The Saffron Pictures drama ‘Whistleblower’ based on the findings of the Lourdes Hospital Inquiry report and the misconduct of obstetrician Dr Michael Neary will air this Sunday, 31st August & Monday 1st September 9.30 pm on RTE One.
Whistleblower is a two-part factually based drama based on a young midwife who became concerned over the high number of caesarean hysterectomies carried out by consultant surgeon Dr. Neary at the Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda. The blowing the whistle on Dr Neary sets in train a series of events which resulted in a full investigation and which attracted high media coverage throughout the country.
Emma Stansfield (Heartbeat, The Bill) and Stanley Townsend (Waking the Dead, Omagh Bombing) play the midwife and doctor with BAFTA winning Irish television director Dermot Boyd (Ballykissangel, Rough Diamond) at the helm. Supporting Irish cast include Charlene McKenna (Pure Mule, Prosperity), Adrian Dunbar (The General), Michael McElhatton (Paths to Freedom, Spin the Bottle), Kathy Rose O'Brien (George Gently), Hilda Fay (Fair City) and Patrick Ryan (Northanger Abbey).
‘Whistleblower’ is produced by Peter Norris (Rough Diamond, A Young Person's Guide to becoming a Rock Star) and Siobhán Bourke, co founders of the Dublin based Saffron Pictures. Bourke was inspired to make the drama after the Lourdes Hospital Inquiry report was published in 2006. She has previously produced the IFTA winning series ‘Love is the Drug’ and the shorts ‘A Ferret Called Mickey’ (2003), ‘The Case of Majella McGinty’ (1999) and ‘Heartline’ (1991).
’Whistleblower’ was shot in various locations in Rathnew and Bray from November- December 2007. Skibbereen based and BAFTA winning writer Rob Heyland (Between The Lines, Heartbeat), adapted the findings for the screen, with Ciarán Tanham (Northanger Abbey) as DOP. Post was carried out by Screen scene and Ardmore Sound. UK based Millenium FX provided all medical prosthetics for the drama.