List of The Royal Today episodes

Meanwhile, in casualty, Woods is with Mrs Ada Branksome, who has a blockage in her throat. Woods schedules her for an operation the next morning. Ada’s daughter, Ellen, accompanies her mother. All is not as clearly as it should be between them. Over in the pub, Gemma and Carrie are discussing their disappointing first day at work. While Adam’s at the bar, Gemma reveals she fancies him, and Heather wastes no time in telling the feisty young nurse that Adam’s her boyfriend and they live together. Despite Heather saying she and Adam are rock solid, there’s a sense she might feel threatened by the presence of the new student nurses. Back in the hospital there’s a conflict of interests brewing. Lesley’s attacker, injured in his escape attempt, now requires treatment, but the staff are reluctant to help him. Lesley died in theatre.

Meanwhile, Gemma and Carrie have arrived in theatre to observe their first operation. Over on Middleditch Ward, Adam is losing patience with Heather’s brother, Norman the Porter, who seems to be using his sister as his personal laundry service! After performing an ultrasound scan on Abigail, Vijay the Radiology Registrar confirms Ormerod’s suspicions. However, the scan shows she’s had an ectopic pregnancy and will need an operation to remove the embryo. Abigail had suspected she might be pregnant after having a fling with a married man, but is terrified at how her father will react and pleads with Ormerod not to tell him. Elsewhere, Adam has an interview for the position of Matron, but keeps it a secret from everyone except Kieran. He arrives at the interview late, after being held up on the wards, and is nervous when he sees glamorous Jenny Carrington also waiting for an interview"

Ormerod’s first patient is 60-year-old Barry Kepler, who’s just flown in from Australia and arrives at St Aidan’s with his daughter Elizabeth after suffering acute abdominal pains on the aeroplane. Meanwhile, in Casualty, Sarah is examining Paul, a strapping athlete who has developed ulcers on his leg. He’s come to the hospital with his girlfriend Cassie. Neither Sarah nor Ormerod can identify what has caused them, until later, out of Cassie’s earshot, Paul reveals that he served in Iraq but doesn’t want her to find out. After enjoying a meal together the previous night, Sarah asks Ormerod to come for a drink after work. Ormerod opens up to her about the state of his personal life. Is Ormerod about to do something he could regret?"

Ormerod is on his way back from the radiology department when Sarah passes him and tries to speak to him about the night before, but Ormerod is uncomfortable and tells a disappointed Sarah to forget about it. When a Star Trek convention descend on the hospital en masse, suffering from a collective bout of food poisoning, the staff launch into action. Gemma and Carrie are not pleased when Heather asks them to take stool samples from each of the patients. Elsewhere, the police arrive to question the motorcycle pair, but Ormerod is still not convinced by their story."

On the ward, Adam (Ben Hull), who is unaware Matron’s in A&E and still bitter about the job, is furious Jenny is late for her meeting with the nurses. As they wait for Matron, Gemma (Sophia Di Martino), Carrie (Lucie Trickett) and Heather (Caroline Carver) are having a girly gossip. Heather reveals that she’s waiting for Adam to pop the question. Is Adam as serious about their relationship as Heather is?

Back in A&E, Ormerod (Andrew Scarborough) has examined Jenny and suspects she has appendicitis and needs to go to surgery before her appendix ruptures. Jenny’s close to tears. Can things get any worse on her first day?

Meanwhile, Gemma and Pearl (Lisa Davina Phillip) are tending to Michael (Andrew Grose), a patient in his twenties who has learning difficulties and has taken a particular liking to Gemma. Woods (Paul Nicholas) and Pamela go to check on him after his abdominal surgery, but his bed is empty. Where has he gone?

Adam and Heather set out to look for Michael and find him at the vending machine, collapsed. He’s burst his stitches after getting frustrated with the machine. Michael explains he was trying to buy Gemma, his “girlfriend”, some crisps. Adam’s concerned for Gemma and asks her to put a stop to Michael’s attachment to her without breaking his heart.

Elsewhere, Jenny’s about to go into theatre and Woods seems to have it in for her already. He tells Alana (Victoria Pritchard) management is the enemy and Jenny is worse than some, implying she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. It seems as though Jenny’s going to have her work cut out before she’s accepted by the staff at The Royal.

