Doctor at the Top


Doctor at the Top is a British television comedy series, the last of seven series in a Doctor in [the House (franchise)|franchise] that began with Doctor in the House and was inspired by the "Doctor" books by Richard Gordon. It was produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1 in 1991. Four of the seven episodes were written by George Layton, who is also credited as series creator and who reprised his Paul Collier character for the series; the other three episodes were written by Bill Oddie.
The series is set 25 years after the medical students from Doctor in the House graduated from St. Swithin's hospital, and follows the later careers of three of those characters. Duncan Waring is now married with five daughters, and remains a staff doctor with a modest income. Paul Collier is thrice divorced and is earning well through private patients and television appearances; he dresses expensively and drives a posh car. The most surprising transformation is Dick Stuart-Clark. The former ne'er-do-well has married into a wealthy, well-connected family, and as a result now holds the coveted head of surgery job at St. Swithin's, the position formerly held by the retired Professor Sir Geoffrey Loftus, who also appears in four of the episodes.
The series was not as well received as its predecessors and was cancelled after one seven episode series. According to Layton, it "depressed the whole nation" with its depiction of the formerly fun-loving characters experiencing late middle-aged angst. Oddie dubbed it "Doctor Down The Drain".

Cast

Episodes

  1. "Sins of the Father"
  2. "Happy Birthday, Sir Geoffrey"
  3. "The V.I.P."
  4. "The Kindest Cut"
  5. "Bye Bye, Bickerstaff"
  6. "It's All Right, I'm a Doctor"
  7. "Waring Goes Private?"