Series 8 Episode 23:
GRAND RATIONAL
Written by Sam Snape

Charlie enters the staff room beaming and announces that the department will be getting two Grade E nurses. He says it's all been agreed and that the new chair of the Trust Mr.Repton is very supportive. But then he sees the final draft of the proposal and sees that no new staff are to be added and is livid. He storms into Jane's office and sounds off at her. For once she turns on him and says 'you don't know the half of it Charlie'. He calms down and apologises for his outburst, accepting that Jane is not to blame.
Meanwhile an elderly lady goes to Queen's hospital for treatment for a burn but finds that it no longer opens at night. She waits for ages for an ambulance to take her to Holby and later dies of a cardiac arrest. Mary is very upset by the incident and threatens to quit saying 'the lunatics have finally taken over the assylum'.
Charlie is in a similar frame of mind and after walking around all shift like a bomb that is about to explode, he hears that Repton has arranged for a meeting with him for the following morning. Charlie says he's had enough and despite Ash's persuasion says that he won't go to the meeting and tells him he's fed up with fighting. He leaves a message on his computer screen saying 'THIS TERMINAL IS CLOSED DUE TO LACK OF INTEREST'. Because he leaves early Charlie misses a snail race organised by Frankie and the snail he sponsored wins. £400 is raised by the event.
The main storyline of the episode centres around a mentally unstable man called Chris who is unemployed while his wife is running a massage service from their house. Chris walks into his kitchen where one man is waiting to be 'treated' and points a gun at him. Chris then pushes him into a glass coffee table and shards of glass imbed themselves in his stomach. Chris thinks he's dead and in a panic dumps him out on the street. Then a passer by calls at the door and says the man is alive and needs an ambulance. Chris calls one but as they all wait in the street the man becomes suspicious of Chris' behaviour and guesses that he had something to do with his injuries. Then, when the ambulance and police arrive, Chris pulls out a gun and takes paramedic Lucy hostage. He drags her back inside with his wife and sends the police a message telling them that he wants money and a car to take him to the airport. He tells them that if he doesn't get what he wants he'll shoot Lucy. But Chris guesses that the police will try something when the car arrives so he climbs into his car with his wife and all of a sudden crashes out of his garage and drives away. The police are right behind him and he crashes the car, injuring himself and his wife. He is airlifted to Holby A&E and survives despite pleading that he wants to die.

Episode first broadcast Saturday 19th February 1994

Additional Cast
Paul Frederick Warder
Annie Julie Dawn Cole
Georgie Georgina Allen
Cheryl Naomi Williams
Lizzie Georgina Waygood
Johno Jenkins         Norman Mitchell
Eric Christopher Ettridge
Nora Davies Brenda Peters
Chris Wilson Robert Glenister
Carly Wilson Karen Archer
Denis Roger Walker
Bernard Richard Waites
George Fleming Mike Savage
Neighbour John Armstrong

Written by Christopher Watson

< PREVIOUS EPISODE NEXT EPISODE >
SERIES 8
MAIL ME! INDEX