By Charlotte and Vinuri

Sub-genre
• Holby City is a medical drama.
• It has its own set of conventions to which are designed to make the viewer
believe that the programme really exists.
• It is a spin-off from the medical drama Casualty. It is set in the same
hospital and occasionally crosses the plots and characters over.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qgvrs/Holby_City_Series_12_Promises/
 Characters
• Surgeons: Connie Beauchamp, Ric Griffin

• Nurses: Donna Jackson, Maria Kendall

• Consultants: Joseph Byrne, Elliot Hope

• F1: Penny & Oliver Valentine

 Stories & Plotlines
• There are many stories told in the series as there is a different one
every week.
• Some of themes and plotlines that have occurred in the series are:
- Assisted suicide in Switzerland
- Drug stealing from the hospital
- Doctor and patient relationships
- Doctors being accused of sexual harassment by patients
- Murders/ Murder cases
- Rape cases
 Set & Settings
• Holby is set in the fictional town of Wyvern which is in the
south-west of England, close to the Welsh border.
• This fictional city would effectively replace Bristol on a map.
• Holby City is filmed in Hertfordshire in the BBC’s Elstree
Studios.
• The building contains the set for the show and is also used to
film many other BBC series, such as Eastenders.
 Camerawork
• Many of the shots used in Holby are mid length and long
shots. This is to show what the characters are doing and their
relationships with the patients.
• There are close-ups of the operations that take place at the
hospital to heighten tension and show how risky they can be.
• Two-shots are also used to show discussions amongst staff
and the patients.
 Critics
• “Stands out from the rest… Much better than its sister
programme Casualty” – ciao.co.uk
• “England’s answer to Grey’s Anatomy” – imdb.com
• “Episodes have been consistently well-written and tightly
directed” – imdb.com
• “A brilliant inspiring programme of reality” – imdb.com
• “The staff are more important that the patients” - tvguide.co.uk
• “This show is full of prostitution and mindless violence” –
tvguide.co.uk
• “Same old crap” – tvguide.co.uk