Michael’s back on Middleditch Ward after having his wound re-stitched and Gemma explains she can’t be his girlfriend and his nurse, so she should probably just stick to being his nurse. Meanwhile, Jenny is also recovering on the ward and asks for a private word with Adam. She makes it clear that she understands his frustration and will take on board his suggestions about changes that need to be made. Will she keep her word? Will Adam warm to the new matron?"

Matron Jenny (Leah Bracknell) is working on her laptop from her hospital bed and is disappointed when Woods (Paul Nicholas) sarcastically tells her he’s keeping her in for another day and he’s sure the hospital can run without her for 24 hours. Ormerod (Andrew Scarborough) explains Woods isn’t famed for his bedside manner and she reveals she’s found it very useful seeing how the wards run from a patient’s point of view. In fact she has already decided changes need to be made. What does Jenny have in mind and how will the nurses receive her suggestions?

Gemma is monitoring Zoe and is concerned when she suddenly takes a turn for the worse mid conversation. Gemma raises the alarm and it’s clear Zoe is in serious trouble. The situation becomes critical when Emma arrives back from the toilet to find her daughter in danger and immediately points the finger at Gemma. As soon as Woods arrives, the team leap into action and Zoe is wheeled into theatre. Gemma’s shaken by the whole experience and feels dreadful when she trips over and almost drops the drip. Gemma’s distress is not helped by Emma’s accusations that she shouldn’t be anywhere near patients. With an injured wrist and her pride battered and bruised, she makes her way to casualty. How will Gemma feel if Zoe doesn’t pull through?

Norman (Steve Huison) and Kristaps (Jon Lolis) find a rare copy of a Sherlock Holmes novel when they’re clearing out an old cupboard. They put it up for auction on an internet site, and fantasise about the future as they watch the bidding increase. But disaster strikes when the book is accidentally incinerated!

Back on the ward, Heather (Caroline Carver) and Adam (Ben Hull) are talking about Jenny. Heather feels Jenny’s taking notes on them all and is worried when she discovers Emma is going to make a complaint about the level of nursing on the wards. Meanwhile, Gemma has been sent to ladies man Vijay (Pal Aron) for an x-ray. However, she’s not in the mood for his chat up lines and just wants to get back on to the ward. Will Gemma have chance to prove she’s capable of becoming a good nurse?

In theatre, they’re losing Zoe, the team do all they can to resuscitate her. Sadly, they are unable to save her. Adam receives the call whilst he’s with Gemma discussing Emma’s complaint. He breaks the news to the young nurse who is devastated and flees the ward in floods of tears. Adam is left with the task of informing Emma that her daughter has died. Will the distraught mother blame Gemma for the loss?

Gemma has decided she’s not fit to be a nurse and is leaving The Royal. However, Adam reassures her that nursing is a hard profession and inevitably she’ll go through phases when she doubts herself. He urges her to get back to the ward. Will Gemma take Adam’s advice and give it another go?

The day’s events have all been observed by the ever watchful Jenny, who wants to have another word with Adam. She’s noticed the discipline on the wards is not what it should be. Adam defends his team, explaining he’s cut the student nurses some slack because their best friend was killed on the ward only a week ago. Jenny explains that she wasn’t aware, and Adam curtly replies there’s a lot she doesn’t know. She should ensure she knows the full facts before passing judgement."

Meanwhile on Middleditch Ward, in spite of Adam’s (Ben Hull) protestations, Jenny (Leah Bracknell) has discharged herself. She’s sick of wasting time lying in bed and is keen to start her new job.

Elsewhere, Woods (Paul Nicholas) is seeing Wendy (Marie Critchley), a patient with a swollen foot who suffers from peripheral Neuropathym - a numbness of the nervous system, which is a common complication of diabetes. Whilst on the ward, he notices Jenny is not in her bed and immediately strides off to confront her about ignoring his instructions. Jenny is ready for the fight and holds her own, but this is not the first time they have crossed one another. Will this fiery pair ever be able to get along?

Meanwhile, Chris’s dad has arrived at the hospital convinced his son will be running a marathon that afternoon. He dismisses any concerns the doctors have and sets about discharging him, much to the fury of his wife Kim (Annie Fitzmaurice), who refuses to allow him to leave. Adam backs up Kim, telling Patrick (Kevin Dyer) that Chris is not to run in any races until the doctors know what’s wrong with him. But Patrick is not prepared to back down. During the chaos, poorly Chris collapses again.

