S20-E35 : MAN DOWNI'd been looking forward, with some trepidation, to this special episode focusing on male mental health since the publicity for it first emerged. It's a subject that certainly warrants the attention and weaving the story round such a well-loved character made it all the more powerful. The concept, the writing (Michelle Lipton), the direction (Tracey Rooney), are all deserving of high praise and Bob Barrett's performance as Sacha was extraordinary.
For me, on a deeply personal level, this episode portrayed perfectly how easy it is to believe that no-one will miss you if you just... stop. If that's how you feel... please, reach out. To your friends, to your family, to strangers... lots of organisations are there to help.
Synopsis: Holby City has worked with the mental health charity Mind on a special episode focusing on male mental health. Long-serving Dr Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett) struggles with his emotions after a devastating surgical outcome for a favourite patient. The episode departs from Holby's usual format, exploring previously shown scenes from a new perspective, as the shattered consultant looks back at a testing year at Holby.
The full episode can be viewed on BBC iPlayer until 27 September 2018 and I urge you to watch it - though I've included more than simply Lofty's direct involvement in the edit below, it is not the whole story and the whole story needs to be told.
Check out the Timeline's HOLBY & CASUALTY INDEX for all the latest Meady Holby news and episode info.
Published: 15/08/2018; last updated: 28/08/2018