# Doctors series 23

The twenty-third series of the British medical soap opera Doctors commenced airing on 14 February 2022, and concluded on 9 January 2023. The series comprised 148 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.
Kia Pegg joined Doctors in this series as regular character Scarlett Kiernan. Various recurring characters were also contracted for the series as part of a storyline that saw the takeover of Sutton Vale Surgery, including Rosie Colton (Janice Connolly), Maeve Ludlow (Clelia Murphy) and Princess Buchanan (Laura White). Sarah Moyle left her long-term role as Valerie Pitman towards the conclusion. The average viewership for this series saw 1.6 million live viewers.

## Cast

As part of the series' main storyline, the takeover of Sutton Vale Surgery, three new recurring characters were introduced: receptionist Rosie Colton (Janice Connolly), nurse prescriber Maeve Ludlow (Clelia Murphy) and trainee doctor Princess Buchanan (Laura White). In April 2022, Kia Pegg was cast as regular receptionist Scarlett Kiernan following Rosie's initial stint had ended. The series also saw the stints of Roxy Piper (Roxy Skinner) as Emma Reid's (Dido Miles neighbour, as well as Gareth Lewis (Samuel Morgan-Davies), a struggling new policeman paired with Rob Hollins (Chris Walker).
In August 2022, Sarah Moyle announced that she would be leaving her role as Valerie Pitman after ten years, with the character departing in December 2022. White made her final appearance as Princess in January 2023, at the conclusion of a storyline which saw her leave the Mill after confrontations with several staff members. The series also saw the end of the stints for recurring characters Maeve, Hazeem Durrani (Ashraf Ejjbair) and Davinia Hargrove (Clare Wille).

### Main characters

* Matthew Chambers as Daniel Granger
* Dex Lee as Bear Sylvester
* Ross McLaren as Luca McIntyre
* Ian Midlane as Al Haskey
* Dido Miles as Emma Reid
* Adrian Lewis Morgan as Jimmi Clay
* Sarah Moyle as Valerie Pitman
* Bharti Patel as Ruhma Carter
* Jan Pearson as Karen Hollins
* Kia Pegg as Scarlett Kiernan
* Ashley Rice as Sid Vere
* Chris Walker as Rob Hollins
* Elisabeth Dermot Walsh as Zara Carmichael

### Recurring characters

* Janice Connolly as Rosie Colton
* Ashraj Ejjbair as Hazeem Durrani
* Kevwe Emefe as Chelle Henry
* Oliver Falconer as Joe Granger Carmichael
* Linda Hargreaves as Constance Buchanan
* Simon Lowe as Brian Kiernan
* Bethan Moore as Izzie Torres
* Samuel Morgan-Davies as Gareth Lewis
* Clelia Murphy as Maeve Ludlow
* Terry Mynott as Matt Cassidy
* Maria Pike as Tasha Verma
* Lara Sawalha as Jasmine Dajani
* Laura White as Princess Buchanan
* Clare Wille as Davinia Hargrove

### Guest characters

* Maya Barcot as Magda Nowak
* Will Barton as Stuart Jones
* Lucy Benjamin as Jan Fisher
* Pandora Clifford as Steph Ashdown
* Caoimhe Farren as Hailey Dodds
* Tina Gray as Winnie Jones
* Issam Al Ghussain as Yusuf
* Raj Paul as Asif Metha
* Diana Payan as Gillian Ludlow
* Lacey Leigh Payne as Grace Dodds
* Fiona Skinner as Roxy Piper
* Kath Thickett as Jordan Brown
* Martin Walsh as DI Mick Hartley

