BBC Launch New Reality TV Show ‘Street Doctor’
The BBC is due to launch its newest reality TV show which will entail them sending out a team of doctors to diagnose and treat people on the streets of Britain.
Four GPs will visit a different town or city each week in the new series.
They will see patients on the street, in shopping centres, at their office and even on the bus.
Street Doctor Executive Producer Kieron Collins said: “Too many people put off going to see their GP.
“They can’t find the time, haven’t registered or are simply too worried about the outcome.
“But if they want to see a Street Doctor, there’s no appointment necessary, no waiting room and the doctor will come to them.”
The GPs will carry a Street Doctor banner so that the public know they can go to them for advice.
A production team will also be asking passers-by if they want to talk to a doctor.
A pilot for the show found that the cameras did not put people off talking to the doctor.
The series will consist of eight 30-minute programmes, starting early next year.
It will also follow more serious conditions and help unsuspecting members of the public, who may be unaware that they have a health problem, gain follow-up care and treatment.
The Street Doctor team of GPs are Dr Jonty Heaversedge and Dr Ayan Panja from London, Dr Barbara Murray from Stockport, and Dr George Rae from Newcastle upon Tyne.
Chat about this on the Unreality TV Forum »
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September 16th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
People are suprisingly not put off by most things if you put it on the telly.
I suppose if you have any body in a white coat with a camera crew behind them saying we are from the telly can you tell us your medical problems and show us your parts, most will oblige.
The cynic in me thinks, they could do an effective visit your GP drive without making it into a reality TV programme.
The GPS on TV will give patients more time and support than their own possibly overworked GP’s. So it will not be again reality.
Isnt this all very similar to what Ben Dover the legendary english film director did , when he started his cough, cough career.
September 16th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
I’m not knocking the work of GP’s but how effective will the four GP’s be in preventative and intervention medicine be , for the thousands of people who dont see their GP and need to.
I hope they only dont screen the most abnormal patients (in illness and behaviour) or the people who are blindingly obviously sick and their just too dense for words. But again it will make good telly to see :
A man whose toes are dropping off in his socks cos he’s got diabetic gangarene, he thinks its normal but his wife says, he should go see the doctor,but he wont and she’s too fussy etc. You watch they’ll do that one.
Secondly, does the advent of “Street Doctor” mean Ben Dover will actually get his own reality show on terestial TV ie ” The Street” Walker, as the UK seems increasingly ready to accept this type of Reality TV show, twenty years after Mr Dover came up with idea.
I give it eighteen months and it will be on our screens.
You watch, it will be on !.
Also how about “the Street” vicar, rabbi, priest, holyman, voodoo man etc for those to busy to attend their place of worship.
I frankly would like to be approached by a Street “witch” Doctor and camera crew who could lift curses and stick pins into little dollies of those who peeved me .I would be most grateful if he could stop me being eaten by zombies, in the event zombies decided to do such a thing.
September 16th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
Hi Dawn(y)! Something similar was said on the forum the other day.
How many people are going to open up to a man in a white coat with a camera crew in tow? How many are going to verify that he’s a doctor before allowing themselves to be examined?
September 17th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
Hi Brad its Dawn the Y is just frivolity.
I think street doctor will find people who will open up, but not the reasonably minded. It will just be the extreme characters, the confused or the very very simple. So it wont be very realistic.
For instance:
GP : we have diagnosed you with multiple sclerosis
Reality Patient : Thats nice dear, whats that then ?
GP: UM er a condition that you can manage, but its quite serious mutter mutter.
Reality Patient: Oh thats OK if I can manage it your majesty Mr GP sir. Im sure you can make me better Chuckle Chuckle. (The oblivious patient looks at the camera and smiles, completely clueless).
Voice over: Explains how serious Multiple Sclerosis actually is and the practical implications for the unsuspecting patient.
Next patient in.
The jobs a good un.
I’m not sure GP’s should also be prowling the street looking for patients as there is a conflict of interest between their ethics as GP’s and what makes good telly for a producer.
I also have a feeling that very strange/ wicked people who are peverted in every way, will get ideas from the programme. The will go up to the vulnerable, say they are GP’s using methods they see on the programme and abuse the vulnerable (there are thousands of them out there)
This week a nursey teacher (I think) is being investigated for using questionable techniques with children. In her defence she has stated she has seen the techniques used on SUPERNANNY.
What someone does on a “reality” TV programme and gets away with may get an ordinary person in real life in trouble. So yet again, how real can you make these programmes, if no-one is questioning Suppernanny.Only the person who copied her.
If they filmed patients at a genuine health centre who have given their consent, it’s safer, realistic and wont give the peverts any ideas. But it is real life and therefore it makes boring TV.
Ten months from the screening of street doctor. A lonely man stands in the dock accused of touching random members of the public in a dirty manner:
” I was disturbed your honor as I believed I was a Street GP from TV, the TV gave me the idea, it wasnt anything to do with me, I was suffering from delusions, the telly fooled me and I thought I was genuinely qualified to examine ladies’s parts, kiddies, men’s parts etc………” .
He most likely would have done it without the telly, but it serves an excuse and gave him ideas.
No doubt you will also have vulnerable people showing their parts to any old camera crew and presenter, thinking its for Street Doctor and then ending up in a XXX film. Ben Dover style.
The cynic part of Dawn Blake says
“Methinks this one may possible end in tears”.
October 1st, 2007 at 8:55 pm
is that correct that anti-inflammatory,s cannot be given to asthmatics as stated on tnites programme,love the series x