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The Good Karma Hospital

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The Good Karma Hospital
Series title over an Indian landscape
GenreDrama
Created byDan Sefton
Starring
ComposerBen Foster
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series4
No. of episodes24
Production
Executive producersFrith Tiplady
Iona Vrolyk
Will Gould
ProducerStephen Smallwood
CinematographyMichael Snyman
Running time60 minutes (inc. adverts)
Production companyTiger Aspect Productions
Original release
NetworkITV
Release5 February 2017 (2017-02-05) –
27 February 2022 (2022-02-27)

The Good Karma Hospital is a medical drama series produced by Tiger Aspect Productions for ITV about a disillusioned doctor, Ruby Walker, who travels to South India hoping to make a fresh start. It stars Amanda Redman, Amrita Acharia, James Krishna Floyd, Nimmi Harasgama, and Neil Morrissey.[1] The series is shot in Unawatuna in southern Sri Lanka, Thiranagama Golden Beach Restaurant, and some other places in Galle District.

The Good Karma Hospital was recommissioned for a second and a third series. Filming for the second series started in August 2017 and it was broadcast from 18 March 2018.[2][3][4] Series 3 first aired in October 2019 in Australia, with a UK premiere in March 2020.[5] A fourth series started airing in the UK on 23 January 2022. In November 2022 it was announced that the show has been cancelled after its fourth series.[6][7]

Plot

[edit]

A medical drama about a junior doctor, Ruby Walker, who becomes disillusioned with her life and broken relationship, and decides to leave the UK. Seeing an advertisement for a hospital job in south India, she travels there hoping to make a fresh start and finds herself working at The Good Karma Hospital, an under-resourced and overworked cottage hospital run by a strong-willed English expat, Dr. Lydia Fonseca.

Cast and characters

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Episodes

[edit]
SeriesEpisodesOriginally airedAve. UK viewers
(millions)
First airedLast aired
165 February 2017 (2017-02-05)12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)7.39
2618 March 2018 (2018-03-18)22 April 2018 (2018-04-22)6.28
3612 October 2019 (2019-10-12) (AU)
15 March 2020 (2020-03-15) (UK)		16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) (AU)
19 April 2020 (2020-04-19) (UK)		5.87
4623 January 2022 (2022-01-23)27 February 2022 (2022-02-27)TBA

Series 1 (2017)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
11"Episode 1"Bill EaglesDan Sefton5 February 2017 (2017-02-05)8.13
Junior doctor Ruby Walker has become disillusioned with her life and decides to leave the UK. She heads to South India hoping to make a fresh start, and finds a new home working in an under-resourced and over-worked cottage hospital run by a strong-willed English expat, Dr Lydia Fonseca.
22"Episode 2"Bill EaglesDan Sefton12 February 2017 (2017-02-12)8.02

Ruby gets to grips with her challenging new routine working at the hospital, but tension continues in her professional relationship with Gabriel. The doctors have a mystery on their hands when an unidentified man is discovered washed up on the beach. In addition they face a race against the clock to find anti-venom for a local snake catcher whose luck may have run out, leaving him in urgent need of treatment.

Guest Stars Rajendranath Zutshi
33"Episode 3"[10]Bill EaglesNancy Harris19 February 2017 (2017-02-19)7.08
Ruby becomes personally involved in the case of an abandoned baby that is brought to the hospital during the Holi festival, and Lydia is reunited with an expat artist, whose unusual lifestyle may be about to catch up with him. The festival helps Maggie further to find joy in her decision to stay in India.
44"Episode 4"[11]Bill EaglesVinay Patel26 February 2017 (2017-02-26)7.30

Ram clashes with Lydia as a medical case becomes personal on the day he is due to attend a lavish wedding. Ruby treats a patient from the UK whose story does not add up, and the experience leaves her wondering where she really belongs. Mari is conflicted about helping a famous singer.

Guest Stars Sharon Prabhakar
55"Episode 5"[12]Jon WrightDan Sefton5 March 2017 (2017-03-05)7.07

Lydia and Ruby visit a convent and make a seemingly miraculous diagnosis, but the treatment of a young nun and the senior doctor's interfering attitude creates tension between them, which finally erupts in a fierce confrontation. Maggie and Paul join a group of pilgrims on a trek through the jungle, hoping to find the answer to their prayers, while a stroke victim's family prays for his recovery as well. Ram engages an attractive marriage broker for his son AJ. Meanwhile Ruby's ex-boyfriend initiates a reconciliation.

Guest Stars Madhur Jaffrey
66"Episode 6"[13]Jon WrightDan Sefton12 March 2017 (2017-03-12)6.71
Tension between Lydia and Ruby continues to grow with the arrival of Ruby's ex-boyfriend, leading Ruby to make a momentous decision. Maggie's health begins to decline dramatically, and her daughter is adamant that the family must return to the UK. However, the staff supports Maggie in her desire to remain in India for the time she has left.

