Issac Mayfield (Marc Elliot)

[Perdita]

Holby City's Dominic Copeland is about to get a new love interest in the form of an EastEnders favourite.

The formerly-bearded Syed Masood actor Marc Elliott is now fresh-faced Issac Mayfield on EastEnders' fellow BBC One soap, according to The Mirror.

"I'm pleased to be joining the team and looking forward to playing this complex, flawed character," Elliott said of his new job.

Elliott is expected to appear on screen in Holby City sometime in June.

The actor previously had a small role as Nick Michaels in Holby City before finding success on EastEnders.

Elliott earned widespread praise from EastEnders fans for his portrayal of Syed Masood's struggle with his own sexuality between 2009 and 2013.

[TaintedLove]

Hooray for Dom. Its about time they let him be happy.


When I first started watching HC, I wasn`t all that keen on Dom. But now he`s one of my fave characters. I wish they would bring his Mother into it full time. I really liked her - she was a terrific character. She really reminded me of Alison Steadman (who I also like).

.

[Perdita]

Former EastEnders star Marc Elliott makes a welcome return to our screens tonight with a new role – and a new haircut – in BBC One's Holby City.

The actor is taking on the role of Isaac Mayfield, a new general surgeon for Keller who'll also be a love interest for established regular Dominic Copeland.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Marc for a chat about all things Isaac and his decision to close the door on his part as Syed Masood in EastEnders.

What can the Holby City fans expect from Isaac?

"Isaac comes into Holby City as a guy who's very confident and able. I was going to say that he's 'young', but I don't think I can get away with that anymore! He turns Dominic's head and makes a beeline for him.

"At the moment Isaac's past is fairly mysterious, but bits and bobs of who he is are starting to leak out in episodes that I'm filming at the moment."

Is there an immediate romantic spark with Dominic?

"Well, it certainly isn't romantic at the beginning because they've just had a one-night hook-up that Dominic probably wants left where it is. But unfortunately Dominic is going to have to be teamed up with Isaac for some time on the wards.

"When they first meet, Dominic doesn't realise that Isaac is a surgeon and is coming to work for Holby, so it's quite a shock for him when they end up working together."

David Ames has hinted that Isaac is going to cause some trouble for Dom...

"Potentially! Dominic is very wary of Isaac and he's got his guard up, because he's been hurt in relationships before. What happens is that Isaac pushes that boundary. He doesn't force Dominic into a relationship, but he certainly doesn't give up until he achieves what he wants to.

"In the scenes I'm filming at the moment, they're finally venturing into a relationship which is getting a bit more serious. But there could potentially be obstacles further down the line..."

Could this relationship build up a fanbase in the same way that Christian and Syed did on EastEnders?

"Hopefully yeah! I think it is nice to see Dominic letting his guard down and settling with somebody. But how long that happiness lasts, who knows?"

What can you tell us about Isaac's attitude towards his job?

"Isaac is a bit of a maverick, so I think he's eager to impress when he arrives. He's anxious to be top dog and to be seen by Ric as very, very capable. He's also a bit flashy, so I think there are times when he's wanting to impress a little too much. As a result, he's not afraid to be pioneering and try new stuff."

Which other characters does Isaac interact a lot with?

"Everyone on Keller, really. I've recently had a lot of scenes with Bob Barrett, who plays Sacha Levy, but our characters seem to get along quite well. With Dominic, there's the romantic interest. With Ric, there's the eagerness on Isaac's part to impress – but they're also at loggerheads because the two of them clash.

"But with Sacha, there seems to be a very easy, reciprocal and quite nice relationship because they do get on. Isaac chats to Essie quite a lot too. He's an all-round nice guy and I think everyone gets on with him, even though he puts some backs up."

You've mainly done theatre work since leaving EastEnders. Did you have any reservations about going back into a long-running show?

"I didn't actually. When I left EastEnders, I really wanted to get back into theatre because I don't like being away from any medium for too long.

"I think it's important to keep dipping your toe in and out of everything, otherwise you get rusty and you're not prepared for when it finally does happen. I think if I'd done 10 years on EastEnders, I'd have been dreading the stage, so it's been good to keep my foot in both camps.

"There were no reservations whatsoever about going back into a long-runner. It all happened at exactly the right time and I'm just thrilled to be back on TV again."

