1 x 60’ for BBC Scotland

One Night In Emergency marks the television debut of critically-acclaimed playwright, Gregory Burke.  Inspired by the award-winning Romanian film, The Death of Mr Lazarescu, and Gregory’s own experiences, this hard-hitting drama charts one man’s journey through the wards of an overrun, inner-city hospital.

Peter and Penny are an ordinary middle class couple: childless, career-minded and cosseted. But when Penny is admitted to Accident & Emergency with what appears to be a minor complaint, their world is turned upside down.

Peter is slow to leave work and arrives at the hospital late. It’s a busy night, and the emergency department is full of the ill and injured. Frustrated by the lack of help he receives amid the chaos, Peter decides to take matters into his own hands. He begins to wander the corridors in search of his wife.

As he ventures deep into the labyrinthine building, a series of strange encounters begin to divert him from the task at hand. Over the course of 24 hours, he is slowly drawn into a surreal parallel world of officious security guards, social outcasts and drug-addicted hospital staff.

At the mercy of the institution, Peter’s shortcomings are quickly exposed. He’s trapped in a gothic nightmare intent on dismantling the artifice of his everyday life. Will he escape in time to see the woman he loves and atone for past mistakes?

Producer
Dan Hine

Executive Producer
Daisy Goodwin