User Reviews

I'm binge watching this on ITVX -- the free streaming service associated with UK terrestrial broadcaster ITV. I just got to the end of the first episode and wanted to write an early review because the first episode was just so wonderful.

Joanne Froggatt provides a wonderfully restrained central performance. Despite not having the appropriate PPE -- because the central authorities have deemed it not essential -- she soldiers on.

The use of Boris Johnson -- the Prime Minister at the time -- is also restrained. It would have been easy to have included all his ignorant and ill-judged comments, but a few well-chosen clips are sufficient to damn him.

The only very minor niggle I have with this is that the font used for the onscreen text is very hard to read -- it's quite small and all uppercase.

Doctor Abbey Henderson and her team prepare for the incoming COVID 19 pandemic, only they're short on PPE, oxygen, beds and more. One thing was certain, The country wasn't prepared.

Having been penned by Jed Mercurio, I was expecting something very harrowing and hard hitting, I didn't think that was the case in the first episode, I didn't think it went far enough, I thought the second part however, did get that message through.

At times very sad and very moving, I did question this drama coming out so soon after The Pandemic.

I was hospitalised in the first wave, and I can assure some of the users that I'm no actor, and I got to see first hand exactly how horrendous it was. What I would say, is that whatever your thoughts on the virus, the vaccines, the origins etc, one thing that's clear, NHS staff went through hell.

Well acted, Joanne Froggatt as always is a very safe pair of hands, she did a good job.

I thought Davina's story stood out particularly well, that was very moving.

Seeing the news clips or Johnson and Hancock, made my blood boil.

What I would say, I hope to balance this out, that a drama is commissioned showing the other side of the coin, the effects on those that lived in isolation, those that lost out on education, those that suffered financially, a balanced view needs to be shown.

7/10.

Anyone who still thinks this was a lie might need proper help at this stage, the NHS was brought to its knees by a lying incompetent government led by a narcissistic womanizer whos entire cabinet were complacent in leading the U. K. through the worst avoidable catastrophe in its history.

Eat out to help, Christmas meet ups, late lockdowns, not enough ICU beds after advice ,elderly patients discharged into care homes, useless PPE, the list is endless and the jokers responsible still refuse to accept proper responsibility and just continue to blame each for the tragedy. I knew 4 people personally that died as a result of this, the youngest being 24 with no previous illness.....without the bravery of the NHS work force this catastrophe would have been even worse. The actors are marvelous along with the script.

This drama is excellent. The writing is superb and it is evident that the script was penned by Medics at the front line during Covid. It is all too easy to forget the horrors that front line NHS saw and the sacrifices that they made to care for Covid patients. I am inspired to read the book that this drama series is based on. There are only 3 episodes in the series but each one is a powerful reminder of the pandemic and how it impacted on families and the health professionals who cared for them. The side of HMG and NHS England is told through news reel clips and that makes the drama all the more powerful.

I sat down to watch all 3 episodes one after the other. That quickly became an impossibility, with me making an excuse to make a hot beverage between episodes. Just to take a moment to reflect and process it all.

I knew this was based on the book by Dr Rachel Clarke but I hadn't taken the time to read it (at this point but plan to). I also know the realities of how Drama can over-embellish elements. This didn't feel like drama though, it felt far too raw and real for that. It came across as nothing less than a perspective of a reality, most of us hadn't witnessed or been a part of.

Some may squirm at the politics involved. From hospital management to public health England. Of course, the Government would also get its moment in the limelight. Squirm you may, but that's the reality of this. Decisions had to come from somewhere, and ignoring that, and removing that responsibility is only ignorance. I don't think this portrayal had any plans to be ignorant of that reality. Even then, the politics which includes clips of press conferences and interviews was tasteful and presented as to not be the main focal point.

While anger was certainly a prevalent feeling while watching, it was most certainly not the only emotion that bubbled to the surface. A deep sense of respect for the unsung heroes within our healthcare system. Shame at repeated calls for additional resources ignored. Sorrow for those who lost their lives. Pride from seeing those stand up and speak out.

People will make their assessment of the events of COVID. That does not take away from this assessment. I like many am thankful to all our amazing healthcare staff. Grateful for their dedication and proud of everything they do to help others. This was a stark reminder of why.

Highly recommended.

That people are reviewing this in a negative way depresses me beyond belief. Unless they were working for the NHS on the frontline thier opinion is worthless.