In the x-ray department, Vijay (Pal Aron) reveals Wendy has a fish hook stuck in her foot. She’s been unable to feel it due to her neuropathy. However, when Pamela (Fiona Dolman) asks Wendy about it she becomes very agitated. Is Wendy hiding something?

Chris has regained consciousness and Ormerod (Andrew Scarborough) deduces that he has a form of heart arrhythmia and will need to be kept in hospital for more tests. Patrick reveals to Sarah his wife has been overprotective of Chris since their other son died of cot death ten years ago. This information sheds new light on Chris’s case. Might his illness be linked to that of his late brother?

In another part of the ward, Wendy’s devoted husband Harry (Gwyn Parry) has come to visit her after her operation, but when Woods approaches him with the fishing hook that was stuck in his wife’s foot, he looks puzzled. Harry doesn’t fish and there’s only one man he knows who does. As Wendy comes round, Harry storms out, believing she’s betrayed him.

Meanwhile, Jenny confirms she’s sacked the cleaners after Adam questions her rationale, claiming it’s unacceptable and irresponsible to expect the nurses to do the cleaning. Jenny seems confident she’s done the right thing, but Adam’s not convinced. Will Jenny prove him wrong?

Sarah informs Chris’s parents that his irregular heart rhythm is brought on by stress and exertion. She tells a distraught Patrick that marathon running is off the agenda for the time being. Kim is relieved when she discovers her baby died from the same condition ten years ago and she’s not to blame for his death. Kim agrees with Patrick that they should stop arguing for the sake of Chris’s health.

In another part of the hospital, Norman (Steve Huison) has found Harry collapsed and in a critical condition after injecting himself with Wendy’s insulin. The doctors manage to save him and as he recovers he tells Wendy he felt he had no choice and couldn’t face life without her. Wendy’s clearly distraught about her adultery and asserts it was a mistake and she’s regretted it ever since. Will Harry be able to forgive his wife?"

Meanwhile, Norman (Steve Huison) has heard that Max is a big music promoter and abandons his duties to prepare a demo, leaving Kristaps (Jon Lolis) on his own taking patients to theatre, much to the dismay of Woods (Paul Nicholas) who’s consequently behind schedule and is going to be late for his golf tournament.

In theatre, Alana’s (Victoria Pritchard) concerned when she notices Max’s pulse and blood pressure are abnormal and immediately calls for a drug screening. The results come back and show Max has ecstasy in his system, but Woods is convinced there’s something else. Max is sent straight to ICU while the nurses are told to search the ward again for any trace of drugs. Gemma remembers seeing Max going to the toilet and retraces his steps only to find a pill which turn outs to be an amphetamine usually used for narcolepsy. The team now know how to treat him and as soon as Max is stable, Woods heads off for his golf tournament. As he leaves he suggests that Matron investigate why a patient was able to ‘self medicate’.

Back on the ward, Norman arrives armed with his demo tape and persuades Pearl (Lisa Davina Phillip) to introduce him to the patient who’s into music. Pearl mistakenly thinks he’s referring to hymn singing Fred and leads Norman over to his bed. Fred’s very pale and groggy post operation, and after listening to Norman’s music for a few minutes, the alarm sounds on his monitor and he falls unconscious. Was Norman’s music really that bad?

As Ormerod (Andrew Scarborough) sees to Fred, he establishes he has internal bleeding after the operation and needs to go to theatre straight away. Much to his displeasure, Mr Woods is called back to theatre and is forced to miss his golf match.

Meanwhile, everyone’s unhappy with Jenny (Leah Bracknell) for firing the cleaners, so when she rounds up the nurses and tries to lecture them about Max, Heather (Caroline Carver) snipes back they were too busy cleaning to be able to watch his every move. As Jenny leaves, Heather complains that if Jenny carries on it won’t just be new cleaners she’ll be looking for. Will Matron ever win the nurses over?"

