Sarah Phelps’ epic new BBC One drama The Crimson Field follows the lives of a team of doctors, nurses and women volunteers who work together in a tented field hospital healing the bodies and souls of men wounded in the trenches.

 

Episode 1

Sunday 6 April 2014, 9pm

Kitty Trevelyan tries to put the troubles of her past behind her as she joins two other girls, Flora Marshall and Rosalie Berwick, to volunteer at one of the busiest war hospitals in Northern France.

For the hospital workers, it’s a daily battle to patch the men up and keep the war machine churning. Staff numbers are low and the volunteers are desperately needed, yet there are some who see these women as more of a threat than a lifeline.

It’s not just the girls who are causing a stir. One particular patient is facing certain death but resisting it with all the strength he can muster. Alongside him lies the shell-shocked form of Lance Corporal Prentiss. He may be physically unmarked but this war has damaged him badly, and the staff are at a loss as to how to treat him.

As the three volunteer nurses settle into their first day, it soon becomes clear that no training could ever have prepared them for the reality of working near the front line. Before the day draws to an end, the hospital sees the arrival of Sister Joan Livesey, but it remains to be seen whether her modern approach will be welcomed…

 

Episode 2

Sunday 13 April 2014, 9pm

The volunteer nurses settle into life at the hospital, but Kitty keeps herself at a distance and it’s clear to Grace that something is deeply troubling her.

Despite struggling with some personal problems of her own, Kitty throws herself into her work, helping new patients Major Crecy and Private Byeford. Crecy awakens from the brink of death but still badly wounded to find his troops have been decimated. Traumatised by war Crecy fears he will never be able to return to his old life. Beside Crecy lies Private Shoemaker and his Jamaican father who grapples with the heart-breaking reality that his son who defied the odds by enlisting may soon pay the ultimate price.

Meanwhile, the hospital readies for a convoy of new patients. With resources stretched, Joan views it as a chance for the volunteers’ skills to be put to good use, but Margaret doesn’t think they are ready to take on these new responsibilities. Will the girls live up to Joan’s expectations?

 

Episode 3

Sunday 20 April 2014, 9pm

Thomas wrestles with a growing attraction to Kitty, and Joan reveals a dark secret to one of her patients.

While Thomas may not be making much headway with Kitty, he is having more success on the wards with a pioneering wound-irrigation system. Thomas’s test subject is doing well but a fellow surgeon of the old-school, Major Yelland, is dismissive of his techniques and seems determined to bully him. Will Miles be able to placate his increasingly riled friend?

A terrified patient faces court martial. There’s little anyone can do and yet his presence unnerves the staff and patients, a constant reminder of the perils of overstepping the rules. This warning is particularly pertinent for some, as a proud Irish non-commissioned officer faces rebellion from his young protégé.

Elsewhere, Rosalie spots the engagement ring Joan wears around her neck…

 

Episode 4

Sunday 27 April 2014, 9pm

As the hospital staff gather at a funeral for some of the patients, Joan is in agony not knowing whether her fiancé is alive or dead. Rosalie has previously seen the ring and she now watches Joan intently. Is the truth about to come to light?

Joan’s spirits are lifted by the arrival of  13 Tommies from her home town of Liverpool – known as ‘The Lucky 13.’ Joan has a fondness for these men whose united spirit has given them a belief that if they all stick together, none of them will die. However, Joan discovers that one of them is much sicker than she thought, and finds herself the victim of blackmail.

Thomas seizes his opportunity to pursue Kitty, but when she gets a shocking summons to meet with a mysterious figure from home it’s Miles who comes to her aid. Will Kitty face up to her past and where will that leave her budding romance with Thomas?

Meanwhile, the return of an old patient causes ripples between Roland, Grace and Margaret, calling everyone’s loyalties into question.

 

Episode 5

Sunday 4 May 2014, 9pm

Grace finds herself threatened by Colonel Ballard, an aggressively rude and war-scarred commander of a Sikh regiment, while Joan still waits anxiously for news from her fiancé.

It seems Colonel Ballard would rather be with his men than at rest within the calm sanctuary of the wards, yet when Grace reveals knowledge of Punjabi and an upbringing in India, the Colonel is temporarily calmed. As Grace tries to discover what’s made him so heated, another soldier, Private Gorman, seems focused on riling him further. Will Grace be able to unlock Ballard’s secret before Gorman provokes him into a very dangerous game?

Flora decides the volunteers should put on some entertainment to raise spirits, but as the pressure mounts, so do Flora’s nerves. Meanwhile, Joan is still waiting for news from her fiancé and Jaco calls her to an illicit meeting, sparking a series of events which draws Joan into danger, risking her profession and potentially her life…

 

Episode 6

Sunday 11 May 2014, 9pm

Joan is hauled up on a charge of aiding the enemy and faces a possible lifetime in prison, and her actions send ripples through the hospital.

Desperate to protect Anton, Joan tries to deflect the questions, even as Purbright arrives to drive them home harder. Meanwhile, the hospital is awash with the news of Joan’s treachery and Roland is directly in the firing line, accused of letting the rules slide and bringing the RAMC into disrepute. His position rests on a knife edge as old enemies close in.

Kitty’s wracked with guilt that she knew about Joan but didn’t stop her, and fears for her own position. She’s desperate for someone to trust, but will it be Thomas or Miles that she turns to?

Elsewhere, Flora discovers Peter’s brother, Jimmy, on one of the wards, and happily reunites the siblings, but when it becomes clear that Jimmy is scared of war, Peter has a difficult decision to make. Rosalie too is feeling conflicted, unsure how to deal with her discovery of Kitty’s divorce. Her instinct is to condemn, but the world is changing. Could one patient in particular hold the key to her liberation?

As night falls, some rules will be broken, others upheld and as the war machine grinds on, faith, hope and love are put to the test.

 

Are you looking forward to The Crimson Field? Let us know below…