## Episodes

| No. overall | No. in series | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
| 4129 | 1 | "Barbara" | Niall Fraser | Charlotte Wise | 14 February 2022 (2022-2-14) |
| 4130 | 2 | "Hello?" | Niall Fraser | Toby Walton | 15 February 2022 (2022-2-15) |
| 4131 | 3 | "Let Down Your Hair" | Niall Fraser | Sarah Hehir | 16 February 2022 (2022-2-16) |
| 4132 | 4 | "All the Words We Never Say" | Ita Fitzgerald | Becky Prestwich | 17 February 2022 (2022-2-17) |
| 4133 | 5 | "Big Day, Big News" | Ita Fitzgerald | Claire Bennett | 21 February 2022 (2022-2-21) |
| 4134 | 6 | "A Familiar Face" | Ita Fitzgerald | Andrew Cornish | 22 February 2022 (2022-2-22) |
| 4135 | 7 | "Protect and Survive" | Kodjo Tsakpo | Cardy O'Donnell | 23 February 2022 (2022-2-23) |
| 4136 | 8 | "The Line" | Kodjo Tsakpo | Stephen McAteer | 24 February 2022 (2022-2-24) |
| 4137 | 9 | "Knocking" | Kodjo Tsakpo | Jeremy Hylton Davies | 28 February 2022 (2022-2-28) |
| 4138 | 10 | "The Kick Inside" | Enda Hughes | Helen Farrall | 1 March 2022 (2022-3-1) |
| 4139 | 11 | "No Nothing" | Enda Hughes | Mark Clompus | 2 March 2022 (2022-3-2) |
| 4140 | 12 | "Taking Stock" | Enda Hughes | Tom Ogden | 3 March 2022 (2022-3-3) |
| 4141 | 13 | "There's Something about Amy" | Jo Southwell | Katharine Way | 7 March 2022 (2022-3-7) |
| 4142 | 14 | "Winning Is Everything" | Jo Southwell | Bill Armstrong | 8 March 2022 (2022-3-8) |
| 4143 | 15 | "The Gift of the Jab" | Jo Southwell | Tina Walker | 9 March 2022 (2022-3-9) |
| 4144 | 16 | "There for You" | David Lewis Richardson | Paul Campbell | 10 March 2022 (2022-3-10) |
| 4145 | 17 | "Lying in Bed" | David Lewis Richardson | David Semple | 15 March 2022 (2022-3-15) |
| 4146 | 18 | "Darkest Before Dawn" | David Lewis Richardson | Bridget Colgan & Mark Hiser | 16 March 2022 (2022-3-16) |
| 4147 | 19 | "In Loco Parentis" | Ita Fitzgerald | Karelia Scott-Daniels | 17 March 2022 (2022-3-17) |
| 4148 | 20 | "A Difficult Conversation" | Ita Fitzgerald | Lisa McMullin | 21 March 2022 (2022-3-21) |
| 4149 | 21 | "Kingpin" | Ita Fitzgerald | Annabel Wigoder | 22 March 2022 (2022-3-22) |
| 4150 | 22 | "Great Expectations" | Niall Fraser | Olly Perkin | 23 March 2022 (2022-3-23) |
| 4151 | 23 | "AFK" | Niall Fraser | Jodie Ashdown | 24 March 2022 (2022-3-24) |
| 4152 | 24 | "Red Flags" | Niall Fraser | Henrietta Hardy | 28 March 2022 (2022-3-28) |
| 4153 | 25 | "How to Become a Unicorn" | Enda Hughes | Stephen Keyworth | 29 March 2022 (2022-3-29) |
| 4154 | 26 | "Sanctuary" | Enda Hughes | Dale Overton | 30 March 2022 (2022-3-30) |
| 4155 | 27 | "VIP" | Steve M Kelly | Rob Kinsman | 31 March 2022 (2022-3-31) |
| 4156 | 28 | "Dawning of the Light" | Enda Hughes | Ray Brooking | 4 April 2022 (2022-4-4) |
| 4157 | 29 | "Double Act" | David Lewis Richardson | Jacqui Canham | 5 April 2022 (2022-4-5) |
| 4158 | 30 | "The Innocent Sleep" | David Lewis Richardson | David Lloyd | 6 April 2022 (2022-4-6) |
