22 December 2008
Filming has got underway for a new 'fly on the wall' documentary that will chart the experiences of trainee surgeons - three of which are based at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.
Nicola Robertson, Andrew Al Rais and Rosemary Johns along with eight trainees from hospitals across London, will be shadowed over the next eight months by a crew from production company Tiger Aspect.
The series, provisionally called Surgeons in Training, is due to be aired during a prime time slot on ITV1 next year.
The three part documentary will give viewers a unique behind the scenes look at the pressurised environment in which surgeons work, as well as the in-depth training they have to go through to become the surgeons of the future. A camera crew has been filming the trainees since the beginning of October.
27 year-old Andrew from Sevenoaks said: "I am thrilled to have been selected to appear in the documentary and know it really will tell an interesting story. For me, the past month has been a fascinating introduction to life as a surgeon. It is odd having a camera crew following you, but I think the documentary will make really interesting viewing. It is great that ITV chose to film at Epsom and St Helier."
To date, filming has centred on the three trainees familiarising themselves with their new surroundings, learning basic techniques and carrying out minor operations under the watchful eye of the Trust's expert surgeons.
Executive producer at Tiger Aspect, Belinda Cherrington, said the documentary will be a ground breaking. "Although we will be telling the stories of our trainee surgeons whilst they're at work undertaking their training and as they take on more and more complex surgery, we will also be looking at their lives outside of work and how they deal with some pressurised jobs".
Surgeons in Training is due to be broadcast in the autumn of 2009.
