Dr. Al Haskey is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera Doctors, portrayed by Ian Midlane.

His storylines in the programme have included being accused of stalking Jas Khella (Vineeta Rishi), his friendship with colleague Jimmi Clay (Adrian Lewis Morgan), dealing with his mother's dementia, his tumultuous relationships and being attacked by a patient.

Writers also gave the character a side hobby as an inventor, with Al having become interested in making gadgets as a child.

[5] The story received a slow build-up on-screen and Midlane found it "really satisfying" and "rewarding to take Al to the brink".

"[5] Writers played Al becoming disliked at work, with Zara Carmichael (Elisabeth Dermot Walsh) and Kevin Tyler (Simon Rivers) being the first colleagues to turn against him.

[10] The episode also explains how the character became obsessed with science fiction and explores his relationship with his aunt Sheila Mills (Helen Phillips).

[16] However, at the end of her stay at Al's, as she is about to leave she falls ill. She is rushed into hospital and it emerges that she has fallen ill due to a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Letherbridge.

Frankie Sharp (Andrea Mason) arrives at the Mill as an angry patient that needs her repeat prescription renewed, but due to a lack of appointments for a doctor to review it, receptionist Kirsty Millar (Kiruna Stamell) informs her she may have to wait two weeks.

[18] Frankie was introduced to Doctors as part of a topical plot and was inspired by real-life news stories about the violence healthcare workers face.

[22] In 2013, Midlane revealed that he did not like to read about negative opinions about Al posted by viewers on social media because they left him with "hurt feelings".

[27][28][29][30] Midlane won the Best Comedy Performance accolade at the 2018 British Soap Awards,[31] later receiving another nomination at the 2023 ceremony.

[34] In March 2022, Metro's Chris Hallam wrote a piece opining that Al is Doctors' best character in the history of the series.

He felt that the producers had "struck gold" when they created Al and accredited Midlane's acting skills with the enjoyment of the character.

[35] Hallam wrote that in his decade on the soap, Al had "gradually developed into one of the most entertaining and fully realised characters in the Doctors universe".

[35] He appreciated the depth of the character, comparing the different aspects of Al: the "fortysomething mummy's boy who seems more interested in science fiction, pub quizzes, the latest app or grabbing a pint" in contrast to the "acutely sensitive" person who cares about his friends and patients.

[35] Hallam concluded his piece by billing Al as "far more than simple comic relief" and noted that his characterisation was a huge success for the show and its viewers.