The Indian Doctor: Series 2

This BBC-aired series about an Indian physician and his family settling in a Welsh mining village in the early 1960s got off to a solid start during its first season, but here the writing is even more focused and compelling, with increased attention to character development. Dr. Prem Sharma (Sanjeev Bhaskar) faces parallel challenges. On the medical front, his efforts to vaccinate the town against the threat of smallpox is violently thwarted by evangelical preacher Herbert Todd (Mark Heap), who tries to turn the villagers against Prem (and he is stymied by a lack of medical supplies needed to address the growing crisis). On the homefront, Prem's imperious mother-in-law, Pushpa (Indira Joshi), has arrived from India, and she's not shy about stating her disappointment in the life that Prem is offering her daughter, Kamini (Ayesha Dharker). Running alongside Prem's problems are a pair of romantic dilemmas: a local police officer tries to work up his courage to declare his love for an unsuspecting young lady, while Todd's daughter engages in a torrid affair with a married man. The Indian Doctor is a show that is rich in fully-textured situations and wonderful acting—especially by Heap as the reckless minister and Joshi as the interfering in-law. Compiling all five episodes from the 2012 second season, this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)