Everything to know about new pandemic series that has everyone raging and in tears

ITV’s new drama Breathtaking has gripped viewers across Ireland and the UK, leaving many wiping away tears with its hard-hitting scenes.

The series, which has been described as everything from ‘harrowing’ to ‘heartbreaking’, outlines the strain put on hospitals and medical staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Here’s everything we know about the three-part series ahead of its finale.

What’s it about?

Joanne Froggatt as Abbey in Breathtaking. Pic: ITV

Breathtaking’s script is adapted from a namesake memoir written by NHS palliative care doctor Dr Rachel Clarke. The series depicts the horrors medical staff endured during the pandemic.

The plot unfolds through the eyes of Dr Abbey Henderson, played by Downton Abbey’s Joanne Froggatt, at a fictional city hospital in England.

Joanne Froggatt as Abbey in Breathtaking. Pic: ITV

The first episode, which follows young healthcare assistant Divina who contracts Covid while caring for patients, showcases the harrowing reality faced by families who lost loved ones during the bleakest periods of the pandemic.

Episode two, titled Delay, covers the critical month of April 2020, a number of weeks into the UK’s first full lockdown. It details the agonising truth of staff shortages in hospitals.

Who created it?

Joanne Froggatt as Abbey in Breathtaking. Pic: ITV

Breathtaking was adapted for television by its author Dr Rachel Clarke and former junior hospital doctors Jed Mercurio, who also created Line Of Duty, and Prasanna Puwanarajah.

Upon completion of filming, actress Joanne Froggatt said: ‘I feel truly honoured to be playing Dr Abbey Henderson in Breathtaking, based on Dr Rachel Clarke’s beautifully written, poignant and shocking book of the same name.’

‘When I first read the incredible scripts they moved me to tears on many occasions,’ Joanne continued. ‘I felt so passionately that I had to be a part of telling this story, the real story, of what was really happening behind the closed doors of the hospitals during the pandemic.

‘Our NHS staff are nothing less than absolute heroes in my eyes, and I hope telling this story goes a little way towards us understanding their truth, their lived experience and honoring their unbelievable commitment and sacrifice on behalf of us all.’

What are people saying about it?

Joanne Froggatt as Abbey in Breathtaking. Pic: ITV

In the wake of Breathtaking’s release, viewers have flocked to X with many sharing their first-hand account of Covid.

One user penned: ‘#Breathtaking is scarily accurate. One of my strong memories of Covid is stripping off at the door, wiping down all my belongings, straight in the shower. Trying to protect my family. I still caught it. Because I wasn’t given proper PPE.’

Another wrote: ‘Watching #Breathtaking on ITV. Very real memories from that time. Important to remember. The little details so well observed. Struggles to get PPE, oxygen alarms, disappearing sats, intubations, isolated, undressing in the car… Thank you [Dr Rachel Clarke] for telling our story.’

Where can I watch it?

Joanne Froggatt as Abbey in Breathtaking. Pic: ITV

The first two episodes of Breathtaking respectively aired on February 19 and 20. The series finale airs tonight, Wednesday, February 21 at 9pm on ITV1.

If you’re a binge-watcher, all three episodes of Breathtaking will be available to watch on streaming platform ITVX after the finale airs.

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