BBC Two announces special Coronavirus episode of Hospital

BBC Two has announced a special Coronavirus episode of its documentary series Hospital.

The fifth series of Hospital is currently airing on BBC Two at 9PM on Thursday nights.

Today (March 26), the BBC revealed it had commissioned an additional special episode to be filmed and aired over the coming weeks.

It will see the award-winning series going behind the scenes as the NHS responds to the Covid-19 pandemic with the number of cases in the UK rising sharply.

Hospital will be filmed across the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust in London, as staff look to contain and treat the virus in these exceptional and unprecedented times.

The Royal Free London is home to world-leading experts in infectious diseases who are battling the pandemic and helping to lead the way not just in the UK but globally.

Filmed, edited and broadcast within weeks, this film will capture the daily realities facing the NHS during this global health emergency. The film will also play an important role in keeping the public informed about the facts and how they can help the NHS and its staff meet the challenges in the weeks and months ahead.

The BBC said: “The health and wellbeing of all involved – patients, hospital staff, film crew and the public – will be of paramount importance at all times and will be informed by national and international safety protocols.

“Broadcast of the programme is subject to completion of the filming which is being monitored daily as government guidance changes.”

Emma Loach, BBC Commissioning Editor, Documentaries, said: “Now in its fifth series, Hospital has become one of the most important documentary series on television, combining the best of public service broadcasting with urgent storytelling about our most treasured institution.

“It is the perfect series within which to explore the pressures and challenges faced on the frontline by our health workers and underline the part we all have to play in ensuring that the NHS is not overrun as the number of cases increases.”

The BBC two has also announced a two-part Horizon Special on Coronavirus.

They shared: “The world’s media is awash with data, information and misinformation. But what are the facts? What is Covid-19 and why is this strain of Coronavirus so dangerous? What happens in our bodies when the virus attacks? What do the all the numbers really mean and how can we use them to find the truth about how many people have contracted the virus and plan for the future?”

BBC Two’s Horizon – the longest running TV science strand in the world – will look behind the headlines, and explore the latest new research from the frontline of the medical fightback.

Both Hospital and Horizon will air this Spring on BBC Two.