Member Article

‘Critical’ role for Cumbria-based Bender UK in new TV medical drama

Cumbria-based Bender UK has played a key role in ensuring the authenticity of the operating theatre scenes in the new Sky 1 drama ‘Critical’, by providing operating theatre equipment used in the high-tech sets built for the series.

Bender UK supplied the advanced XLED surgical lighting (seen below) used in the operating theatre set, through its UK partnership with Steris.

Each programme in the 13-part medical drama focuses on the team’s real-time efforts to save patients during the critical first 60 minutes after they arrive at the hospital.

Those minutes will flash by on the digital clock within the Bender touch-screen control panel which controls operating theatre equipment.

‘Critical’ is set in a state-of-the-art Major Trauma Centre, a unit which treats only the most gravely ill or seriously injured, with each episode featuring a new and distinctive case.

Lennie James stars as locum trauma consultant Glen Boyle in the ground-breaking new series.

Production Designer for ‘Critical’ at Hat Trick Productions, Malcolm Thornton, said: ’The concept of the ‘Critical’ Trauma Unit was a cutting edge, high tech, medical unit that was equipped with state of the art equipment.

“The set was to be lit entirely with LED lights and this applied to the operating theatre. We chose Steris XLED theatre lamps from Bender because of their light quality, and their stunning interwoven crescent-shaped lamp arrangement.

“The look of the lamps was perfect for our setting and their technical performance gave us the light quality we needed for the different medical situations to be depicted.”

Operations manager for Ulverston-based Bender UK, Gareth Brunton said: “The team producing ‘Critical’ wanted total authenticity and as a turnkey provider of operating theatre solutions and equipment to medical facilities across the UK we were happy to work with them.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .