Holby City aired its final episode on BBC One after 23 years this week and wow was it emotional. The conclusion was a poignant moment for die-hard fans and regular viewers, and throughout the week cast past and present have been sharing their memories on social media from their time on the set of the hospital drama.
The BBC announced the show was being cancelled last year, coming as a shock to both cast, crew and long-time fans of the soap. The broadcaster revealed the "difficult decision" was made "in order to reshape the BBC's drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country" and has already confirmed the return of Waterloo Road later this year.
Now, I should probably start by saying I've never seen a single episode of Holby City... EVER. I've probably seen the odd snippet when turning over channels or in a BBC trailer but I've never sat and watched a whole episode from start to finish, mainly due to my immense fear of blood (honestly just one look and I feel queasy!). But I do know that the drama has a huge fanbase and was loved by so many viewers, all shown through the amazing fight and more than 43k signatures on a petition to stop the series from being axed.
So to mark the iconic medical drama's final instalment, I thought I'd watch the concluding episode. I went into it thinking I'd never make sense of it, having no knowledge of the cast, the characters' backstory or the current storylines. Despite this, I recognised more of the stellar cast than I realised, having seen them being interviewed on TV or even appearing on Strictly.
My first thought during the opening scenes was, 'wow how snazzy is that ward?' because it looked like something from the future with all the mod cons and then I quickly realised I definitely did not have enough tissues for the amount I was going to cry during the next 45 minutes.
I got 13 minutes into the episode before the surgery scenes started but the episode focused a lot on Rosie Marcel's character Dr Jac Naylor who has been part of the soap for 16 years. After doing a bit of research while watching the episode I discovered Jac underwent a risky surgery in last week's episode for a brain tumour and in this final episode, staff seemed desperate to try everything and anything they could to help her.
It almost acted like a metaphor for the cast, crew and fans' valiant attempts to save the drama. One line from Henrik Hanssen after finding out the news of Jac's devastating stroke - "her absence will be felt for years to come" - seemed particularly poignant for both the character's ending and the drama.
Here are my top five stand-out moments from the finale:
- It was a heartbreaking scene, but the moment the team discover there is nothing they can do to help Jac as she had signed an Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment was traumatic to watch as they all slowly came to terms with the fact they had to let her go.
- The scene between Adrian 'Fletch' Fletcher and Jac when she told him she was "tired" and wanted to write an ADFT and Adrian said he "hated the thought of her giving up" was both brilliant and deeply upsetting.
- Chizzy's comeback as Mo Effanga and the return of some more familiar faces during the final scenes too including Serena Campbell, Ric Griffin and Bernie Wolfe.
- The message behind the importance of organ donation was powerful and moving. I shed a tear as they listed off the organs Jac had donated and the people they were given to.
- The final five minutes of the episode. What to say other than it was just superb, especially the nod to the NHS in a moving scene seeing all the characters come together to work together. It was a fitting tribute and utterly perfect.
As a one-time viewer I'm not sure I have the right to comment on whether the series' ending wrapped things up perfectly but coming to it with a new perspective, it was emotional, heart-breaking and weirdly filled me with pride in those final few minutes when the cast rushed out to the ambulances waiting for them outside.
The final voiceover was a final fitting tribute to a clearly much-loved long-running drama: "This is what the NHS means to us. Not a badge on a cabinet minister’s lapel. Not a number down the side of a bus … it’s all of us doing the best we can in impossible circumstances." You can catch up on the finale episode of Holby City on BBC iPlayer.
