Holby City
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United Kingdom | website = http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/holbycity/ | imdb_id = 0184122Holby City, styled as HOLBY CI+Y, and usually referred to as simply Holby is a medical drama television serial transmitted by BBC One in the United Kingdom. It follows the lives of surgeons, nurses, other medical and ancillary staff and patients at the fictional Holby City Hospital. The show has many different writers, including the current executive producer, Tony McHale, who has been a writer for the show since the very first episode in 1999.
Production
Origins and development
Holby City began on 12 January 1999 as a spin-off from the long-running BBC medical drama Casualty and is named after the fictional Holby City Hospital in which both series are set. The show follows the lives and careers of staff and patients at the hospital and deals with a range of clinical and ethical issues. The regular characters are all staff, and patients are played by guest actors - which have included some famous names such as Eric Sykes, Phill Jupitus, Michael Jayston, Michele Dotrice, Ronni Ancona, Emma Samms, Lee Ryan, Nikki Sanderson and Johnny Briggs.Fictional location
Holby is set in the fictional county of Wyvern, in the south-west of England, close to the Welsh border. The fictional city would effectively replace Bristol on the UK map - telephone numbers given on the show use the Bristol area code, and similarly addresses use the Bristol postcode. While its sister show Casualty is filmed in Bristol, Holby City is filmed in London at the BBC's Elstree Studios.Filming
Holby City is shot on videotape using the single-camera setup. The show is filmed at Neptune House, at the BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. This building contains the sets for the show, the production offices for a number of BBC shows, and editing facilities for EastEnders. As a result, the Holby City building can often be seen in the distance during episodes of EastEnders, although the latter is set in London. Each episode of Holby City is shot around 3 months in advance of transmission on BBC One - and whilst one episode is being shot, the cast are also shooting the next episode. This results in the completion of two episodes in two weeks. Cast members usually arrive for a day's filming at 7am, and spend over twelve hours a day working.When Holby City first began, the series were shot months in advance. The second series only began airing once the full sixteen episodes had been shot. From July 2007 onwards, the show took on the filmizing technique, giving episodes the impression of having been shot on film. Series producer Diana Kyle said of the change: "We wanted to bring Holby City into the 21st century, and we've had a very positive response. But it can take time for long-term viewers to adjust, and there are a few who've found it difficult to get used to. I'm sure they'll grow to like it as much as we do, though!"Broadcast history
Holby City was originally commissioned as a series to be shown as part of the BBC's winter line-up. As years have passed, Holby City has become a permanent fixture in BBC One's weekly schedule. As of the start of the fourth series (9 October 2001) the programme is broadcast all year round, with fifty-two episodes per series, on Tuesday nights at 8.00pm on BBC1. Originally, Holby City was broadcast on Thursday nights at the same time, until a permanent switch to Tuesdays occurred during the third series in 2001. On 1 May 2007, the show was moved to its original slot on Thursdays to make way for HolbyBlue, but reverted to its Tuesday slot on 3 July 2007 once the eight-part HolbyBlue spin-off had concluded. Upon Holby's return to its usual Tuesday night slot, the show was broadcast with revamped opening titles, featuring clips of various cast members interspersed with the original credits, the third variation of the title sequence since the show began. Holby City aired as a drama series for its first three series, before becoming a serial drama in 2001. The show's first series aired as seven fifty minute episodes and two sixty minute episodes - with each episode remaining sixty minutes in length from this point onwards. Its second series ran for sixteen episodes, and its third for thirty. Each subsequent series has aired for exactly fifty two episodes, one for each week of the year. Some fairly major and other more minor changes to the series format and content have occurred since the show's conception. The second series introduced for the first time Keller Ward - a General Surgical counter-part to the existing Cardiothoracic ward, Darwin. Likewise, series three saw the introduction of Otter Ward, a Pediatric unit - which in series four was replaced by a Maternity ward and an Acute Assessment Unit. The Maternity ward was phased out during the show's eighth series, with all of its staff either departing from the show or being absorbed into new roles on other wards.Adaptations and other appearances