Series 2 (2018)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
71"Episode 1"Alex WincklerDan Sefton18 March 2018 (2018-03-18)6.90
A blistering heatwave hits the region placing additional stress on the hospital. Gabriel and Ruby have differing opinions regarding a patient with abdominal pain and Ruby performs her first surgery.
82"Episode 2"Alex WincklerBen Edwards25 March 2018 (2018-03-25)6.58
Lydia tries to regain the trust of a former patient who has turned to a herbal doctor for medical care. Gabriel reveals something about his past as he and Ruby treat a patient with a mysterious condition. Ruby gets a letter from an unexpected source.
93"Episode 3"Alex WincklerNicola Wilson1 April 2018 (2018-04-01)6.05
Gabriel joins Ruby on an outreach programme to a tea plantation, but discovers that she has not been completely honest about her reasons for wanting to go there. Back at the clinic, Lydia tries to help a patient who she believes is a victim of domestic abuse.
104"Episode 4"Lisa ClarkeGabbie Asher & Dan Sefton8 April 2018 (2018-04-08)6.05
Ruby is still reeling from her discoveries at the tea plantation, and must decide whether she can forgive past mistakes. Paul encounters a girl who feels she has special powers. Meanwhile, Mari goes head to head with Lydia when a surrogate mother gives birth in the hospital.
115"Episode 5"[14]Lisa ClarkeBen Edwards15 April 2018 (2018-04-15)6.05
The clinic is pushed to its limits when a building collapses in Barco and the doctors face a desperate struggle to save the injured survivors. Ruby's objectivity is put to the test when she discovers a secret concerning one of her patients, and Ram helps a woman whose husband is missing.
126"Episode 6"[15]Lisa ClarkeDan Sefton22 April 2018 (2018-04-22)6.06
Lydia is confronted with a difficult dilemma when she is contacted by her former mentor. AJ saves a patient and makes a decision about his future. Greg tries to help Paul work through his grief. Ruby and Gabriel treat two fishermen who have been involved in a fight. The staff of the hospital come together to celebrate Ram and Mala's wedding, where Ruby and Gabriel acknowledge their interest in each other.

Series 3 (2019)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
131"Episode 1"Philip JohnDan Sefton12 October 2019 (2019-10-12) (AU)
15 March 2020 (2020-03-15) (UK)		6.07
After months away with her family, Ruby returns to the hospital for her pregnant sister to give birth. A life-and-death medical crisis unfolds, and Ruby makes a decision about where she belongs. Greg has a surprise family visitor.
142"Episode 2"Philip JohnKelly Jones19 October 2019 (2019-10-19) (AU)
22 March 2020 (2020-03-22) (UK)		5.60
A medical train rolls into in town providing free operations, and carrying a surprise for Gabriel—an attractive older surgeon from his past. Lydia tries to convince a patient with cataracts to have a needed surgery. A staff member, Jyoti, is viciously attacked, leaving the staff shocked.
153"Episode 3"Philip JohnBen Edwards26 October 2019 (2019-10-26) (AU)
29 March 2020 (2020-03-29) (UK)		5.85
Gabriel and Aisha get closer when they work on an operation together, threatening Ruby and Gabriel's blossoming relationship. Ruby and Ram fall out over a patient's care, and Edmund's search for his lost love hits a dead end.
164"Episode 4"John McKayDan Sefton2 November 2019 (2019-11-02)(AU)
5 April 2020 (2020-04-05) (UK)		5.95
AJ returns home from medical school to assist at the hospital on his break, while Greg discovers his daughter, Tommy, is hiding a secret. Lydia sends Ruby to investigate a possible case of dengue fever at a nearby mission. Despite the staff's best efforts, Jyoti continues to struggle with the physical and emotional consequences of the attack on her.
175"Episode 5"John McKayGlen Laker9 November 2019 (2019-11-09) (AU)
12 April 2020 (2020-04-12) (UK)		5.88
It's Diwali, and revelers cause chaos throughout the town. Lydia tries to help a deaf runaway teenager, while Gabriel and Aisha are thrown together in a festival clinic.
186"Episode 6"John McKayNicola Wilson16 November 2019 (2019-11-16) (AU)
19 April 2020 (2020-04-19) (UK)		5.87
As Lydia and Mari disagree about how to support Jyoti, AJ helps a patient with mysterious abdominal pain. Still reeling from what happened with Gabriel, Ruby struggles to return to her normal duties at the hospital.

