Meet the cast of the ITV's new drama the Good Karma Hospital

If you're craving a winter warmer, a dose of ITV's new six-part medical drama, The Good Karma Hospital, might be all the help you need.

Both warming and life-affirming, it's set to throw shade over dreary evenings, by escorting viewers to a vibrant coastal town in tropical South India.

Brimming with character, colour and charisma, the show tells the story of junior doctor Ruby Walker (Amrita Acharia), who arrives in India looking for a job and a distraction from heartbreak. She anticipates the sunshine and picture-perfect beaches, she's even prepared for the tuk-tuks and the Delhi-belly - but what she doesn't expect are the realities of work, life and even love at an under-resourced and over-worked cottage hospital.

Run by a gloriously eccentric Englishwoman - Doctor Lydia Fonseca (Amanda Redman) - The Good Karma Hospital is the beating heart of the local community, held together by a hard-working, hand-picked team of British and Indian medics.

But as Walker adjusts to life in India, she realises The Good Karma Hospital is more than just a rundown medical outpost - it's a home.

Here, Acharia and co tell us what's in store...

DR RUBY WALKER - AMRITA ACHARIA

The audience first see Walker - a fledging paediatrician - when she's at rock bottom. She's split with her long-term partner and, heartbroken and disillusioned, makes a drastic decision and accepts a job abroad.

"The interesting thing about Ruby is her two worlds," notes 26-year-old Acharia, who was born in Nepal where her father actually worked in a hospital (he's now a professor in Norway). "For me, being a person of different cultures, I've always known about where I'm from and my heritage. But Ruby has this heritage she's never really thought about or been interested in, because it's never been part of her life.

"She is Asian but she is so British," the former Game Of Thrones actress elaborates. "It's hard for her to be thrown into somewhere where she should feel like she belongs but really doesn't.

"It's an interesting concept and quite a big draw to that character. It's about finding your roots and finding yourself, but in a very atypical way, which I think is the beauty of her story, and the story of The Good Karma Hospital."

DR LYDIA FONSECA - AMANDA REDMAN

Hot-headed and strong willed, Fonseca is a force to be reckoned with. But having lived in India for 30 years, and given her life to her job, the hospital represents more than just her professional passion.

It was this formidable nature that attracted Redman to the role.

"I thought she was wonderful; she just leapt off the page to me and I love the one-liners," quips the 59-year-old star, known for her role in BBC One series New Tricks.

"When I was sent the scripts, I read them so quickly, because I was fascinated not only by this character, but also by the world in which she lives," Redman adds. "She considers herself to be the head of The Good Karma Hospital - she's not, but she considers herself to be, and tells everybody else she is.

"She's passionate about her work, a wonderful doctor, but she's quite bullish, opinionated and very bossy... So not a lot of acting required, actually!"

DR GABRIEL VARMA - JAMES FLOYD

A tricky man to please, Varma thrives on perfectionism, meaning he has a hard time grasping the fact that everyone has faults.

Floyd - known for his role in My Brother The Devil - puts this abrasive nature down to the fact his character simply feels misunderstood.

"He's unusually young for someone in his position, and is unusually experienced in terms of life," explains the 31-year-old actor. "Gabriel has gone through quite a bit, and the audience learn about his past as the series goes on."

It's not your average medical drama, either, reasons Floyd: "For me, one of the most important things about this drama is the setting. South India is like a character in the series, and certainly the hospital is also.

"A medical drama in this context is something the audience has never quite seen before, and as the series progresses, I think the uniqueness of the characters and the narrative will shine through."

GREG MCCONNELL - NEIL MORRISSEY

Morrissey might be best known for Men Behaving Badly, but he's only too pleased to be given the opportunity to "play both sides of the coin" and "shake off the shackles" by taking on characters like self-made businessman and beach bar owner McConnell.

The fact The Good Karma Hospital is set in India is simply a bonus.

"I always say that everything starts with a good script, and [creator and writer] Dan Sefton has done a fantastic job on this," says the 54-year-old.

"Coming to this guy, where everyone gathers - everyone who passes through Greg's life at some point or other - was a joy.

"He's a loveable rogue, he loves where he is, there's always a story behind everyone that has ended up there," he adds. "You don't, as yet, know why, where or how Greg has arrived in India..."

MAGGIE SMART - PHYLLIS LOGAN

For Downton Abbey alumni Logan, the role of fun-loving Smart - who's in India for her daughter's wedding but ends up not wanting to leave - ticked lots of boxes.

"Maggie wasn't just a character who comes in for one episode and does a beginning, middle and end and then moves on. My story spanned across the entire series," explains Logan, who admits part of the appeal was also working with her old friend Redman.

"I think Maggie is a great character and I love the relationship that Paul [Smart's husband, played by Philip Jackson] and her have together."

But there was one love that was all-consuming for 61-year-old Logan, and that was Sri Lanka where the series is filmed.

"I didn't want to come home," she says, laughing. "It was lovely because my husband was able to come out and join me for a bit, so it was like having a holiday. I did have to work occasionally but that was fine - it was with people like these.

"But it was the most wonderful experience. Terrific."

• The Good Karma Hospital starts on ITV on Sunday, February 5