Elliot Hope
Elliot Hope | |
---|---|
Paul Bradley | |
Spinoff(s) | Casualty, 2010, 2012, 2014 |
In-universe information | |
Occupation |
|
Spouse | Gina Hope (until 2006) |
Significant other |
|
Children | James Hope Martha Woodman |
Elliot Hope is a fictional character from the
Bradley was cast in the role after originally auditioning for a more minor part, and impressing executive producer Richard Stokes. He observed real heart surgery being performed in preparation for the role, and bases his portrayal of Elliot on his own father, who was a doctor. Elliot is portrayed as "a disorganised genius" and "a medical
Creation
Elliot was introduced to Holby City in November 2005 as the new Clinical Lead of the hospital's
As research for the role, Bradley observed three operations at the University College London Heart Hospital, an experience he described as "amazing" and a privilege to attend.[1] Bradley's father was a doctor in Nuneaton,[3] and he attempts to emulate him onscreen through his portrayal of Elliot.[1] Bradley has described his first few weeks on Holby City as amongst the hardest acting experiences he has ever had, due to the medical terminology, props and procedures associated with the role.[1]
Development
Elliot is described on the
Elliot's wife Gina suffers from
The Holby City 2007 Christmas episode, "Elliot's Wonderful Life", was a reimagining of the 1964 film It's a Wonderful Life featuring Elliot, and guest-starring Richard Briers as his guardian angel. It was filmed in North London over three weeks. Series producer Diana Kyle described the episode as Elliot "go[ing] on a major emotional journey and tak[ing] time to reassess his life".[12] Bradley explained: "Elliot goes into this complete breakdown and decides to kill himself",[13] and discussed Elliot's motivation in considering suicide: "Something in his brain snaps. He's overworked and emotionally overwrought."[14] He explained that, while the episode is based on It's a Wonderful Life: "the screen doesn't go wobbly so you know you're in fantasy world. It's played very straight. There are some really interesting things going on - angels in the corridors and nobody knows who this old man is. But it's not all doom and gloom, there's humour in there and it's a bit of an adventure."[15] Bradley was pleased to work with Briers, commenting: "Richard has always been a hero of mine. He's an actor I've always wanted to be like. We got on so well; we were exhausted from laughing!"[14] Briers added of the storyline: "It's extraordinary to pinch a marvellous idea from a great film."[14]
On 22 September 2015, during the seventeenth series, Elliot departed the show after ten years. His exit was kept a secret to surprise viewers.[16] Elliot was seen leaving Holby to be with his love interest Brigitte Nye (Sally Dexter).[16] The show's executive producer Oliver Kent hoped Bradley would return in the future, saying the door would be open for him.[16] Kent added "We all adore Elliot Hope and we will miss him like crazy. Paul has been a fabulous member of the Holby City family for 10 years, and we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for all his incredible work."[16]
In 2019, Bradley agreed to reprise the role of Elliot to celebrate the show's twentieth anniversary. Elliot will appear for a five-episode run in which he will get reacquainted with Jac. In addition it soon becomes clear he has an ulterior motive for returning. Of his return Bradley stated that "I'm really looking forward to returning to a programme on which I spent so many happy year."[17]
Holby City was cancelled in June 2021 after 23 years on air. Producers invited multiple former cast members to reprise their roles during the show's final series.[18] Bradley reprised his role as Elliot in episode 1100, first broadcast on 15 March 2022. His appearance in the episode had been kept under embargo until transmission and he will continue to appear until the show's final episode.[19] Elliot returns when Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) calls him to help Jac, who is terminally ill and needs an operation to save her life. He eventually agrees to operate on Jac.[19]
Storylines
Elliot arrives at Holby city episode "More Equal Than Others", when it is revealed he has beaten
Martha leaves Holby to attend university, returning two years later having married in Las Vegas without telling her father. Elliot is upset, so Martha plans a picnic at which Elliot can get to know her new husband Ben (Oliver Boot) better. At the picnic, Elliot's dog Samson is run over by an ambulance, resulting in a pneumothorax. Elliot operates on Samson in a basement theatre, and he makes a full recovery. When Ben confides in Elliot that he is experiencing on-going health problems, he initially agrees not to tell Martha, not wanting her to worry. Martha later learns Ben is in the early stages of Sarcoidosis and will be blind within months. Relating his own experience of Gina's failing health, Elliot advises Martha to leave Ben, and ultimately they break up.
