Emmerdale’s recent ‘Return of No Return’ week had viewers on the edge of their seats as the long-running feud between Moira and Emma Barton came to an explosive head. The dramatic episodes involved a variety of medical scenes which the Medical Hire team were privileged to have been involved with.
Here, we thought we’d reveal a little more about our involvement in these scenes and how we helped make these storylines come to life.
The dramatic episodes featured 4 different medical scenes. Here’s how Medical Hire were involved…
Scene 1. The Paramedics
What the viewers saw:
After being confronted by Emma, Moira and Emma escape the burning barn. Outside, Moira gives birth to a baby boy but suffers a post-partum haemorrhage and loses a lot of blood which leaves her in a critical condition. A team of paramedics later arrive at the barn to assist Moira and the baby. Moira and the baby are treated at the scene and then transferred to the ambulance to be taken to hospital.
Props and equipment provided by Medical Hire:
For this scene, a fully equipped ambulance was required as well as paramedic equipment. Medical Hire kitted out the ambulance (a first for our team) which included a paramedic stretcher, paramedic bags and other emergency equipment.
How Medical Hire supported the cast and crew on-set:
Our team of advisors supported the cast and crew throughout filming, advising on different elements of the scene. Our maternity nurse advised on labour and delivery in preparation for the birth of Moira’s baby outside the burning barn. For the paramedic scenes, our medical advisors briefed the actors on first response and how they would move Moira onto the stretcher and then transfer her safely into the ambulance.
Scene 2. Moira in ICU
What the viewers saw:
After being taken to hospital by ambulance, Moira is admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. She is critically ill after the trauma of the fire and blood loss from the birth of her baby. She later regains consciousness but is in a lot of pain and discomfort. She is also reunited with her baby and is encouraged to feed him.
Props and equipment provided by Medical Hire:
Helping to furnish the set, Medical Hire supplied specialist ICU equipment including a ventilator machine and accessories, an obs machine, and a syringe drip and driver.
How Medical Hire supported the cast and crew on-set:
For these scenes, our advisors briefed actress Natalie J Robb on how Moira would lie in bed whilst in a coma. Then, for the moment when Moira wakes up, our team described how she might be feeling, where she might feel pain and how she might move whilst confined to the bed.
For the scenes where Moira is reunited with her baby, our maternity experts helped actress Natalie to pretend she was breastfeeding.
Scene 3. Finn in ICU Flat-Lining
What the viewers saw:
Unware that he has been shot by his own mother, Finn is left seriously injured and stranded in the woods overnight. He is eventually discovered and is rushed to hospital where he undergoes emergency surgery and is stable for a short while in ICU. Unfortunately, a little while later, he takes a turn for the worse and loses his life.
Props and equipment provided by Medical Hire:
For the filming of this scene, Medical Hire furnished the ICU room with specialist equipment including a ventilator machine and accessories, syringe drip and driver, and a vital signs monitor.
How Medical Hire supported the cast and crew on-set:
Helping to make this scene as authentic as possible, our team of advisors showed the cast how to perform CPR on character Finn and then shock him to try to revive him. As this treatment was unsuccessful, the scene also required the portrayal of Finn flat lining. This was achieved through a computerised simulation system, specially developed by Medical Hire. During filming, one of our team hid underneath the ICU bed ready to press activation button when needed.
Scene 4. Neonatal Ward
What the viewers saw:
After a dramatic delivery, Moira’s baby is taken to a neonatal ward for monitoring. Whilst everyone is distracted by Finn’s arrival in hospital, Emma sneaks into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit disguised as a nurse and steals the baby.
Props and equipment provided by Medical Hire:
To equip the neonatal set and ensure it looked authentic, Medical Hire provided furniture and equipment to create a 4-bed ward. The set incorporated a number of incubators and a crib.
How Medical Hire supported the cast and crew on-set:
Character Emma was a trained nurse so it was important that she looked like she knew what she was doing when she took the baby from the ward. This meant being able to remove the monitoring devices from the baby in a confident manor which our team showed actress Gillian Kearney how to do. This made this final scene look as real as possible as another dramatic episode came to an end.
As always, we absolutely loved being involved in these dramatic episodes at Emmerdale and helping to make each scene true-to-life. We look forward to seeing what happens next as the villagers try to recover from the events of that week. But just in case you missed Emmerdale’s dramatic ‘Return No Return’ week, here’s a recap of the whole story…
Exactly a year after the death of her husband James, Emma goes to see Moira at the barn to confront her as Emma suspects that Moira had feelings for James. During the confrontation, Emma reveals that it was her who actually killed James by pushing him off the bridge.
Sensing Emma’s rising rage, Moira fears for her life tries to escape and picks up a pitchfork to help protect herself. Emma lunges for Moira but during their tussle, the pitch fork accidentally hits a light which sparks and sets fire to the hay.
The fire quickly takes hold causing a pile of crates to collapse. Moira is trapped by the crates when suddenly, in an unexpected twist, she goes into surprise labour and reveals to Emma that she is pregnant with Pete’s baby, meaning the baby will be Emma’s grandchild.
Emma runs from the barn making Moira think she has left her there to die, but Emma soon crashes back into the barn in a pick-up truck and pulls Moira out in the nick of time before the barn explodes behind them.
Outside the burning barn, Moira’s labour quickly becomes more intensive. There’s no time to call for an ambulance so Emma helps deliver the baby instead.
Meanwhile, Moira’s son Adam and his wife Victoria are driving back from the village when they spot the fire. Adam quickly finds Emma with the baby but also sees Moira lying unconscious on the ground, losing a lot of blood. Having seen a gun outside of the barn, Adam suspects that Emma has attacked Moira but realising his suspicions, Emma makes a run for it. Adam picks up the gun and chases after her into the woods. Adam catches up with her and confronts her at gunpoint but Emma manages to push Adam over, grab the gun and run. But whilst trying to creep away, Emma is spooked by noises and accidentally fires a gunshot which unbeknownst to Emma, has hit her son Finn.
Back at the barn, the paramedics have arrived and so Moira and the baby are rushed to hospital. Moira is taken to ICU in a critical condition and the baby is taken to a neonatal ward.
Finn on the other hand is left seriously injured in the woods where he drifts in and out of consciousness. Eventually, he manages to summon enough energy to stand up and stagger to the roadside where he is quickly discovered by Cain and Harriet. He is then rushed to hospital for emergency surgery but later sadly passes away.
If you’re planning a hospital or medical storyline, please get in touch to find out how we can help. Call us on 0113 262 8000.
(*Images courtesy of ITV)