Malpractice is the gripping medical conspiracy thriller from the team behind Line Of Duty – here’s everything you need to know

If you’re searching for a new British drama to fill the Happy Valley void, Malpractice might just be the ticket.

Produced by the same team as the aforementioned AC-12-focused series, it’s easy to make a connection between Line of Duty and Malpractice – and though the premise of the two shows are very different, they possess the same gripping and thought-provoking qualities.

But forget crooked coppers – Malpractice turns its attention to a busy A&E department in West Yorkshire, and the aftermath of one particularly ‘nightmare’ shift for Dr Lucinda Edwards (played by Niamh Algar). Intriguing.

Here’s everything you need to know about Malpractice…

What is Malpractice about?

The show delves into the real pressures emergency doctors face within the NHS, and follows one doctor as she faces up to a serious investigation.

Here’s the ITV plotline: “Dr Lucinda Edwards is a smart, battle-hardened doctor, but we meet her on a nightmare shift that ends in the death of an opioid overdose victim, Edith Owusu. Despite the support of her medical supervisor, Dr Leo Harris, Edith’s grieving father demands an inquiry into Lucinda’s actions on the fateful night.

Leading the medical investigation are Dr Norma Callahan and Lucinda’s former colleague, Dr George Adjei. While George feels this was an unavoidable tragedy, Norma is suspicious of Lucinda’s behaviour and decisions in the lead up to the patient’s death.

As the pressure of the investigation intensifies, Lucinda’s relationship with husband Tom starts to fracture, and her confident professional exterior begins to crack. Is Lucinda hiding something?”

The show’s writer, Grace Ofori-Attah, is a former doctor herself and has spoken of how Malpractice draws on her own experiences – as well as exploring the complex topic of addiction.

She told ITV: “While Malpractice is set in A&E to reflect what was probably the most difficult junior doctor rotation I’ve ever done, the underlying story is really one about psychiatry, mental health, addiction and how that is pervasive. Not just in medicine but in wider society.”

Who is in the cast of Malpractice?

Irish actor Niamh Algar plays principal character Dr Lucinda Edwards – who was BAFTA nominated for her role in 2019’s Calm With Horses.

Lucinda’s husband Tom is played by Vigil and Grantchester star Lorne MacFadyen, who said of his part: “It’s very rarely your choice what roles you get offered… but to be in a show which has a similar tension and pulse to Vigil but is completely night and day different, and the part is very different as well, it’s just great to be able to play that.”

Helen Behan, James Purefoy, Brian Bovell and Jordan Kouamé make up the supporting cast.