Up Your Game

A cavalier yearbook ambition inadvertently lands us four plum jobs as the first ever British medics to work for America's giant Carnival Cruise Line. The call to adventure sees the Bates Street Boys elevated from fledging NHS doctors to seventh-in-command on the high seas, as we criss-cross the Caribbean on sister ships in 1992. Our eccentric new boss, Dr. Mo instructs us on shipboard politics, and advises we must play The Game, or court disaster.

Shy and quiet-natured, I become mesmerised by my high-ranking status and engage in a duel with the powerful Sicilian captain, Mario Gambino. My initial victory piques his massive ego, creating a beetle for my onboard survival.

It's Game on ...