Series 1 - Episode 1

The audience is immediately introduced to Ruby Walker, a junior doctor, training to be a paediatrician at a Nottingham, hospital in the NHS, England. Her long-term partner, Marcus Read, has just ended their relationship, leaving her crying on the pavement outside their home as he packs the car. When she is rude to an insistent nurse because of her personal heartache and is threatened with disciplinary action, she sees an advert enticing medical staff to an Indian hospital. Wanting a new start in the homeland of her absent father, she decides to take the risk. Her first friend is AJ, the carefree ambulance driver and son of the hospital boss, who collects her from the airport. Believing her new position to be at the modern Dhoni Clinic in Kochi city, she is shocked to discover that she must first complete a year at the under-resourced community Good Karma Hospital in the small town of Barco.

   On her first day in India, she reports to the hospital administrator, the strict Dr Lydia Fonseca, who is successfully treating a tourist's dislocated shoulder, with very little sympathy. She gives Ruby the brief lowdown - to save money wherever possible "using knowledge and skill, not fancy tests and expensive drugs." Lydia wonders what Ruby is doing in India and learns that it is complicated, but not original or interesting. During the daily staff meeting, Ruby is introduced to her other direct colleagues, the easy-going chief, Dr Ram Nair, and young surgeon Dr Gabriel Varma - described as the human raincloud. He is attractive and capable, but grumpy. Ruby also gets her first culture shock at the announcement of a cholera outbreak in the region, a disease not seen in Europe for decades.

   Giving her the tour, Gabriel tells her they must be willing to learn anything - surgery, medical and dental skills. He also shows her the crowded out-patient queue. She is overwhelmed by the number of people waiting so early in the day - wondering how to see all them all. Sister Mari is in charge of the treatment board and tries to make life difficult for the new recruit, including a large, hairy and sunburnt tourist. Ruby learns things are very different from England with no set shift times - staff go when the board is empty. However, she is able to rise to the challenges without complaint. This earns her the respect of the senior nurse, and a successful case impresses Lydia.

Using her specialist skills, Ruby's first job is to treat fight wounds on Atul, a flirty 16-year-old who is also a local drug dealer, while his younger brother Sanjay looks on. There does not seem to be any parents for these kids.

    Next, she must look after the Mehta family, where the wife is giving birth to their fourth child. Struggling for money already and unable to pay dowries for the existing girls, they are desperate for a boy. There are complications with the birth (video), and Gabriel is nowhere to be found. Ruby must deal with it on her own. By encouraging the mother she saves the baby's life, but it is another daughter. The father is angry that Lydia misled him about the sex, putting the hospital at risk and forcing a rare moment of anger from Ram too. After an examination of the infant, the team diagnose a heart condition needing treatment that the parents can't afford. They have the heart-breaking, experience of seeing another couple without a sick baby. While they decide what to do, Ruby helps the father bond with his new baby taking Lydia's advice on seeing an opportunity to win a battle. This case gives Ruby a stark example of the gender inequality issues still common in society.

    Gabriel has been called out to a rural hotel wedding where the mother of the bride has collapsed. He was expecting to be back in time to supervise Ruby, but the baby came too quickly and the case takes longer than planned. He meets series regular Maggie Smart, who already knows that she is dying of a brain tumour. She does not want to ruin the celebrations and asks Gabriel to help her hide it from the family. He reluctantly agrees, giving her medication to control the seizures and advising her to use a hat in the sun. This case shows that he can be kind. He returns to the hospital on the motorbike. Meanwhile, the wedding continues as the sunsets and Maggie must tell her husband, Paul, the devastating news.

    Lydia and Ram visit barman Greg, who is sponsoring the ambulance to pay the fuel, repair and tyre costs in exchange for publicity. However, it is an advert with Lydia's face on it and she refuses to accept it. Later, he's in her bed and it is clear they are in a relationship. She wants him to leave but they are able to negotiate an alternative solution. At the end of the episode, Ram sees replacement image on the ambulance - himself. He is not happy but has no leverage against it. Lydia is smug in her triumph and Ruby finally has something amusing to smile about.

Treatment day over, Lydia has warmed to Ruby and notices that she hasn't thought of HIM (meaning Marcus) all day, because the problem is "always a man". She escorts Ruby to the on-site accommodation, commenting that she travels light, having only one suitcase to travel halfway across the world. The fridge is stocked with bare essentials in welcome - a bottle of white wine to enjoy. Ruby looks at Facebook on her tablet to see news of friends from home and is reminded of the good times with Marcus. The bungalow has WiFi. After dinner, she goes out to explore the local market and finds that the kids from earlier are seriously injured.

    Returning with them to the hospital, Ruby has to make the difficult decision which of the boys to operate on first. While the bosses deal with the younger brother in surgery, she tries to keep Atul stable, but doesn't realise that he needs blood not saline, until Gabriel arrives. She can't get vein access for an IV and doesn't know how to "cut down" to an artery in the leg as an alternative point - so Gabriel has to do it. However, the delay is only a minute at most. Despite their best efforts, Atul dies waiting. During clean-up, Gabriel tries to teach her, but is too frustrated. "Have your holiday [...], just don't get in the way of the real doctors", he shouts, showing the opposite and mean side of his personality. Lydia has to break-up the argument. It was an emotional day for both, with Ruby left in tears.

    Upset by the circumstances and thinking that her new colleague hates her, Ruby packs. The next morning, Lydia reminds Gabriel not to blame Ruby for the night's events. She then finds Ruby with the suitcase in the hospital garden waiting to leave. Seeing past the inexperience to her potential, Lydia persuades an uncertain Ruby to stay by assuring her there was no way to save Atul and that being able to care about the loss is a good thing. Although Lydia wants to give her a fair chance, she warns never to miss the staff briefing again. As the Mehta's leave, they tell Ruby that the baby is named after her. Lydia points out that she also has several children in the area named after herself, including some boys. What other surprises will the new day bring?

See IMDb. First broadcast: 05 Feb 2017 on ITV in UK.

    In the scene when trying to save Atul, actor James Floyd struggled to catch the thin IV line and kept fumbling it, the only time he had problems with the props on set (see Facebook Live event 5 Apr 2020). The behind the scenes guide '*Medical Background*' on the Series 1 boxset shows the team trying to resolve the issue in dress rehearsal, around 4m10s. The actor also joked that with a six month old baby at time of filming he knew what one feels (and smells!) like with the models being very convincing by make-up artist Davy Jones and team. Co-star Amrita Acharia said that her gynaecologist father would notice and tell her if any of the dolls were wrong too.

## Production Staff

* Writer: Dan Sefton
* Director: Bill Eagles
* Producer: Stephen Smallwood

## Guest cast:

* Tom Canton as Marcus Read
* Katharine Rogers as Ward Sister (or Goth Nurse)
* Mitch Smart as Danny MacKay
* Ritvik Sahore as Atul Nadar
* Induwara Hanchapola as Sanjay Nadar
* Arun Welandawe-Prematilleke as Raja Mehta
* Palomi Ghosh as Nita Mehta
* Andre Perera as Hotel Manager
* Leanne Best as Debbie Smart
* Richard Mundy as Herr Muller (uncredited)
* unknown as Smart Groom

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