When Martha arranges a surprise party for Elliot's 50th birthday, he is re-introduced to an old friend from university, Tara Sodi (
In later years, Elliot mentors both Penny (Emma Catherwood) and her brother Oliver Valentine (James Anderson). He becomes very friendly with Penny, and is devastated when she is killed trying to save a patient's life. He tries to help Oliver overcome his grief. Elliot's job is threatened when Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) attempts to merge Darwin Ward with the heart surgery ward at St. James' hospital, but he puts an end to the plans and Elliot keeps his job. He becomes determined to see the scientific project he has worked off for many years, the Hertzig (an electronic heart), into practise, and is delighted when he finds a potential patient. However, the patient withdraws their consent at the last minute, and Elliot risks his career by putting it in anyway. There are complications and the patient later dies.
Elliot trains a new F1,
Elliot starts a relationship with Oliver's psychiatrist, Sharon Kozinsky (Madeleine Potter), and they become serious until Sharon gets a job offer in America. Although he originally plans to take a sabbatical and visit America with her, Elliot decides it is a step too far and says goodbye to her.
After Jonny and Mo clash, their friendship becomes strained. Jonny and Mo's issues impacted on their professional lives when Jonny disobeyed Mo orders that a transplant patient must stay in bed.[20] Jonny allowed the patient to go to the chapel and she collapsed, leading Elliot to realise that there was trouble between Jonny and Mo. Elliot then threatened to remove them from the transplant team.[20] The pair soon made amends pleasing Elliot whose team on Darwin ward was once again solid.
Jac returns from her time away from the hospital in 2014 prematurely after learning of Elliot's worsening health to help with the Herzig 5 (artificial heart) project which leads to her having to take the lead halfway through the crucial operation being used to market the device. Guy Self then attempts to tempt Jac into taking Elliot's place; leading the Herzig 5 project and running Darwin ward. During episode 42 of series 16 ("One Small Step"),[21] Jac is reunited with Connie by Guy for an endarterectomy procedure, pushing Jac into accepting Guy's offer of taking over Elliot's work. Elliot is delighted to be reunited with Connie but furious when he discovers Jac's betrayal.
After Elliot has fully recovered from his ill health and recent surgery, Oliver Valentine returns to the hospital fourteen months after leaving for South America. As Oliver was not taking proper care of himself, he contracted a virus which has affected his heart.[22] Ric Griffin (Hugh Quarshie) discovers a "bloodied and badly bruised" Oliver near the hospital entrance, and admits him immediately.[22] When it emerges that Oliver's condition is potentially fatal, he asks Elliot to fit him with his new surgical device. However, Jac refuses to let the surgery go ahead as the device is only in the experimental stage. When Jac says no, Olivers disappointed and angry. However, Elliot refuses to give up on Oliver and makes sure the operation goes ahead.[22]
Guy Self started to focus more onto the surgery side of things in April 2015, once he got told that he can not carry on performing in theatre and still be the Chief Executive Officer of Holby City Hospital. Guy was unhappy about this but he chose Neurosurgery over being the CEO, he apologised to Elliot about demoting him from being the Clinical Lead of Darwin and later reinstated him before he stepped down as the CEO.
When Brigitte Nye comes back to Holby with Frieda Petrenko (Olga Fedori) who is seriously ill, he performs major surgery on her to prevent her dying. Midway through, Elliot runs into some problems and he realises that neither he or Oliver can do it. Jac arrives just in time and saves Frieda. Elliot reconsiders his future at Holby while he is talking to Jac about Brigitte. Jac points out that Elliot seems to be in love and Elliot decides to leave Holby to be with Brigitte.
