Can You Hear Me? (Doctors)

On 18 March 2020, it was announced that filming of Doctors had been postponed as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] As a result, production was suspended indefinitely, and cast and crew members were sent home for their own safety.[2] On 22 May 2020, despite having the government's permission to recommence production, Doctors announced that a lockdown-themed episode was being filmed at cast members' homes using their mobile phones.[3] Doctors became the first soap opera to directly address the effects of the pandemic in an episode, as well as the first to film an episode using mobile devices.[4] Despite fellow BBC soap opera EastEnders announcing plans to return to filming in June 2020, Doctors producer Peter Eryl Lloyd stated: "I wanted to capture the strange times we are experiencing and present it to our audience."[5]

Lloyd stated that there were "talks about what it would be like going back to work, when it would be and how [they] would do it". Due to the extremity of the pandemic, he noted that the return to on-set production felt "so far off". He admitted that the production of the episode was "tricky to pull off", but explained that due to the teamwork, they could do it "effectively". Lloyd explained that executive producer Mike Hobson "was all for it and was keen to get things going as soon as possible", explaining that Hobson talked to BBC Daytime, who shared their enthusiasm at making the episode. He accredited this enthusiasm to being the "first continuing drama series to make and transmit a 'lockdown' episode". After production talks were over, they approached the cast members, and stated that "with some assurances, they were all for it". After BBC Daytime green-lit the episode, Lloyd and Hobson worked with script editor Richard Kelly and writer Toby Walton "to capture moments in time during lockdown".[6]

Lloyd went on to explain that they dealt with "massive limitations", stating that they were "restricted to group meetings and phone calls", and that a lot of time went into making those particular scenes "interesting and watchable". He also wanted to convey "the hard work of the NHS, the fear and paranoia everyone went through and some of the ridiculousness of the situation." Lloyd commended writer Walton for his writing, describing the script as "hilarious, heart breaking and heart-warming". Lloyd said that production manager Andy Richardson and supervising editor Stephen Killick "auditioned" the technical equipment owned by the cast members, to know if it was "fit for use", so that they could produce a "quality product". Lloyd added that the production team saw the potential for the episode running-time to be 45 minutes, rather than the typical 30 minutes.[6]

Executive producer Mike Hobson commented: "We're never afraid to push the format on Doctors as our loyal viewers know, but this episode has been a challenge of a very different kind. To turn it around at this speed has meant coming up with new ways of working and totally rethinking how to make the programme."[7] The episode "gave a real focus after weeks of uncertainty. Everyone was very enthusiastic, and though some were daunted by the set up and the technical know-how, we managed to pull it off", and working towards "something concrete that was guaranteed to be broadcast".[6]

Lloyd conceived the idea for the episode in late March, during the first week of lockdown, and stated that the episode took three weeks to complete, with filming itself taking five days. The production team ensured that strict social distancing measures were followed through the making of the episode.[8]

On 22 May 2020, the Doctors Twitter account shared a photograph of cast member Elisabeth Dermot Walsh holding a clapperboard stating that her scenes in the episode had been filmed using an iPhone X.[9] Cast members Walsh and Sarah Moyle expressed their nervousness at filming the episode. Walsh stated that due to having two young children, she had to completely clean the room shown in her scenes. She moved all furniture out of view, as she felt that her character, Zara Carmichael, would not have such pieces, drawing on their differences.[10] Moyle stated that she was excited to take part in the episode as it was something to do during lockdown, but found the filming aspects daunting, such as lighting and camera angles. She also found getting into character difficult, as she got used to going on set and feeling like character Valerie Pitman. Moyle also found it strange filming by herself, and added that Valerie is accustomed to being around other characters.[11] Moyle stated that filming from home was entertaining, and added that her scenes were filmed in a room in her flat that she hadn't yet decorated.[10] Actors also did their own makeup and sourced their own "in-character" costumes.[6]

Lloyd explained that filming scenes was difficult for the cast specifically, due to acting straight to camera, and relying on Lloyd to perform the dialogue of every other cast member. He noted that it "required a lot of imaginative work on their part."[12] Due to production on set being suspended, the annual transmission break taken by Doctors during the summer began earlier than scheduled after the episode aired on 12 June 2020.[13][14]