Bring It Back! (Holby Blue)

Member Name: ld75454

Product:	Holby Blue
Date:	20/01/09 (275 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great plots

Disadvantages: It's been axed

*Introduction*

As a big fan of Holby City and crime/police dramas, I was thrilled when I discovered that the BBC were producing a spin-off drama, Holby Blue. I thought fantastic, a mixture of my two favourite programs Holby City and The Bill.


*What Is Holby Blue?*

Holby Blue is a procedural police drama series similar to The Bill. Holby Blue is shown on BBC 1 at 8pm. I love the fact that unlike The Bill where you have a break every 13 or so minutes, Holby Blue is a full hour of crime, commotion and excitement. The producers of the show are the BBC, Kudos and Red Planet Pictures.

The first series of the show began with 8 episodes and was broadcast from the beginning of May 2007. It was aired on a Tuesday evening and Holby City was moved to Thursday whilst this was on.

The second series of the show consisted of 12 episodes. This was broadcast towards the end of March 2008 and moved to be shown on a Thursday night. I personally think this could be why the ratings were lower for the second series as they had to fight against other shows like The Bill.

In August 2008, it was declared that Holby Blue had been axed by the BBC. I was extremely disappointed as I thought the show was fantastic.



*Cast/Characters and My Opinions of Them*


PC Robert Clifton (played by Kieran O'Brien)

Rob is my favourite character in the program. He is a cheeky chap who loves to disobey rules and do things his own way. Throughout each series he always seems to find himself in some sort of trouble, whether it be professional or personal. He is extremely quick-witted and tends to have an answer for everything. He is also street smart and could look after himself should the need arise.

Reception Officer Kate Keenan (played by Zoe Lucker)

Kate is married to Detective Inspector John Keenan and to say they have a rocky relationship is something of an understatement. After being out of work looking after her children, Kate takes on the job at the front desk joining the Holby Blue team. Kate is clever and kind. She is very popular amongst the staff at Holby South station probably because she is always there for her friends and family when they need her. What I like most about Kate in the show is the tension between herself and Rachel Barker. She constantly seems to get the upper hand when Rachel makes snide digs about her brief relationship with Kate's husband. Zoe Lucker is certainly no footballers wife in this show!

Detective Inspector John Keenan (played Cal Macaninch)

Despite being a police officer, John likes to make up his own rules and sometimes crosses the line when dealing with some criminals. John is a daring inspector who can on occasion be a little too aggressive. It doesn't take a lot to get a reaction out of John as he has a short temper. Because of this it is unlikely that he will progress any further up the food chain in the police force. He is also a workaholic, dedicated completely to his work which is what caused a breakdown in his marriage to Kate. He has now realised the error of his ways and trying to make things up to her.

Detective Superintendent Luke French (played by Richard Harrington)

I adore the character of Luke. You can tell he truly believes he can make an impact with his police work. He is unpretentious, hardworking and enthusiastic but at the same time motivated and wants to go as far as he can with regards to rank. He has some difficult personal issues and friends within the force are critical to how he copes with things.

Acting Inspector Christian Young (played by James Hillier)

Christian is definitely the joker in the pack. He is in charge of the Custody area and brings a funny side to the program with his humour. He also has a sympathetic and caring side especially when it comes to dealing with the homeless people who find themselves in the cells. This is probably due to the fact that he is a very lonely guy and is always willing to give others a second chance.

Police Constable Kelly Cooper (played by Chloe Howman)

Kelly is an extremely competent police officer. The only problem is that she sticks meticulously to the law and at times unnecessarily. Kelly's personal life is a frequent topic in episodes as she is married to a man that treats her with complete disrespect and sleeps with other women. She is totally oblivious as to how smitten Neil is with her and I would love for her to be swept off her feet by him.

Police Constable Neil Parker (played by Jimmy Akingbola)

Neil is such a sweet character and totally besotted with Kelly. He comes across as being older than he is because he is a very responsible person. He is one of the few characters has low self esteem and doesn't have confidence in his ability. He longs to become a DCI but doesn't believe he has the capability and skill to do so despite being an exceptionally good police officer.

Police Constable Billy Jackson (played by Joe Jacobs)

Billy is a young enthusiastic guy who just wants to see justice be served. He has grown up in Holby and wants to improve the living standards in the area. For a young man, he has very strong views against violence and wants to help everyone.

Police Constable Lucy Slater (played by Elaine Glover)

Lucy comes to the station as a naïve and eager to please young girl.
After a very difficult time Lucy doesn't feel she can continue in the police but Mac convinces her otherwise telling her what a great police officer she is. She is a very plucky girl who isn't afraid to speak her mind.

Crown Prosecutor Rachel Barker (played by Sara Powell)

To say I dislike the character of Rachel isn't strong enough. I cannot stand her. She is the representative of the Crown Prosecution Service situated at Holby South station. She is the individual who decides whether or not the police have enough evidence to take a case to court. Rachel likes to think that she is a cut above others and an independent woman but the truth is she is a very alone, friendless person who craves attention from other, in particular John. She is the type of person I would hate to work with.

Desk Segeant Mac (played by David Sterne)

Mac is such a sweetheart. He is the old boy who helps people when they come into the station to makes enquiries or report a crime. He has a slightly old-fashioned opinion on how the station should be managed but has his heart in the right place. Although many think he is useless, his wise and experienced mind often solve a great deal of problems.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Vaughan (Oliver Milburn)

Scott takes over at Holby South from Harry Hutchinson. He is very motivated, handsome and also single after a chaotic divorce. When he joined Holby South, he took quite a shine to Kate before her realised that she was married to John. He does clash with a few of those under him but only because he is passionate and wants to get a result.

Police Constable Jake Loughton (played by James Thornton)

Jake was one of the newer members at Holby South and is very self-assured, so much so that he can sometimes come across as pushy. He is probably my least favourite character as you don't really get to know him that much in the short space of time that he is in the show.

Inspector Jenny Black (played by Kacey Ainsworth)

I thought it would be hard for me to view Kacey Ainsworth as anyone other than Little Mo in Eastenders. But she proves her quality as an actress when taking on the role of Jenny Black as the character is the total opposite of Little Mo. Jenny is confident and is another popular member of staff at Holby South station. Jenny is in charge of the uniform officers and is well respected by all. She is always reasonable and will do anything to help and protect the officers in her charge.


*Ex-Cast Members*

DCI Harry Hutchinson (played by Tim Pigott-Smith)

Harry was an enormously experienced police officer who abused the authority that he had. He was a bent copper who helped the long-running criminal character Stenga to continue his drug business. However his greed soon got the better of him when it was discovered that he was involved in dirty dealings and he was arrested. And to think I actually liked him until then.



*Overall Opinion*


My favourite episode was the crossover one with Holby City. The way in which this was carried out was excellent. In Holby City there is a major accident which takes place and the Holby Blue team come in to investigate what happened. It reminded me of the style in which Without a Trace crossed over with CSI a while back.

With great plots and fantastic characters I considered Holby Blue to be a great program. But I think I am in the minority when I say that I really enjoyed watching Holby Blue due to the fact that it has since been axed.

Summary: It's The Bill meets Holby City