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'''Holby City''' is a medical drama television serial, formerly a drama series, broadcast on 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 is currently executive produced by Tony McHale, who co-created Holby City and has been a writer with the series since the first episode.
The programme and its history
Fictional location
''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. Holby bears close resemblance to Bristol, and in effect would replace Bristol on the UK map. Holby is set in the fictional county of Wyvern, in the south-west of England, not far from the Welsh border. Its sister show Casualty is actually filmed in Bristol, whilst Holby City is filmed in London.
About the show
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 and Ronni Ancona). In more recent years, patients have been part of the cast for a number of episodes rather than just for one episode – such as Pete Golding who had a pig's kidney illegally transplanted into him by Abra Durant, and Jade McGuire who is a teenage prostitute befriended by Sam Strachan.
History and broadcast
Holby City was originally commissioned as a series to be shown as part of the BBC's winter line-up. The first series ran for nine episodes, and due to this success the show was recommissioned for a second series with sixteen episodes. Following further success in the ratings, producers decided to make thirty episodes for the third series. 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 in the 8.00pm slot, until a permanent switch to Tuesdays occurred from half way through the third series in 2001. On 1 May 2007, the show was moved to its original slot of 8pm on Thursdays to make way for Holby Blue, but reverted to its Tuesday slot on 3 July 2007 once the eight-part Holby Blue had finished.
Upon its return, the show was broadcast with revamped opening titles, featuring clips of various cast members interspersed with the original credits, the first variation of the title sequence since the show began. The show also returned with a new texture, similar to that used in Holby Blue and American medical drama, ER. Scenes were shot using quicker paces, new angles and creative focusing giving the programme a more dramatic feel.
Although the start of Holby City allowed us to see life upstairs in the hospital, away from the busy Emergency Department of Casualty, Darwin Ward and some members of the original Holby City cast actually made their appearance in 1998 in episodes of Casualty. Staff members from Holby City who appeared in Casualty prior to the launch of Holby City were Nick Jordan and Julie Fitzjohn – with Nick attending to a patient in the Emergency Department and Charlie Fairhead from Casualty arguing with Julie on Darwin Ward over a patients treatment. In the early series of Holby City, regular appearances were made from characters from sister-show Casualty and vice versa. However, as both shows are filmed so far away from each other, and both having busy filming schedules due to year-round production, the two tend to stay separate.
Filming of the show
Holby City is filmed by and for the BBC at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. The building which is used for the hospital is called "Neptune House". This building contains the sets for the show, and is also the production offices for a number of BBC shows, including EastEnders. Each episode of Holby City is filmed approximately 3 months in advance of airing on BBC One - and whilst one episode is being filmed, the cast are also filming the next episode at the same time. This results in the completion of two episodes in two weeks. During interviews, cast members have revealed that they spend 12 hours a day, 5 days a week filming Holby City.
When Holby City was relatively new back in 1999 and 2000, it was filmed many months in advance, and Series 2 was completed before it began airing. During the first episode of Series 2, which was broadcast on 25 November 1999, a defibrillator that Kirstie Collins uses displays the date as 07 May 1999, the day of filming.
Holby City is shot using the Single-camera setup, resulting in filming taking substantially longer than most other shows. When characters interact with each other, for example a conversation between two characters, the producers film one person speaking - i.e. scenes 1, 3, 5, and 7. The camera is then pointed to the other character and then scenes 2, 4, 6, and 8 are filmed. In the editing process the scenes are then merged to look as though the characters are having a conversation. This method is time consuming, expensive and results in numerous mistakes - a recent example from 8x42 is in a conversation between a patient's relative and Kyla Tyson, the relative's hair is in a plait down her back in scenes 1, 3, 5 and 7 - but in scenes 2, 4, 6, and 8 when the camera is facing Kyla, her plait is down the front of her shoulder onto her stomach.
The Holby City building can often be seen in the distance during episodes of EastEnders, as both shows are filmed at the same studio, although the latter is set in London.
Children in need appeal
To help raise money for Children in Need in the autumn of 2006, some of the cast members took part in a comical music video of Madonna's "Hung Up" song, which was broadcast on the evening of the appeal – Friday 17 November 2006 on BBC One. The video featured a team of surgeons who were carrying out an operation and depicted the time of surgery going by slowly. During the operation, the characters decided they would mess about, and went off around the hospital singing and dancing to the popular song. Darwin ward was covered in Disco lights and colourful decorations. The characters which featured were Elliot Hope, Diane Lloyd, Matt Parker, Maddy Young, Mark Williams, Reg Lund, Kyla Tyson, Daniel Clifford, Maria Kendall and Dean West. Characters Maddy Young, Daniel Clifford and Maria Kendall had not arrived on the actual show itself at this time. Maria and Daniel both appeared from 28 November 2006 and Maddy Young joined the show from 16 January 2007.
