The Good Karma Hospital

Last updated

The Good Karma Hospital
The Good Karma Hospital titlecard.JPG
Genre Drama
Created by Dan Sefton
Starring
Composer Ben Foster
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes24
Production
Executive producersFrith Tiplady
Iona Vrolyk
Will Gould
ProducerStephen Smallwood
CinematographyMichael Snyman
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production company Tiger Aspect Productions
Original release
Network ITV
Release5 February 2017 (2017-02-05) –
27 February 2022 (2022-02-27)

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.

Contents

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

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

Episodes

SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAve. UK viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
1 65 February 2017 (2017-02-05)12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)7.39
2 618 March 2018 (2018-03-18)22 April 2018 (2018-04-22)6.28
3 612 October 2019 (2019-10-12) (AU)
15 March 2020 (2020-03-15) (UK)		16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) (AU)
19 April 2020 (2020-04-19) (UK)		5.87
4 623 January 2022 (2022-01-23)27 February 2022 (2022-02-27)TBA

Series 1 (2017)

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
11"Episode 1" Bill Eagles Dan Sefton 5 February 2017 (2017-02-05)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.
22"Episode 2"Bill EaglesDan Sefton12 February 2017 (2017-02-12)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
33"Episode 3" [10] Bill Eagles Nancy Harris 19 February 2017 (2017-02-19)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.
44"Episode 4" [11] Bill Eagles Vinay Patel 26 February 2017 (2017-02-26)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
55"Episode 5" [12] Jon WrightDan Sefton5 March 2017 (2017-03-05)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
66"Episode 6" [13] Jon WrightDan Sefton12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)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)

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
71"Episode 1"Alex WincklerDan Sefton18 March 2018 (2018-03-18)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.
82"Episode 2"Alex WincklerBen Edwards25 March 2018 (2018-03-25)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.
93"Episode 3"Alex WincklerNicola Wilson1 April 2018 (2018-04-01)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.
104"Episode 4"Lisa ClarkeGabbie Asher & Dan Sefton8 April 2018 (2018-04-08)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.
115"Episode 5" [14] Lisa ClarkeBen Edwards15 April 2018 (2018-04-15)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.
126"Episode 6" [15] Lisa ClarkeDan Sefton22 April 2018 (2018-04-22)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)

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
131"Episode 1"Philip JohnDan Sefton12 October 2019 (2019-10-12) (AU)
15 March 2020 (2020-03-15) (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.
142"Episode 2"Philip JohnKelly Jones19 October 2019 (2019-10-19) (AU)
22 March 2020 (2020-03-22) (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.
153"Episode 3"Philip JohnBen Edwards26 October 2019 (2019-10-26) (AU)
29 March 2020 (2020-03-29) (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.
164"Episode 4"John McKayDan Sefton2 November 2019 (2019-11-02)(AU)
5 April 2020 (2020-04-05) (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.
175"Episode 5"John McKayGlen Laker9 November 2019 (2019-11-09) (AU)
12 April 2020 (2020-04-12) (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.
186"Episode 6"John McKayNicola Wilson16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) (AU)
19 April 2020 (2020-04-19) (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)

No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
191"Episode 1"Philip JohnDan Sefton23 January 2022 (2022-01-23)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.
202"Episode 2"Philip JohnNyla Levy & Dan Sefton30 January 2022 (2022-01-30)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.
213"Episode 3"Nimer RashedJess Williams6 February 2022 (2022-02-06)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.
224"Episode 4"Nimer RashedDan Sefton13 February 2022 (2022-02-13)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?
235"Episode 5"Philip JohnSumerah Srivastav20 February 2022 (2022-02-20)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.
246"Episode 6"Philip JohnMatt Evans27 February 2022 (2022-02-27)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

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

TitleNumber of discsYearNumber of episodesUK Release dateAustralia Release Date
Series 122017620 March 20172 August 2017 [19]
Series 222018623 April 20186 June 2018 [20]
Series 322019620 April 202027 November 2019 [21]
Series 1-362017-20191820 April 202027 November 2019 [22]
Series 422022611 April 2022N/A
Series 1-482017-20222411 April 2022N/A

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Garraway</span> British broadcaster

Kathryn Mary Draper Garraway is an English broadcaster and journalist. In the 1990s, Garraway was a journalist for ITV News Central and later a co-presenter of ITV News Meridian. From 2000 to 2010, she co-presented GMTV. Currently, Garraway is the presenter of Mid Mornings with Kate Garraway on Smooth Radio and newsreader and co-anchor of the ITV Breakfast programme Good Morning Britain.

