The Fragile Heart - Channel 4 Drama [DVD]

Nigel Hawthorne won the 1997 Best TV Actor BAFTA for his portrayal of Edgar Pascoe, an eminent heart surgeon plagued by physical and moral weakness. On DVD for the first time since its original broadcast on Channel 4, in 1996 Edgar's wife Lileth (Dearbhla Molloy) is a dedicated, dependable and sympathetic country GP, increasingly drawn to Eastern arts of holistic healing. As Edgar heads a delegation to China to promote a high-tech system of telemedicine in which Western experts conduct operations via satellite link-up, daughter Nicola (Helen McCrory), aspiring to follow in her father's footsteps, displays an unscrupulous hands-on approach to her own career advancement. When Edgar is confronted by an ethical dilemma over Chinese organ sales and human rights abuses, on top of attempting to cover up his daughter's despicable actions, he is forced into a moral reckoning that, whichever way it plays out, will have calamitous consequences. Filmed with cinematic flourish on location in the UK, Australia and Taiwan, this powerful three-part drama by Paul Milne (The Politician's Wife, Endgame) is an exploration of dedication, ambition and shameless self-interest.