‘Worst decision the BBC has ever made!’ Devastated Holby City fans rage against broadcasting giant as nation unites in grief after show bows out after 23-year run with beloved surgeon Jac Naylor’s death

• The medical drama finale focused on Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) after she awoke from a life-or-death operation 
• Fan-favourite Jac asked Adrian ‘Fletch’ Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) to write her a do-not-resuscitate order
• She then suffered a stroke and was left braindead forcing Fletch to tell Elliot, Sacha Levy and Max McGerry
• It was revealed that Jac had donated her organs to patients who needed them including a medical student 

Holby City fans were left devastated on Tuesday night as the Casualty spin-off came to a dramatic conclusion in the final episode after 23 years on the BBC. 

The medical drama finale focused on Jac Naylor, played by Rosie Marcel who has appeared in the show since 2005, after she awoke from a life-or-death operation led by Elliot Hope (Paul Bradley) and the team to remove her brain tumour.

Jac asked Adrian ‘Fletch’ Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) to write her a do-not-resuscitate order, despite Elliot telling the team that he wanted to do another operation. 

Fletch said: ‘I just hate the thought of you giving up,’ as Jac replied: ‘Let me tell you about giving up. Letting this thing take control. Wipe out my mind. Leaving me delirious and doubly incontinent – that’s giving up.

‘I have never been clearer about anything in my life. Please do this one thing for me.’

Soon after, Jac suffered a stroke and was left braindead forcing Fletch to tell Elliot, Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett) and Max McGerry (Jo Martin) about the Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT). 

Emotional ending: Holby City fans were left devastated on Tuesday night as the Casualty spin-off came to a dramatic conclusion in the final episode after 23 years on the BBC

Fletch explained: ‘She said if anything like this happened – I think she knew that something like this was coming and she made up her mind.’

Elliot said: ‘It’s Jaq’s decision. We may not like it but we have to respect it.’ 

It was then revealed that Jac had donated her organs to patients who needed them including a medical student, a full-time mother of four and Lexy Morrell, who received her heart. 

In the closing moments, the voice of Jac could be heard in the background saying: ‘It took me a long time to find a place I belonged, somewhere to call home.

Beloved surgeon: The medical drama finale focused on Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) after she awoke from a life-or-death operation led by Elliot Hope (Paul Bradley) and the team to remove her brain tumour

Big ask: Jac asked Adrian ‘Fletch’ Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) to write her a do-not-resuscitate order, despite Elliot telling the team that he wanted to do another operation

Giving up: Fletch said: ‘I just hate the thought of you giving up,’ as Jac replied: ‘Let me tell you about giving up. Letting this thing take control. Wipe out my mind. Leaving me delirious and doubly incontinent – that’s giving up’

Decision: Elliot said: ‘It’s Jaq’s decision. We may not like it but we have to respect it’

‘It wasn’t with my mother or the carers she dumped me on when she walked out of my life, it certainly wasn’t with any man, it was when I first walked into a theatre.

‘I knew then one day one I had found my place in the world, somewhere I belonged. This is what the NHS means to us, not a badge on a cabinet minister’s lapel, not a number down the side of a bus, it’s a nurse missing her break to sit with a lonely patient, a surgeon grinding out a 15-hour op, the sound of sirens coming to the rescue, Thursday night applause sounding out the rooftops, it’s all of us doing the best we can in impossible circumstances. it’s something to believe in, it’s home.’

And viewers were quick to take to social media, with many raging against the broadcasting giant. 

Shocked: Soon after, Jac suffered a stroke and was left braindead forcing Fletch to tell Elliot, Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett) and Max McGerry (Jo Martin) about the Advance Decision to Refuse Treatment (ADRT)

Upset: Fletch explained: ‘She said if anything like this happened – I think she knew that something like this was coming and she made up her mind’

Donation: It was then revealed that Jac had donated her organs to patients who needed them including a medical student, a full-time mother of four and Lexy Morrell, who received her heart

Voiceover: In the closing moments, the voice of Jac could be heard in the background saying: ‘It took me a long time to find a place I belonged, somewhere to call home

One tweeted: ‘I know there’s bigger things going in in the world right now, yet for me, axing #Holby is the worst decision the BBC has ever made. Complete disregard for its customers & wider stakeholders. I’m guessing inner politics is at play. Ridiculous!’

