Crown Court Case 0: Doctor's Neglect? (Simpson v Rudkin General Hospital Management Board)

Written by: Paul Wheeler

Directed by: Richard Everitt

Original broadcast: Doctor's Neglect? was made as a pilot, and wasn't shown during Crown Court's original ITV run, but has since surfaced on satellite and DVD.

"On April 17th, 1970, at 11.40 in the morning, Arthur John Simpson was involved in a car accident.  Suffering various abrasions but conscious and able to walk, he was taken by ambulance from the scene of the crash to the accident department of Rudkin General Hospital.  There he was examined by a member of the accident department staff, a Dr Warner.  X-rays were taken of the left elbow, knee, two-inch flesh wound to the left side of the skull.  Mr Simpson was taken by a Nurse Dowling to a nearby restroom and told to lie down.  Half an hour later Mr Simpson was found in a state of collapse, on the street that runs in front of the main entrance to the hospital.  He was rushed into an operating theatre, and an operation was performed on a hairline fracture of the skull.  The operation was not a success, and at 12.23 on the afternoon of April 17th, Arthur John Simpson died."

The plaintiff: Anna Simpson (Petra Davies)

Here's Mrs Simpson's outfit on the second day in court:

The Hospital staff: Mr Frost (George Waring), Dr Nicholas Warner (Jeremy Bulloch) and Nurse Helen Dowling (Jacqueline Stanbury)

And here's Dr Warner and Nurse Dowling's outfits on the second day in court.

Presiding: Justice Waddington (Ernest Hare)

Prosecuting: Jonathan Fry QC (David Neal) and Derek Jones (David Ashford)

Defending: James Elliot QC (Charles Keating) and Barry Deeley (John Alkin)

Expert witness: Dr Sissons (Basil Dignam)

The jury: there isn't one for this trial (ho ho) run, but I think the people scattered about at the back of the court are genuine members of the public, if the man on the left's odd behaviour's anything to go by.

Memorable dialogue:

Mrs Simpson: Our life together was one of uninterrupted contentment, if that does not sound too sentimental.

Justice Waddington: How refreshing to hear such sentiments in these days!

Barry Deeley: Three years in the courts have taught me a few things, and one of them is a resentful woman doesn't even know when she's lying.

Dr Warner: What's he like, the judge?

James Elliot: Justice Waddington? Well, he plays golf badly, plays bridge rather well, he's an old-fashioned gent when it comes to the ladies, he hates dogs but he adores children.  He's also a very fair man.  Just how fair we're soon to discover.

Notable fluff:

Charles Keating: The witness, excellent record though he has as a doctor, has made no claims to onmisty...omniscience.

The Verdict (SPOILER): Guilty

Summing-up: Some of Crown Court's best-remembered elements, including the jury of members of the public and Peter Reno's "Distant Hills" over the end titles, are missing from the pilot.  It's also an interesting curio for featuring scenes outside the courtroom.  These are all focused around the defence team and the hospital staff, which has the effect of making them more sympathetic characters than the prosecution (though there's a fun twist involving Mrs Simpson).  David Neal performs Jonathan Fry as perhaps too much of a baddie, though he, Charles Keating and George Waring in particular give compelling performances.  It's interesting that the format of the show at this stage features the opposing lawyers merrily chatting outside of the courtroom.  The device of explaining court procedure by having hospital administrator Mr Frost tap Barry Deeley on the shoulder and ask him questions throughout quickly gets annoying.  Doctor's Neglect? is a diverting enough way to spend an hour and a half, and it seems a bit pointless to criticise a programme that was never intended for public consumption, but without the unpredictable element that real people would bring to the series it all feels a bit sterile at this stage.