Ex-soap stars sign up for medical drama

Former soap stars Suranne Jones and Paul Nicholls have joined the cast of new medical drama Harley Street.

Jones, Coronation Street's Karen McDonald, will star as a doctor called Martha in the ITV1 show, while Nicholls - EastEnders' Joe Wicks - will play her colleague Robert.

The six-part series is set in the famous medical district in London, and tells the stories of a team of high-flying GPs and specialists.

It is made by Carnival Films, the production company behind Hotel Babylon and the recent adaptation of Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop.

The programme will also feature Human Traffic actor Shaun Parkes as Ekkow, a "lifestyle surgeon" who specialises in boob jobs and botox.

An insider told The Mirror: "They are so caring and professional, the audience watching will wish they could be looked after by them when they are ill."

The show is scheduled to air in the summer.