Meanwhile, Adam’s (Ben Hull) fed up with working under Jenny’s (Leah Bracknell) management, particularly as he’s had to stay late to finish off the cleaning. At the end of his tether, he’s decided to apply for a Matron position at another hospital. Jenny asserts she doesn’t want to lose Adam, but he’s not convinced. Will he leave The Royal? And how will Heather feel when he tells her he’s thinking of relocating?

Over in A&E the paramedics have rushed in with Robert Barry (Luke Broughton), a bridegroom dressed in his morning suit who’s admitted after being picked up in the street with severe breathing difficulties. Sarah (Kirsty Mitchell) and Kieran manage to help him breath on his own, but when he finally comes round he’s devastated as he’s missed his wedding. Sarah explains his condition is still quite serious and he needs to stay in hospital, but Robert seems more concerned about screwing up the big day. However, his fears about ruining the wedding are justified when his bride Edina (Kate Deakin) storms onto the ward and pours a jug of water over his head.

Norman (Steve Huison) has been busy making music CDs for Ormerod (Andrew Scarborough) and Carrie (Lucie Trickett), but is horrified when he realises he’s accidentally given Ormerod Carrie’s gangster rap music to take to his daughter’s party!

Despite the absence of a maternity ward at The Royal, Jenny and Adam are forced to assist a young couple, Carl (Jamie Anton) and Michelle (Letty Butler), who arrive ready to give birth. However, complications arise when Jenny realises the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck. Will the baby be okay? Will Jenny and Adam be able to work together?

Elsewhere, Sarah’s shocked when a disappointed Ormerod returns to The Royal, having been unable to make it to his daughter’s party. With his family life in tatters, will Sarah be his shoulder to cry on?

Back on Middleditch Ward, Edina has calmed down and decided to bring the party to Robert. As the nurses join them in cracking open a bottle of bubbly and eating wedding cake, Carrie tells everyone she’s been given tickets to a glamorous champagne gala by her patient Geoff. She invites Adam and Heather (Caroline Carver) to join her."

He’s quick to put on a more jovial front when a 60-year-old grandmother, Eunice Hall, wobbles towards the hospital. Norman rushes to her aid, and turns on the charm.

Once inside the hospital, Dr Sarah Chatwin tends to Eunice while another patient, 22-year-old Darrell Watts, is having a pre-op assessment with Alana. He’s in for a circumcision, having had problems over the years.

As Gemma makes Darrell’s bed, she finds an empty crisp packet. He insists he knows nothing about it, but as he’s "nil by mouth", Gemma can’t help but worry. She wonders whether to tell someone, but before she knows it, Darrell has gone to theatre".

Ormerod takes a closer look at Alvin and notes he’s taken quite a knock to his head. Alvin tells him he was out taking a stroll and suddenly, whack. He remembers very little. Kieran notices some older bruises on Alvin’s shoulder, but when he questions how they got there, Alvin claims they happened during the attack. Kieran is clearly suspicious.

Over in casualty, Carrie takes 39-year-old Mary’s blood pressure. Mary is gasping for breath whilst holding her chest and Kieran gives her some oxygen. Dr Sarah Chatwin explains to Mary that her heart rhythm is still a little fast and asks if she has been feeling anxious recently. As they try to get to the bottom of what has caused the attack, Mary’s partner arrives, a 35-year-old woman called Kim.

Kim explains they’ve had a difficult year, which has been stressful for Mary. Sarah suspects Mary has been suffering from panic attacks and, having talked through the condition, Mary and Kim make to leave. Just as Mary puts on her jacket, she tilts her head to one side and Sarah notices a scar on her neck. Mary explains it’s from an operation a few years ago. Why does Sarah look so concerned?

In a separate cubicle, Sarah, Heather and Gemma are treating 23-year-old Liam Dooley, a cannabis user who is finding it difficult to breathe. Pamela arrives and after a brief examination she announces they need to operate immediately.

As Pamela, Alana, Isla and Woods prepare to operate on Liam, Pamela complains she’s having a hard time at the moment, as her cheques are bouncing. Isla also looks like a wet weekend and Woods asks Pamela if Isla is all right. Pamela is disinterested, clearly wrapped up in her own problems, but Alana later tells Woods Isla’s husband has left her. Woods is unusually nice to Isla, which renders her astonished".

