I really, really like Bernie. She comes across to me as intelligent, fair and an excellent surgeon. I like her for the same reasons as I like Jac really, who is my favourite character and always has been. I realise she's slightly controversial as Hanssen has pointed out a couple of times, but generally Bernie seems to have known what she was doing. The one time where I wasn't quite sure was when she wasted so much blood bringing the train boy back so many times only for him to crash again - but she seemed to think there was a reasonable chance they'd be able to save him. In fairness, Jac didn't think they'd be able to bring him back the first time and Bernie proved her wrong on that front, so her instincts are definitely in the right place. She's brusque and autocratic, but I think that is quite frequently needed provided one is making decisions based on logic and reason, and not on emotion (which actually is what Ric has been doing).

Having said that, she seems unconfident in her own abilities. As she said to Jesse, she feels she's had a lot of down days recently. I don't think she's had any at all, but maybe from her perspective she just doesn't feel comfortable in the hospital. I don't know if she'll stick it out - I hope so, but I guess you have to follow your heart. It's interesting that I always like the army medics - I like Iain and formerly Sam on Casualty in the same way, there is a straightforwardness and honesty to them which I appreciate. It's a bit strange because politically I'm actually really anti-military, but within the hospital I like that kind of approach.

Looks like Anna Scher is taking in any old rubbish as long as they can pay the fees, such a shame that they have dropped their impeccable standards, I think her future career direction now depends on how confident she can utter the words 'would you like fries with that'.

Just finished Tuesday's episode, bored with the Mo nonsense, getting a petition up to force the CEO to make her a Consultant would be deemed as trying to undermine/bully a senior member of staff and likely would have severe repercussions for all those involved.

High points everything not Efinger, Low points everything Efinger.

We need more MoT, please!

Oh no sorry, i was probably being a bit uppity.

It's just sometimes, i get the impression people think anybody over the age of 30, let alone 40 or 50 would naturally look like an old crone! It's just when you read "I can't believe they're 35!!!!" (and I know that not the tone you used) i feel like saying - well what do you expect 35 to look like? Most people tht take care of themselves still look quite good and 'young' well into middle age, if not longer.

Oh yes, definitely, I completely get how that would be irksome. I think people comment on people looking younger at all ages, though probably more frequently at certain ages. I'm 22 and someone mistook me for an 18-year-old recently... I was quite flattered!

I think it's entirely possible to look good without looking younger than you are as well. Jemma Redgrave is 51 and I think she looks every year of it, but she still looks amazing.

I have been reading back through this thread and one thing that stuck out was Clovers delightful reviews of Holby City, does she not post here anymore?

Sorry just looked at her profile and it seems she has been awol since mid December, such a pity as I was enjoying her pieces.

You can still find them online. Just google Pause Live Action Holby City and they should come up.

If the suppositions here are true I am very sad about

On the other hand I am very happy that

I felt sorry for Ric in that episode, even though he was annoying at times. The connection he had with his old teacher was lovely. Bernie is a complete wagon, I really dislike her. At least she is

Mo, Ollie and Zoshia annoyed me so much by bitching about Jac, who has only been supportive to all of them. I was delighted that Hanssen put Mo right at the end. And Mo will never be Jac's equal even if she does become a Consultant because Jac is the Clinical Lead on Darwin. Bog off, Mo.

Yes, all that "level playing field with jac" stuff has been really annoying. It was made clear time and time again from 2011-2014 that Elliot was the senior consultant on Darwin so could over rule Jac when necessary. Quite rightly so when they have that many more years of experience in the role of consultant. Jac now has that role so would still be senior to the new Consultant, as she technically was to Elliot for that last 6 months although everybody pretty much ignored that including him - again perhaps understandably though I didn't much like it.

As i think i said on Tuesday, Mo and everybody else's reactions to not getting the job just stank too. Having worked someplace for a while does not give you any right to promotion. If another, better qualified outside applicant comes along, then it is tough ++++. It stings but it is life. There are always more people that could do the job than there are jobs and the interviewing panel have a responsibility to hire the best possible person and from what they said about Dennis' achievements, clearly he was very good. I say was because i can see where this is going a mile off - he'll be revealed to be incompetent now with only Mo seeing it and people putting it down to sour grapes.

ETA: just to add, that if somebody that worked in my department organised a petition, or sanctioned others to organise a petition as here, not only would it mind me to sack the person who the job had been offered to (which would be illegal anyway), it would put me off promoting them in the future too as it shows such a lack of maturity or good grace.

Yes, I can see it going that way with Dennis too - very annoying. They all jumped to the conclusion that Jac shafted Mo but the opposite was true. Ollie's petition was childish and extremely unprofessional.

The Lord Byrne reference was crass and unnecessary. It is widely accepted that Jac is an exceptional surgeon and has gotten to where she is on merit alone. They just refuse to let the past go when it comes to Jac - it is very annoying.

Yes I'm another one who can see that the new consultant is going to turn out to be incompetent.I did think possibly lecherous too with the way he was talking to mo. It's all very predictable. Really not happy with the way holby is going at the minute. If certain predictions come true and watching the promo I don't like what is happening.

