Jac Naylor is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by Rosie Marcel. She made her first screen appearance during the series eight episode "Bird on a Wire", which was originally broadcast on 22 November 2005. The character is introduced alongside Luke Roberts and Tom Chambers as Joseph Byrne and Sam Strachan, respectively. Jac is characterised as a highly ambitious, forthright surgeon who is career-oriented. Her backstory states that her mother placed her in foster care aged twelve.
Diane Hutchinson is a fictional character from the British soap opera Hollyoaks, played by Alex Fletcher. The character made her first appearance on 1 September 2010. Diane was introduced into the series by Hollyoaks' executive producer Paul Marquess, during his rejuvenation of the show. Marquess axed numerous characters and replaced them with new families. Fletcher began filming in June 2010, the same month her casting was publicised. Diane was introduced with her husband, Rob and stepchildren, Sinead and Finn O'Connor. The O'Connors are one of three families that were introduced 2010. Diane is characterised as a "loving wife" and a "devoted stepmum". Fletcher initially hoped that Diane would be likeable, despite her over the top demeanour. Fletcher believed Diane has a good relationship with her step-children and was loathe to portray her as "the wicked stepmother".
Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher is a fictional character from the BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City, portrayed by Alex Walkinshaw. He appears in Casualty from its twenty-sixth series in 2012 until its twenty-eighth in 2014, before joining Holby City in its sixteenth series. Fletch is characterised as a fun, likeable and charming Jack the lad who considers his family very important. The character is introduced as a staff nurse in Holby City Hospital's emergency department (ED) and progresses in his career to the hospital's Director of Nursing. Fletch's personable characterisation has helped establish friendship with many characters, notably with Lloyd Asike and Raf di Lucca. Fletch's main story in Casualty is his affair with senior nurse Tess Bateman, which leads to the breakdown of his marriage to Natalie Fletcher. The plot was explored in the online episode "Mistletoe and Rum" and contributed to his exit.
Colette Sheward is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Louise Delamere. She first appeared in the series sixteen episode "Fait Accompli", broadcast on 3 December 2013. Colette serves as the Director of Nursing Services at Holby City. Delamere was approached for the role and not required to audition. Colette is characterised as a "headstrong" and "compassionate" career woman who fiercely defends her team of nursing staff. Delamere decided that Colette should not have children to represent independent woman. But her solitary trait often leaves her isolated. Colette was introduced as an old friend of CEO Guy Self. He offers the job without interviewing her which attracts internal scrutiny. Colette's role at the hospital demands respect from those in nursing roles. While she also maintains influence to reprimand doctors and consultants operating mistreating nurses. Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror predicted viewer popularity for Colette. She liked her brash persona and reporters from Inside Soap and What's on TV called her a "no-nonsense" character.
Zosia March is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Camilla Arfwedson. She first appeared in the series fifteen episode "The Kick Inside", broadcast on 10 September 2013. Zosia arrives at Holby City hospital to start her first year of the Foundation Programme. She has a vested interest in psychiatry and has worked on both Darwin and Keller wards mentored by Elliot Hope and Sacha Levy respectively. She is characterised as a forthright, intelligent and unafraid to challenge the hospital hierarchy. The show soon introduced Zosia's estranged father, Guy Self. They share a dysfunctional relationship following the death of her mother. Their feud jeopardises Zosia's career and on one occasion she is thrown off Keller following a rude confrontation. Other storylines revolve around close colleagues Arthur Digby and Dominic Copeland and romances with Sebastian Coulter and Oliver Valentine, whom she later married.
Jesse Law is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Don Gilet. He first appeared in the series sixteen episode "Battle Lines", broadcast on 22 April 2014. Jesse arrives at Holby City employed as a Consultant Anaesthetist working on the hospital's Keller ward. The show created a rich backstory for the character meaning he already knew three regular characters Guy Self, Zosia March and Colette Sheward. Jesse and Guy share a professional history and close friendship as it was Guy who mentored Jesse after noticing his talent. He is characterised as a flirtatious, confident and cocky character. Professionally he is a highly skilled anaesthetist and possesses a strong bedside manner. His lack of humbleness has also created animosity with other characters.
Dominic "Dom" Copeland is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor David Ames. He first appeared in the series fifteen episode "Second Life", broadcast on 23 April 2013. Dom arrives at Holby City hospital as an F1 on Keller Ward being mentored by Antoine Malick and later Sacha Levy. The character was originally introduced for several episodes and featured in a storyline with Malick. Producers later decided to reintroduce the character on a permanent basis with Dom returning in January 2014.
