Duncan, Luke and Patsy interview *contains spoilers*

[StarsOfCCTV]

Found this interview on holby.tv messageboards.

BBC One's popular medical drama, Holby City, embarks on a journey to South Africa with a stand-alone episode starring Patsy Kensit (as Faye Morton), Duncan Pow (as Linden Cullen) and Luke Roberts (as Joseph Byrne).

Linden and Joseph chase Faye to Cape Town to reveal what her mysterious past really holds. The trio discuss their dramatic storylines with Programme Information and reveal what it was like to film overseas.

Linden narrates this special episode, describing how he got dragged into chasing Faye to Cape Town with Joseph.

Why do they chase her?

Duncan: "Faye gets into serious trouble and needs help. Linden, being Linden, feels it's his responsibility to help in any way he can. We recently found out from Jac that Faye has another ex-husband, Lucas, but since Jac crashed her bike, the information is limited."

Faye has a third ex-husband?

Patsy: "Yes, she does indeed! This is the first time viewers will hear of Lucas. He was actually her first husband, but they are no longer in contact since their divorce."

Why does Faye go to South Africa?

Patsy: "Lucas has lived in Cape Town since he split with Faye. He lived with a gay lover (which is why they no longer speak) but we discover he sadly died of Aids three months previously. Faye has someone Lucas wants, and his recent loneliness leads him into trying to get back what he has lost.

"I don't want to give too much away, but Lucas takes someone that's very special to Faye and she's not going to let him disrupt her life again. That's why she follows him to Cape Town. I don't want to say any more, but this person is being looked after at Greenlands, which is a care home for the sick, and where Jac had previously followed Faye, too."

Do you enjoy playing a suspected black widow?

Patsy: "Of course! It's been fantastic fun. The Holby City writers have given me some great storylines but this tops them all. It's so gripping and no one will expect what actually happens."

How does Joseph feel about a third ex-husband after his recent proposal?

Luke: "Well what can I say? Gutted is probably the best answer! He tries so hard to give Faye his complete trust but she keeps throwing it back at him, with random phone calls, disappearances, needing money. I think Joseph just wants to be loved, he wants to be wanted – but I'm not sure Faye is the right person for this."


Is that from Joseph's perspective or yours?

Luke: "Mine, of course. Joseph is completely besotted by Faye. After what Jac did to him, surely anyone is better than that – even with three ex-husbands? It takes Linden's direction to actually get him to follow Faye to South Africa, however. He tries to put his foot down as enough is enough, but he gets swept in again, as he always does."

Was going to South Africa the right decision for Joseph to make?

Luke: "Definitely! Linden and Joseph get shot at, beaten up, robbed and chased all in one episode – it was so much fun! But yes, on a serious note, it is the right decision. This is Joseph's chance to try to become Faye's hero."

So it's clear why Joseph would follow Faye to South Africa, but still a bit of a mystery as to why Linden feels he has to get involved?


Duncan: "Linden hears Faye telling Joseph that she was in trouble and that they "could kill him" (Lucas, he presumes). Linden believes he has his life to help others, and so by hearing this and by being put in this situation by God, he must help Faye. After Joseph's phone battery dies, Linden takes Joseph's phone and puts his battery in it. He then takes a frantic call from Faye and immediately decides to fly out and help her."

After making the rash decision to go, is Linden grateful for Joseph's company?

Duncan: "No, not at all. You'll see why in the episode but, primarily, he doesn't want Joseph's help as he feels he was the one there when Faye called, and so he will be the one to make things better. This desire to "help", however, soon turns into more than that. You begin to discover a lot more about Linden on this trip."

How does Faye react to Joseph and Linden following her out there?

Patsy: "She is eternally grateful. She is in serious trouble and even gets kidnapped. She always seems to take on more than she can handle, so knowing she has Joseph and Linden there to help is a good thing."

Is it a good thing if she is risking their lives, also?

Patsy: "Well we don't know what Faye's past really holds, so yes, they may be getting themselves into trouble, but we're still unsure as to whether Faye is genuine or not. I think the viewers believe that she would never intentionally put Joseph or Linden in serious danger, but then who knows? No one ever found out what actually happened to James and you'll have to wait and see what happens in this case!"

What was it like to film in such an exotic location as Cape Town?

