The Nation's Health 40 years old

Channel 4 was barely a year old when G F Newman's searing drama about the NHS debuted. A commission from Euston Films, produced by the legendary Verity Lambert, The Nation's Health cemented the channel's reputation for hard hitting drama, particularly at a time when Thatcher's government was sharpening its knives ready to butcher the welfare state amidst her own drive to reverse what she saw as a national decline. There is no doubt she inherited a UK dubbed 'the sick man of Europe', crippled by high inflation, high unemployment and stagnant growth. The NHS was caught up in her desire to deregulate the finance sectors and labour markets and flog state owned assets and companies.

Credits

The Nation's Health Cast

Name Character
Kathy Burke She was 19, now 59 years old
Ian McDiarmid He was 39, now 79 years old
P.H. Moriarty He was 44, now 85 years old
Richard Ireson
T.R. Bowen He was 42, now 83 years old
Tony Calvin

The Nation's Health Crew

Name Department
Les Blair as Director. He was 42 (now 82) years old Directing
The Nation's Health (40 years)

  • Release day: Thursday, October 27, 1983