After 23 years, it was the end of an era for fans and the stars of Holby City. The BBC One medical drama ended with an emotional final episode that celebrated the spirit of the NHS and featured a tragic death.
A number of past characters returned for Holby's swansong which aired on Tuesday night and saw the death of surgeon Jac Naylor, played by Rosie Marcel who has appeared in the show since 2005, following a long-running storyline about the effects of a brain tumour.
The episode showed the dedication of colleagues who tried to save her and also highlighted the lives that can be saved and enriched through organ donations. It also featured the reappearance of past characters including Ric Griffin, played by Hugh Quarshie, and Mo Effanga, played by Chizzy Akudolu.
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The episode began with Jac shrugging off the failure to remove her brain tumour in her typical, witty style before Elliot Hope, played by Paul Bradley, took himself off to find another way of saving her after the unsuccessful operation he had returned to perform.
Jac then called on Adrian 'Fletch' Fletcher, played by Alex Walkinshaw, to write her a do-not-resuscitate order after she made a request for no medical intervention. Later, when Sacha Levy, played by Bob Barrett, tended to her he said: "You love me really," as Jac replied: "You know I do," as her voice grew faint as she suffered a stroke.
With nothing more they could do, the Holby City team shared their emotion and grief before viewers learnt that Jac had decided to donate her organs, including her heart, lungs, liver and pancreas, to "make a difference to a lot of lives."
The medical drama then came to an end with a moving tribute to the NHS delivered by Holby City's Jac as a voiceover. She gave a moving tribute to the relentless hard work and dedication of the NHS.
As the cast were seen responding to an emergency incident at the hospital, Jac was heard saying: "It took me a long time to find a place I belonged, somewhere to call home. It wasn't with my mother or the carers she dumped me with. It certainly wasn't with any man."
She continued: "It was when I first walked into a theatre and breathed in that rarefied air, realising my hands could save lives. I knew then on day one I had found my place in the world. Somewhere I belonged.
"This is what the NHS means to us. Not a badge on a cabinet minister's lapel. Not a number down the side of the bus. It's a nurse missing her break to sit with a lonely patient. A surgeon grinding out a 15 hour op. The sound of sirens coming to the rescue. Thursday night applause floating across the rooftops.!"
As the show ended with a final shot of the hospital with the words "Thank you" and "NHS Holby City" projected onto the building, Jac concluded: “All of us are doing the best we can in impossible circumstances. It's something to believe in. It's home," before the credits rolled and the BBC show played a moving, slowed down version of the iconic theme tune. And it's fair to say that fans were completely gutted.
@jodielliman tweeted: "The fact I’m in tears over a tv programme says a lot about the actors/actresses and the writers of @BBCHolbyCity The way they done that last episode was phenomenal! Friendship, family, heartbreak. Rosie Marcel’s character of Jac Naylor will go down in history! #HolbyCity."
"I’m in tears. I can’t believe it’s over #Holby #HolbyCity #HolbyCityFInale," @beccaamy22 said. @MonaghanCalum wrote: "End of an era! Goodbye #HolbyCity thanks for all the tears!!! #NHS."
"What a perfect end to a perfect show. #HolbyCity will be so sorely missed by so many, but i'm just trying to focus on the joy it's given me over the years. as they say; don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened #HolbyCityFinale @BBCHolbyCity," @liamxonnor added.
The news of Holby City's cancellation was announced by the BBC in June 2021. They released a statement to announce that Holby City's final episode would be broadcast in March 2022 and that the 'difficult' decision was made as part of the broadcaster's plans to make more programmes to serve across the country.