<i>Doc Martin</i> British television comedy drama series (2004–2022)

Doc Martin is a British medical comedy-drama television series starring Martin Clunes as Doctor Martin Ellingham. It was created by Dominic Minghella developing the character of Dr Martin Bamford from the Nigel Cole comedy film Saving Grace (2000). The programme is set in the fictional seaside village of Portwenn and filmed on location in the village of Port Isaac, Cornwall, United Kingdom, with most interior scenes shot in a converted local barn. Fern Cottage is used as the home and surgery of Doctor Ellingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicola Walker</span> British actress (born 1970)

Nicola Jane Walker is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama Spooks and DCI Cassie Stuart in Unforgotten (2015–2021). She has also worked in theatre, radio and film. She won the 2013 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the play The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and was twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actress for the BBC drama Last Tango in Halifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyllis Logan</span> Scottish actress (born 1956)

Phyllis Logan is a Scottish actress, known for playing Lady Jane Felsham in Lovejoy (1986–1993) and Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey (2010–2015). She won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer for the 1983 film Another Time, Another Place. Her other film appearances include Secrets & Lies (1996), Shooting Fish (1997), Downton Abbey (2019) and Misbehaviour (2020).

Raquel Cassidy is an English actress. She played the role of Phyllis Baxter in the television series Downton Abbey (2013–2015), winning a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. She has reprised the role for both the 2019 feature film of the same name and its 2022 sequel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Morven Christie</span> Scottish actress

Morven Christie is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Hughes in the BBC drama The A Word, Amanda Hopkins in the ITV drama Grantchester, and Detective Sergeant Lisa Armstrong in ITV crime series The Bay.

Paul Reginald Bazely is an English actor. He is known for portraying Troy in the ITV sitcom Benidorm. His other TV credits include Making Out, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, Doctors, Holby City, Vanity Fair, The IT Crowd and Cruella.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Kay</span> British television and radio presenter (born 1974)

Vernon Charles Kay is an English broadcaster and former model. He presented Channel 4's T4 (2000–2005) and has presented various television shows for ITV, including All Star Family Fortunes (2006–2015), Just the Two of Us (2006–2007), Beat the Star (2008–2009), The Whole 19 Yards (2010), Splash! (2013–2014), and 1000 Heartbeats (2015–2016).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Kyle</span> English radio and television presenter

Jeremy Neil Kyle is an English broadcaster and writer. He is known for hosting the tabloid talk show The Jeremy Kyle Show on ITV1 from 2005 to 2019. He also hosted a US version of his eponymous show, which ran for two seasons beginning in 2011. In 2022, Kyle became a presenter for TalkTV.

<i>DCI Banks</i> British television crime drama series

DCI Banks is a British television crime drama series produced by Left Bank Pictures for the ITV network. Originally broadcast over five series in 2010–2016, the series was based on Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels and stars Stephen Tompkinson as Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. In 2013, the series won in the drama category at the regional Royal Television Society Yorkshire Programme Awards.

<i>Endeavour</i> (TV series) British television detective series (2012–2023)

Endeavour is a British television detective drama series on ITV. It is a prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse series. Shaun Evans portrays the young Endeavour Morse beginning his career as a detective constable, and later as a detective sergeant, with the Oxford City Police CID. Endeavour is the third of the Inspector Morse series following the original Inspector Morse (1987–2000) and its spin-off, Lewis (2006–2015).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amrita Acharia</span> Norwegian actress

Amrita Acharia is a Norwegian actress of Nepalese–Ukrainian origins. She is best known for her roles as Irri in the HBO series Game of Thrones and as Dr. Ruby Walker in the ITV series The Good Karma Hospital.