Series 4 (2022)

[edit]
No.
overall		No. in
series		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateUK viewers
(millions)
191"Episode 1"Philip JohnDan Sefton23 January 2022 (2022-01-23)5.74
Lydia is forced to admit a patient who has the highly contagious Nipah virus when Ruby and new British-Asian doctor Samir Hasan break protocol in the fight to save the girl's life.
202"Episode 2"Philip JohnNyla Levy & Dan Sefton30 January 2022 (2022-01-30)5.12
Ruby faces difficult questions when her actions have devastating consequences, while Greg keeps a troubling secret from Lydia and the hospital welcomes a new doctor.
213"Episode 3"Nimer RashedJess Williams6 February 2022 (2022-02-06)5.02
The happy news that Karishma is awake is offset by her loneliness. Samir realises she needs more than medicine to fix her and arranges a little magic. Meanwhile Lydia discovers there's only one answer to Greg's visa problem.
224"Episode 4"Nimer RashedDan Sefton13 February 2022 (2022-02-13)5.03
A tragic case leads Samir and Mari to grow closer still. Lydia and Niki are reminded of how testing life can be as Good Karma Hospital doctors and a familiar face returns to Good Karma but will he find the forgiveness he's looking for?
235"Episode 5"Philip JohnSumerah Srivastav20 February 2022 (2022-02-20)4.98
Ruby is shocked with the unexpected arrival of someone from her past who insists on helping care for her father. Can she really be expected to trust again? A misstep teaches Niki the dangers of overconfidence and Lydia is forced to confront her past in the form of her first husband, the charismatic Dr Jules Fonseca.
246"Episode 6"Philip JohnMatt Evans27 February 2022 (2022-02-27)5.30
Lydia and Greg's wedding plans are upset by three emergency admissions. Greg wonders if disappearing to help her patients is a ploy and in truth, Lydia has cold feet. Will they tie the knot?

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes season 1 received an 80% rating based on reviews from 5 critics.[16]

Gayle Pennington of the St. Louis Post Dispatch described the first season as “a magical combination of familiar and exotically foreign…. a drama you’ll remember long after you finish watching it.“[17]

Writing for the Indian digital news publication Scroll, Vikram Johri says: ”The series…has its heart in the right place even if it cannot entirely avoid tone-deaf generalisations… Ignore these irritants and the show can be engaging, especially when it is not trying to train the viewer in Indian mores… It is Walker who is the show’s beating heart. Unaware of Indian customs and rituals,..she takes to her new home and assignment with gusto, quickly imbibing that all-important Indian lesson of making do with what’s available. As a paediatrician, she finds herself performing minor surgical procedures. However, it is her deep reserves of empathy – and the gentle eyes of the actress who plays her – that make her the ideal doctor. “[9]

Deborah Ross for Event Magazine says that the series, “…does not have an original bone in its body…. It’s intended as Sunday night ‘unchallenging’ fare but if you can sit through it without feeling so challenged you want to throw a shoe at the TV, you are made of stronger stuff than I. “[18][better source needed]

DVD releases

[edit]
Title Number of discs Year Number of episodes UK Release date Australia Release Date
Series 1 2 2017 6 20 March 2017 2 August 2017[19]
Series 2 2 2018 6 23 April 2018 6 June 2018[20]
Series 3 2 2019 6 20 April 2020 27 November 2019[21]
Series 1-3 6 2017-2019 18 20 April 2020 27 November 2019[22]
Series 4 2 2022 6 11 April 2022 N/A
Series 1-4 8 2017-2022 24 11 April 2022 N/A

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "ITV Media - The Good Karma Hospital". ITV Media. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  2. ^ Louise McCreesh (13 March 2017). "ITV's The Good Karma Hospital is coming back for a second series". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  3. ^ "ITV orders a second series of The Good Karma Hospital" (Press release). ITV. 12 March 2017. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  4. ^ Ben Dowell (12 March 2017). "The Good Karma Hospital is coming back for a second series on ITV". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  5. ^ "BBC Benelux | Home". Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  6. ^ "The Good Karma Hospital axed by ITV after four series | Virgin Radio UK". Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  7. ^ "The Good Karma Hospital season 4: Release date, cast and latest news". Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  8. ^ a b c Morris, Lauren (21 January 2022). "Meet the cast of The Good Karma Hospital". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2022.
  9. ^ a b Johri, Vikram. "A doctor tries to navigate India and cliches in TV show 'The Good Karma Hospital'". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Series 1 – Episode 3". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  11. ^ "Series 1 – Episode 4". Radio Times. 14 February 2017. Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  12. ^ Jane Rackham. "The Good Karma Hospital". Archived from the original on 25 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  13. ^ Jane Rackham. "The Good Karma Hospital". Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  14. ^ "Series 2 − Episode 5". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  15. ^ "Series 2 − Episode 6". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  16. ^ "The Good Karma Hospital: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  17. ^ Pennington, Gail. "TV review: 'Good Karma Hospital' is charmer from India, by way of the UK". STLtoday.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  18. ^ "The Good Karma Hospital: Season 1 - TV Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 19 December 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  19. ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 1, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  20. ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 2, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  21. ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 3, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Good Karma Hospital - Season 1-3 | Boxset, The". Sanity. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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