Oliver Valentine (James Anderson)

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Holby City bosses have announced that Henrik Hanssen, Oliver Valentine and Estelle 'Essie' Harrison are all returning to the show.

Guy Henry, James Anderson and Kaye Wragg have agreed to reprise their roles on the BBC One medical drama and will reappear on screen next year.

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Holby City welcomes back Oliver Valentine in surprising circumstances next week as he returns to the hospital as a patient.

Oliver is in a desperate situation due to poor health when he makes his reappearance, but still has a glimmer of hope for his future as he has an idea of how Elliot Hope could help him…

We recently caught up with James Anderson, who plays Oliver, to hear all the gossip on his return episode.


Was this a fun return episode for you to film?
"Bizarrely it was! Oliver is in quite dire straits when he returns, but for me it was fun because it was going back to a place that I'm so familiar with and working with a bunch of people who I'm very fond of."

When were you first approached about coming back?
"It was well over a year ago when it was first mentioned! As I was in the show for four and a half years, I know the producers quite well and we kept those channels of communication open.

"They asked me a couple of times and it didn't feel like the right time, but when they came to me with this Christmas story, it was too good to resist. So it was back in the summer when they first came to me with this particular storyline."

What has Oliver been up to since we last saw him?
"When Oliver left the show 18 months ago, he was still grieving following the death of his wife. He needed space away from the hospital because it's a reminder of all the pain he's had to endure through losing his sister and losing his wife.

"Oliver took some time out and went abroad, finding work as a locum in various hospitals that were slightly impoverished. He has been keeping up with medicine, but he's also been drinking, self-medicating and not taking the best care of himself. He was generally just letting himself go."

What brings about his return?
"Oliver has contracted a virus while he's been away. Because he's been drinking and he's been at a high altitude, the virus hasn't been kept in check and Oliver has developed a condition in his heart. He realises that he needs some help.

"Sometimes when you're going through something that is psychologically challenging or demanding, you don't realise the effect it has on your body. Oliver hasn't realised, but now it's a bit of a wake-up call for him. He knows there's only one person who would take him seriously and be able to help him, and he's in England! So Oliver gets on a flight and comes to the hospital."

What kind of reaction does Oliver get when he returns?
"It's a mixed reaction! For some of the staff who didn't know him that well, it's a bit of a surprise. Oliver is all beaten-up and bloodied, so he doesn't look very well and some people are thinking, 'God, what's happened to you?' For others it's deep concern and they want to get to the bottom of it.

"Jac is typically quite sneering and unsympathetic - on the surface! Elliot is far more concerned on a pastoral level, but both of them do probably care in equal amounts - it's just the different ways they show it!

"Also, Oliver's old rival Harry in AAU is almost amused by seeing him being wheeled in on a stretcher!"

What is Oliver's idea of how Elliot could help him?
"Even through all of his difficulties, Oliver is still very passionate about medicine. He's kept in touch with Elliot by reading about his work on the Herzig trial in various journals. That's been going on since Oliver was still working at the hospital, so he's obviously got a vested interest there.

"Oliver has added 2 and 2 together to make 5 a little bit, because he thinks this treatment could work for him. He does have a heart condition, but he knows that he won't be taken seriously or put on any transplant list because of his alcohol abuse. Because of that, he needs someone to take a chance on him - and that person could only be Elliot as nobody else would go near it morally or ethically!

"What's interesting is that on one hand Oliver is apathetic and he's given up, while on the other hand there's a flicker of hope that's still somewhere inside him. So that's what leads to his return."


When you filmed this episode, did you already have an idea that you'd be coming back more permanently next year?
"No, this episode was pitched to me as a single story. I loved the episode because it sounded interesting from the start and it was a new story that I could tell with the character of Oliver. It takes him in a new direction, and for me that was important.

"I can't say too much about what happens after this episode, but at the time, we hadn't made any other decisions at all."

What kind of a reaction have you seen on Twitter to the news of your return?
"It's amazing, really! I would have thought everyone would have forgotten me, because Oliver hasn't been on screen for a while now. Twitter is this weird forum where we have direct access to people who like the show - and sometimes hate it! (Laughs.)

"It's really nice to look at, because it's not ratings or any of that other stuff that can be quite impersonal. It's real people's reactions and there are so many people who have been really excited about Oliver's return and are writing really nice things to me.

"As an actor, we wouldn't really get that response in any other way while working on TV. If you're on stage, you've got an audience every night and you can get a sense of whether they enjoyed the show or not. With TV, it's a glass box in the room and we don't really get that reaction otherwise. I'm really glad that people are as excited as I am about Oliver's return!"

You have worked outside of Holby, so have you enjoyed your time away from the show too?
"Very much so. One of the reasons why I decided to leave is that as an actor, I like variety and I enjoy playing different characters. I was fortunate enough to play various different things in the year and a half that I was away from Holby City. It's been challenging, fun and really helpful to me.

"I've particularly enjoyed doing a period job in Poirot where I was doing all sorts of devilish things! I also did a film this summer that was contemporary and I was playing a very different guy to Oliver. It's nice to have variety in every day and that remains important to me as an actor.

"Going back to Holby always had to be on those terms - there always had to be something new to tell. It had to be a story worth telling."

With the show bringing back Oliver and Henrik Hanssen too, do you think it's a good move for the producers to revisit the past?
"It can sometimes be dangerous to go backwards, but I think as long as the stories are progressing and taking the characters in a new direction, it can only be a good thing. If the characters are loved and care is taken in developing them and taking them on a journey, it's a positive move.

"I've always said it, but working on Holby is a luxury because you're working with one character for a period of time. You're normally never doing that - you usually play a character for a month or two before leaving them behind. While playing Oliver, I've been able to spend quite a lot of time probing various nuances within him in a way that I'd never get to do on a shorter job. It's great!"

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https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/hol...ames-anderson/


Holby City's Ollie Valentine looks set to return before the soap finally draws to a close. James Anderson will be re-entering the BBC soap soon, though it is currently unclear exactly when he'll be back.

BBC designer Simon Ekrelius appeared to reveal the news in a since-deleted Instagram post, where he posted a picture of Anderson with co-star Guy Henry (Henrik Hanssen).

"That's a wrap for ep 37/38," he captioned the picture, explaining they were shooting a Christmas episode. "It's been a long journey and the last day for James."

A post from Holby later confirmed the news.

Anderson, who exited in 2018, isn't the only former Holby star to return to the fold of late, with Rosie Marcel (Jac Naylor) and Jemma Redgrave (Bernie Wolfe) both coming back.

The news comes after it was confirmed earlier this year that Holby City would be ending in 2022 after 23 years on air.

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Related: Former Holby City star Pearl Chanda responds to the BBC axing the long-running show

"We're very sorry to bring you the sad news that Holby City will come to an end in March next year, after 23 amazing years," the show announced in June. "We are so very grateful to all of Holby's wonderful cast, crew, writers, producers ? and to our millions of loyal viewers and fans for being part of our show.

"Holby will remain on air on Tuesdays until next March, and we will continue to bring you a regular dose of all things Holby right here until then. We promise that Holby will get the send-off it deserves. Thank you for your continued support and love for the series."

Holby City airs on Tuesdays on BBC One.