As Peter storms off, Kate heads back to the ward and tells Ormerod she’s convinced she’s got a condition called Myasthenia Gravis which she has researched on the internet. Feeling uncomfortable, Ormerod goes to find Sarah and discovers Peter in the waiting room. Peter apologises, telling Ormerod Kate is besotted with him and that’s why she’s finding excuses to come to the hospital. Ormerod doesn’t want to encourage Kate, but Sarah insists he has to do a blood test, as it’s the only way to be sure.

Over in casualty Kieran tends to Des, a scaffolder who has fallen off his scaffolding and landed in a skip. Sarah is concerned when he says he felt dizzy before the fall, and is worried he passed out. Sarah asks Ormerod to take a look at her patient and he suggests routine scans and X-rays. Des is happy to stick around for the tests, as long as Pearl is present. It seems he’s taken quite a shine to her".

Back on the ward, Pamela and Sarah prepare William for surgery and Adam convinces him that he’ll be back in no time. There is fear in William’s eyes as he asks to see his wife, suddenly realising how important she is to him. Before there is time for William to see Janet properly, he is wheeled into the lift.

Inside with Sarah, Pamela, Alana and Kristaps the lift suddenly judders. With the lift stuck containing a man that needs immediate surgery there is utter panic. After a number of attempts to get the lift moving and to get the doors apart they are left with one option, they’ll have to carry out the operation in the lift". William's condition goes down rapidly. Pamela operates and Woods talks her through it. Pamela clamps the aorta with a cross clamp when lift starts working again. Woods and Pamela rush William into theatre and the operation is a success.

victim is rushed into surgery. Adam worries about his bedside manner when dealing with the victim of a homophobic assault. A young woman is admitted after injuring her back on a girls' night out. Jonathan is having problems at home".

As Ray arrives with his glamorous Footballer’s Wife style girlfriend Mandy, Jenny and the team welcome them with fixed false grins. Jenny shows them around the department and it soon becomes clear that Ray is in pain. Mandy expresses her concern and, before he knows it, Ray is lying on the operating table. Ormerod has diagnosed a weakened artery wall known as Abdominal Aneurysm and an emergency operation is vital. As Ray is about to go under the knife, he tells Woods that if he pulls through, they can have the new wing. The pressure is on as Woods prepares to save the life of a patient and the future of the hospital. Will Woods rise to the challenge?

When Rosie comes in with her varicose veins, she quietly tells Norman that they need to talk, before introducing him to her husband Terry. When Terry disappears for a few minutes, Rosie warns Norman that her son, Jimmy, will be coming to visit later and that Norman mustn’t reveal that he is Jimmy’s father. Norman tells Heather he’s hurt that he can’t talk to his own son. But she reminds him that he left Rosie when she told him she was pregnant and that Norman has only seen Jimmy a couple of times and that was when he was still a baby. Jimmy is 21 now

Jenny discovers that a fisherman named Danny has been reported missing and when Adam asks the man if he is Danny he eventually concurs. Danny confesses that he tried to kill himself to escape debts. Holly, Danny’s wife, arrives with their son, and Adam takes her aside to tell her that Danny attempted suicide because his life insurance would secure his family’s future. Holly is horrified, as well as hurt that Danny chose not to speak to her. She briefly sees her husband, but then goes to walk out. Adam urges her not to leave, but can he stop her from leaving a man who was willing to go away from her forever without any explanation?

Alice pleads with Kristaps to move the camper van for her. As Kristaps heads off, Kieran takes Alice through to A&E, much to the annoyance of Bernadette who has been waiting with her teenage daughter, Siobhan, for some time. Sarah examines Abi and identifies that she hasn’t ingested anything corrosive. However, she is concerned about the chest pains that Abi has been having and orders a number of tests to get to the bottom of Abi’s illness.

Norman reassures Kristaps that he can stay with him for as long as he likes. As they make their way to the entrance, Jenny stops them, giving them a job to do. Jenny dumps a box of leaflets on the desk and informs Norman and Kristaps that the Hospital Trust is launching a sexual health campaign and she wants the pair of them to put up posters around the hospital. Meanwhile, councillor Clive Forrest escorts his hobbling 15-year-old daughter, Anna, to the hospital’s walk-in clinic. Arguing on the phone to a journalist about his stance against immorality, breaking off mid-sentence, Clive tells Anna to go on without him. Much to her annoyance Anna heads off to the clinic alone.