(series 1–8), a consultant general surgeon often assigned to St Aidan's. Andy Wear as Alun Morris (series 1–8), a porter and theatre technician. Michael Starke as Ken Hopkirk (series 1–7), St Aidan's head porter and father of Lizzie Hopkirk. Polly Maberly as Dr Lucy Klein (series 2–3), a consultant psychologist and a foil for Cheriton. Anna Madeley as Samantha Beaumont (series 3–4), a student nurse. Paul Fox as Dr Jeff Goodwin (series 3–6), a GP and later, Makori's primary love interest. Scott Taylor as Frankie Robinson (series 4–7), an ambulance driver. Natalie Anderson as Stella Davenport (series 4–7), a senior staff nurse and Frankie's longtime love interest. Amelia Curtis as Catherine Deane (series 5–6), a senior staff nurse. Kananu Kirimi as Dr Joan Makori (series 5–6), a GP and a member of Doctors Without Borders. Robert Cavanah as Adam Carnegie (series 5–7), hospital secretary. Sam Callis as Dr Mike Banner (series 6), a GP, anaesthetist, and sought-after locum physician. Kari Corbett as Marian McKaig (series 6–7), a staff nurse. Sarah Beck Mather as Susie Dixon (series 6–8), a student nurse. Damian O'Hare as Dr Nick Burnett (series 7), a GP recruited by Jill following the departures of Goodwin and Makori. Chris Coghill as Bobby Sheridan (series 7), an ambulance driver. Gareth Hale as Jack Bell (series 7–8), head porter of St Aidan's. Neil McDermott as Dr Ralph Ellis (series 8), a locum GP noted for his forward-thinking approach to medicine. Glynis Barber as Jean McAteer (series 8), hospital secretary. Lauren Drummond as Faye Clark (series 8), a student nurse. Diana May as Carol Selby (series 8), a staff nurse. Episode list Ratings Below is the list of ratings of The Royal, giving an overall result for each series. The Royal Today In 2007, ITV commissioned a daytime spin-off of The Royal, entitled The Royal Today. The spin-off focused on the same settings of the main show, but set in the present day with a new cast of characters. The show ran for one series in 2008 between 7 January to 14 March. The show was axed due to low ratings. End of production Speculation surrounding the future of both Heartbeat and The Royal began in 2009, when ITV announced on 4 March that a loss of £2.7 billion was forcing it to make cutbacks in employment numbers, the biggest of which were made at ITV Yorkshire Studios. Many raised concerns