Mrs Tembe, she later reveals her forename to be Winifred. In April 2016, Mrs Tembe's role within Doctors changed as she becomes the practice manager. On 8 January 2019, it was announced that Laidlaw was to leave Doctors after 8 years. Mrs Tembe's exit storyline saw her move away with Gordon Clement to Newcastle after accepting a new job working as a manager for a children's charity. Laidlaw's final scenes aired on 13 February 2019.
Howard Bellamy is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Ian Kelsey. Howard first appeared on 28 May 2012, where he is introduced as the practice manager of the fictional Mill Health Centre. Kelsey was cast in the soap following the departure of Julia Parsons, the practice manager prior to Howard. He is an ex-army captain, and producers deliberately made his personality different to Julia's. Howard was based on a real person since producers had heard of a situation where somebody quit the army to become the practice manager of a doctor's surgery. Kelsey spoke to a real-life practice manager to aid his accuracy in the role.
Tess Bateman is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Suzanne Packer. She first appears in the series eighteen episode "End of the Line ", originally broadcast on 13 September 2003. The character is introduced as an emergency nurse practitioner in the emergency department (ED) of Holby City Hospital, but was later promoted to clinical nurse manager. For the role, Packer relocated from New York City to her hometown of Cardiff, and commenced filming in April 2003. Tess is characterised as a "traditionalist" with a good work ethic. She is highly experienced in her field and will protect her staff at all times. Packer drew on her experience as a teacher and her mother's experience as a nurse to develop the character.
The Slater family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that have appeared since Episode 1,997, first broadcast in September 2000. The family are introduced as a central family unit, originally consisting of father Charlie Slater, grandmother Mo Harris, Charlie's daughters, Kat Slater, Lynne Slater, Little Mo Morgan and Kat's teenage daughter Zoe Slater, and Lynne's partner Garry Hobbs. A fifth sister, Belinda Peacock, was introduced one year later. The family were the eighth to be introduced in the soap's history, replacing the di Marco family who departed during the previous month. The Slaters were created by Tony Jordan and introduced by John Yorke. The Slater sisters were cast in an improvisation session. In their first years on the show, the family were involved in storylines about child sexual abuse and domestic violence.
