Holby City - Television Tropes & Idioms

The Spin-Off of Casualty launched in 1999, this focuses more on the lives of the medics than the actual emergencies involved.However, it is nearly always set within the hospital.

This show provides examples of:

Absent-Minded Professor: Elliott Hope, who plays this trope straight at times, then inverts and subverts it.
An Aesop: Plays the trope straight, particularly from 2007 onwards.
- Often the moral message conveyed takes weeks to get across.
Ascended Extra: Nikki◊, the blonde nurse who always appears with Donna Jackson. (Shown on right-hand side of picture).
- Only ascended in the sense she's referred to by name, but still does not speak yet.
- The tan-skinned Portuguese-looking (or possibly Asian) nurse on the left also has been ascended more recently, always appearing alongside Faye or Mark Williams. It's ambiguous as to whether she is European or Asian, or Hispanic (which, if it was Nurse Jackie she would probably be cast as)
- Kate, another blonde, who looks similar to Nikki. Again non-speaking.
Bare Your Midriff: On more than a few occasions, sometimes even Jac does it.
- We can only hope Jac does so soon...
Batman Gambit: Used on occasion.
BLAM Episode: The bizarre Christmas fantasy episodes featuring ghosts, time-travel and alternate realities since 2007.
Black Comedy: What this show sometimes falls into becoming.
Breakout Character: Two extras; one tan-skinned and the actress playing her is currently unknown, and a blonde extra whose actress is currently unknown, but she gets referred to as "Nikki" on-screen a few times. The Fandom for them, is well... big enough for them to be proper characters. Here's the picture of them, for those interested◊.
Brick Joke: Played straight on multiple occasions. Not the same as in Johnny English.
British Brevity: Like Casualty, purposefully averted, unlike most British shows.
Brought Down to Normal: This is Once an Episode, at least, and a recurring trope in this show. Not Played for Laughs, unlike Hustle.
Canon: Shares canon with Casualty
Continuity: As per above. Well, it is the same hospital, different wing!
Continuity Nod
Contractual Immortality: The Ensemble Darkhorse / Fanservice / Breakout Character characters.
Cross Over: With its parent show Casualty.
A Day in the Limelight: Happens on multiple occasions. A frequently-used trope.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Jac Naylor (played by Rosie Marcel)
Dropped a Bridge on Him: Linden Cullen, Penny Valentine.
Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: Happens on multiple occasions, particularly for security guard and cafe staff characters.
Expy / Captain Ersatz: An expy of Miley Cyrus, and one of Lady Gaga have appeared in background scenes on occasion. Neither are speaking characters.
- In the episode My Hero a Captain Ersatz of The Vampire Diaries Vicki appeared, as a background character.
- Speculation reigns as to whether Joanne Kelly's supposed appearance in it will mean her being a police officer/agent character again, a la Warehouse 13. Doesn't help that "showbiz gossip" sites perpetrate this...
- Possibly, this also encouraged Scrubs to create an expy of Nikki, albeit non-speaking.
Fanservice: Two extras: one tan-skinned and the actress playing her is currently unknown, and a blonde extra whose actress is currently unknown, but she gets referred to as "Nikki" on-screen a few times. Another one, called Kate, also as well, is considered Fanservice. The Fandom for them, is well, huge... making them into an Ensemble Darkhorse.
- However, they are not there for that purpose, but as functional ( if non-speaking or rarely speaking) characters. Word Of God on this has yet to happen.
- Rosie Marcel, aka Jac Naylor.
Flowers for Algernon Syndrome: Has happened a fair bit during the 2003-2005 series.
Funny Background Event: Always happens. Worth watching on the BBC iPlayer if you live in the UK just to see.
- It's one reason the show is popular!
Getting Crap Past the Radar: As per Casualty. Happens a lot.
Ghost Extras: See above, in the Ensemble Darkhorse section.
Hey, It's That Guy!: A few famous faces have been on this show over the years, namely:
- Claire Bennet from Heroes (uncredited)
- Jane Wallbank, BBC producer of various shows.
- Joanne Kelly, of Warehouse 13 is set to appear in the show sometime late 2010/early 2011 apparently.
- Louise Houghton, recently.
- Osiris
- Emma Kennedy from Hustle.
Hospital Hottie: The characters are considered sexy by the fans, but the sexiness is unintentional on the part of the production team. In fact, they don't emphasise it and they dress fairly ordinary, the women sometimes even have no make-up on (unless they're injured, in which case, it's obvious - make-up for special effects.). Sasha, Henrik and Greg, are Mr. Fanservice. Same for its Companion Show Casualty.