This is possibly the hardest-hitting series I've ever watched. The performances from the entire cast are superb; Joanne Froggatt is phenomenal -I don't think ANYONE could have played this role better than her.

It brought me to tears time and time again. I was SO angry watching it. The lies by Johnson, the contempt by Hancock, the dismissal of the situation in favour of the economy by Sunak... these people should NEVER be forgotten, NEVER be forgiven. Hunt, who ran down the NHS on his watch, was another.

Comfort yourselves with your whacko conspiracies if it makes you feel better, but you couldn't have been there if you believe this is propaganda. I feel sorry for you and pray that you never need the people you are in such contempt of.

Everybody has their own Covid-related story so I will start by saying that I was one of the lucky ones in that not only did my wife and I avoid the infection but also none of our family or friends died from it, although a number of them did catch the infection at different times, one seriously.

This highly politicised three-part drama, awful title by the way, pulls no punches in showing the devastating impact of the virus on the nation's much-loved but completely unprepared National Health Service as we're dropped into one fictitious everyday hospital at different stages as the outbreak spreads. We see in time-honoured fly-on-the-wall style how the frontline staff try to save lives in ever-worsening circumstances as the hospital resources are quickly stretched beyond breaking point.

The dedication and diligence of the overworked front-line staff are contrasted not only with the seemingly uncaring intransigence of their order-taking administrative superiors but most particularly with the out-of-touch pronouncements from the people at the very top, namely Boris Johnston's government of the day and Johnston in particular, as inserts of his obfuscating and would-be placatory official pronouncements are inserted at various points as what often amounts to a complete contradiction of what is actually happening at the sharp end.

The events are witnessed primarily from the viewpoint of one female doctor Abbey Henderson, played by Joanne Froggatt, whose face has the perfect permanently pained expression for the part. A mother of two, she's obviously totally devoted to her job, putting it before family, especially as the crisis worsens. I get that the writers wanted to show every desperate and tragic eventuality which arose around the country but felt that making this particular hospital the perfect storm where seemingly every single human situation reported in the press actually arose here, from one of their own staff dying through contracting the virus, to taking abuse from the numbskull conspiracy theorists crying hoax to turning whistleblower to broadcast the truth at the frontline, just felt like overload on top of overload.

Some of the scenes actually felt over-written and over-dramatised, like when Abbey's nine going on 29 year-old son berates her for ignoring her maternal duties or the perfectly enunciated speech she gives, supposedly impromptu, when she's interviewed by the radio disc jockey. It might also be carping on my part but I also found the incessant use of medical jargon to be a barrier to both understanding and fully appreciating what was going on. And I'm no Johnston fan but it seemed unfair of the programme not to mention that the P. M. himself caught the virus and by all accounts nearly died from it himself.

Nevertheless, even if at times it came across as "Casualty" on steroids, this was an undeniably powerful drama and certainly got its message across, even if for me it felt unsatisfactory in some places.

A very important reminder of the trauma and devastation our health workers went through.

This series reflects the experiences that l witnessed friends and colleagues going through.

Excellent acting, harrowing and true to life. This should be for the health workers what the Post Office miniseries was for those failed by Horizon and the PO. The interplay between real clips from Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock and Public Health representatives are very effective matched with what was really happening at the frontline at the time.

Shame that the negative comments seem to be from those who are using the site to deny it happened. They are wrong. It did.

I binge watched the 3.

Well done to all concerned.

From my experience both personal and professional this drama is spot on accurate. I worked in the front line NHS, was ill and lost family to the virus before we got vaccines. I still carry the emotional and physical scars of covid. When I walked into a covid side ward to say goodbye to dad I knew the risks and was cautious. When I walked into work at A & E, it was full of people who refused to wear masks because they were mislead and lied to. I am still dismayed that there are still people out there that double down on the "plandemic hoax" viewpoint. At least I find 'Breathtaking' cathartic, when I see such an accurate portrayal of the events, the disinformation, the characters, and the failing of politicians that abounded at the time I hope we can learn for the future.

In much the same vain as Mr Bates vs the Post Office, a blistering representation of the crass incompetence of a dead weight Johnson govt. The problems started several years before when Hunt mainly ignored the results of the pandemic test exercise, downgrading stock piles of PPE kit and reducing the beds per 1000 population to almost the lowest in the EU.

Then followed by the absolute shambles of the govt response given the early warning from the Italian experience. To have failed the public and all health workers all the way through the pandemic, to then shaft all staff in pay negotiations was completely and utterly disgusting.

