Holby City
Holby City

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Holby City

The Casualty spin-off was inspired by one simple question: what's going on in the rest of the hospital while Charlie's army man the front lines? The result is a British medical drama with the soap operatic richness of ER...

Filming Holby

Holby City is shot at the legendary Elstree Studios in North London, where everything from Get Carter to Star Wars has been filmed. The Holby City cast arrive at 7am in the morning and usually work for over twelve hours a day. The cast is particularly friendly with the EastEnders stars, as the soap is filmed right next door and the actors share the same canteen.

Doctors in the house

Nurses, a heart surgeon, a general surgeon, a paediatrician and an obstetrician are always present on the Holby City set to advise actors on everything from how they should walk to how their hands should move as they "perform" Caesarean sections. Accuracy is essential, and the actors are given as much information as possible on the world they inhabit. Each script even comes with a medical glossary to give them an idea of what they're talking about.

The special effects

Good gore doesn't come cheap, and a lot of care is taken to make the effects as realistic as possible. Two prosthetic chests are regularly used on the show, one being shallow and the other deep enough for a "surgeon" to place both hands inside (eruggh!!) and each costs a whopping £5,000. Artificial babies are regularly used (real ones are rather difficult to work with!) and they also cost thousands of pounds.

A serious business

The Holby City writers consult with NHS staff to learn about the real issues affecting British hospitals. As nurse and script advisor Brian Dolan says: "I talk to the writers about staff shortages, bed shortages, and the kinds of ethical decisions that doctors and nurses make every day." Raising awareness is one of the driving goals of the writers.

A tragic loss

Following the sudden, tragic death of Holby City star Laura Sadler in 2003, the producers were left with a conundrum: how should they remove her character, Sandy Harper, from the series? They decided to seek advice from Laura's mother, and she came up with a storyline about Sandy winning the lottery and secretly leaving the hospital to start a new life in Australia. This is the explanation that was eventually used in the series.
 

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