The Golden Hour was made around 2005 and starred Richard Armitage as Dr Alec Track, Navin Chowdry as Dr Naz Osbourne, Zoe Telford (Dr Jane Cameron), and Ciaran McMenamin (Dr Paul Keane). "The Golden Hour" refers to the time period where a patient is most likely to survive after sustaining a traumatic injury. I have to say that the sound of the helicopters landing at the hospital is chilling but I have treated many people who owe lasting gratitude to the care flights and their crew. Here, in my neck of the woods, they have a specialist rescue crew who are not Doctors. If the helicopter is attending an accident they will generally take a paramedic along with them. If seriously ill patients need to be transported to major medical centres, a retrieval team is sent which consists of medical (doctor) and nursing staff. The Royal Flying Doctor Service however provides a medical service to isolated and remote areas of Australia.
The Golden Hour starring Richard Armitage is based on the work of The London Air Ambulance (AKA London Helicopter Emergency Services. HEMS). His character, Alec Track, is the Doctor in charge of the Helicopter Emergency Services Team. Here is what Richard Armitage has to say of his character:
"He's the most senior consultant and an excellent doctor. He's devoted to the job, to the point where he's not left any room for a personal life. He's 99% job and one percent personal life, which can cause problems with his personal relationshipwith team member Jane.
"He works on a calm and almost spiritual level and he's without ego. He's confident with his own ability and the way he runs things and he also has a nurturing, mentoring side.But he also has a lot of responsibility - he has to answer to a lot of people, particularly those who hold the money. In that respect, he's completely married to his job."
Richard Armitage. Northern Echo. September 8th 2005. (Source: RichardArmitageOnline)
"In that respect he's completely married to his job" ... a connection between RA and the character he plays perhaps?
Preparation for his role:
Those who have watched Richard Armitage's work for a while will recognise the characteristic way he researches his roles. For this role, he reportedly found as much information as he could on the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service, he had to learn medical jargon (and pronounce it correctly at speed when an emergency was simulated), he had to learn CPR, basic medical procedures such as suturing, and he had to handle equipment correctly. He also spent a day of training with the team of doctors in order to discuss their work and their feelings about their work.
"I've always wondered why would anyone put themselves in a position to experience such horror and trauma for such little financial reward, but talking to these guys, I got it. It's not about praise, it's about pride. It made me guilty and a bit ashamed to be an actor" Richard Armitage. Daily Express, 10th September 2005 (Source: RichardArmitageOnline).
Statements like this have always endeared RA to me. There was a humility in those early years and an interest and respect for the work of others. I wonder if, with fame, busy workloads, hoards of admirers, that connection with real life people, slogging in jobs that are not particularly glamourous or noteworthy, gets lost. I met a lovely man on our trip to New Zealand who worked with the 911 service in a large city in the US. He had to take calls and send out the emergency services .... some of the stories he told us were horrific. He had saved up for two years to come on the Premiere Tour; he was a Tolkien devotee; he went to the red carpet in costume. (He watched the main actors race past him urged on by the publicists). I wonder if RA and his colleagues, look back occasionally and reflect on the past, and the people they have met along the way ... people who they quite possibly can no longer stop and talk to because of the distance they are forced to create between themselves and the public.
Unfortunately the series was cancelled after four episodes. A pity, as by the fourth episode I was really getting involved with the characters. I certainly found the rescues and retrievals exciting and interesting albeit a little gorey! (I had to shut my eyes in a few scenes - even Dr Track, nice looking though he is, relocating a dislocated shoulder had me gritting my teeth).
What I liked:
1. Alec Track - loved RA in this role! I wish we had seen more.
2. The relationship between the four characters.
3. The interconnected plot lines.
What I didn't quite like:
1. The repeated flashbacks. (Although I didn't mind them as much after the second viewing).
2. The fact that we only got four episodes.
What I found a little unbelievable (now I'm nitpicking):
1. Dr Track is so well mannered in a stressful situation. (Not my experience of hospital Drs, I'm afraid.).
2. The fact Dr Track is allowed to walk into the hospital ICU and examine a patient - my experience has been that hospitals are notoriously territorial and while they might tolerate an emergency Dr visiting to see how the patient is, they would never be allowed to examine them. ...... and last but not least ....
3. The fact that Dr Track didn't have a whole pack of female hospital staff setting their caps at him - Dr Jane would certainly have had more competition for his affections in real life than she did in the series.
My final word - if you like medical genres, and you, like me, are missing seeing RA on the TV screen, The Golden Hour makes enjoyable viewing.
Doctors by Rudyard Kipling
Man dies too soon, beside his works half-planned.
His days are counted and reprieve is vain:
Who shall entreat with Death to stay his hand;
Or cloke the shameful nakedness of pain?
Send here the bold, the seekers of the way—
The passionless, the unshakable of soul,
Who serve the inmost mysteries of man's clay,
And ask no more than leave to make them whole.