Holby City’s unexpected celeb cameos from Sheridan Smith and Jodie Comer to Kym Marsh and Michael Fassbender
AFTER 23 years of gripping the nation, medical drama Holby City is taking its final bow.
The much loved BBC show has been cancelled following more than 1,000 episodes over 23 years, and will air its final scenes in March 2022.
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But it’s not just the regular cast playing doctors and nurses who have appeared in the show.
Scores of famous actors have made an appearance on Holby’s hospital wards.
Here, we reveal the stars that have made guest cameos over the years.
Michael Fassbender
Hollywood hunk Michael Fassbender has starred in big budget films including Macbeth, Jane Eyre, Inglorious Basterds and X-Men – but as an up and coming actor the young Fassbender played an ailing patient in the Holby soap.
In 2002, Michael Fassbender took on the role of Christian Connolly, who had his spleen taken out in the episode ‘Ghosts’.
The BAFTA-nominated actor once admitted falling asleep on the operating table on set.
He told Radio Times: “The trouble was they were filming the scene over and over again and focusing on all the doctors operating on me and I was lying there with my eyes closed and I just drifted off.
“I woke to hear someone whispering, ‘He’s fallen asleep'”.
Jodie Comer
Now known for her turn as psychopath assassin Villanelle Killing Eve, Jodie Comer stole the hearts of Holby Fans with her turn as patient Ellie Jenkins in a one-off episode in 2010.
At the time it was Jodie’s second ever TV appearance, but she was already showing her acting prowess.
At one point in the episode, the wide-eyed Jodie turns to the doctor and says: “I’ve been puking non-stop for the past couple of weeks… at least four or five times a day.”
Paul O’Grady
Paul O’Grady teamed up with the Holby Cast in 2013 to play Tim Connor, a cancer patient, for three episodes.
The comedian and actor admitted that working on the show convinced him for some time that he was ill.
He told The Sun: “It was emotional filming Holby. And I did actually come home feeling sick as I would lie in bed all day with tubes on me, and then I would go into Holby the next day, and they would put even more tubes on me.
“They make you look ill, so after 14 hours of that every day, I came home and I really had to tell myself that I wasn’t actually ill as I wanted to do everything so much justice.
“I literally had to tell myself to stop it, remember that I wasn’t ill and I was only playing a character.”
Olivia Colman
She may have played not one but two Queens in The Favourite and in The Crown, but Olivia Colman’s glittering career as an actress had more humble beginnings.
In 2002, the Oscar winning actress played Kim Prebble in the episode ‘New Hearts, Old Scores’.
Olivia has since starred in a slew of hit TV shows and films including Broadchurch, Fleabag, and Murder on the Orient Express.
Romesh Ranganathan
Well-known for his deadpan delivery, Romesh Ranganathan guest starred as Darren Harrison in Holby Episode ‘Never Let Me Go’ back in 2013.
Romesh has gone on to appear in his own series “The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan” and has written several books including “Straight Outta Crawley”.
Maureen Lipman
Stalwart of the stage, Maureen Lipman is no stranger to TV soap turns.
Alongside her turns in Coronation Street, and in films such as Roman Polanski’s The Pianist, Maureen Lipman appeared in Holby as patient Bonnie Walters in 2011.
Charlotte Riley
One of actress Charlotte Riley’s first roles on TV was in the hospital wings of Holby City as Tanya Cusan in ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’ in 2007.
The fresh-faced actor made a brief appearance as a patient on the show at the start of her career.
Charlotte has gone on to star as May Carleton opposite Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders, and is married to Tom Hardy.
Kym Marsh
TV presenter and actor Kym Marsh made one of her earliest appearances on TV in Holby City as Myrna Morrison in the episode ‘Brother’s Keeper’ in 2006.
Kym is now best known for playing Michelle Connor in Coronation Street.
Mel Giedroyc
A far cry from bunting and bakes, former Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc took part in Holby Episode ‘Close Relations’ in 2007 as Lydia Lazenby.
Mel has become a much-loved contributor to British TV presenting the Great British Bake Off with Sue Perkins for seven series.
She has also starred in Horrible Histories, Have I Got News For You, and Mel and Sue for ITV.
Nicholas Hoult
As a child actor, Nicholas Hoult took part in a one-off episode of Holby City as Oscar Banks in 2001.
Now in his 30s, Nicholas has performed in About a Boy, Kidulthood, Skins, The Favourite, The Great and X-Men.
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Sheridan Smith
Actor, singer and presenter Sheridan Smith had a brief cameo in Holby’s 2001 episode ‘New Beginnings’ as young patient Miranda Locke.
But it was sitcoms like The Royle Family, Two Pints of Larger and a Packet of Crisps and Gavin and Stacey that really made Sheridan’s name.