Another commented: ‘I still cannot believe #HolbyCity was axed when viewing figures were so high & it’s fanbase so loyal. I’ve spent 23 years of my life watching & all involved are done a great disservice by the cancellation. They didn’t even get an extended episode to send it off!’

A third said: ‘@BBC can’t believe you spent £87 million on Albert Square #Eastenders a show dying in the ratings, but you killed off #HolbyCity that was well loved and had so many stories left to be told.’

Reaction: And viewers were quick to take to social media, with many raging against the broadcasting giant

The final episode also featured the reappearance of past characters including Ric Griffin, played by Hugh Quarshie, and Mo Effanga, played by Chizzy Akudolu.

After the show aired, Akudolu tweeted: ‘This is actually breaking my heart. Holby meant so much to so many people, including me. I’m in bits. Didn’t think it would affect me like this…’

She added: ‘Thank you Holby City for changing my life.’

Catherine Russell, who reprised her role as Serena Campbell, tweeted a series of photos from her time on the show, adding: ‘It really was like family.’

While Dawn Steele, who plays Ange Godard, tweeted: ‘Thank you, what an amazing job it was. So sad. What a message though – thank you NHS.’

Lucinda Dryzek, who played Jac Naylor’s sister Jasmine Burrows, posted: ‘To all the Holby family, you really were the best. And you will be truly missed. And I’m so grateful to have been a part of it’

Belinda Owusu, who played Nicky McKendrick, said: ‘Beyond grateful to have been a part of the magic.’

Former EastEnders star Davood Ghadami, who joined Holby last year as Eli Ebrahimi, said it was the ‘end of an era’.

He added: ‘I was just getting in the warm glow of the brilliant people who had been working on that show for all those years. They are the best in the business.

‘Goodbye Holby City and thank you.’

Olivia Colman, Jodie Comer and Michael Fassbender have all appeared in past episodes of the medical drama.

Patsy Kensit, who played Faye Morton, tweeted a photo of herself in the show and said she was ‘so sad’ it was ending: ‘I had an amazing four and a half years on the show and I loved it.’

The BBC announced it would scrap Holby City, a fictional city based on Bristol, last year as it continues its drive to appear more northern, sparking a furious backlash among fans.

The long-running medical drama has been filmed at the corporation’s London Elstree Studios for the last 23 years.

But the programme is now at odds with the BBC’s ‘Across the UK’ plan to move TV shows and staff out of London to kill off the idea of a so-called ‘southern bias’.

With three big soaps set in the south – the others being Eastenders and Casualty – Holby City was seen as the easiest to scrap as Casualty’s Cardiff base helped to fulfill the diversity directive.

The costs of producing Holby City will instead be used to fund two replacement soaps in the next three years; one set in northern England and another in either Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

But the announcement left dedication fans of the soap furious, calling the move ‘short-sighted’ and warning that the diverse cast and storylines were going to be lost.

Weeping: The BBC announced it would scrap Holby City, a fictional city based on Bristol, last year as it continues its drive to appear more northern, sparking a furious backlash among fans

The BBC said in a statement: ‘We are incredibly proud of Holby City. But it’s with great sadness that we are announcing that after 23 years, the show will end on screen in March of next year.

‘We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new opportunities and as part of the BBC’s commitment to make more programmes across the UK.

‘We have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to a close in order to reshape the BBC’s drama slate to better reflect, represent and serve all parts of the country.

‘We would like to take this opportunity to thank the amazing team at BBC Studios and all the cast and crew who have been involved in the show since 1999.

‘Holby has been a stalwart with audiences, delighting millions of viewers each week and winning hundreds of awards with a compelling mix of cutting-edge medical stories and explosive personal stories.’

The BBC insisted they will make sure the programme goes out ‘on a high’.

They added: ‘We look forward to working with the team over the coming months to ensure that when it ends, Holby goes out on a high.’

Fury: The BBC announced it would scrap Holby City last year as it continues its drive to appear more northern, sparking a furious backlash among fans

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