Algar lands lead role in new drama by Line of Duty producers

Niamh Algar is to star in a new ITV medical drama, Malpractice, by the producers of Line of Duty.

The Mullingar native will play Lucinda Edwards, a doctor who is the subject of a enquiry following the death of one her patients. Malpractice was written by former NHS doctor Grace Ofori-Attah, is being directed by Boiling Point's Philip Barantini and produced by World Productions - producers of Line of Duty.

Niamh says that she is “thrilled to be a part of this project”.

“I was blown away by Grace Ofori-Attah’s script and the team attached in creating Malpractice.

"I’m a huge fan of Phil Barantini’s work; his movie Boiling Point is an astonishing piece of work, and I’m so excited to see how he approaches Malpractice.

"I’m absolutely over the moon that we are working together on this special series."

The five part series, which has already started filming in Leeds, opens with Algar's lead character on a nightmare shift that ends in the death of an opioid overdose victim, Edith Owusu.

Despite the support of her medical supervisor, Dr Leo Harris, played by James Purefoy (A Discovery of Witches, Pennyworth, Sex Education), Edith’s grieving father Sir Anthony Owusu, played by Brian Bovell (Crime, Strike), demands an enquiry into Lucinda’s actions on the fateful night.

Through the cat and mouse thriller of the medical investigation, Malpractice tells the story of a damaged doctor caught up in a dangerous conspiracy.

Writer Grace Ofori-Attah says that she can't wait to see her script brought to life on screen by Algar and her fellow cast members..

“I’d worked as an NHS doctor for over a decade when I first came to World with an idea that would become Malpractice. Malpractice explores the inevitable pressure-cooker created when doctors under investigation are forced to second-guess their clinical decisions, justify their every action but carry on with the day job as normal. It has been an absolute joy and privilege creating Malpractice with the team at World, who are well-versed in creating drama that’s endlessly entertaining and surprising,”