'Cancelling Holby City is a crime against TV – BBC bosses should be ashamed'

Over its 23 years on the small screen, Holby has tackled some of the most dramatic storylines, including assisted suicide, Dr Digby’s cancer, mental health and heartbreak.

While some may see Holby as “just another TV show”, it enables the nation to engage in conversations that wouldn’t normally happen.

Jac’s storyline in recent months is everyone’s worst nightmare, hearing the words “tumour”, as her condition deteriorated colleagues gathered around the exceptional medic who was known for performing miracles.

Sadly, just hours before her death, Naylor, played by Rosie Marcel signed an ADRT (An Advanced Decision to Refuse Treatment) – a move that should be discussed more.

She knew her condition was fatal and didn’t want to put herself, her friends or her family through anymore suffering.

Holby has always been great at generating conversation around topics that are often taboo but they’re always the conversations that need to be had.

Her decision to sign an ADRT may have broken some hearts, including Sacha Levy’s but it ensured her death was not drawn out and she could pass peacefully.

Following her heartbreaking death, believe me, I cried, Jac saved several lives having previously signed up to the organ donation register, including Reverend Lexy Morrell, played by Jenny Howe.

For example, Elliot Hope’s wife Gina, viewers saw her travel to Switzerland to help her die after living with motor neuron disease. Gina had decided to travel alone but called her husband to be by her side.

Now, assisted suicide is a criminal offence in the UK but that episode alone sparked conversation as to whether euthanasia and assisted suicide should be legal in the UK.

Despite this storyline airing in 2006, viewers are still discussing the matter on social media at the time of publication.

Following Gina’s death, Elliot’s mental health deteriorated which would have encouraged men to speak out and ask for help, rather than suffering alone.

For me, one stand out storyline has to be Zosia March dealing with her mum’s death as well as being diagnosed with bipolar.

It couldn’t have been easy for actress Camilla Arfwedson to play such a heartbreaking storyline but she threw every inch of her being into the character and raised awareness of people suffering with their mental health.

Zosia’s ordeal saw her taking medication to deal with her condition as well as breaking the stigma about what it’s like living with a condition such as bipolar.

Last year was a true turning point for me, something I related to and broke the stigma surrounding male mental health and eating disorders.

Viewers discovered that Josh Hudson had previously battled bulimia and had been dodging meals and taking caffeine pills to remain awake.

Now, as a 26-year-old bloke, I’ve rarely seen males in television dramas battle an eating disorder and as somebody who has previously lived with anorexia, this was something that I could relate to.

Many people assume eating disorders are just focused on women but Holby City decided to raise awareness and more than likely helped one man seek help which could have resulted in saving his life, now I can’t confirm that but I’d like to think that happened.

Like many shows on the tele, Holby is known for its fair share of tense dramas and I think everybody will remember Henrik Hanssen’s son, Fredrik, going on a shooting spree.

Ok, so that might sound dramatic but that’s essentially what it was. During his rampage, Fredrik murdered Raf di Lucca and shot Jac Naylor as well as Oliver Valentine, Holby’s most promising young doctor in the head.

His future was uncertain but viewers were gripped as they sat and watched Ollie’s progress before he eventually made a return to the wards but this time, as a doctor again and not as a patient.

Bosses at Wyvern really were ahead of the time and raised awareness of male domestic abuse, again, not something that is often represented enough in mainstream television.

The storyline surrounding Dom Copeland and his boyfriend, Isaac Mayfield saw Dom enter both an emotional and physically abusive relationship.

Viewers praised Holby’s bosses for bringing the story to light and putting a spotlight on abuse within a gay relationship as well as men suffering from such abuse.

Surely these examples alone are enough to make the BBC realise just how important Holby is to the entire nation, not just a few million viewers each week.

Each cast member is taught how to give realistic injections, check a pulse and monitor blood pressure, while the team also work alongside a string of medical researchers to ensure that everything is accurate, should a viewer attempt to copy any procedure should they need to.

Former cast member, Amanda Mealing who played the infamous Louboutin wearing girl boss Connie Beauchamp has previously said: “We pride ourselves on being realistic. You need to know what you are doing and why. It is a complex and foreign thing to act out an operation. For training, I watched a number of real ones.”

Now, I’m not sure what was going through the minds of those who decided to call it a day on Holby but I for one will certainly have a box of tissues to hand when the final credits roll, but that may be even sooner if Jac’s brain tumour has deteriorated.

Holby City’s final episode aired on March 29, 2022.

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