Liar's Joanne Froggatt to star in new Jed Mercurio Covid-19 drama

Liar star Joanne Froggatt will play the lead role in upcoming Covid-19 drama developed by Line of Duty's Jed Mercurio.

ITV's Breathtaking is an adaption of NHS doctor and writer Rachel Clarke's memoir of health workers struggling with the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic.

Set in a fictional big-city hospital, the three-part drama narrates how "frontline medical staff endured fear and frustration as they desperately tried to save the lives of coronavirus patients".

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Froggatt portrays Acute Medicine Consultant Dr Abbey Henderson, a doctor and mother of two. Known for her calm approach in a crisis, Abbey witnesses first-hand the virus begins to take hold and starts to overwhelm the NHS.

After production wrapped on the series, the Downton Abbey star shared that the "incredible" scripts convinced her to be a part of this real-life story.

"I feel truly honoured to be playing Dr Abbey Henderson in Breathtaking, based on Dr Rachel Clarke's beautifully written, poignant and shocking book of the same name," she shared in a statement.

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"When I first read the incredible scripts they moved me to tears on many occasions. I felt so passionately that I had to be a part of telling this story, the real story, of what was really happening behind the closed doors of the hospitals during the pandemic."

She continued: "Our NHS staff are nothing less than absolute heroes in my eyes, and I hope telling this story goes a little way towards us understanding their truth, their lived experience and honouring their unbelievable commitment and sacrifice on behalf of us all."

Clarke's book has been adapted for the screen by the author together with TV writers and former junior hospital doctors Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah. The episodes are directed by Craig Viveiros, known for his work on Angela Black, The Watch and The War of the Worlds.

Breathtaking doesn't yet have an official release date.

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