Serena Campbell is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by Catherine Russell. She first appeared in the fourteenth series episode "Coercion", broadcast on 1 May 2012. Serena is a consultant general surgeon and formerly Holby General Hospital's deputy CEO. She was introduced along with two other regular characters by the show's then executive producer Johnathan Young, who wanted more "truthful and complicated" characters in the series. Serena was originally Frankie Renard, but the name was changed as the producers thought it was "terrible". Russell auditioned for the role and attended a second call back where she was made up in Serena's costume and make-up. After being cast, the actress was given advice about Serena's profession from a female surgeon to help her prepare for the part. Aspects of Russell's personality traits were incorporated into the character of Serena after she was cast.
Harry Tressler is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by Jules Knight. He first appeared in the fifteenth series episode "The More Deceived", broadcast on 14 May 2013. Harry was introduced as a CT1, later progressing to CT3. Knight's casting was announced in January 2013. He auditioned four times, with the producers taking two and a half months to choose him for the part. To help prepare for the role, Knight shadowed a surgeon and watched a laparotomy. In February 2015, it was announced that Knight had quit the show in order to concentrate on the release of his first solo record. Harry departed during the seventeenth series on 14 April 2015.
Arthur Digby is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Rob Ostlere. He first appeared in the series fifteen episode "Blood Ties", broadcast on 2 January 2013. Arthur arrives at Holby City hospital to start his first year of the Foundation Programme. To prepare for the role Ostlere visited a hospital and shadowed a registrar and foundation doctors on their rounds. He has been described by Holby City's publicity department as "naïve and socially awkward" plus holding an "encyclopaedic knowledge" on unusual subjects. Ostlere's first days on-set influenced various aspects of Arthur's characterisation such as his "preppy attire", fidgeting with his glasses and his clumsy nature. Arthur is a talented doctor and his skills are awarded the medical prize titled, Junior Doctor of the Year. Arthur's storylines have focused on his career on the hospital's Keller and AAU wards, alongside the various characters that staff them. In his first year on-screen he works closely with mentor Antoine Malick and staff nurse Chantelle Lane. The latter he develops romantic feelings for which are not reciprocated. Their friendship dominates his initial story and together they become victims of a vicious mugging and a car crash which is caused by Arthur.
Estelle "Essie" Harrison is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Kaye Wragg. She first appeared in the series sixteen episode "My Name Is Joe", broadcast on 6 May 2014. Essie arrives at Holby City employed as an agency nurse working on the hospital's AAU and Keller wards. She is characterised as an opinionated nurse who is not afraid to challenge the healthcare system. She is also played as a warm person who makes a good friend for fellow characters and strives to provide excellent patient care. Her introduction to the show was controversial and featured the discovery that her grandfather Joe Goodridge was an escaped Nazi war criminal.
Adele Effanga is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Petra Letang. She first appeared in the series fifteen episode "Intuition", broadcast on 14 January 2014. Adele arrives at Holby City hospital to start her role as a Healthcare Assistant on the hospital's AAU ward and is introduced as the sister of established character Mo Effanga. Adele is characterised as a "outgoing and friendly" person who plays up to the "good-time girl" stereotype. Though she is hard working and striving towards forging a respected career in the medical profession. The character has a unique dress sense which is "girly and quirky". According to Letang, Adele often wears individual unmatched pieces which can be "outrageous" but often excites actress. She later transfers to the Darwin ward alongside Mo and her presence undermines an insecure Mo. Writers soon introduced more members of the Effenga family including their mother and sister. Following the discovery that Mo is actually Adele's cousin the pair begin to feud.
Raffaello "Raf" di Lucca is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Joe McFadden. He first appeared in the sixteenth series episode "Prince Among Men", broadcast on 28 January 2014. Raf is a Registrar General Surgeon, who joined the Acute Assessment Unit staff. He was introduced along with two other regular characters by the show's executive producer Oliver Kent in a bid to "shake things up". McFadden's casting was announced in September 2013, and he began filming the following month. He initially received a one-year contract with the show. To help him prepare for the role, McFadden watched open-heart surgery. McFadden departed in the nineteenth series episode "Group Animal, Part Two", broadcast on 7 December 2017, and returns for a single episode in the twenty-second series, broadcast on 21 July 2020.
