After 23 years of births, deaths and nail-biting operations, Holby City finally came to an end in March 2022. Viewers were left devastated when the BBC announced it was axing the popular medical drama.
“We are incredibly proud of Holby City but it’s with great sadness that we are announcing that after 23 years, the show will end on screen in March of next year,” announced the BBC in a statement. “We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities and as part of the BBC’s commitment to make more programmes across the UK, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBC’s drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.
“Holby has been a stalwart with audiences, delighting millions of viewers each week and winning hundreds of awards with a compelling mix of cutting edge medical stories and explosive personal stories.
“We look forward to working with the team over the coming months to ensure that when it ends, Holby goes out on a high.”
When Holby City first aired in 1999, it drew impressive average audiences of 9 million. However, as the original cast members began to depart, ratings gradually started to decline.
The drama began with a core cast of 11 characters but gradually expanded to include as many as 20 in later seasons.
The casting team behind Holby opted for actors who were already well-known, many of whom had previously appeared in popular British soaps such as EastEnders, Coronation Street, and Brookside.
Since leaving the show, many of the former cast members have enjoyed significant success, ranging from winning MasterChef and finding love, to becoming Hollywood film stars.
Let’s take a look at what happened next for the cast of Holby City…
After gaining fame on Brookside, Lisa Faulkner was cast as house officer Victoria Merrik in Holby City. Victoria was a surgeon with great potential but struggled under the intense pressure of performing operations. As a result, she was reassigned to the paediatric wing.
Her character met a tragic and grisly end when she was stabbed to death by an angry father who blamed her for the death of his daughter. In an interesting twist, it was actually Lisa who requested for her character to be written off with a “gruesome death” after two years and 45 episodes on the show. Reflecting on the decision later, she admitted: “It’s only afterwards that you really realise it means you can never come back, even if you wanted to.”
After Holby City, Lisa went on to star in Spooks, where she faced an even more horrifying death – her character, Helen Flynn, had her face and head burnt in a deep-fat fryer before being shot in the head.
In 2010, Lisa won Celebrity MasterChef and later began a relationship with judge John Torode. The couple eventually married, and they went on to host their own ITV cooking show on Sunday mornings. In 2017, Lisa also made an appearance in EastEnders as Fi Browning.
In 2019, Lisa reunited with her Holby City co-star Nicola Stephenson for a stint on Celebrity Gogglebox, providing fans with a glimpse into their off-screen friendship.
There is a lot of crossover between Holby and EastEnders – and no one epitomises that more than Michael French.
After spending three years in Albert Square playing David Wicks on EastEnders, Michael transitioned to playing cardiothoracic surgical registrar Nick Jordan in Holby City. Nick was a ladies’ man who balanced romance with his passion for saving lives, having several love interests over the course of his time on the show.
Michael left the role after two years but returned briefly in 2006 before being persuaded to join the sister show Casualty in 2008. Reflecting on his move, Michael explained: “The BBC came up with the idea. At first, I wasn’t sure about him moving away from heart surgery, but we soon thrashed some ideas around, and I realised it would work. It’s certainly great to play Nick again, and I’m having a fantastic time on the show.”
Michael starred in Casualty from 2008 to 2013, though he made a guest appearance on Holby City in 2010. He also returned to EastEnders when his on-screen mother, Pat Butcher, died in 2012, and reprised the role once again between 2013 and 2014.
Popular actress Angela Griffin began her career with a small role in Emmerdale before gaining widespread recognition as hairdresser Fiona Middleton in Coronation Street.
In 1999, Angela took on the role of Jasmine Hopkins in Holby City, a character who quickly rose through the ranks to become the ward sister. Jasmine’s storyline was filled with drama, including being engaged to IT support technician Carl, only for their relationship to take a dark turn when he hit her.
She then nearly lost her life after being stabbed by youths attempting to steal from a drug store, requiring Nick Jordan’s help to save her. Later, she began an affair with a married nurse, but ended the relationship when his son found out, leading to her departure from the hospital.
Angela chose to leave Holby City after the third series in 2001, as the next series was set to be longer and would demand more filming time.
Following her time on Holby, Angela appeared in several BBC dramas, including Cutting It and Down to Earth, before taking on the role of teacher Kim Campbell in Waterloo Road. She has since become a staple of British TV, with roles in Hustle, Mount Pleasant, Ordinary Lies, Midsomer Murders, and, more recently, in Netflix’s White Lines.
Fans were delighted to see Angela back on screen in the revived series of Waterloo Road.
The star has also now dipped her toe into the world of directing, most recently working on BBC police series Blue Lights.
George Irving was one of the longest-standing members of the original Holby City cast, remaining on the show until 2002.
He portrayed cardiothoracic consultant Anton Meyer and played a significant role in shaping the character. Originally, producers had envisioned him as an Iranian surgeon, but George suggested making him a Hungarian who had emigrated to the UK.
The sarcastic, arrogant surgeon became a fan favorite, involved in many dramatic storylines, including performing surgery on his own sister and losing his spleen after being shot in a road rage incident.
Despite his success on the show, George chose to leave because he found it difficult to separate the character from his personal life, which began to affect him outside of work.
The actor has since stated that he will never return to Holby City, as he wants to preserve the memory of Anton Meyer in its original form.
After leaving the series, George starred in the BAFTA-winning short film Antonio’s Breakfast and has appeared in several notable TV shows, including The Sweeney, The Bill, Inspector Morse, Doctors, and EastEnders.
Phyllis Logan played Muriel McKendrick, a character who appeared in the first nine episodes of Holby City. Muriel was a strict, no-nonsense figure, often clashing with Anton Meyer and going behind his back to get things done.
Phyllis is perhaps best known for her role as Mrs Hughes, the stern housekeeper in Downton Abbey, a character who, much like Muriel, was never afraid to speak her mind.
The actress, who won the BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer for her role in the 1983 film Another Time, Another Place, appeared in every series of Downton Abbey and in the subsequent film.
In addition to Downton Abbey, Phyllis has appeared in Doctor Who, ITV’s Girlfriends, and portrayed Maggie Smart in The Good Karma Hospital.
Luke Mably’s time on Holby City was short-lived, as he appeared in just the first three episodes.
His character, Paul Ripley, was at the centre of the first major storyline, where he was caught kissing an unconscious girl in the high dependency unit. As a result, the ward clerk was fired for misconduct and ordered to leave the hospital immediately.
After his brief stint on Holby City, Luke went on to have roles in EastEnders, NCIS: New Orleans, and the iconic zombie film 28 Days Later.
Julie Bradford, a single mum struggling with mounting debts, found herself overlooked for a promotion and resorted to lap dancing at night to support her daughter.
Her secret was exposed when a member of the club was admitted to the hospital, leading to her reprimand. However, things took a turn for the better when her ex-husband returned, begging for another chance. They remarried and left to start a fresh life with their daughter.
Actress Nicola Stephenson was already well-known for playing a key role in British TV history, as she was part of the first pre-watershed lesbian kiss when her character kissed Anna Friel’s in Brookside.
After two years on Holby City, and a few guest appearances in Casualty, Nicola went on to star in Hotel Babylon, Emmerdale, and Waterloo Road.
In 2019, she reunited with former Holby co-star Lisa Faulkner to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox.
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