Jim Mortimer

In the quiet countryside of Eastfolkshire, a slender telephone line stretches between a private house and a modest asylum, carrying the urgent notes of life, death, and everyday chores. Here we meet Jim Mortimer, the doctor’s grandson, affectionately called the “Long ’Un” for his lanky stature and easygoing gait. Though on holiday, Jim steps in as deputy surgeon, his calm confidence and good‑natured humor endearing him to the locals who greet him with smiles and a tip of their hats.

The story opens with Jim’s gentle yet mischievous bedside manner as he tends a frightened boy who has swallowed the wrong medicine, turning a tense moment into a bout of laughter and a modest reward. Soon after, he chats with the asylum’s head attendant about a notorious patient—a volatile former officer whose recent outburst threatens the peace of the ward. Jim’s willingness to intervene hints at the lively, slightly chaotic world he inhabits, promising a blend of rustic charm, witty banter, and the occasional moral dilemma.