The Drug Trial: Emergency At The Hospital
1 x 60'
BBC 2, 2017
“A horrifyingly tense drama doc” The Times
On Monday 13 March 2006, eight healthy young men took part in a clinical trial of an experimental drug known as TGN1412. The drug intended to treat leukemia had been successfully tested on monkeys but never on humans. What should have been a routine clinical trial soon spiralled into one of the most infamous medical emergencies in recent British history.
A decade on, this award-winning drama documentary tells the story of what really happened in the trial, during the critical hours as medical staff fought to save the patients' lives and through the aftermath as the authorities sought to understand what had gone wrong.
Press
“Gripping film” Daily Telegraph
“This queasily compelling documentary is more nail-biting than any hospital drama could be” Saturday Times
“There would have been other ways for television to tackle the scandal but the writer-director Barbie MacLaurin perceived the power of pure narrative as most important…the acting looked far more real than in TV dramas” The Times
“A case study in how to make a specialist factual story unfold like a thriller” Broadcast Awards
Awards
Winner Feature of the Year, Medical Journalist Awards 2017
Winner Best Science and Technology Program, Rockie Awards, Banff World Media festival 2018
Nominated Best Science Documentary, Grierson Awards 2017
Nominated Best Documentary, Broadcast Awards 2018
Winner Make Up Design, RTS Craft Awards 2017