Maternal

The information contained herein is embargoed from all Press, online, social media, non-commercial publication or syndication - in the public domain - until Tuesday 24 January 2023.

Maternal

Series overview

Maternal tells the stories of Maryam, a Paediatric Registrar, Catherine, a General and Trauma Surgeon, and Helen, a Registrar in Acute Medicine, as they each attempt to balance their increasingly demanding jobs in post-pandemic frontline medicine with their lives as new mothers.

Dr Maryam Afridi is returning to work after two years on maternity leave. As a parent of two kids under 2 (with husband Raz) life is chaotic, and Maryam’s return to City General Hospital sees her catapulted straight back into frontline duties. An incident in Maryam’s first week impacts her hard, and this combined with lack of sleep, the stress of juggling medicine and motherhood, and news of a potential addition to her family sees Maryam begin to question where her priorities and interests lie.

Miss Catherine MacDiarmid is a woman striving for success in the macho world of surgery. And her career wasn’t doing badly until a fling with a married colleague – Dr Lars Nördstrom – resulted in the birth of her daughter Elis and a period of maternity leave which has seriously set her back. Yet, Catherine is determined to prove that neither motherhood nor competition with her colleague and ex Jack will prevent her from advancing her career… even if it means resorting to drastic measures.

Dr Helen Cavendish is mum to three children with husband Guy who is a Consultant and also her boss in the same Acute Medical Unit. Their disintegrating work-life balance has put a strain on their marriage, exacerbated by Guy’s recent affair with a 24-year-old colleague. A mother to all, Helen has always put herself second to the needs of her family and friends. Over the series, she’ll come to face-to-face with the sacrifices she’s made, as well as those made by all who worked in the NHS through the pandemic.
MATERNAL is a love letter to women on the NHS frontline who are holding it together.

Episode 3:

Helen is at couples therapy alone. She admits that she and Guy feel angry with each other most of the time. When she’s asked what Guy does with his anger, the question hangs. Maryam and Raz meanwhile attend a meeting with the Adoption Support team to discuss the arrival of Sami’s sister. Raz is keen for them to take her, but the meeting raises uncomfortable questions for Maryam about her mental health. With these and the forthcoming investigation on her mind, Maryam does her best to keep showing up at work and stay focused on her patients. One of these is Jakub, a regular in paediatrics who Maryam responds to with skill and care. But when Raz arrives with one of his students, a young man struggling with his mental health, Maryam feels the truth of her own situation begin to re-surface.

Desperate to chalk up surgical hours in advance of her interview for Consultant, Catherine finds herself signing paperwork that will allow Elis to stay with Lars and Brigitta in Sweden. Grateful for the help she’s getting with childcare, Catherine throws herself into work and brilliantly performs a gallbladder removal on a pregnant woman. But what happens next is something she’s neither professionally nor personally prepared for. Things come to a head for Catherine – and for Helen and Guy – when they go on a double date together, with Matt the anaesthetist as Catherine’s plus one. It’s clear that Catherine is intent on drowning out her feelings with several bottles of wine, but as the evening progresses, it is Guy who cuts a more alarming figure…

Cast:

Maryam Afridi    PARMINDER NAGRA
Catherine MacDiarmid    LARA PULVER
Helen Cavendish    LISA MCGRILLIS
Jack Oliviera    RAZA JAFFREY
Guy Cavendish    OLIVER CHRIS
Raz Farooqi    ABHIN GALEYA
Susan Fisher    JULIE GRAHAM
Lars Nordström    ALEXANDER KARIM
Maggie Cavendish    AURORA JONES
Steve    MAT FRASER
Anne MacDiarmid    HAYDN GWYNNE
Becky Hillford    MATILDA ZIEGLER
Sania Masoom    SHAHEEN KHAN
Kim Allerton    SABINA ARTHUR
Simon Segman    DEAN RIDGE
Edward    D’VANTE HART
Mrs. Williams    CHERYL MACKIE
Mr. Williams    DARREN HART
Mrs. Osei    CLEO SYLVESTRE
Tessa Joseph    JENNIFER MACBETH
Louise Pennycook    ELIZABETH DULAU
Mrs. Smith    STEPHANIE JACOB
Matt Malyon    JOE THOMAS
Prof. Thomas    GUY RUFUS WILLIAMS
Will    BILL SKINNER
Freddie    ELAN BUTLER