Big White Duel
Big White Duel is a 2019 Hong Kong television medical drama produced by Marco Law and TVB. The series follows a team of medical practitioners at the fictional Marshall Paxton Hospital, Hong Kong's leading public hospital, with its central plot structuring around the hospital's Deputy C.E., Dr. YT Yeung's attempts in rallying support for a new healthcare plan that would change the landscape of Hong Kong's healthcare system. Big White Duel premiered on TVB Jade in Hong Kong on 10 June 2019, and aired its final episode on 12 July 2019. It aired on Mediacorp's Channel 8 on 18 March 2020 and concluded on 25 May 2020. A second season is in the works, to begin filming in October 2020.
Big White Duel received widespread critical acclaim throughout its broadcast period. It is currently sitting as Hong Kong's second highest-rated television drama of 2019, and won multiple awards and nominations at the TVB Anniversary Awards, including Best Drama, Best Actor for Kenneth Ma and Most Improved Female Artist for Kelly Cheung.
Series overview
Hong Kong's leading public hospital, Marshall Paxton, is being used as a trial ground for a radical reform project that could potentially change the future of Hong Kong's healthcare system. As medical practitioners at Marshall Paxton regularly face ethical dilemmas that challenge their professionalism, they are also being put in the middle of a power struggle between Deputy C.E. Dr. YT Yeung, who seeks for healthcare reform and for the spot of C.E., and the hospital's current C.E. Dr. Lui Chung-hok, who wants to keep the status quo. Fictional depictions of the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health, and the Legislative Council of Hong Kong are prominent entities that drive the plot.Plot
Hong Kong's healthcare reform is imperative. The radical reform plan is to privatize public hospitals and raise capital by means of public listing to maintain operations. The leading public hospital, Marshall Paxton Hospital, has become a pilot for the reform. YT Yeung, Deputy Hospital Chief Executive and Chief of Service of Neurosurgery, has made preparations for five years, seeking to turn the hospital into a medical empire that raises more than $10 billion. He is even looking to be the person-in-charge! Dr. Tong Ming, C.O.S. of Cardio Thoracic Surgery, has a totally different ideology compared to YT's. He has fought alongside his apprentice Dr. Max Poon in accordance with the life-saving principle that is to hold human life above the healthcare system, but they are instead dragged into the power struggle initiated by Dr. Lui Chung-hok, CE of Marshal Paxton, who opposes the medical reform. YT, Tong Ming cardiothoracic surgeon Kennis Ching, A&E's Dr. Zoe So, and neurosurgeon Dr. Yan Lui, etc. are a group of strong-willed people in white robes, but their opponents are not only diseases, but also human greed coupled with the lust driven by power…Production
Big White Duel was first announced in late 2017 as a new installment to Marco Law's Strongmen series, which started with the legal drama Law dis-Order in 2016. Initially produced with the working title White Giants, the new series would follow a similar to theme to Law dis-Order, in which career professionals engage in political games to consolidate power. Law employed the same team behind Law dis-Order for Big White Duel, including scriptwriter Wong Wai-keung.Moses Chan and Ruco Chan were initially sought out to respectively star as Dr. YT Yeung and Dr. Tong Ming. After turning down the roles, TVB casted Roger Kwok and Kenneth Ma in December 2017. Big White Duel became Kwok's last TVB drama in his management contract. The role of Dr. Patrick Lam was first offered to Jason Chan, and then to Oscar Leung, but both turned down the role due to schedule conflicts. The role ultimately went to Stephen Wong.
In February 2018, Big White Duel held its first costume fitting press conference. Filming commenced that same month in Tuen Mun, and later in Shenzhen, China. Principal photography focused on locations in Tuen Mun's T PARK, Shenzhen's Horizontal Skyscraper, and the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub, which were used as backdrops for Marshall Paxton Hospital. Principal photography ended in July 2018 with a wrap-up party held on 2 July 2018.
Cast and characters
Marshall Paxton Hospital
Government officials
Senior Management
Neuroendovascular Surgery (NES)
Cardiothoracic Surgery (CTS)
Accident & Emergency (A & E)
Nursing
Other cast
Viewership ratings
TVB Jade
International broadcast
| Region | Network | Notes |
| 8TV | ||
| VV Drama & MediaCorp Channel 8 | Dubbed With Mandarin | |
| PNN TV | Dubbed With Khmer |