| 4159 | 31 | "It Ain't Easy" | David Lewis Richardson | Paul Williams | 7 April 2022 (2022-4-7) |
| 4160 | 32 | "Results" | Debbie Howard | Claire Bennett | 11 April 2022 (2022-4-11) |
| 4161 | 33 | "Rebooting" | Debbie Howard | Andrew Cornish | 12 April 2022 (2022-4-12) |
| 4162 | 34 | "Someone to Watch Over Me" | Debbie Howard | Rob Phillips | 13 April 2022 (2022-4-13) |
| 4163 | 35 | "Rules of Engagement" | Ita Fitzgerald | Cardy O'Donnell | 14 April 2022 (2022-4-14) |
| 4164 | 36 | "Panacea" | Ita Fitzgerald | Jeremy Hylton Davies | 2 May 2022 (2022-5-2) |
| 4165 | 37 | "All You Need Is Microfibre" | Ita Fitzgerald | Kim Millar | 3 May 2022 (2022-5-3) |
| 4166 | 38 | "Memory Card" | Steve M Kelly | Maggie Innes | 4 May 2022 (2022-5-4) |
| 4167 | 39 | "A Natural" | Lotus Hannon | Linda Thompson | 5 May 2022 (2022-5-5) |
| 4168 | 40 | "Secrets and Spies" | Lotus Hannon | Tina Walker | 9 May 2022 (2022-5-9) |
| 4169 | 41 | "Frequency Response" | Lotus Hannon | Mark Clompus | 10 May 2022 (2022-5-10) |
| 4170 | 42 | "Echoes" | Enda Hughes | Tom Ogden | 11 May 2022 (2022-5-11) |
| 4171 | 43 | "Consumed" | Enda Hughes | Katharine Way | 12 May 2022 (2022-5-12) |
| 4172 | 44 | "An Unexpected Surprise" | Enda Hughes | Bill Armstrong | 16 May 2022 (2022-5-16) |
| 4173 | 45 | "Sick of It All" | Bob Tomson | Afsaneh Gray | 17 May 2022 (2022-5-17) |
| 4174 | 46 | "Your Worst Nightmare" | Bob Tomson | Lisa McMullin | 18 May 2022 (2022-5-18) |
| 4175 | 47 | "One of Us" | Bob Tomson | Rob Kinsman | 19 May 2022 (2022-5-19) |
| 4176 | 48 | "Incurable" | Steve M Kelly | Paul Campbell | 23 May 2022 (2022-5-23) |
| 4177 | 49 | "Parting Shots" | Steve M Kelly | Matthew Wakefield | 24 May 2022 (2022-5-24) |
| 4178 | 50 | "An Anxious Mind" | Steve M Kelly | Liz Taylor | 25 May 2022 (2022-5-25) |
| 4179 | 51 | "The Centre Cannot Hold" | Steve M Kelly | Frank Rickarby | 26 May 2022 (2022-5-26) |
| 4180 | 52 | "Wings" | Jo Southwell | Maggie Innes | 30 May 2022 (2022-5-30) |
| 4181 | 53 | "Shame" | Jo Southwell | Henrietta Hardy | 31 May 2022 (2022-5-31) |
| 4182 | 54 | "Knockdown" | Jo Southwell | Jodie Ashdown | 1 June 2022 (2022-6-1) |
| 4183 | 55 | "The Ladykiller" | Ita Fitzgerald | Matthew Wakefield | 6 June 2022 (2022-6-6) |
| 4184 | 56 | "Enticement" | Ita Fitzgerald | Dale Overton | 7 June 2022 (2022-6-7) |
| 4185 | 57 | "Scot Free" | Ita Fitzgerald | Olly Perkin | 8 June 2022 (2022-6-8) |
| 4186 | 58 | "Legato" | Ita Fitzgerald | Paul Williams | 9 June 2022 (2022-6-9) |
| 4187 | 59 | "Doctor Nevada" | Ita Fitzgerald | Paul Williams | 13 June 2022 (2022-6-13) |
| 4188 | 60 | "Between the Cracks" | Enda Hughes | Ray Brooking | 14 June 2022 (2022-6-14) |
| 4189 | 61 | "Take a Hike" | Sunnie Sidhu | Stephen Keyworth | 15 June 2022 (2022-6-15) |
| 4190 | 62 | "Intimacy" | Sunnie Sidhu | Charlotte Wise | 16 June 2022 (2022-6-16) |
| 4191 | 63 | "Window of Opportunity" | Sunnie Sidhu | Ed Sellek | 20 June 2022 (2022-6-20) |
