'Fairy tales are great for morale, but lives are saved by brilliant surgeons'

“Do you believe in fairies?” children are asked at each stage performance of Peter Pan. But when Great Ormond Street Hospital, Headline Pictures and ITV collaborated on a new screen version of the classic story, the producers had to decide whether magic or medical science would emerge triumphant.

The highlight of ITV’s Boxing Day schedule, Peter and Wendy, starring Stanley Tucci as Captain Hook and the pop star Paloma Faith, reimagines JM Barrie’s famous adventure, framing the story within the modern-day GOSH.

Barrie awarded all the rights to Peter Pan to GOSH in 1929, a gesture extended in perpetuity by the House of Lords in 1988, ensuring that the hospital continues to earn vital funds from adaptations of the story.

Peter and Wendy, featuring newcomer Zak Sutcliffe as Peter, is the first occasion that GOSH has allowed a production to be filmed inside the institution itself.

The drama opens with 12-year-old Lucy (Hazel Doupe) awaiting treatment for a serious heart condition. Her mother (Laura Fraser) is distraught with fear at losing her child.

Lucy reads Barrie’s story to other sick children the day before her operation. When she goes to sleep she is transformed into Wendy and transported to Neverland, where Tucci, who plays the kindly surgeon, doubles as the villainous Captain Hook. Adrian Hodges, the Bafta-winning screenwriter of Peter and Wendy, said that while his version would deliver all the pirates, sword fights and fairies which children expect from the Peter Pan story, he also wanted to remind viewers that the magical world must occasionally bow to the miracles performed by GOSH’s first-rank medical staff.

“Fantasy and the notion of magic as it pertains to the imagination is very helpful in terms of children’s morale, but it is surgery and medicine which will make them well and we were very keen to separate the two issues,” he said. “It was important not to confuse the fantasy with the reality of getting well. Children’s lives are saved by brilliant surgeons, not by wishing themselves well.”

Consultants at GOSH advised the producers, Headline Pictures, on medical procedures. A replica ward was built on set to avoid disrupting the hospital’s daily activity.

Hodges also believed that his drama must stay true to the sadness at the heart of Peter Pan, which includes Barrie’s poignant line: “To die will be an awfully big adventure.” The producers had lengthy discussions about whether one of the sick children should die.

“Not everybody will feel comfortable with the outcome, but I hope viewers will understand the thinking behind the decision we took,” said Hodges. “The starting point for Pan was the death of Barrie’s elder brother when JM was six, and the story contains reflections on mortality. It’s part of the reality of hospitals, too, along with recovery and moments of joy.”

The producers believe they have uncovered a new star in 14-year-old Sutcliffe, from Bradford, who was whisked off to Luxembourg for location shooting during school time and taught how to fly in a harness.

Stewart Mackinnon, the producer, said: “It’s a London hospital where the kids are from all ethnic groups and backgrounds, so we agreed not to cast a group of Southern-softie Etonian kids who’ve been to posh schools. The children are from Ireland, Glasgow, Tyneside, Liverpool. It’s important that the Pan stories are not an exclusive world for posh kids sitting in grand dining rooms. They are for everyone.”

Paloma Faith, the award-winning singer, was cast as Tinker Bell. “I had experiences as a child, aged about eight or nine, going to GOSH for some minor things. It was always quite astonishing to see how much they do and see the other children that were there,” she said. Faith argues that believing in fairies and the power of imagination is even more important in the digital age because “everyone is very cynical and jaded, even our children”.

The drama is expected to be screened in 100 countries and the producers’ finance partners have all agreed to donate a percentage of the revenues to the GOSH Children’s Charity. Peter and Wendy is set for a Boxing Day “classic literature” ratings clash. BBC1 is screening the launch of Dickensian, a “mash-up” serial drama featuring a selection of favourite Dickens characters, against the film. “I’m a big Dickens fan, but I hope Barrie beats Dickens on this occasion,” said Hodges.

Peter and Wendy is on ITV at 8pm on Boxing Day