It was emotional for different reasons as hospital drama Holby City came to end after 23 years on our screens. The Casualty spin-off has been a fixture of Tuesday night television for more than two decades, but the final ever showed aired with the death of fan favourite Jac Naylor.
The surgeon, played by Rosie Marcel, died tragically in the final scene after asking 'Fletch' to write out a do-not-resuscitate order. Actor Alex Walkinshaw, who plays him, had earlier in the day teased that the final episode is "incredibly sad" but "empowering".
Jac awoke from her life-or-death operation to remove her brain tumour, led by Elliot Hope (Paul Bradley), to tell Fletch she had decided to refuse future medical intervention. Read why the show is being axed here.
He replied: “I just hate the thought of you giving up,” to which she said: “Let me tell you about giving up. Letting this thing take control. Wipe out my mind. Leaving me delirious and doubly incontinent - that's giving up. I have never been clearer about anything in my life. Please do this one thing for me.”
Jac’s final waking moment was seen scenes later, when Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett) tended to her as he said Elliot had booked her in for a scan. He quipped: “You love me really,” as Jac replied: “You know I do,” her voice growing faint as she had a stroke, leaving the fan favourite character braindead."
Fletch later explained to Sacha, Elliot and Max McGerry (Jo Martin) the decision Jac had made as they fought to save her, saying: “She said if anything like this happened - I think she knew that something like this was coming and she made up her mind.”
As Sacha and Max broke down in emotional scenes at being unable to save her, Elliot said: “It's Jaq's decision. We may not like it but we have to respect it.” Holby City fans then learnt that Jac had decided to donate her organs, including her heart, lungs, liver and pancreas, in to order “make a difference to a lot of lives.”
In the closing moments of the show, a voiceover detailed the individuals who had received Jac’s organ donations, ranging from a medical student to a full-time mother of four.
During the heartbreaking closing moments of the beloved BBC show, Holby City fans took to Twitter to mourn the iconic character. One wrote: “Jac Naylor is, without doubt, one of the most iconic female characters to ever grace our TV screens.
"A huge thank you to Rosie Marcel for portraying Jac so perfectly, a phenomenal actress and thank you to Holby City for her amazing storylines over the years. We'll miss you."
Another added: “I said I wasn’t going to cry, but here I go anyway…" One pointed out: “Did they have to use Jac as a metaphor for the show? I know she IS Holby but this was too much."
The BBC announced they were axing the show back in June 2021. A statement at the time read: "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.
"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. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team at BBC Studios and all the cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 1999."