This is an extremely well done and hard hitting three part drama.

It brought tears to my eyes in parts as it is so raw.

We can all relate to the pandemic and the loss/stress it caused and the governments lack of control and ignorance over the situation.

Very confusing times!

Very thought provoking and hard hitting and it shows just how bad it must have been for our invaluable NHS staff battling Covid on a daily basis and how they truly are angels putting the publics lives before their own, some losing theirs in the process.

Top acting from all involved.

Joanna Froggatt at her best. 10/10 from me.

Excellent drama, that tackled all sides, Covid, The NHS, The idiots in charge, the other idiots that try to run the country, oh, and the conspiracy nutters, but my main action to undertake after watching this drama was to read the reviews, and in doing so they have covered the drama all over again. Whether you believe it or not, over this period, people of all ages died, and others who were sick, have to this day not recovered. The reason why we will always fail in this country, is we do not know how to stick together, and the people in power will always use this to their advantage. Watch it!!

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

England, March 2020. The World Health Organisation have already warned of a mass outbreak of cases of a new, devastating strain of coronavirus that has spread across Italy, and looks set to arrive on British shores. Dr. Joanne Henderson (Joanne Froggatt) leads a team at a hospital in North London, who find themselves plunged right into the forefront of the enveloping crisis. Forced to isolate from her husband, Nick (Christopher Heatherhall), and son Tommy (Henry Meredith), and with changing guidance from Public Health England, Joanne and her team try to manage, with faulty PPE equipment and decreasing morale.

It's hard to believe that this week, four years have passed since the Covid pandemic broke out and lockdown was imposed after it already had in other countries across Europe. It seems so surreal now, how normal, everyday life suddenly ground to a halt, and everyone was forced to adapt to a new way of life. To be honest, it's surprising that a drama depicting the events that took place has taken as long as it has to be made about it, but now, this succinct three part drama, from seasoned writer Jed Mercurio, co writer Prasanna Puwanarajah, and adapted from the novel by Rachel Clarke, has arrived.

With a limited amount of time to make an impression, we are plunged straight into the heart of the action, without much in the way of development of the central characters, but this inadvertently adds to a sense of realism, as it creates more of a feeling of ordinary, everyday workers, plunged into an horrific, unmanageable nightmare, a group of different personalities working together to try and come out on top. In the lead role, Froggatt is commanding and believable, someone driven by a determination for things to work out. Things really kick in in the third act, when the drama kicks up a notch, and a more dynamic sense kicks into the drama.

If there's a fault to be found, it's maybe in the slightly misjudged title, giving an awe-inducing feel to such a tragic tale, but it's a comparatively trivial gripe, with what is otherwise a sensitively handled drama, a gripping account of one of the great crises of our time, as we stumble into numerous others. ****

Blimey, after 3 nights of watching this superb drama Im an emotional wreck. Obviously it wasnt easy for them to condense the whole covid pandemic into 3 hours but from the first they created a brooding dark atmosphere and the characters created were so relatable and believable we were drawn into the horrors faced by the NHS staff on a daily basis. The writing missed no opportunity to lambast the tories in their handling of the situation but on the human level the actors to a man and woman did a wonderful job in portraying the grief and pressure the staff were expected to work under. All together a great piece of TV that will live with me for a long time.

This programme didn't really tell anyone anything we did not know. If anyone thought it was easy in the NHS in the early days of Covid then they must have been living in a cave. However the UK was not the only country who suffered, some worse..... Can't imagine any UK government , whatever affiliation, managing an unknown pandemic any differently , if billions had been spent and it turned out to be a flu bug then who would have cheered for that, once it was realised how bad this was going to be the cost of PPE had sky rocketed. This programme is just a Blame Game I think. Lots to be grateful for - Furlough?

Reading some of these reviews I am struck wondering why anyone is watching this "entertainment". Living through the trauma of COVID-19 firsthand, enduring the fear, uncertainty, and loss, creates a deeply personal and emotional experience. Why on earth would I watch a drama about COVID-19; reopening old wounds, reliving painful memories, and subjecting myself to unnecessary stress. Instead of dwelling on the past, those of us...which is all of us, who experienced the reality of the pandemic firsthand should choose to focus on healing, moving forward, learning from mistakes, and rebuilding lives. It's not about denying or ignoring the reality of COVID-19, but rather about prioritising mental and emotional well-being by choosing where to direct attention and energy positively.