Maternal (TV series)

Maternal is a British medical drama television drama series created by Jacqui Honess-Martin. The series began broadcast on ITV on 16 January 2023, as well as on ITVX. The show was cancelled after one season.

Plot

Following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, three female doctors return to frontline medicine after their maternity leave.

Cast

Parminder Nagra as Dr. Maryam Afridi
Lara Pulver as Dr. Catherine MacDiarmid
Lisa McGrillis as Dr. Helen Cavendish
Raza Jaffrey as Dr. Jack Oliviera
Oliver Chris as Dr. Guy Cavendish
Abhin Galeya as Raz Farooqui
Julie Graham as Dr. Susan Fisher
Elizabeth Dulau as Dr. Louise Pennycook
Alexander Karim as Lars Nordstrom

Production

The series was inspired by real surgeon Zoe Barber, who works at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital in Llantrisant. The series was playwright Jacqui Honess-Martin's television debut.
Although set in Manchester, Maternal filmed in Liverpool including at Edge Hill Health Centre and Liverpool Innovation Park.

Episodes

All episodes were made available on ITVX on 16 January 2023, prior to their linear broadcast.

Reception

The series received positive reviews from critics. Isobel Lewis from The Independent gave the first episode four out of five stars, praising the acting, dialogue and topicality of the drama. Lucy Mangan of The Guardian awarded the first episode four stars out of five, praising the depth of the three lead characters, and remarked that it had 'grit in the storytelling oyster that produces something rather wonderful'. Anita Singh in The Telegraph also gave it four stars out of five, proclaiming it as superior to another recent medical drama, This Is Going to Hurt. In a more mixed review, Carol Midgley in The Times gave it three stars, finding the show reliant on cliches.