| 4192 | 64 | "Craving" | James Larkin | Becky Prestwich | 21 June 2022 (2022-6-21) |
| 4193 | 65 | "Guilt" | James Larkin | Stephen McAteer | 22 June 2022 (2022-6-22) |
| 4194 | 66 | "The Men's Lodge" | James Larkin | Cardy O'Donnell | 23 June 2022 (2022-6-23) |
| 4195 | 67 | "Suspicious Activity" | Peter Fearon | Rob Phillips | 5 September 2022 (2022-9-5) |
| 4196 | 68 | "Surface Level" | Peter Fearon | Jeremy Hylton Davies | 6 September 2022 (2022-9-6) |
| 4197 | 69 | "Mantis" | Peter Fearon | Andrew Cornish | 7 September 2022 (2022-9-7) |
| 4198 | 70 | "A Corrosive Substance" | David Lewis Richardson | Katharine Way | 8 September 2022 (2022-9-8) |
| 4199 | 71 | "The Bigger Picture" | David Lewis Richardson | Tina Walker | 12 September 2022 (2022-9-12) |
| 4200 | 72 | "Time Expired" | David Lewis Richardson | Mark Clompus | 13 September 2022 (2022-9-13) |
| 4201 | 73 | "You Can Lead a Horse to Water" | Dominic Keavey | Bill Armstrong | 14 September 2022 (2022-9-14) |
| 4202 | 74 | "The Motherlode" | Dominic Keavey | Helen Farrall | 15 September 2022 (2022-9-15) |
| 4203 | 75 | "Ever Decreasing Circles" | Dominic Keavey | Tom Ogden | 16 September 2022 (2022-9-16) |
| 4204 | 76 | "Split Decision" | Rupert Such | Liz Taylor | 20 September 2022 (2022-9-20) |
| 4205 | 77 | "I Am What I Am" | Rupert Such | Lisa McMullin | 21 September 2022 (2022-9-21) |
| 4206 | 78 | "I Will Survive" | Rupert Such | Lisa McMullin | 22 September 2022 (2022-9-22) |
| 4207 | 79 | "Doing Nothing" | Vito Bruno | Mark Hiser & Bridget Colgan | 23 September 2022 (2022-9-23) |
| 4208 | 80 | "Mustn't Grumble" | Vito Bruno | David Semple | 23 September 2022 (2022-9-23) |
| 4209 | 81 | "Tradimus Lampada" | Vito Bruno | Paul Campbell | 26 September 2022 (2022-9-26) |
| 4210 | 82 | "Home to Roost" | Steve M Kelly | Olly Perkin | 27 September 2022 (2022-9-27) |
| 4211 | 83 | "Hurt" | Steve M Kelly | Henrietta Hardy | 28 September 2022 (2022-9-28) |
| 4212 | 84 | "Hysteria" | Steve M Kelly | Henrietta Hardy | 29 September 2022 (2022-9-29) |
| 4213 | 85 | "The Trials of Jan Fisher - Part One" | Niall Fraser | Philip Ralph | 30 September 2022 (2022-9-30) |
| 4214 | 86 | "The Trials of Jan Fisher - Part Two" | Niall Fraser | Philip Ralph | 30 September 2022 (2022-9-30) |
| 4215 | 87 | "Chickichita" | Gloria Thomas | Gary Innes | 3 October 2022 (2022-10-3) |
| 4216 | 88 | "Error Code" | Merlyn Rice | Roland Moore & Paul Williams | 4 October 2022 (2022-10-4) |
| 4217 | 89 | "The Night Will Always Win" | Merlyn Rice | Stephen Keyworth | 5 October 2022 (2022-10-5) |
| 4218 | 90 | "Property" | Merlyn Rice | Dale Overton | 6 October 2022 (2022-10-6) |
| 4219 | 91 | "All Life Is Here" | David Lewis Richardson | Ray Brooking | 7 October 2022 (2022-10-7) |
| 4220 | 92 | "Balancing Act" | David Lewis Richardson | Linda Thompson | 10 October 2022 (2022-10-10) |
| 4221 | 93 | "Prism" | David Lewis Richardson | Paul Williams | 11 October 2022 (2022-10-11) |