Duncan: "Absolutely amazing. It is such a beautiful country and we felt so welcome there. The weather was glorious, although there was no time for sightseeing or sunbathing – our filming schedule was tough!"

Patsy: "Indeed, it was incredible! I, too, was looking forward to catching some sun and enjoying the culture, as it was my 40th birthday while we were filming out there, but there was no rest for the wicked!"

So you had to work on your birthday?

Patsy: "Yes, but it was not a chore in the slightest. I love my job and being given the opportunity to film in such an incredible location was an absolute delight. I wouldn't have changed it for anything, and I don't think Luke would have either!"

What do you mean?

Luke: "Well it was truly great, but I think what Patsy is getting at is that through the tough filming schedule, I did actually manage to find romance out there. It was absolutely wonderful."

And does the romance continue?

Luke: "Of course! But that's all the information you're getting!"

[StarsOfCCTV]

Not quite sure where to put this...

Exclusive: Holby star Luke Roberts on how party pics of Patsy Kensit got him in deep water
Jun 22 2008 Exclusive by Steve Hendry

HOLBY City bosses have landed star Luke Roberts in hot water after posting a snap of him partying with Patsy Kensit on the internet.

The actor, 30, helped his glamorous co-star celebrate her 40th birthday in South Africa while the pair were filming a special episode of the hit BBC1 drama. But the pictures have been posted on the show's website - and Luke's French-Canadian girlfriend Noellie is asking questions.

Luke said: "We had Patsy's 40th birthday out there. She threw a little soiree in the hotel. She ordered champagne for everyone and the hotel laid on a really nice spread. There's a fairly incriminating photograph on the Holby City website now of Patsy sat on my lap. It's all good clean fun - we were all up at 5am next day working so you can't really afford to be hungover - but Noellie asks me every now and again, in her beautiful French tones, 'And are you kissing Patsy today?' I have to say, 'No honey, of course not.'"

Luke spent almost two weeks filming in Cape Town, South Africa, in March. The episode sees nurse Faye (Patsy Kensit) dash there after her first husband abducts her disabled son. Luke - who plays her consultant boyfriend Joseph Byrne - and colleague Linden Cullen, played by Scots star Duncan Pow, follow her...and fear for their lives when they end up in a shanty town gun battle.

Luke said: "When we were told we were going to South Africa I was ecstatic - and aware I was going to be one of the most hated members of the cast because I was going off on a jolly! It was really hard work though, honest. Trying to cram movie set locations into a TV schedule meant we were really up against it - but in a good way. It's my favourite way of seeing the world - being on the job. When you have that beer in the bar at the end of the night, you feel you've really earned it."

Luke met Noellie when plans to film on the country's landmark Table Mountain had to be scrapped because of bad weather. He said: "We found ourselves round the corner at Signal Hill. Noellie was working there. It was a magic experience. It was the second last day and I fell in love."

The romance came at the end of a long hard shoot, which included filming in the poverty-stricken township of Khayelitsha. Luke said: "It was a rare opportunity and a privilege. We were tense going in because it's certainly not our turf, so to speak. We were a largely white crew and cast filming among people who are desperately poor. The ground was covered in glass and needles - there were a lot of drug users. But we were treated very well by the locals, who were friendly and welcoming. It was quite an eye-opener and very humbling. We just hoped we weren't insulting them. It's a pretty intense experience to film shoot-out scenes in a township."

In the episode Luke's character Joseph reaches a turning point in his relationship with Faye - and it looks like he will be working with Patsy for a while yet. Luke said: "I've been working with her for two years now and we are pretty tight. She's got a wicked sense of humour and a naughty one too, which is a relief when you are in tense scenes. She's a very warm person, very easy to get on with."

That might not be what Luke's girlfriend wants to hear - but just wait until she hears about his past adventures on screen. He was a bed-hopping pilot in raunchy Sky One drama Mile High and a playboy in the revived Crossroads, which folded within six months. Luke said: "In Mile High I had a bit of a conscience so that wasn't too bad but Crossroads was a baptism of fire. It was tough. I was in a Jacuzzi at 7am of a Monday morning with Emma Noble, Freema Agyeman, Lucy Pargeter and just about any other girl who set foot on the show. And now I'm on to Patsy Kensit."