Reception
Bradley was named 20th "Best Actor" in the 2006 BBC Drama Awards for his role as Elliot.
The Times's David Chater commented positively on the episode "Elliot's Wonderful Life", writing that: "Holby City fans will love this episode [...] It is highly effective in what it sets out to do, although – like so much television at Christmas – you need to drink a pint of warm Baileys for the full effect."[27] The episode was selected as recommended viewing by several TV critics, including Dydd Iau of the Liverpool Daily Post,[28] and Roz Laws of the Sunday Mercury, who noted: "It sounds a bit strange, but there's snow, carols and an uplifting happy ending for a change."[29] The Mirror's Maeve Quigley called it "a timeless story", though questioned the plausibility of a world in which Elliot's patients went untreated, as "the NHS isn't a one-man band after all".[30] In contrast, Robert Hanks of The Independent reviewed the episode negatively, calling it "incompetent to the point of sacrilege".[31] Hanks wrote: "What it did add to the mix, that James Stewart never achieved, was to give the viewer an authentic frisson of empathy: there was a point towards the end – during an encounter with Elliot's miraculously resurrected, motor-neurone-disease-afflicted yet remarkably soignée and articulate wife - when I began to see never having been born as preferable, sometimes, to prime-time TV."[31]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (24 January 2006). "Paul Bradley Interview". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Senior, Cherly; Lines, Peter (18 June 2005). "Paul Bradley joins Holby". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Celeb city: Star files; Men on the telly". Coventry Telegraph. 6 August 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ a b Shelley, Jim (15 November 2005). "Shelleyvision: Con she resist?". The Mirror. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (1 November 2005). "Hope at Holby". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "BBC - Holby City - Characters - Elliot Hope". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Simon, Jane (21 March 2006). "TVToday: Pick of the Day: Holby City BBC1, 8pm – Wing and a player". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ Simon, Jane (17 November 2006). "Your Life: We Love Telly! - Pick of the Day: Children in Need BBC1, 7pm". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (7 November 2006). "Children in Need". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (10 October 2006). "Holby in Switzerland". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (12 October 2007). "Elliot's Son Shot". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Ask the Boss!", Inside Soap, England, p. 41, 6 November 2007
- Coventry Evening Telegraph. Archived from the originalon 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b c Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (19 December 2007). "It's a Wonderful Life..." Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Suicidal doc realises his life is truly Wonderful". Sunday Mail. 23 December 2007. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d Kilkelly, Daniel (23 September 2015). "Holby City producer: 'Door wide open for Elliot Hope return'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
- Hearst Magazines UK). Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ a b Denby, Laura (15 March 2022). "Elliot Hope returns to Holby City – can he save dying Jac?". Radio Times. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
- ^ a b Moon, Katy (10–16 November 2012). "Jonny could lose Mo and his job!". Inside Soap (45): 39.
- ^ Jennie Darnell (director), Alex Child (writer), Darren Guthrie (producer) (28 July 2014). "One Small Step". Holby City. Series 16. Episode 42. BBC. BBC One.
- ^ a b c Tyler, Laura-Jayne (20 December 2014 – 2 January 2015). "Help me, Elliot!". Inside Soap (50–51): 36.
- ^ "Best Actor 2006". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ Senior, Cheryl; Lines, Peter (10 July 2007). "National TV Awards 2007". Holby Gazette. Retrieved 18 January 2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hiton, Beth (15 October 2007). "'Doctor Who' leads TV Awards nominees". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- ^ "Letters to the Daily Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. 20 October 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
- Times Newspapers. Retrieved 7 May 2009.
- ^ Iau, Dydd (22 December 2007). "Thursday: What to WATCH". Liverpool Daily Post. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ Laws, Roz (16 December 2007). "TV highs: Holby City BBC1, Thursday 27". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ Quigley, Maeve (27 December 2007). "We love telly: We love Drama - Holby City BBC1, 8pm". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
- ^ a b Hanks, Robert (27 December 2007). "Last Night's TV: This turkey was anything but wonderful". The Independent. Retrieved 18 January 2010.