Award nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Awards | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | British Academy Television Awards | 'Best Continuing Drama' | [1] |
| 2005 | British Academy Television Awards | 'Best Continuing Drama' | [1] |
| National Television Awards | 'Most Popular Newcomer' | [1] | |
| 2004 | British Academy Television Awards | 'Best Continuing Drama' | [1] |
| 2003 | British Academy Television Awards | 'Best New Director (fiction)' | [1] |
| 2000 | Royal Television Society Awards | 'Best Graphic Design - Titles' | [1] |
Spin-off from Holby City
In spring 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 South Holby and airs on BBC One on Tuesday nights, with Holby City switching back to its former Thursday night slot at 8.00pm for eight weeks until HolbyBlue has come to an end. Considering that HolbyBlue is in fact a spin-off from Holby City, strangely there have been no cross-overs with main characters from either show, however Charlie from Casualty did appear in the first episode of the police drama. More subtle links have occurred in the form of police officers wearing Wyvern Constabulary uniforms (the police station where HolbyBlue is based) appearing at times when scenes require in both Holby City and Casualty.
Series information
Holby City originally started as a drama series, switching to a serial drama in 2001.
Seasons in series format
| 'Series' | 'Start' | 'End' | 'Episodes' | 'Key Events' |
| 1 | 12 January 1999 | 09 March 1999 | 7x 50 minutes, 2x 60 minutes | First appearance of Darwin Ward |
| 2 | 25 November 1999 | 09 March 2000 | 16x 60 minutes | Darwin Ward split, first appearance of Keller Ward |
| 3 | 05 October 2000 | 05 June 2001 | 30x 60 minutes | Minor changes to title sequence, first appearance of Otter Ward |
Seasons in serial format
| 'Series' | 'Start' | 'End' | 'Episodes' | 'Key Events' |
| 4 | 09 October 2001 | 01 October 2002 | 52x 60 minutes | First appearance of Maternity, last appearance of Otter Ward, first appearance of AAU |
| 5 | 08 October 2002 | 30 September 2003 | 52x 60 minutes | Accident & Emergency now referred to as Emergency Department |
| 6 | 07 October 2003 | 12 October 2004 | 52x 60 minutes | |
| 7 | 19 October 2004 | 11 October 2005 | 52x 60 minutes | |
| 8 | 18 October 2005 | 17 October 2006 | 52x 60 minutes | Last appearance of Maternity, first appearance of new Keller Ward |
| 9 | 24 October 2006 | 09 October 2007 | 52x 60 minutes | New titles sequence, new filmic look |
| 10 | 16 October 2007 | To be announced | To be announced | Yet to be seen |
Casualty@Holby City
Reflecting ''Holby City''
| 'Date' | 'Reason for crossover' |
| December 2004 | A Christmas special featuring a fuel tanker lorry crashing into the Accident & Emergency department of Holby City Hospital. ''Casualty'' character Jim Brodie died rescuing his colleagues from the burning hospital building. |
| August 2005 | As part of the BBC's DoNation season, raising the profile of organ donation issues, an interactive mini-series was screened and viewers voted for one of two patients to receive an organ donation in the show. The plot was designed to raise awareness of the scarcity of organs and encourage viewers to consider joining the NHS Donor Register. |
| October 2005 | A week-long Hallowe'en crossover focusing on issues around youth violence, featuring an ambulance hijack and an assault on character Comfort Newton by pupils at a failing secondary school. |
| December 2005 | A further crossover was screened during the BBC's 2005 Christmas programming, which saw the return of popular former character Mr Nick Jordan (played by Michael French), and a group of staff involved in a road collision. |
The BBC have not announced any further plans for crossover episodes.
Hospital wards and departments
Current wards
| 'Ward Name' | 'Ward Type' | 'Featured from' | 'Hospital Floor Level' | ' Current Senior Staff' |
| Darwin | CardioThoracic Surgery | 1x01 | Level 6 | Connie Beauchamp, Elliot Hope, Chrissie Williams |
| Keller | General Surgery | 2x05 | Level 3 | Ric Griffin, Dan Clifford, Faye Morton |
| AAU | Emergency Medicine | 4x50 | Ground Level | Lola Griffin, Abra Durant, Mark Williams, Kyla Tyson |
NOTE:
The signs on Darwin ward used to say Level 5.
Keller ward used to share Level 5 with Darwin ward.
Former wards
| 'Ward Name' | 'Ward Type' | 'Featured from' | 'Featured to' | 'Hospital Floor Level' | ' Then Senior Staff' |
| Otter | Children's | 3x02 | 4x44 | Level 4 | Janice Taylor, Steve Waring |
| Maternity | Obs and Gyne | 4x03 | 8x10 | Ground Level | Owen Davies, Mubbs Hussein |
Recurring wards and other areas
| 'Ward/Area Name' | 'Featured from' | 'Last Seen' | 'Hospital Floor Level' | ' Current Senior Staff' |
| Emergency Department | 1x01 | 8x03 | Ground Level | Harry Harper, Charlie Fairhead, Tess Bateman |
| Psychiatry | 9x03 | 9x24 | Level 7 | Sanghita 'Dr. Sang' Parma |
| Pharmacy | 1x05 | 9x13 | Unknown | N/A |
| Canteen/Coffee Shop | 1x01 | Usually every episode | Ground Level | N/A |
NOTE:
Pharmacy used to be on Level 5 with Darwin ward and Keller ward.
