NHS 75th Birthday
How did the NHS come into being? When was the first kidney transplant? Is half a chicken actually a cure for anything? Find out as comedian and former psychiatric nurse Jo Brand joins Rattus to host a special episode in honour of the NHS's 75th birthday. They discover how the NHS came to be, some of its weirder moments, and what life was like before we had the NHS to look after us. Did you know that before the NHS, getting medical help could be both difficult and expensive? We take a look at the role of the almoner, who decided who would have to pay for their treatment, and how much, before Nye Bevan comes along with his notion of free health care for all.
We learn the story of the first NHS baby (and how she was encouraged to wait a few minutes before actually coming into the world), of how nurses were recruited in large numbers and how, with ventures such as the Common Cold Unit, the NHS tried to learn about how our health could be improved using some weird and wonderful methods.
In 24 Hours in Historical A&E, we venture into a hospital where medics from across the ages are on call to treat the sick. Some of them are geniuses who were ahead of their time, such as tenth-century surgeon al-Zahrawi. There is also an 18th-century Italian surgeon who thinks the answer to all ills lies in blowing smoke up your bum with some bellows, a Tudor doctor armed with two halves of a chicken, and William Shakespeare, and a guy who thinks aggressively licking your palm is the key to diagnosing what ails you.
Elsewhere, we stop off for an icky look at treating the plague, before moving to more recent times and the push to vaccinate people against diseases like TB. Finally, we say thanks to our NHS with Nye Bevan and a classic Horrible Histories banger of a tune.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows
Reacher
Reacher follows Jack Reacher, a veteran military police investigator who has just recently entered civilian life. Reacher is a drifter, carrying no phone and the barest of essentials as he travels the country and explores the nation he once served. When Reacher arrives in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, he finds a community grappling with its first homicide in 20 years. The cops immediately arrest him and eyewitnesses claim to place Reacher at the scene of the crime. While he works to prove his innocence, a deep-seated conspiracy begins to emerge, one that will require Reacher's keen mind and hard-hitting fists to deal with. One thing above all is for sure: They picked the wrong guy to take the fall.
Chicago P.D.
District 21 of the Chicago Police Department is made up of two distinctly different groups. There are the uniformed cops who patrol the beat and go head to head with the city's street crimes. And there's the Intelligence Unit, the team that combats the city's major offenses - organized crime, drug trafficking, high profile murders and beyond. These are their stories.
Chicago Fire
No job is more stressful, dangerous or exhilarating than those of the Firefighters, Rescue Squad and Paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51. These are the courageous men and women who forge headfirst into danger when everyone else is running the other way and whose actions make the difference between life and death. These are their stories.
Silo
In a ruined and toxic future, thousands live in a giant silo deep underground. After its sheriff breaks a cardinal rule and residents die mysteriously, engineer Juliette starts to uncover shocking secrets and the truth about the silo.