Holby have announced that you're joining the cast for six months. Is that definite, or could you stick around for longer?

"I think, as with any new character, it could go either way. It depends how Isaac and Dominic's relationship pans out and what exactly happens to them in the future. I know that I'm definitely working until the end of the year, but the honest answer is that I'm not sure beyond that – I think it just depends how it plays out."

How do you feel about all of the attention surrounding your new short haircut?

"It's hilarious – my hairdresser loved it! The haircut wasn't for Holby. I had it cut because I was getting fed up with that floppy, scraggy look and decided to have a change. That was before I even had the audition for Holby.

"I just wanted something clean, easy and low-maintenance, but it has attracted quite a lot of attention. I think all of the headlines have been about the hair and how different I look! It wasn't intentional on my part, but it's a happy circumstance that people are going to hopefully accept me quite readily as Isaac because I look so different."


With EastEnders filmed on the same site as Holby City, have you popped over to say hi?

"I haven't had a chance to pop over and say hi to anybody yet – also my family is quite thin on the ground over there now! Of course you bump into some faces from the Square, but there's been quite a turnover of characters since I left, so I probably wouldn't know half the people now.

"It's felt like a very different job from EastEnders, because we're on the other side of the lot over here at Holby. But it feels really nice to be back at Elstree."

Christian and Syed had such a big fanbase. Have those fans stuck with you since you left?

"Yeah, they've been amazing actually. They're a really supportive group of people. They've been fantastic and they've seen everything I've done, really. They've also made me some amazing rubber bracelets for each project that I've done since EastEnders, which is really sweet. I've been touched by their support and I'm really grateful."

John Partridge has made brief returns to EastEnders a few times since you left. How would you feel if he wanted to come back permanently and the producers had to split up Christian and Syed?

"Well, they might not split up – they might just give Syed a new head! They've done it before.

"If returning was something that John wanted to do, I'd totally understand that. They'd have to write in some reason why he wasn't coming back with Syed – or, like I said, like a Lego head, just swap it over and give some new guy the chance to play Syed. I think everyone's re-castable, aren't they? Or he could die off screen."

You've been quite open in your other interviews about not wanting to return to EastEnders. Do your fans understand your reasons?

"I think the majority of them understand it. I think the fans got the ending they wanted for Christian and Syed, so I think there's an acceptance that the door's been closed.

"I'm not saying it couldn't or shouldn't be opened again, with regard to somebody else playing Syed. But I think there is an acceptance that it's sort of done now and they're living quite happily in Birmingham, taking trips to the Bullring with Yasmin and possibly Amira and her new husband. Maybe they could even do a spinoff in Birmingham based around the Bullring!"


Digital Spy

[Perdita]

Holby City star David Ames has revealed what will bring Dom Copeland's abusive ex Isaac back to the hospital.

Marc Elliot is reprising his role as abusive Isaac, who was suspended from his doctor duties two years ago following his harrowing abuse of David's character Dom.

Isaac's comeback was previewed in Holby's spring trailer, sparking speculation about what could bring him back after all this time.

Luckily, David has been able to fill in some of the gaps for us – revealing that it's all tied in with Dom's discovery about Ange.

Speaking to Digital Spy, David said: "With Dom going through such a tumultuous time, him and Lofty hit a bit of a snag. I think he has questions that he wants answering and Isaac is that bruise to press.

"In order to reconstruct his life, Dom has to deconstruct it all first. That is how he does things – he hits the self-destruct button.

"Once everything is in smithereens, he puts it back together – how he needs it to be and how he wants it to be. Isaac is a big part of that."

Discussing the hard-hitting abuse story, David added: "It was such a huge storyline and it was such an honour for me to portray. Hopefully, it's opened some minds about it too. I was contacted by so many people through social media and had letters sent in from people in similar situations, who didn't realise until watching the show.

"It's a really delicate subject and one that we approached in such a brilliant way. I am really proud of the work we did for it, so it's been nice to go back and revisit that and illustrate that kind of domestic abuse and manipulation. It's physical but it's also psychosomatic – it's locked in the mind.

"The continuing behavioural issues that Dom has stem from that and it explains a lot about the way he is and the choices he makes. He's still bearing the scars from it. It's nice for Isaac to come back and see where Dom is in regards to all of that."

Holby City will air Isaac's return later in the spring.

Digital Spy