| 4222 | 94 | "Brownhill and Son" | Gloria Thomas | Matthew Wakefield | 12 October 2022 (2022-10-12) |
| 4223 | 95 | "Blood and Guts" | Niall Fraser | Rob Phillips | 13 October 2022 (2022-10-13) |
| 4224 | 96 | "What About Me?" | Dominic Keavey | Claire Bennett | 14 October 2022 (2022-10-14) |
| 4225 | 97 | "Everyone Has Something" | Dominic Keavey | Andrew Cornish | 17 October 2022 (2022-10-17) |
| 4226 | 98 | "The Girl After" | Dominic Keavey | Kim Millar | 18 October 2022 (2022-10-18) |
| 4227 | 99 | "Thank You for Your Service" | Gloria Thomas | Jeremy Hylton Davies | 19 October 2022 (2022-10-19) |
| 4228 | 100 | "Born This Way" | Rupert Such | Helen Farrall | 20 October 2022 (2022-10-20) |
| 4229 | 102 | "Isolation" | Rupert Such | Katharine Way | 21 October 2022 (2022-10-21) |
| 4230 | 103 | "Crossing the Line" | Peter Fearon | Bill Armstrong | 24 October 2022 (2022-10-24) |
| 4231 | 104 | "Safe Pair of Hands" | Peter Fearon | Ray Brooking | 25 October 2022 (2022-10-25) |
| 4232 | 105 | "The Famous Bear Sylvester" | Rupert Such | Tom Ogden | 26 October 2022 (2022-10-26) |
| 4233 | 106 | "Put Together" | Peter Fearon | Mark Clompus | 27 October 2022 (2022-10-27) |
| 4234 | 107 | "By the Book" | John Maidens | David Lloyd | 28 October 2022 (2022-10-28) |
| 4235 | 108 | "Pumpkin Soup" | John Maidens | Paul Campbell | 31 October 2022 (2022-10-31) |
| 4236 | 109 | "The Call" | John Maidens | Peter Mills | 1 November 2022 (2022-11-1) |
| 4237 | 110 | "Mad World" | David Lewis Richardson | James Hey | 2 November 2022 (2022-11-2) |
| 4238 | 111 | "Nightmare" | David Lewis Richardson | Dale Overton | 3 November 2022 (2022-11-3) |
| 4239 | 112 | "Confessional" | David Lewis Richardson | Mark Hiser & Bridget Colgan | 4 November 2022 (2022-11-4) |
| 4240 | 113 | "Entitlement, Part 1" | Niall Fraser | Dale Overton | 7 November 2022 (2022-11-7) |
| 4241 | 114 | "Entitlement, Part 2" | Niall Fraser | Dale Overton | 8 November 2022 (2022-11-8) |
| 4242 | 115 | "Flawless" | Niall Fraser | Henrietta Hardy | 9 November 2022 (2022-11-9) |
| 4243 | 116 | "The Fragile Heart" | Steve M Kelly | Keith Temple | 10 November 2022 (2022-11-10) |
| 4244 | 117 | "Family Man" | Steve M Kelly | Matthew Wakefield | 11 November 2022 (2022-11-11) |
| 4245 | 118 | "The Long Game" | Steve M Kelly | Olly Perkin | 14 November 2022 (2022-11-14) |
| 4246 | 119 | "Signs" | Peter Fearon | Paul Williams | 15 November 2022 (2022-11-15) |
| 4247 | 120 | "Welcome to the World" | Peter Fearon | Sarah Hehir | 16 November 2022 (2022-11-16) |
| 4248 | 121 | "Dr Haskey Will See You Now" | Peter Fearon | Ray Brooking | 17 November 2022 (2022-11-17) |
| 4249 | 122 | "Blind" | Kirsty Robinson-Ward | Jacqui Canham | 18 November 2022 (2022-11-18) |
| 4250 | 123 | "Above and Beyond" | Kirsty Robinson-Ward | William Barrington | 22 November 2022 (2022-11-22) |
| 4251 | 124 | "Good Faith" | Kirsty Robinson-Ward | Stephen Keyworth | 22 November 2022 (2022-11-22) |
