9.1/1029 votes#1 - For Better for Worse
Season 4 Episode 1 - Aired 12/5/2004
Jill and Gordon's wedding day finally arrives, but a huge explosion at a nearby care home disrupts proceedings in spectacular fashion. As the Royal staff help pull the elderly residents out of the rubble, the horrifying truth behind the cause of the accident is discovered.
Director: Terry McDonough
Writer: Deborah Cook
- 8.6/1026 votes
#2 - Beggars and Choosers
Season 4 Episode 2 - Aired 12/12/2004
Mr. Harper prepares for the arrival of an important private patient, who proves useful when a badly injured teenager is brought in after an industrial accident after Dr. Goodwin puts his career on the line to fight for justice for the accident victim. Sister Brigid helps a terminally ill alcoholic called Rory, and Lizzie comes to terms with her husband's recent behaviour and looks ahead to the future.
Director: Terry McDonough
Writer: Sarah Bagshaw
- 8.2/1018 votes
#3 - No Room For Ravers
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 12/19/2004
Jill visits a war veteran and is taken hostage and Harper os spotted paying visits to a strange woman.
Director: Frank W. Smith
Writer: Mark Holloway
- 8.1/1023 votes
#4 - The Rose Queen
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 1/9/2005
Dr. Weatherill is involved in an air rescue to save an unconscious girl and finds herself braving a cliff abseil to reach the youngster. Dr. Ormerod faces a difficult time when he misdiagnoses a patient who is left fighting for life later in hospital. Sister Brigid has an accident on her bike, while Harper faces a staff revolt.
Director: Frank W. Smith
Writer: John Flanagan, Andrew McCulloch
- 7.9/1024 votes
#5 - It's What's on the Inside That Counts
Season 4 Episode 5 - Aired 1/16/2005
New recruit Thelma Parker catches the eye of Harper, but proves to be less popular with the rest of the team, and an injured boxer causes concern for the staff at the hospital. Dr. Weatherill finds herself caught in an ethical battle when the parents of a dangerously ill baby refuse treatment, while Samantha receives unwanted news.
Director: Ken Grieve
Writer: Patrick Melanaphy
- 8.7/1021 votes
#6 - Duty Bound
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 1/23/2005
Samantha struggles to cope with the reality of her recent discovery and takes desperate action which leaves her life hanging in the balance. Frankie and Gordon attempt a daring rescue to help a teenager in danger on the weir, while Ken has something to hide from Harper. Jeff's casual encounter with a friend of Lizzie's suddenly turns serious when he realises his career could be at risk.
Director: Ken Grieve
Writer: Robin Mukherjee
- 8.7/1022 votes
#7 - Sins of the Father
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 1/30/2005
Nurse Stella Davenport arrives at the Royal with a less than favourable reputation, and soon causes a stir among the staff and patients as rumours about her circulate the hospital. Matron and Harper discover a new approach to interviewing when they try to fill a ward domestic vacancy, while Dr. Ormerod is left to deal with the dramatic aftermath of a domestic dispute, and Lizzie realises her new scooter might have been an ill-advised purchase.
Director: Tim Dowd
Writer: Sarah Bagshaw
- 8.3/1019 votes
#8 - Everybody Needs Somebody
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 2/6/2005
Matron is injured by a thief and Jeff fears he is gaining a bad reputation. Meanwhile, an outbreak of tubercolosis keeps the staff busy.
Director: Tim Dowd
Writer: Patrick Melanaphy
- 7.9/1018 votes
#9 - Say a Little Prayer
Season 4 Episode 9 - Aired 2/13/2005
Sister Brigid is concerned about the head of her convent who is refusing treatment and Jill hears from Samantha.
Director: Graeme Harper
Writer: Jane Hollowood
- 8.5/1020 votes
#10 - The Way We Were
Season 4 Episode 10 - Aired 2/20/2005
Dr. Goodwin faces the pressure as rumours about him frantically circulate the hospital and when Dr. Weatherill passes on some important news, he wastes no time in using it to set the record straight. Nurse Taylor's happiness about her future with Frankie is sensationally shattered as the extent of his dishonesty is revealed, while Matron is shocked to see a familiar face on the ward.
Director: Graeme Harper
Writer: Deborah Cook
- 8.8/1024 votes
#11 - Sinking Feeling
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 2/27/2005
A dangerous situation arises on board a sinking trawler and Matron hands in her resignation.
Director: Frank W. Smith
Writer: John Flanagan, Andrew McCulloch
- 8.4/1024 votes
#12 - While the Cat's Away
Season 4 Episode 12 - Aired 3/6/2005
Matron is forced to change her plans after a tragic turn of events and decides to withdraw her resignation. Nurse Taylor grows closer to Jeff as they tackle an unusual medical emergency, but later finds herself confronted by an angry Frankie. Harper's money-saving schemes backfire in spectacular fashion, while an argument over a patient's health sparks off a chain of events which leaves Gordon's life hanging in the balance.
Director: Judith Dine
Writer: Jane Hollowood
The Best Episodes of The Royal Season 4
Every episode of The Royal Season 4 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Royal Season 4!
Follows the staff and patients of a Yorkshire cottage hospital in the 60s, embroiled in tangled love lives and bitter power struggles.
Genre:Drama
Network:ITV1
Season 4 Ratings Summary
"For Better for Worse" is the best rated episode of "The Royal" season 4. It scored 9.1/10 based on 29 votes. Directed by Terry McDonough and written by Deborah Cook, it aired on 12/5/2004. This episode is rated 0.5 points higher than the second-best, "Beggars and Choosers".