The Royal - ITV
The Royal - Episode 4 - The Price of Progress
This week's episode of ITV's the Royal is called the Price of Progress. The price it seems is the closure of the hospital. Naturally there are two opposing camps - on the one side Adam Carnegie (Robert Cavanagh) in favour of modernisation and Gordon Ormerod (Robert Daws) in favour of keeping the hospital open. Others fear for their jobs. Carnegie, we assume, has plans elsewhere. How else could he afford the petrol for his Jenson Interceptor?
The price of progress has already been paid by Mr Harold Roper (Harry MacDonald). He is in the Royal with a case of shingles. His emphysema is also troubling him. He needs an X-ray and an ambulance is dispatched to take him to Ashfordly General. His wife, Sybil (Hazel Douglas), is distressed. They have not spent a night apart since he came back from the War. Gordon assures her everything will be alright. Sadly he dies whilst he is away from her in Ashfordly General.
Elsewhere Dr Joan Makori (Kananu Kirimi) has to visit a patient, a small boy (Tom Worsley played by Dean McGonagle), at Cragg Top Spout Farm. It is as remote as it sound; both in attitudes and location! Ken Hopkirk (Michael Starke) gives directions, but she gets lost due to the signs being changed to confuse the Germans during the War. Eventually Ken comes to the rescue and delivers her to the primitive abode of the farmer, Ned Worsley (Gerard Horan) and his wife, Sadie (Angela Forrest). I am more than a little reminded of "All Creatures Great and Small". Especially when Dr Makori and Ken are presented with a monstrous fry up. Ken, thinking on his feet, remembers another "emergency call".
Dr Makori forgets her handbag in her rush to leave. She has to go back and finds the boy is worse. He is rushed to hospital, but recovers. The parents show their appreciation by presenting Dr Makori with a chicken for the Sunday roast!
Adam Carnegie later finds time to take Nurse Catherine Deane (Amelia Curtis) out for dinner. They go to an Italian restaurant. Quite a new thing in the sixties. Catherine struggles choosing what to order from the menu, which is written in Italian.
In another diversion, a window cleaner (Trevor Lee played by Samuel James Hudson - remember him as Eddie Mills in BBC's Born and Bred? - his screen wife, Jean, played by Naomi Radcliffe, appeared in a previous episode of the Royal - Waifs and Strays) is brought in. He has fallen off a ladder and is found minus his Y-fronts (and his socks and shoes). It turns out he was having an affair with the lady of the house, Maggie Harcourt (played by former Crossroads actress, Jane Gurnett) and her husband (Roger played by Stephen Chapman) unexpectedly returned!
The episode ends when Sybil Roper presents Adam Carnegie with £4 10s - Harold's life savings that he wished to give to the Royal. He was born there and had always been well looked after by the staff. Gordon Ormerod remarks that it will pay for the "Hospital Closed" sign!