Caleb "Cal" Knight is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by actor Richard Winsor. He first appeared in the series twenty-eight episode "Brothers at Arms", broadcast on 18 January 2014. Winsor had previously auditioned for a role in Casualty's spin-off show Holby City. Producers were impressed and recalled him to read for the part of Cal. Winsor's casting was announced alongside George Rainsford who was hired to play Cal's brother Ethan Hardy. The pair had to pass a screen test together as producers were looking for a strong sibling chemistry. Cal's role in the show is a Specialist registrar in emergency medicine. He was originally introduced as a locum. The medic is played as a lothario and womaniser type character. He can manipulate those around him with charm to better his career. Writers gave Cal a backstory detailing the difficult relationship with his father and brother. Despite having the same parents Cal and Ethan had different upbringings, which sets up a sibling rivalry. Their relationship has been important in the development of both characters. Executive producer Oliver Kent has called the character consistent because when faced with trauma, Cal gets drunk, sleeps with women and makes a fool of himself.
The nineteenth series of the British medical drama television series Holby City commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 11 October 2016 and concluded airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 December 2017. The series consists of 64 episodes; an increase from the previous series.
Ben "Lofty" Chiltern is a fictional character from the BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City, played by actor Lee Mead. He first appeared in Casualty's twenty-eighth series episode "The Last Chance Saloon", broadcast on 1 March 2014. The character is introduced to fill the role of a young, male nurse. Mead previously appeared in the drama in the twenty-sixth series of Casualty. Lofty originally appears as a staff nurse but is promoted to senior staff nurse in 2016. The character is specifically written for Mead and he was contracted to the show for a year. Lofty is portrayed as a nice person who is likeable and popular. His clumsiness often leaves him in awkward situations although he is a brilliant nurse and a team player. Lofty's backstory states that when his parents grew tired of his wild behaviour, they kicked him out.
Professor John Gaskell is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Paul McGann. He first appeared in the nineteenth series episode "Group Animal − Part One", broadcast on 5 December 2017. John is a consultant neurosurgeon who joins the staff at Holby City Hospital as the director of surgical innovations. The character and McGann's casting was announced on 4 April 2017 and the actor began filming in August. Producers approached McGann about the role while he was appearing in a theatre production and when he liked the character, he signed a twelve-month contract.
"Group Animal" is a two-part episode of the British medical drama Holby City that served as the 61st and 62nd episodes of the show's nineteenth series, and the 900th and 901st episodes overall. The first part aired on 5 December 2017, and the second on 7 December 2017 on BBC One in the United Kingdom. Both parts were written by Andy Bayliss and directed by Paulette Randall. The plot sees the arrival of Professor John Gaskell at Holby City Hospital, shortly before Fredrik Johanssen goes on a shooting spree, which results in the death of Raf di Lucca.
The twenty-second series of the British medical drama television series Holby City began on BBC One on 7 January 2020 in the United Kingdom. The series consists of 44 episodes. Jane Wallbank is the series producer, and Simon Harper is the executive producer. The series features an episode dedicated to Holocaust Memorial Day, a topical last-minute insert about the COVID-19 pandemic and a COVID-19-themed episode. Production for the drama was suspended between March and July 2020 due to the pandemic, which led to two transmission hiatuses during the series. Fifteen regular cast members reprised their roles from the previous series, four of which depart during the series, including long-serving cast members Hugh Quarshie and Rosie Marcel. Guy Self returns for a short stint and Raf di Lucca appears in a single episode, having been previously killed-off. The series also features the introduction of the show's first regular transgender character, Louis McGerry, and a guest appearance for actor and television personality John Barrowman as Drew Nicholson-Heath.
Lucky Simpson is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by Vineeta Rishi. She first appeared in Episode 28 of the show's twenty-second series, broadcast on 24 November 2020. Lucky arrives at Holby City hospital to work as a mental health nurse. To aid her introduction into the series, writers created a backstory with established character Max McGerry. BBC publicity also released an advance spoiler trailer showcasing the character's debut. Lucky is characterised as a "warm, empathetic and unnervingly intelligent" nurse. She has a tendency to always think she is right and dislikes being proven wrong. Lucky's main stories included her involvement with Kian Madani's drug addiction story, in which she behaves unethically and micro-doses him. Lucky also helps Kian hide Andrei Tarpov in the UK illegally. When Karimloo left the series, producers killed Kian off and writers used this to portray Lucky having a breakdown at work. Other stories include a feud with Jeni Sinclair and breaking patient confidentiality.
