
Quacks
- TV sitcom
- BBC Two
- 2017
- 6 episodes (1 series)
Sitcom about Victorian medical pioneers, created by Rev writer James Wood. Also features Rory Kinnear, Mathew Baynton, Tom Basden, Lydia Leonard, Rupert Everett and more.
Episode menu
Series 1, Episode 1 - First. The Duke's Tracheotomy

Further details
Robert is a domineering, showman surgeon - a rockstar of his age - who's almost as brilliant as he thinks he is, who can pack out an operating theatre and take off a leg in 92 seconds.
But after botching an amputation, Robert comes under scrutiny from the Royal Physician, Dr Hendrick. So John - a drug-addled dentist who's trying to create the world's first anaesthetic - convinces Robert to use potentially lethal ether in a prestigious and pioneering operation.
Meanwhile, Caroline (Robert's headstrong wife), finds herself frustrated with her lot as a housewife and seeks help from Robert's friend William - a kind but anxious alienist (an early psychiatrist) who understands her better than her own husband does.
He wants to help her with phrenology treatment, but that involves touching her on an intimate area - her head. The lines are blurred when it becomes clear Caroline wants more than just psychiatry from William, and he finds himself torn between being a friend to Robert and a doctor to Caroline.
Broadcast details
- Date
- Tuesday 15th August 2017
- Time
- 10pm
- Channel
- BBC Two
- Length
- 30 minutes
Cast & crew
Rory Kinnear | Robert |
Mathew Baynton | William |
Tom Basden | John |
Lydia Leonard | Caroline |
Rupert Everett | Dr. Hendrick |
Geoffrey McGivern | Landlord |
Ed Gaughan | Peters |
Maggie Service | Sally |
Amy Marston | Laura |
Tom Godwin | Mr Smiles |
Victoria Alcock | Annie |
Osi Okerafor | Butterworth |
Andy Linden | Fitz |
Adam Ewan | Tom |
Georgia Brown | Maggie |
Bekka Bowling | Becky |
Georgie Glen | Mrs Pope |
Selina Griffiths | Matron |
Nicholas Blane | Duke of Bedford |
James Wood | Writer |
Andy de Emmony | Director |
Imogen Cooper | Producer |
Justin Davies | Executive Producer |
James Wood | Executive Producer |
Rachel Hillman | Executive Producer |
Ben Worsfield | Co-producer |
Billy Sneddon | Editor |
Lucy Spink | Production Designer |
Rachel Freck | Casting Director |
Richard Cooke | Costume Designer |
Niamh Morrison | Make-up Designer |
Ian Arber | Composer |
John Pardue | Director of Photography |
Mark Taylor | 1st Assistant Director |
Video
A record breaking amputation
Robert is a surgeon in Victorian London - an era when surgeons were the rockstars of their day.
Featuring: Rory Kinnear (Robert), Ed Gaughan (Peters), Maggie Service (Sally) & Tom Godwin (Mr Smiles).
Press
Quacks: in need of serious surgery - review
I'm not quite sure what's gone wrong with Quacks, but it's in need of some serious surgery.
Ben Lawrence, The Telegraph, 16th August 2017This rollicking medical farce set in a convincingly pungent Victorian London comes courtesy of James Wood, co-creator of Rev. A talented cast - including Rory Kinnear as a fame-hungry sawbones, Tom Basden as a cocaine-fuelled dentist and Mathew Baynton as a wide-eyed alienist - amp up their performances to match the fevered plotting, while hawkish Rupert Everett swoops in to steal scenes as mercurial royal physician Dr Hendrick.
Graeme Virtue, The Guardian, 15th August 2017Preview: Quacks
From the creator of Rev. comes a new sitcom exploring the world of Victorian medicine.
Ian Wolf, On The Box, 15th August 2017Quacks, BBC2, preview
The middle of August is probably not the normal time to launch a new sitcom, but then Quacks is not a normal sitcom.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 15th August 2017Quacks preview
The team behind Quacks, BBC Two's new period medical comedy, are very proud of the research they've put in to ensure their scripts are historically accurate.
Steve Bennett, Chortle, 15th August 2017Quacks: a historical comedy to rival Blackadder
The new absurd historical sitcom from Rev writer James Wood packs enough laughs to compete with the Richard Curtis and Ben Elton classic.
Thomas Liang, Radio Times, 15th August 2017