| 4252 | 125 | "Secure by Design" | David Lewis Richardson | Claire Bennett | 23 November 2022 (2022-11-23) |
| 4253 | 126 | "Still Too Soon to Know" | David Lewis Richardson | Stephen McAteer | 24 November 2022 (2022-11-24) |
| 4254 | 127 | "The Brave" | David Lewis Richardson | Rob Phillips | 25 November 2022 (2022-11-25) |
| 4255 | 128 | "Letherbridge, We Have a Problem" | Kodjo Tsakpo | Cardy O'Donnell | 29 November 2022 (2022-11-29) |
| 4256 | 129 | "Truth and Nothing But" | Kodjo Tsakpo | Jeremy Hylton Davies | 29 November 2022 (2022-11-29) |
| 4257 | 130 | "If You Want to Make God Laugh" | Kodjo Tsakpo | Andrew Cornish | 30 November 2022 (2022-11-30) |
| 4258 | 131 | "No Place to Hide" | Niall Fraser | Bill Armstrong | 1 December 2022 (2022-12-1) |
| 4259 | 132 | "Hi-Viz" | Niall Fraser | Mark Clompus | 2 December 2022 (2022-12-2) |
| 4260 | 133 | "Girls' Night Out" | Merlyn Rice | Henrietta Hardy | 5 December 2022 (2022-12-5) |
| 4261 | 134 | "Lessons Will Be Learned" | Caroline Slater | Katharine Way | 6 December 2022 (2022-12-6) |
| 4262 | 135 | "The Go-Between" | Caroline Slater | Matthew Wakefield | 6 December 2022 (2022-12-6) |
| 4263 | 136 | "A Time for Giving" | Caroline Slater | Helen Farrall | 7 December 2022 (2022-12-7) |
| 4264 | 137 | "Third Thursday of the Month" | Kirsty Robinson-Ward | Paul Campbell | 8 December 2022 (2022-12-8) |
| 4265 | 138 | "In the Moment" | Kirsty Robinson-Ward | Liz Taylor | 9 December 2022 (2022-12-9) |
| 4266 | 139 | "Deck the Halls" | Niall Fraser | Tina Walker | 12 December 2022 (2022-12-12) |
| 4267 | 140 | "Fa La La La La La La La La" | Kirsty Robinson-Ward | Lisa McMullin | 13 December 2022 (2022-12-13) |
| 4268 | 141 | "Revelation" | Peter Fearon | Dale Overton | 14 December 2022 (2022-12-14) |
| 4269 | 142 | "Big Decisions" | Peter Fearon | David Lloyd | 15 December 2022 (2022-12-15) |
| 4270 | 143 | "Where the Heart Is" | Peter Fearon | Mark Hiser & Bridget Colgan | 16 December 2022 (2022-12-16) |
| 4271 | 144 | "Dinner For One" | Merlyn Rice | Matthew Wakefield | 2 January 2023 (2023-1-2) |
| 4272 | 145 | "Indelible Ink" | Merlyn Rice | Maggie Innes | 3 January 2023 (2023-1-3) |
| 4273 | 146 | "Patients of a Saint" | Debbie Howard | Olly Perkin | 4 January 2023 (2023-1-4) |
| 4274 | 147 | "Day in the Life" | Debbie Howard | Dale Overton | 5 January 2023 (2023-1-5) |
| 4275 | 148 | "Are You Okay?" | Debbie Howard | Toby Walton | 9 January 2023 (2023-1-9) |

## Reception

This series averaged at 1.6 million live viewers on BBC One. It saw Doctors' first win for Best Daytime Soap at the Digital Spy Reader Awards, beating Home and Away and Neighbours. Writer Claire Bennett was also awarded the Writer award at the RTS Midlands Awards for her work throughout the series. Pegg, White and Moyle saw acting nominations at the same ceremony. The episode "Hello?", written by Toby Walton, also helped Doctors to win Best Long Running TV Series at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards.