14 April 1989 (1989-04-14) – 7 July 1995 (1995-07-07)
Surgical Spirit is a British television sitcom starring Nichola McAuliffe and Duncan Preston that aired from 14 April 1989 to 7 July 1995. It was written by Annie Bruce, Raymond Dixon, Graeme Garden, Peter Learmouth, Paul McKenzie and Annie Wood. It was made for the ITV network by Humphrey Barclay Productions for Granada Television. In January 2022, Forces TV started showing all 50 episodes of Surgical Spirit, while the first two series were made available on BritBox in April 2022.[1]
Plot
The series was based around Sheila Sabatini, a senior surgeon at the Gillies Hospital, whose verbal skills have most people running for cover as her tongue is as sharp as her scalpel. She dominated the operating theatre, while at home she was divorcing her Italian husband, Remo, with whom she had a son, Daniel. Sheila was also a gossip, often gossiping with her best friend, theatre administrator Joyce Watson.
One of the major themes in the programme was her developing relationship with Jonathan Haslam, the anaesthetist. At the end of the sixth series, they married and she had become director of surgery, while her son had become a medical student at the hospital, much to her annoyance.
Surgeon Sheila Sabatini is called in to give a lecture, but wishes to travel to France to visit her son; her only option is to coax her colleague Dr Haslam into doing it for her.
After pressure from Joyce and realising that she is antagonising her fellow surgeons even more than usual, Sheila decides she needs a small break and asks Jonathan whether she can join him on his weekend fishing trip in the country. However, the weekend doesn't quite live up to either of their expectations.
The staff are unhappy working with new colleague Katie, and they want to move her on; the trouble is that she's having an affair with one of the senior consultants.
Sheila appears on a live TV show opposite a surgeon from a private hospital to discuss the issues of alcohol and smoking; her remarks lead to outrage in the press.
Jonathan is jealous, because Sheila is speaking to colleague Digby Gillingham a lot. Poor Giles is exhausted, because he's working exceptionally long hours.
Giles decides that it's time to learn to drive for the first time; after Neil fails to teach him it falls on Jonathan. Daniel gets his mentor, his mother, while Joyce develops an unhealthy sausage roll obsession.
Joyce is up for administrator of the year, and a few nights in a posh hotel. Her task is made difficult when the staff room is removed. Jonathan and Sheila return from their honeymoon early.
Home releases
All seven series of Surgical Spirit have now been released on DVD. An 8-disc set of the complete series has also been released.