Documentary | 20 September 2023

Jed Mercurio

Line of Duty writer Jed Mercurio looks back on the first drama he wrote and the start of his extraordinary journey from junior doctor to award-winning TV showrunner. The acclaimed 1994 series 'Cardiac Arrest' featured a cast of then unknown actors, including future Friends star Helen Baxendale, and captured the realities of life working on a hospital ward in 90s Britain. Jed recalls what motivated him to become more than just a series advisor to the point where he ended up taking over script-writer duties; the controversy around the series that saw even the then Health Secretary getting involved, and the real-life stresses he's experienced as a doctor that made their way into the scripts.