Eagle-eyed fans of the popular new ITV medical drama, Breathless, may have already spotted that Central London conference and events venue, Congress Centre, is a key location used during the filming of the series.
The venue took a temporary departure from hosting corporate events in May, June and July when filming took place, with the exterior of the building, along with the reception area and the Marble Hall, expected to make appearances in the drama.
The series begins in 1961, a time when Britain was on the brink of the ’60s revolution – abortion is illegal and the contraceptive pill is only just available to married women. Set in and around a busy gynaecology unit, medicine becomes the perfect stage to play out the shifting and complex moral codes of early 1960s’ society.
The drama stars Pirates of the Caribbean actor, Jack Davenport, along with Joanna Page of Gavin & Stacey fame and Cutting It’s Sarah Parish. Davenport plays the brilliant and charismatic surgeon, Otto Powell, who passionately believes he can make a difference to womenís lives, even if that means risking imprisonment.
Breathless was co-created and written by Paul Unwin, who also directed the first two episodes of the series. The other writers are Peter Grimsdale, the showís co-creator, and Simon Tyrell (Lightfields, Survivors).
According to Robert Girvan, Centre Director at Congress Centre, “The whole conference and events team is really excited to catch sight of Congress Centre as the drama unfolds. It’s great to see the venue being used in such a different way.”
