Her father is incredibly rich, and he works in the stock market, so she's very used to getting anything she wants. I think she’s a bit spoilt, certainly the other characters think she is. Pamela is someone who likes to fight the cause and also likes a good gossip, but is very dedicated to her job.
What’s Pamela’s relationship like with her colleagues?
She respects Woods, but feels that he keeps her where she is and doesn't allow her to get stuck in and move on. Every time he lets her do some surgery he takes over half way through,
because he wants it done better or differently. Pamela’s always quite surprised when he actually compliments her. She's good friends with Sarah Chatwin which is interesting because
the characters are very different. They come from opposite spectrums but go running together and to the pub. They’ve also, reluctantly, agreed to compete in a triathlon with Alana, the
anaesthetist.
Do you enjoy the scenes in the operating theatre?
I do enjoy them very much and they're fun. We have a medical supervisor with us who tells us what we're supposed to be doing. I've learnt how to stitch up wounds and I can hold all the
equipment in the right way. That bit’s fun, as is looking at the whole operation; we have fake blood and everything!
How does Pamela respond to Vijay’s advances?
I think she has good fun with Vijay and it brightens her day. She knows that every time she passes him he's going to say something and I think she actually spends some time thinking
about what she's going to say in response when they bump into each other. It's a nice break in her day, but I don't think he's ever going to get anywhere. We'll have to wait and see if he ever
gets any better chat up lines! She doesn't get annoyed with him, as I think it just amuses her and she sees it as harmless fun.
Pamela gets stuck in a lift with a patient in need of an emergency operation. Tell us what happens?
It was great to film as it felt real. For quite a bit of the time, the cameras weren't in the lift because we literally were stuck between floors and it was quite intense. There was lots of
blood! Even though Woods is shouting instructions through the lift doors, Pamela has to get on with it and she's quite proud of herself at the end of it all. We actually filmed the scenes in a lift
rather than a purpose built set. We had some scenes where the camera was poking through the gap between the doors looking through into the lift, and other times we had one camera
man with a hand held camera squeezed into the corner of the lift.
What training did you do for the role?
I went to Leeds General Infirmary Hospital with Andrew Scarborough and we saw a heart operation which was actually carried out via the leg. There wasn't that much blood and gore
and we were watching it all on monitors. It was really fascinating. I'd never seen anything like that before, as my idea of working in a hospital was based on the programme ER! When you
see the real thing you realise it's quite different. Hopefully, we're making it look real.
Do you struggle to pronounce the medical terms?
I've been quite lucky to be honest. I try and go through the script and write down all the medical jargon so I can sit down with the medical advisor and learn the correct pronunciation. Some of
the words are quite hard and turn out to be tongue twisters. I had to start one scene by saying ‘ulcerated red lesions’ and it was just like saying ‘red lorry, yellow lorry’. It was like drama
school training all over again. I think the trick is to say the words as confidently as you can and pretend you know what you're talking about. My brother and sister-in-law are GPs so I do ring
them sometimes for help.
Do you feel like a real doctor when you put on your scrubs?
I think so yes. We have a good team in place and there’s a great rapport. When we actually went to see a real operation we expected it to be all serious. People were a lot more relaxed
than we expected. For those doctors, it is their job and they do it everyday. They take it seriously, but it's not quite as intense as you would imagine, because they're confident in what
they're doing.
You have to work with a lot of fake blood. Does it make you squeamish?
I'm absolutely fine with all that. The only thing that does freak me out is looking at the monitors because they have real operations playing out. In most of the operations we're doing they're
on, so when you look up at the screens you see it. I'm there trying to be all serious and I just think ‘oh no that's somebody's real stomach’. It really makes what we are doing feel very real.
You played Jackie Bradley in Heartbeat between 1999 and 2001. Does it feel like you’re returning to your roots?
The Royal is obviously closer to The Royal Today than Heartbeat, but because it's all modern day it's very different. The fact we’re working in a real hospital is distinctive and really sets The
Royal Today apart from Heartbeat. The pace of the programme and the filming schedule is much faster than on Heartbeat. However, there is some familiarity as quite a few of the crew
worked on Heartbeat and it's nice to see some friendly faces. It's also good to be doing a long stint on a drama serial.
What’s it like being a part of a brand new cast?
It's very exciting. I could be looking back in twenty years and reminiscing about when it first started. It is exciting to be in cast in a serial drama at the very beginning. We are able to create
the characters and the environment of the hospital. I think everyone is very excited about it all.
What attracted you to working on The Royal Today?
Initially there were a couple of things. It meant being local for one as I have a house in Yorkshire and the idea of committing to a long-running project was appealing. I also like the
character of Pamela. I like the fact that she can be prickly and terrible with patients unless they are anaesthetised. I’ve played lots of characters in the past who have always been nice,
sympathetic and understanding with people, whereas Pamela is quick to jump to conclusions and is always ready to call in Social Services. She's quite often being proved wrong though, but
I like that impulsiveness about her.
Have there been any amusing moments on set?
I laughed the most on set when we had an episode at the seaside. There had been a Star Trek convention with the crew of the Starship Enterprise and lots of Klingons. I'm a huge Trekkie fan
so that was great. I had to look after Captain Kirk who basically threw up all over me. In order for the scene to look authentic, I had to stand for about fifteen minutes while the props guys
threw cups of what was meant to be sick over me. Thankfully it was just cold soup! Another time when I was outside in my costume having a coffee, a guy came up to me and asked
where A&E was, as he had a pain in his stomach. I panicked and told him I wasn't a real doctor. He looked at me as if he was having a hallucination, so I had to explain I was an actor
and couldn't really help him.
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