Why do you think incompetent? I thought he seemed quite good, and in my opinion the way he spoke to Mo came across as friendly and professional rather than lecherous. I rather liked him, but it is of course early days. Jac (who apparently knows him quite well) wouldn't have employed him if she wasn't confident in him, and she has been consistently shown to be very good at making the right decisions professionally.

I'm hoping that from now on Mo will realise that Jac has the best interests of the hospital at heart and is not malicious in the way that she seems to think she is, and will maybe treat her with at least a bit more professional support, if not outright respect.

Jac hasn't worked with him for 15 years and i got the impression he hadn't been active 'on the shop floor' for some time so I suspect that it's not going to be that he was never any good (which Jac and probably others would know) but that he is out of practise, not up to date with newer techniques or maybe just slow. Basically just that he has aged and lost some of his skill or technique.

I just really think that this is a temporary role and the storyline will end with him making a serious mistake or deciding he should retire and Mo getting the job. Aside from anything else, she is wearing civvies in the cast photo and generally only consultants do.

It may well be only a temporary role, but so far he doesn't appear to be incompetent. His instincts were certainly sharp - Mo had to admit that his approach to surgery was a better option than hers. However, he seemed to respect her enough to agree to go with her idea before she backed down. I agree that there is likely to be some reason why he won't be around very long, but from what we've been shown, it doesn't look like they're going to go down the route of him being incompetent or unpleasant.

Even if it is only a temporary role, some of the temporary characters end up staying quite a long time. Bonnie was around for about six months, even though the producers never bothered to imply that she'd be permanent with a position in the opening credits. Sometimes I find that rather fun - you know someone will be out at some point, but you're not sure when or how, and it can be quite entertaining to guess.

It's just my gut instinct that this is where it is going. And I do think there might have been a reason he asked Mo to lead in Surgery, something she seemed surprised by as though it was unusual. Now maybe that was being nice, maybe it was giving her enough rope to hang herself, maybe it was him knowing he is rusty or being nervous about making a mistake in front of her?

They nearly always bring these short termcharacters in for a specific plot arc. Now that could take place over a year or 6 months but they have it planned out in advance (Carlyss Peer was told in her second week that even if the character proved popular, it would only be for 6 months as she was being killed off) and again, my gut instinct is that this is fairly short term, perhaps a few weeks. Rupert Frazer is actually quite well known, i'd have thought it would have been announced if he were due to be in for more than a few episodes at most.

As I say, i might be wrong, it is just how i think the story is going to go.

To clarify, I completely agree with the fact that he'll be short-term, and that the producers most likely know how it's ending (it has probably already been filmed). I just don't think they'll go down the route of incompetence and/or a creep. They could do, of course, that could all have been a red herring.

I don't think he'll be a creep. Jac is pretty sharp and although not a gossip, she has been shown to keep her ear to the ground re rumours so as she did work with/for him for some time and that sort of thing (leching after female members of staff) is unlikely to be something he's only developed in late middle age. If somebody is creepy like that, they probably were even when young(er) so Jac would know about ut.

Of course, the other possibility is that he's not permanent yet, but they're testing him out on the audience with the possibility of becoming so in the future, such as with Dominic and Essie. For various reasons I don't think that's going to happen in his case, but it shouldn't be ruled out entirely.

Caught a snippet of Don Gilet in EastEnders last night. I saw more character in 5 minutes than his entire Holby stint as Jesse. What a terrible waste the Holby writers have made of such charismatic potential

I could not agree more. Don Gilet is a fine actor and Jesse could have been a great character but the writing/characterisation for him was atrocious.

Waste of great talent, as you say.

Is anyone else finding Bernie to be incredibly wooden? I thought Bob Barrett, Catherine Russell and even the two guests stars acted her off the screen in every scene, even though she was clearly the centre of the storyline.

I think that the Ollie and Zosia storyline tonight is leading towards a pregnancy storyline for them. I've thought for a while that they'd do that with them. It's either that or breaking them up and after tonight's drama being resolved I'm thinking that the cara scene from the trailer may well have been a red herring thrown in from a different context.

I did see subtle hints of a potential Cara/Raf/Fletch triangle tonight too. Although I could be reading too much into their interactions given that I had previously thought there would be a triangle there.

Also, for the first time ever, I actually felt sorry for Adele tonight. Jac did literally drag her away from what she was in the middle of doing and Self was rather hard on her. Don't tell me they are finally getting the hint and trying to make her slightly more of a sympathetic character.

Really enjoyed tonight's episode Zosia and Ollie were great fab acting too!!!

I love Bernie she is great!!

I want Raf and Cara to get together!!!

I just hope they don't throw a spanner in the works and get Ollie and Cara together, I hope that's a drunken mistake!!

I like the idea of Fletch and Cara. Raf is a bit too nice. I too think that Ollie and Cara stuff was taken out of context and they are going to go down the pregnancy route. He liked the idea of being a Dad I think. If course, there could be trouble ahead so who knows. Zosia is just so normal and mature with him...it's weird and they do work very well together...in a very sweet let's be an adult.

[quote=Little Star;81834048]Is anyone else finding Bernie to be incredibly wooden?

I think it the fact she is trying to depict a military figure trying to transition with a civvy institution she was less wooden when she was in the empathetic role nearer the end. I think she is good

Good luck with that They need a competent actress as the first step!