State of emergency

A hard-hitting medical drama follows doctors in a struggling German hospital

- CAREN CLARK JUDY EWENS

DOCTOR'S ORDERS

Berlin ER has been co-created by British writer Samuel Jefferson, drawing on his background as a one-time A&E doctor.

'Because of the trauma of the job, I'd never wanted to write a medical show. But I had all these stories,' he says. 'The experience I'd had in the emergency room in the UK was shared by doctors we met in Germany and I wanted to show the reality of that life.

'Some medical series see doctors and nurses as superheroes, but medicine is less glamorous and shiny. It's about human beings struggling with themselves.'

Berlin ER

NEW

Available: Wednesday 26 February Genre: Drama Season: 1 Episodes: 8 (first two episodes from Wed 26 Feb, then weekly)