Casualty@Holby City
Reflecting Holby CityHolbyBlue
In April 2006, the BBC announced that a spin-off drama from the show, to be named HolbyBlue, was in early stages of production. The series focuses on the police service of Holby South, and aired for the duration of its first series on BBC One on Tuesday nights, with Holby City switching back to its former Thursday night slot at 8.00pm. Despite Holby Blue being billed as a spin-off from Holby City, the first series saw no crossovers between characters from either show. Long running Casualty character Charlie Fairhead appeared in HolbyBlue's first episode, and a full two part crossover episode with Holby City is currently being developed for the beginning of the show's second series, set to broadcast in 2008. The BBC's Controller of Continuing Drama Series, John Yorke, said of the crossover: "Loads of questions are asked in the Holby City episode that are answered in the HolbyBlue episode. That is exciting. It is something the Americans have done for years with shows like CSI and I really like it. You really believe it’s a world." The crossover episodes will be co-written by Holby City creator Tony McHale, and HolbyBlue creator Tony Jordan.Children in Need
The 17 November 2006 Children in Need charity telethon included a segment featuring the Holby City cast performing a comical version of Hung Up by Madonna. The segment saw the characters dressed in lycra costumes, singing and dancing around the hospital's Darwin ward. The cast members who took part were Paul Bradley as Elliot Hope, Rosie Marcel as Jac Naylor, Patricia Potter as Diane Lloyd, Adam Best as Matt Parker, Nadine Lewington as Maddy Young, Robert Powell as Mark Williams, Martin Hancock as Reg Lund, Rakie Ayola as Kyla Tyson, Peter Wingfield as Daniel Clifford, Phoebe Thomas as Maria Kendall and Paul Henshall as Dean West. Characters Maddy Young, Daniel Clifford and Maria Kendall had not yet arrived on the show itself at this time. Maria and Daniel both appeared from 28 November 2006, and Maddy Young from 16 January 2007. The 16 November 2007 Children in Need appeal again contained a musical performance from Holby City cast members. Sharon D Clarke, backed by Nadine Lewington, Rakie Ayola and Phoebe Thomas performed a soul version of Aretha Franklin's signature song, Respect.Cast
Holby City features an ensemble cast of characters involved in the medical profession - for the most part composed of doctors and nurses. The only current cast member who does not play a medic is Stella Gonet as Holby City Hospital's CEO Jayne Grayson. Occasional anaesthetist roles in theatres scenes are filled by recurring supporting cast members Andrew Lewis and Alex MacQueen, as Paul Rose and Keith Greene.Of the current cast, many of the actors who play main characters have made previous appearances in the series as patients and relatives. These include Amanda Mealing (Connie Beauchamp), Luke Roberts (Joseph Byrne), Rakie Ayola (Kyla Tyson), Rosie Marcel (Jac Naylor), Phoebe Thomas (Maria Kendall) and Hari Dhillon (Michael Spence). Further to this, a number of cast members have made similar appearances on sister show Casualty. These include again Rakie Ayola and Rosie Marcel, as well as Stella Gonet, Hugh Quarshie (Ric Griffin), Patsy Kensit (Faye Morton) and Nadine Lewington (Maddy Young). In some instances, actors have stated that it was their guest appearances which lead to their casting in more permanent roles - Luke Roberts has said of his minor appearance in Series Seven of the show: "It was only one scene really, but I think it was enough to get me called in for this part (as Joseph). I hear it got the attention of the producers. Amanda Mealing (the actress who portrays character Connie Beauchamp) put a good word in for me that day as well!" Conversely, Hari Dhillon who played minor character Dr Sunil Gupta between 2001 and 2003 before being cast as main character Michael Spence in 2007, has said of his former appearance: "I was in Holby City just after I left drama school, years ago... I couldn't even tell you when."In October 2007, The Daily Mirror's television critic Jim Shelley noted a recent trend of Holby City producers for hiring established actors, including comedian Adrian Edmondson, former film actress Patsy Kensit, and Jesus of Nazareth star Robert Powell. Other recent cast members to have achieved notable fame outside of Holby City include The House of Eliott star Stella Gonet, and recurring guest star Jane Asher. Series producer Diana Kyle addressed this trend in November 2007, when asked: "When you cast an actor, do you actively seek out well-known names - like Jane Asher Byrne and Patsy Kensit Faye - or will a role simply go to whoever's better suited?". She responded to this question: "It's lovely when we have a new member of the cast come in and bring an audience with them. But we want the best actors, and the star names we cast are always the best - which is why we go for them!"Laura Sadler