The Canteen/Coffee Shop used to be on Level 5 with Darwin ward and Keller ward.
Staff casualties
Note that when two or more episode numbers are given, this is because the story continued over these episodes but set in the same day.
| 'Character' | 'Casualty' | 'Episode(s)' | 'Character status' |
| 'Jasmine Hopkins' | Stabbed in the heart after chasing drug thieves | 1x08 & 1x09 | Survived |
| 'Jasmine Hopkins' | Miscarried | 2x01 & 2x02 | Survived |
| 'Nick Jordan' | Gashed wrists after saving a girl in car crash | 2x07 | Survived |
| 'Mike Barrat' | Damaged leg after trapping foot in poachers trap and rolling down a hill | 2x16 | Survived |
| 'Anton Meyer' | Fears he has MND. It turns out he had a thyroid problem | 3x08 | Survived |
| 'Victoria Merrick' | Stabbed in the heart at her home by an angry patient's relative | 3x26 ★ ★ ★ | Deceased |
| 'Anton Meyer' | Shot in his way to work in a road-rage incident | 4x01 | Survived |
| 'Liam Evans' | Fell over balcony after fight with neighbour | 4x28 | Survived, but paralysed |
| 'Janice Taylor' | Complications during cesarean | 4x43 & 4x44 | Survived |
| 'Ben Saunders' | Involved in car crash | 5x29 | Deceased |
| 'Steve Waring' | Involved in car crash | 5x31 | Deceased |
| Christine '"Chrissie" Williams' | Stillbirth | 5x34 | Survived |
| 'Alex Adams' | Suspected Parkinson's Disease. In fact a nervous condition cured with neurosurgery | 5x41 | Survived |
| 'Kath Fox' | Stabbed in abdomen when she discovered Kelly was the serial killer on Keller | 6x10 | Survived |
| 'Mickie Hendrie' | Beaten and mugged whilst drunk, having taken ecstasy | 7x01 | Survived |
| 'Alistair Taylor' | He fell from a balcony in a fire in A&E after a tanker crashed into it | 7x11 | Deceased |
| 'Rosie Sattar' | A metal pole went through her stomach when a tanker crashed into A&E | 7x11 | Survived |
| 'Will Curtis' | Psychotic woman tried to run him over and crashed into scaffolding which went through his heart | 7x25 | Deceased |
| 'Diane Lloyd' | Miscarried | 7x33 | Survived |
| Mubbarras '"Mubbs" Hussein' | Heart attack | 7x35 | Survived |
| 'Matt Parker' | Stabbed in the abdomen by angry patient's relative | 8x21 | Survived |
| 'Joseph Byrne' | Overdosed after becoming depressed over his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | 9x01 | Survived |
| 'Tricia Williams' | Breast cancer, given all clear – was later killed in car crash | 9x06 | Deceased |
| 'Connie Beauchamp' | Fell over cleaning equipment whilst pregnant, landing on stomach | 9x14 | Survived |
| 'Connie Beauchamp' | Crippled with food poisoning after eating pizza from the ward | 9x16 | Survived |
| 'Lola Griffin' | Major heart attack, Triple heart bypass operation. | 9x28 & 9x29 | Survived |
| 'Diane Lloyd' | Possible suicide – her car was hit by a train | 9x35 | Deceased |
| 'Lord' Charles 'Byrne' | Internal bleed, stroke, pulmonary embolism | 9x42 | Deceased |
★
★
★ This is shown as a flashback scene in 3x30, however this depicts what was supposed to have occurred in 3x26.
Trivia
★ The fictional telephone number for Holby City Hospital is 0117 9210018
★ Connie Beauchamp's fictional mobile telephone number is 07940 572856
★ The character of nurse Sandy Harper had to be hastily written out following the untimely death of actress Laura Sadler on 19 June 2003 when she fell from a balcony during a party. Laura's mother suggested the idea for a scene in which Sandy's colleagues were told that she had secretly resigned from Holby City and gone to start a new life in Australia after winning the lottery, and that she had left some of the money to her friends at the hospital.
★ The actors who play Connie, Joseph, Jac, Maria, and Kyla have all appeared as patients/relatives before they joined as regular staff
Cast
Main articles: List of characters in Holby City
Episode list
Main articles: List of Holby City episodes
External links
★ BBC Official ''Holby City'' website
★
★ Holby.tv fan website
★ ''Holby City'' at What's on TV website
Citations
1. "Awards for ''Holby City''", ''IMDb''. URL last accessed 2007-06-27
2. "Awards for ''Holby City''", ''IMDb''. URL last accessed 2007-06-27
3. "Awards for ''Holby City''", ''IMDb''. URL last accessed 2007-06-27
4. "Awards for ''Holby City''", ''IMDb''. URL last accessed 2007-06-27
5. "Awards for ''Holby City''", ''IMDb''. URL last accessed 2007-06-27
6. "Awards for ''Holby City''", ''IMDb''. URL last accessed 2007-06-27
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