5 Slates Doc on St Bartholomew’s Hospital

5 has commissioned Barts: Our Hospital Through Time with Alice Roberts, a new series from Lion TV and GroupM Motion Entertainment in which the popular professor goes behind the scenes at St Bartholomew’s in London, one of the oldest hospitals in the world.

Kit Morey, commissioning editor for unscripted at 5, said: “It’s thrilling to be able to bring such an exciting new series to our viewers, as we take them on a visually arresting journey through time, stopping off at key moments in history all told through the prism of this unique, world-renowned medical institution. With access to Barts’ archives along with their staff and patients, we’ll immerse the audience in both the past and present, led brilliantly by Professor Alice Roberts who brings her passion and expertise for both science and history, guiding the viewer through a millennium of remarkable stories of pioneering medicine, scientific breakthroughs, and moving key moments in Britain’s social history—framed around the continuing inspiring work of the staff at Barts today.”

Roberts commented, “I’m very excited to be embarking on this new series with 5, Barts and Lion Television. I was a medical doctor originally, before branching off into anthropology and history. In this series, I’ll be delving into how medicine and health has changed over the centuries, and how scientific discoveries have translated into real, tangible improvements in health. Barts is one of the oldest hospitals in the world and provides an excellent backdrop for exploring this fascinating history—and will also allow us to bring that story right up to the current moment—and even peer into the future at medical advances just around the corner.”

Sarah Sarkhel, executive producer at Lion TV, noted, “We are delighted to be working with the amazing Professor Alice Roberts and the extraordinary staff at Barts as they take us on a magical medical journey through time. From medieval foundlings to the impact of the Great Fire of London; from treating those wounded in the Blitz to the creation of the modern NHS, Barts has seen it all…So, there’s no better place to witness both the wonders of modern science and also to truly understand the history of the medicine we now all rely on.”

Melanie Darlaston, head of factual (U.K.) and executive producer at GroupM Motion Entertainment, added, “This brilliant new series provides a fascinating look at a hospital which is at the forefront of medical technology, told through the eyes of its dedicated staff and patients. With Dr Alice Roberts’ expert guidance, we’ll be reminded—and relieved—at just how far medicine has come!”