From December 2000 to September 2003, Holby City character Staff Nurse Sandy Harper was played by English actress Laura Sadler. The actress became the centre of extensive media attention when on 15 June 2003, she fell 40ft from the balcony of her boyfriend's second floor flat, suffering serious head injuries. Sadler was taken off life support and died five days later, in Charing Cross Hospital. Series creator Mal Young said of her death: "Everyone at Holby City, and indeed, across the BBC, is devastated. Laura was a much-loved, talented and respected actress. She brought so much to the role with her infectious enthusiasm, dedication and 100 per cent professionalism.” Lorraine Heggessey, Controller of BBC One, added: “I’m devastated that we have lost such a talented young actress. She was a sweet, modest, hard-working girl and will be much missed.” Sadler's boyfriend, George Calil, who also played Sandy's on-screen lover Sean Hunt, was arrested following her fall, however was later released without charge when police deemed Sadler's death was not suspicious.Eight further Holby City episodes featuring Sadler as Sandy had already been filmed, and were aired as scheduled posthumously. BBC scriptwriters consulted Sadler's mother, Sonja Sadler, when devising the character's exit storyline. Mal Young said: "I went there thinking we were all going to be in tears and it turned into an unofficial storyline conference. I said we would find a way of explaining Laura's absence and her mum came up with an idea we all liked." Sandy's farewell episode, "A Friend in Need", revealed that the character had won £150,000 on the lottery, and left for Australia to follow former love interest Danny Shaugnessy. After discovering various amounts of money she had left behind for her friends at Holby City Hospital, the characters gathered together in the hospital bar at the end of the episode, and raised a toast "To the one and only Sandy!"A photo of Sandy was placed on the wall on Darwin ward, which shows the character blowing out candles during her birthday celebration. This photo still appears in episodes to the present day. Out of the current cast of characters, the only people who knew Sandy are Chrissie Williams and Ric Griffin.Episode list
Reception
Award nominations
Drinks controversy
In October 2007, drinks' industry body the Portman Group made an official complaint to communications regulator Ofcom about a scene in Holby City episode "Trial and Retribution", which depicted characters Maddy Young and Sam Strachan each taking five shots of tequila following a stressful day at work. The body's chief executive David Poley claimed that in failing to show the negative consequences of this action, the series was presenting a "highly irresponsible portrayal of excessive and rapid drinking". In response to the groups' accusation that "We would expect the BBC to take greater care with the portrayal of alcohol in programmes", the BBC released a statement tying the complaint closely to the alcoholism storyline being played out by character Kyla Tyson at the time, explaining that::"Holby City takes the issue of the negative effects of alcohol abuse very seriously. On occasions when our continuing drama series deal with alcohol within a storyline we always seek to handle the issue sensitivity. Holby City is in the middle of a storyline in which a key character (Kyla) has spiralling problems in her personal and professional life because of alcohol — a storyline that fully and realistically depicts the negative impact of alcohol dependency in the workplace. Kyla has now been seen to seek help for alcoholism and the audience will see how she fares on the road to recovery."This statement was critically suggested to be advocating televisual censorship by The Daily Telegraph, who wrote that: "(T)he BBC's defence is, depressingly enough, based on the same premise as the Portman Group's complaint, and the Home Secretary's "zero-tolerance" bletherings: that the job of fiction for adults is to seek to shape the behaviour of its audience in accordance with precepts set down, inter alia, by the Government." The broadsheet took the stance that the BBC's agreement with the Portman Group that it was in fact necessary to portray negative effects of alcohol abuse was akin to treating Holby City viewers as "feeble-minded".Next Page
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