Yesterday, the NHS celebrated 70 years of helping British people survive through some of the most traumatic events and injuries any one person could experience. The National Health Service, established by Labour back on July 5, 1948 is one of the most celebrated public services across the globe, and is the envy of many other countries. Formed from the simple ideal that good healthcare should be available to all regardless of the amount of money they had stashed away in their bank, the NHS has done an incredible job over seven decades. Though there are those who would like to see it torn down and privatised in order to make a profit, millions are doing their all week in, week out to ensure that never happens. Long may the NHS live.
Celebrating 70 years of the service, we’ve decided to take a look at some of our favourite television doctors! Let us know if any of our six are also fictional medical professionals you adore, or if we’ve missed out somebody who should have definitely made our list!
6. Abby Lockhart, ER
Maura Tierney is without a doubt one of the most talented actresses the modern world has ever seen, and in ER she stole the spotlight as Abby Lockhart on more than one occasion. Starting out as a nurse, Abby would have a more senior role in her sights, going to medical school and training up to become an attending physician. Abby was one of the most approachable and friendly characters ER had to offer, and is often cited by fans when looking back at the series as a whole as one of the reasons they’d watch with such beaming smiles on their faces.
5. Dr. Drake Ramoray aka Joey Tribbiani, Friends
Ok, so Joey Tribbiani wasn’t technically a doctor on Friends, but he did play one on TV! Dr. Drake Ramoray is one of the funniest parts of the show when you watch Friends back for the hundredth time, consistently falling in love with his patients and colleagues, and pretty much allowing Joey to play a professional version of himself for America to enjoy. The best Ramoray moment came however, when Days of our Lives decided to bring the character back from the dead, giving him a brain transplant from Jessica Lockhart, played by Susan Sarandon. Queue lots of hammy acting, and lots of laughter at home.
4. Perry Cox, Scrubs
Over nine seasons of Scrubs, John C. McGinley did an impeccable job of portraying fan-favourite character Perry Cox, who served as somewhat of a father figure to J.D. (Zach Braff) throughout the series. Taking Perry into our hearts wasn’t something that instantly happened; he was at first shown to be a stubborn and stuck-up piece of work, but over time as the ice melted and his real personality was allowed to shine, audiences cheered as he took on the role of Chief of Medicine at Sacred Heart.
3. Allison Cameron, House
For those who haven’t seen House, but are a big fan of fairy tales, Jennifer Morrison may be most recognisable thanks to the recently concluded ABC show, Once Upon A Time. Before then however, she would tackle the series regular role of Allison Cameron across six seasons of House, proving that she was one of the main reasons fans tuned in when ratings began to dip following her departure. Working as the only female doctor at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital in Gregory House’s (Hugh Laurie) team, she worked hard to break down barriers and pave the way for other talented women to jump aboard and help save lives. An icon of television, and somebody we’ll never forget.
2. Dana Scully, The X-Files
She may not be somebody you’d typically see on a list of this sort, but what many people forget about Dana Scully is that she’s a fully-qualified physician. So, not only is she skilled when it comes to searching for extra-terrestrials, but she’d be pretty good in a hospital specialising in diagnosis and medical treatment. For now, we’ve seen the last of Scully in The X-Files. Gillian Anderson announced she would be leaving the show following its successful revival, and we can’t see her making another comeback any time soon.
1. Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy
We couldn’t make a list about our favourite TV doctors and miss out the brilliant Meredith Grey, played by the formidable Ellen Pompeo in Shonda Rhimes’ hit series Grey’s Anatomy. Meredith has been through a heck of a lot of trauma during her time at Seattle Grace, now Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. Loss is something that now comes as second nature to the talented head of general surgery, and we sincerely hope that the character will eventually find her happily ever after.
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Of course, our biggest shoutout goes to the real-life NHS staff who work tirelessly each day to make sure each and every one of us here in the UK are allowed access to the best medical healthcare system in the world, free of charge. Thank you; you're the real heroes.
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