Year: 2024- (February)
Genre:
Drama
Director:
Craig Viveiros
Stars:
Joanne Froggatt, Christopher Hatherall, Henry Meredith, Bhav Joshi, Donna Banya, Joseph Charles, Naomi Denny, Philip Arditti, Georgia Goodman, Eleanore-Beatriz Viveiros, Mary Woodvine, Mark Dexter, Amber Muldoon, Stephanie Street ...
Storyline:
She was trained to save lives... Nothing prepared her for this.
Breathtaking centers on Dr. Abbey Henderson, a seasoned hospital consultant in respiratory medicine, as she finds herself on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. In early 2020, as the world changes overnight, Abbey and her colleagues are plunged into a storm of underprepared systems, fear, and overwhelming loss.
Faced with overflowing ICUs, dying patients, ethical dilemmas, and bureaucratic pressure, Abbey must hold the line—professionally and emotionally—while navigating her own limits.
Based on the real-life experiences of NHS doctor Rachel Clarke, the series delivers an unflinching look at the heroism, heartbreak, and humanity behind hospital doors at the peak of the crisis.
Similar shows to Breathtaking
If you're moved by real-world medical stories with high emotional weight, Breathtaking stands beside:
This Is Going to Hurt (2022) – Darkly honest portrait of NHS doctors under pressure.
Five Days at Memorial (2022) – Hospital staff in crisis after a natural disaster.
The Good Nurse (2022) – Compassion vs. system failure in hospital halls.
💡 Like these, Breathtaking offers powerful realism, ethical tension, and emotional storytelling that honors the resilience of medical professionals in unprecedented times.
📌 Final Thoughts
With its intimate storytelling, grounded performances, and raw depiction of modern medical history, Breathtaking is a gut-wrenching, timely drama that humanizes the pandemic through one doctor's eyes—and shows that in a world gasping for air, compassion was the oxygen that kept people going.
The world shut down.
She stayed in. And kept them breathing.
Which of these shows have you seen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!