Holby
Holby is the name of the fictional city in which BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City, and where the short lived police drama HolbyBlue are set. It is based upon the city of Bristol, and is located in the fictional county of Wyvern in the South-West of England, not far from the Welsh border.[1] Despite being based on Bristol and often featuring actors with West Country accents, the -by place name ending is of Norse origin and is only found in Eastern and Northern England that were part of Danelaw[2]. While Casualty is filmed on location in Bristol, Holby City is filmed in Elstree, Hertfordshire. Both shows are set in the same fictional Holby City Hospital, with storylines focusing on the Emergency, General and Cardiothoracic surgerical departments, an Acute Assessment Unit, and the fictional Holby Ambulance Service.
Holby City Hospital
Holby City Hospital is the fictional hospital in which Casualty and Holby City are set. It is based on the Bristol Royal Infirmary where the original script writers went to observe to garner ideas for Casualty in the 1980s.[3] Although both shows are set in the same hospital, Casualty is primarily filmed in Bristol, while Holby City is filmed in Hertfordshire at the BBC's Elstree Studios.[4] The indoor shots for the first series of Casualty were filmed at BBC Television Centre in London.[5] The exterior shots of the hospital used in Casualty were formerly filmed at the City of Bristol College, but are now shot on an industrial estate at 51°27′33″N 2°34′01″W / 51.459094°N 2.567030°W, close to the interior set of the hospital.[6]
Wards and departments
As of 2002, four main wards have formed the focus of storylines within the hospital. In Casualty, the primary location is the hospital's Emergency Department (formerly referred to as Accident and Emergency). Holby City is set between the hospital's Acute Assessment Unit, and Keller and Darwin wards, providing General and Cardiothoracic surgical care respectively. Recently Holby expanded by adding "Holby Care", a private healthcare ward led by Michael Spence. Former storylines have also focused around the hospital's Otter ward, providing paediatric care, as well as its maternity ward. Otter ward has not featured in the show since series 4, whilst the maternity ward ceased usage as a primary location in series 8.
Hospital Senior Staff
CEO: Jayne Grayson
Director Of Surgery: Ric Griffin
Clincal Lead Consultants: Sean Anderson, Connie Beauchamp, Nick Jordon
Holby Ambulance Service
Holby Ambulance Service is the fictional ambulance service which serves Holby City Hospital - also appearing in the two hospital dramas Casualty and Holby City. The vehicles and uniforms used on the shows derive from Great Western Ambulance Service, which serves Bristol where Casualty is filmed. Paramedic advisors working on the show are often from Great Western Ambulance Service.[7] Although the ambulance service is only seen in Holby City very rarely, Casualty has featured paramedic characters since the show's 1986 conception.[8]
References
- ^ "Casualty - Fast Facts". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ Read *any* book on English place names
- ^ Hilary Kingsley(1995) Casualty The Inside Story, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-024902-8
- ^ Juliette Garside (2007-10-21). "EastEnders evicted in latest BBC cost cut". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
- ^ Rachel Silver(1998) Casualty, Behind The Scenes, BBC Books, ISBN 0-563-38467-0
- ^ "Casualty Filming Locations, IMDB". URL last accessed 2008-04-22
- ^ "Clive Haddrell Paramedic Adivsor, Great Western Ambulance Service, IMDB". URL last accessed 2008-04-22
- ^ "Casualty Characters". URL last accessed 2008-04-21