Large medical centres filled with doctors and locums are the norm these days. Dr John Thompson is an exception to the rule as he runs his own surgery in Penygroes, in the Nantlle Valley, and still lives in the traditional doctor's house next door. Dr Thompson's Casebook takes a look at the surgery, the patients and the important role the doctor plays in village life.

"In the olden days most doctors would live above their surgeries as it made it easier for patients to call upon them during the night," explains Dr Thompson. "Apart from this surgery, I only know of one other in Scotland where the doctor actually lives on site. Most doctors don't want to work weekends now, let alone be woken from their sleep."

The house next door, which dates back to 1918, came as part of the surgery package and has been an integral part of the village for decades. "The building is so old that I've still got room to keep a horse in the back!" laughs the doctor.

Dr Thompson, who is originally from Leeds, first came to Wales when he answered an advert for a surgery in a 'north Wales coastal town'. That town was Caernarfon and he worked there until he took on the one-doctor surgery in Penygroes in 1974. Once he made the decision to move to Wales, the doctor was determined to learn the language.

"I know some doctors who get away with 'bore da' and 'diolch' but I wanted to hold conversations with my patients in their language," he says. Evening classes and lots of practice with his patients have rewarded the doctor with fluent Welsh and even a genuine north Walian accent, priceless in an area where 88 per cent of the population speak Welsh.

In a normal week, Dr Thompson will see patients at his surgery and also travel up to 10 miles to visit those patients in the area who are too ill to travel or have no means of transport. The 1,000-patient surgery sees people from all walks of life as the area is a complex rural mix of traditional farming community and social deprivation.

Throughout the five-part series viewers will follow the progress of his patients and the ups and downs of the job. "Working as a doctor provokes a range of emotions - there's disappointment, frustration, relief, but most of all you're always working against the clock," he explains.

Colin Beckett has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer of the gullet. Although the cancer is aggressive, he maintains his determination to shrink the tumour through courses of chemotherapy and positive thinking.

Local character Vanda Jones is going through the menopause and even the HRT tablets Dr Thompson prescribes don't seem to be doing the trick. "Oh mam bach," she exclaims, "it's like putting your head in boiling water or like sitting in a sauna. The sweat that pours out of you...and I still haven't lost a stone!"

Like many of the locals, Vanda is dedicated to Nantlle Vale football team and she proudly displays a tattoo of the club on her leg, along with tattoos of a Welsh dragon and the names and dates of birth of her children - in case she forgets their birthdays.

Over 25 per cent of the population are smokers and half of those will be killed by their habit. Thirty-a-day smoker Heather Usher is shocked into giving up when an X-ray reveals that she has traces of early emphysema. This isn't enough, however, for her partner Martin to kick the habit.

In the second programme we meet 23-year-old Debbie Cowley who suffers from Tourette's syndrome and autism. Unlike the much-publicised Pete from this year's Big Brother, Debbie doesn't display traits of uncontrollable swearing, but tends to become withdrawn and confused instead. She receives 24- hour care in a private home in Caernarfon and has an amazing talent for recognising bird songs.

Pet python owner Richie Hughes suffers a freak accident when his oxygen breathing apparatus catches the flames from his cooker and burns his nostrils.

The lively staff at the surgery are also featured in the series and Beryl Jones, the receptionist, has an interesting out of hours pastime, which some would say runs contrary to her NHS role. She enjoys helping a local group of volunteers who offer alternative hands-on healing in the candlelit village hall.

More faces from the surgery.
The series continues.