| Bgcolour: |
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| Series Number: | 10 |
| Num Episodes: | 223 |
| Network: | BBC One |
| Prev Series: | Series 9 |
| Next Series: | Series 11 |
The tenth series of the British medical soap opera Doctors originally aired between 31 March 2008 and 28 March 2009. It consisted of 223 episodes. Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff and patients of the Mill Health Centre, a fictional NHS doctor's surgery.[1] The tenth series saw various cast changes, with numerous castings and departures spread throughout the episodes.
Selina Chilton joined as receptionist Ruth Pearce during the series. Her storylines throughout see her introduced as a shy and hardworking woman who is secretly struggling with mental health issues. Producers had planned the arc for Ruth from when she was created.[2] Next came Heston Carter (Owen Brenman), "an eternal optimist" with a privileged background who was a surgeon that became a GP.[3] Lily Hassan (Seeta Indrani) was then introduced as a talented and devoted doctor who "does everything by the book" and struggles with social interaction.[4] Producers felt Lily was a successful introduction since she provided a contrast between herself and other colleagues.[5] Daniel Granger's (Matthew Chambers) daughter, Izzie Torres (Jasmin and Nicole Parkinson), was also introduced as an eight-month-old baby left in the Mill Health Centre by her mother, Lisa (Michelle Lukes).[6] Jan Pearson was also cast in the recurring role of receptionist Karen Hollins.[7]
The first departure of the series was Stephen Boxer leaving his role as Joe Fenton since he wanted to return to the Royal Shakespeare Company. His exit storyline sees his daughter, Emily (Florence Hoath), diagnosed with a serious heart condition, after which Joe moves to Boston to be with her.[8] Michael McKell departed from his role as Nick West midway through.[9] Series producer Peter Eryl Lloyd decided to kill the character off to add edge and drama to the series, since he usually gave departing characters a happy ending. He admitted he had a "twisted mind" after giving a Nick a storyline where he becomes paralysed, and on the day he is able to walk again, he dies.
The longstanding Woodson family, consisting of doctor George (Stirling Gallacher), lawyer Ronnie (Seán Gleeson) and their daughter Bracken (Jessica Gallagher) departed towards the end of this series when they move to China. Anita Carey also made her final appearance as receptionist Vivien March in the same episode as the Woodson's exit. Lloyd was asked if he had axed the cast that had departed and confirmed that all of them had opted to leave. He was saddened by all of their exits due to them portraying "such vivid characters". However, he saw it "as an opportunity to create interesting arrivals".
In the series, Vivien March (Anita Carey) starred in a prominent storyline that sees the character raped by Ryan Parker (Richard Clarke).[10] The storyline was well received by critics as well as award ceremonies. Carey won the 2009 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance and the story won Best Storyline. "A Kind of Hush", the episode were Vivien tells Jimmi Clay (Adrian Lewis Morgan) about the rape, also won Best Single Episode.[11] At the 2009 Inside Soap Awards, Doctors was nominated for Best Drama, but lost out to The Bill.[12]
Chilton was also nominated at the 2009 British Soap Awards for Best Newcomer for her role as Ruth. That same year, Chilton won the Acting Performance accolade at the RTS Midlands Awards for her part in Ruth's mental breakdown storyline aired in the series.[13] She won against co-star Matthew Chambers, who portrayed Daniel Granger in the series. Doctors was also nominated in the Fictional category.[14] Ruth's mental health storyline received further acclaim after getting Doctors a nomination at the 2009 Mind Mental Health Media Awards.[15] [16]