- Well, some characters dress ordinarily and without much makeup. Then there's Frieda.
Informed Attractiveness: Jac Naylor, although Rosie Marcel is quite the Ms. Fanservice.
Is It Always Like This?: Some characters think this way. But that's Truth in Television, given the setting, and justified.
Joker Immunity
Karma Houdini: Subverted with Ric Griffin - He stole Michael Spence's wife, and generally comes off as smug when he constantly relays messages to Michael from his ex-wife & Michael suffers a setback in his career. It's a subversion, because Ric has cancer, which appears to be both Laser-Guided Karma & letting him get away with all of this as other characters feel sorry for him. At the same time.
- Played straight, however, with Oliver Valentine, who looks as though he's going to get away with continuing to practise as a doctor illegally.
Lampshade Hanging: This show does it multiple times, with Jac Naylor being the occasional Meta Guy on occasions.
Living Prop: Often lampshaded by the characters, especially Elliott and Jac.
Loads and Loads of Characters: Obvious, for a show like this.
Meta Girl: Jac Naylor.
Magnificent Bastard: Cardio Thoracic surgeon Anton Meyer (George Irving) in the first few series. In the first episode he told a patient that if he (the patient) ever smoked again he (Meyer) would personally undo everything he had done on the operating table.
More Popular Spin Off: Although, open to interpretation.
Ms. Fanservice: The Ensemble Darkhorse characters, and Jenny Elwood.
Noodle Incident: "Remember that time we put Nikki in the store-cupboard with Donna...."
- A few Noodle Incidents happen on this show, which makes you wonder if the nurses actually do work or not. But it is to some degree, Truth in Television.
  - Once an Episode a Noodle Incident occurs, making it sometimes a Riddle For The Ages, but it's always plot-relevant.
No Name Given: For the tan-skinned nurse (she looks either Portuguese or Indian) who appears with Nikki (picture shown above in Ascended Extra).
Oddly Small Organization: For the management, on-screen, at least.
Only Sane Man: Henrik Hanssen. Also, Mark Williams as well.
The Plan: Holby City has characters who use this trope to extremes.
- Namely Jac, Sacha, Frieda Petrenko
The Red Stapler: Jac Naylor's outfits, which have become suddenly fashionable.
- Plus the unnamed tan-skinned nurse's civilian wear too...
Refuge in Audacity: Makes up most of the show's existence. Also, Truth in Television in Britain, as far as medicos are concerned.
Refuge in Vulgarity: Happens now and then in the show.
Saw Star Wars 27 Times: Comedian Toby Hadoke plays a character in the episode "Snow Queens" who shamelessly boats over how many times he's watched The Matrix.
She Who Must Not Be Seen: Tracey Lang, a frequently-mentioned character. Fans of the show often wonder why she isn't shown on-screen.
- Also Gemma Oddi, a name referenced multiple times on computer monitors on the show since 2008-2009, but her face has always been obscured or the camera pans too fast for the viewer to see it.
Shown Their Work
Space Whale Aesop: Happens sometimes, but mainly to show that such consequences are rare in real life (and this is where they have Shown Their Work).
Spin-Off: Obviously.
- For two years had its own spinoff in the Police Procedural Holby Blue.
Star Making Role: For Louise Houghton, who appeared as Jenny Elwood between 2009 and 2010 in the show. This website link has some info about her.
Stripperiffic: Some of the nurses' outfits, particularly Jac Naylor, Penny and also Donna Jackson, and the female nurses' extras outfits.
- Jac Naylor is deliberately seen as Ms. Fanservice for this reason.
Those Three Girls: Nikki, Kate (two blonde girls) and a tan-skinned Ambiguously Brown woman (not sure if she's half-Indian, Portuguese/Hispanic or some other race - picture on the left here◊, who looks in her mid-30's. They always appear on the nurses' station in most scenes.
Too Soon: Deliberately invoked by Jac Naylor the week after Linden's death, by interrupting an Awkward Silence with a "Who died?" remark.
Troperrific: Some of the writers like using this tactic. Jane Wallbank the producer is particularly notorious for making the show this way since the beginning of 2010.
Tyrant Takes The Helm: Henrik Hanssen, who made severe budget cuts.
Ultimate Job Security: Well, for Jac Naylor, Marie-Claire, Elliott Hope, Nick Jordan, Ric Griffin, the un-named tan-skinned nurse and Nikki, this trope is played straight.
Very Special Episode: This show proves it is no longer a Discredited Trope or even a Dead Horse Trope, despite the subjects covered being sensitive, well, there are very special episodes - and not parodies of the genre. The Very Special Episode are 2 or 3 parts.