Good Witch is an American-Canadian fantasy comedy-drama television series that is based on, and a continuation of, the television film series of the same name. Produced by Whizbang Films in association with ITV Studios and the Hallmark Channel, the series premiered on February 28, 2015, and ran for seven seasons, ending on July 25, 2021.

<i>Unforgotten</i> British crime drama series

Unforgotten is a British crime drama television series, which initially aired on ITV on 8 October 2015. It was created and written by Chris Lang and directed by Andy Wilson. The programme follows a team of London detectives led by DCI Cassie Stuart, DCI Jessie James and DI Sunny Khan as they solve cold cases of disappearance and murder.

<i>The Resident</i> (TV series) 2018 American medical drama television series

The Resident is an American medical drama television series that aired on Fox from January 21, 2018 to January 17, 2023. The series premiered on Fox as a mid-season replacement during the 2017–18 television season. The series focuses on the lives and duties of staff members at fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital, with generally a critical eye into real life bureaucratic practices of the healthcare industry.

<i>The Good Doctor</i> (American TV series) American medical drama television series

The Good Doctor is an American medical drama television series based on the 2013 South Korean series of the same name. Actor Daniel Dae Kim noticed the original series and bought the rights for his production company. He began adapting the series and, in 2015, eventually shopped it to CBS Television Studios. CBS decided against creating a pilot, but because Kim felt so strongly about the series, he bought back the rights from CBS. Eventually, Sony Pictures Television and Kim worked out a deal and brought on David Shore, creator of the Fox medical drama House, to develop the series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandip Gill</span> British actress and narrator

Mandip Kaur Gill is an English actress and narrator. Her first television role came in 2012 when she was cast as Phoebe McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. After departing the series in 2015, Gill went on to have guest roles in Cuckoo, Doctors, The Good Karma Hospital and Casualty. In October 2017, the BBC announced that Gill had been cast as companion Yasmin Khan in the 2018 series of Doctor Who. She appeared in every episode of Series 11, 12 and 13.

Dan Sefton is a British screenwriter, best known for the dramas Trust Me and The Good Karma Hospital. Prior to screenwriting, he worked as a doctor.

The Sister is a British psychological thriller directed by Niall MacCormick, and adapted by Neil Cross from his novel Burial. The four-part series stars Russell Tovey, Bertie Carvel, Amrita Acharia and Nina Toussaint-White and was first broadcast on ITV from 26 to 29 October 2020. It was released as a Hulu original in 2021. The original title was Because the Night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ritvik Sahore</span> Indian actor (born 2000)

Ritvik Sahore is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi films and web shows. He made his acting debut with Ferrari Ki Sawaari (2012), for which he received Screen Award for Best Child Artist nomination. Sahore is best known for his portrayal of Omkar Singh Phogat in Dangal (2016), Aakash in Laakhon Mein Ek (2017) and Rajat Bakshi in Flames (2018).

References

  1. ↑ "ITV Media - The Good Karma Hospital". ITV Media. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  2. ↑ 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.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ 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.
  5. ↑ "BBC Benelux | Home". Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. ↑ "The Good Karma Hospital season 4: Release date, cast and latest news". Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 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.
  9. 1 2 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.
  10. ↑ "Series 1 – Episode 3". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Series 1 – Episode 4". Radio Times . 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  12. ↑ Jane Rackham. "The Good Karma Hospital". Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  13. ↑ Jane Rackham. "The Good Karma Hospital". Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "Series 2 − Episode 5". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  15. ↑ "Series 2 − Episode 6". Radio Times . Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "The Good Karma Hospital: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ "The Good Karma Hospital: Season 1 - TV Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 1, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  20. ↑ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 2, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  21. ↑ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 3, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  22. ↑ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 1-3 | Boxset, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.