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Episode 1034 is the twenty-sixth episode of the twenty-second series of the British medical drama television series Holby City, and the 1034th episode of the overall series. The episode was written by Patrick Homes and directed by Steve Brett, and premiered on BBC One on 10 November 2020.

Background
On 18 March 2020, it was announced that production had been suspended on all BBC Studios continuing drama, including Holby City. The decision was taken following new government guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The break was not intended to distrupt transmission of new episodes. To support the NHS during the pandemic, Holby City donated two fully-operational ventilators to the NHS Nightingale Hospital London. Simon Harper, the show's executive producer, expressed his desire to help out the "courageous and selfless" medics by donating the equipment. The production break resulted in the drama taking two transmissions break, designed to stretch episodes out across the summer. The first break took place between episodes 1022 (14 April 2020) and 1023 (2 June 2020), and the second break took place following the broadcast of episode 1033 on 11 August 2020. This episode marks the final episode produced the suspension of production.

Conception and development
On 27 July 2020, it was announced that Holby City would return from its transmission break with a special episode focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic. The episode details the effects of the pandemic on hospital staff, specifically chief executive officer (CEO) Max McGerry (Jo Martin) as she leads the team, with pressure from Ric Griffin (Hugh Quarshie), the hospital's medical director. Kate Oates, the head of continuing drama at BBC Studios, said that she wanted to explore "how the lives of our characters have been irrevocably changed since the start of the pandemic" as well as how NHS workers constantly "battle against the odds, come what may". She added that she wanted to reflect this in the show with "stories of love, loss and betrayal". Further details about the episode were announced on 29 October 2020. The episode was written by Patrick Homes and directed by Steve Brett. The show's series producer, Jane Wallbank, produced episode 1034.

The episode begins two weeks after the previous episode and is set across multiple weeks. It explores the challenges faced by the hospital in the pandemic, including issues with staffing, personal protective equipment (PPE), and bed shortages. As a direct result of the challenges, Max has to close some wards, including Darwin, the cardiothoracic ward. Consequently, clinical lead Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) volunteers herself as a nurse.

Writers used the pandemic to advance the already-established stories on the show. Cameron Dunn's (Nic Jackman) story continues as he struggles with the pandemic. Despite this, he does not allow this to "diminish his sense of entitlement". The relationship between cardiothoracic consultants Jac and Kian Madani (Ramin Karimloo) is also revisited, with plans to test it through Kian's drug addiction. Having been hinted at in the previous episode, the relationship between Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) and Ange Godard (Dawn Steele) ends in episode 1034.

The previous episode concludes with the death of established character Essie di Lucca (Kaye Wragg), who was about to marry consultant Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett). In episode 1034, focus shifts to Sacha and his grieving process. As part of the story, actress Sian Reese-Williams was cast to play Jodie Rodgers, a love interest for Sacha. Reese-Williams was surprised to be asked to play Jodie during the pandemic, but expressed her enjoyment of filming with the show. The actress called Jodie "a really interesting character". Sacha struggles with his grief and acts uncharacteristically towards patients and colleagues alike. Upon meeting Jodie, he learns that she is homeless and invites her to live with him; they then begin a relationship. Reese-Williams explained that Jodie "desperately craves love", which Sacha shows when he offers her a bed. She added that Jodie has not had a real adult relationship before, which makes her "childlike". The actress commented, "I think it's just two people who are at completely different ends of the spectrum weirdly finding each other and getting things from each other too."

Cast
The episode features the introduction of three new regular characters: F1 doctors Josh Hudson (Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge), Jeong Soo-Han (Chan Woo Lim), and Skylar Bryce (Phoebe Pryce). Oates called the new cast "exciting". The doctors are soon "thrown in at the deep end" during the pandemic. Actor Miles Mitchell also joined the recurring cast as healthcare assistant Alex Duval, the brother of former character Xavier Duval (Marcus Griffiths). He is involved in a story with Donna Jackson (Jaye Jacobs). Mitchell expressed his excitement at joining the cast and called his character "fun".

Episode 1034 marks the departure of Ric, who is the show's longest-serving character, having appeared in over 500 episodes since 2001. Quarshie expressed his gratitude to the show for changing his career, revealing that he considered quitting acting prior to being cast. He compared leaving to leaving home, which he described as "a place where there is warmth and a welcome, a place to which you can always return..." In the previous episode, Ric undergoes brain surgery and at the beginning of this episode, he awakens from a coma, discovering the hospital in a different state. Ric challenges Max's capability as CEO, before starting work again on the COVID wards, placing his own vulnerable health at stake by treating a pregnant patient.

Filming
Filming for the episode began on 27 July 2020.

Promotion and broadcast
A promotional trailer for the show's return, with the tagline "Holby. Is. Back", was released on 29 October 2020 and included scenes from episode 1034. A scene from the episode, published under the title "Challenging times", was released on 5 November 2020 as a promotional clip. It features Ric waking from his coma and learning about the changes in the hospital.

The episode was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 10 November 2020 at 8:15pm. It was repeated on BBC Two on 16 November 2020. The show's new production protocols resulted in shorter episodes, which now last 40 minutes, beginning with episode 1034.

Reception
Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy dubbed the episode "an absolute cracker of an episode you won't be forgetting in a hurry". On episode 1034, she wrote, "This is a poignant, powerful, non-sensational watch that pays a fitting tribute to the NHS, while simultaneously kick-starting some high-octane stories that will be playing out throughout the autumn and winter." Sue Haasler from the Metro opined that the episode is "a dramatic depiction" of hospitals coping with the pandemic.

In a piece reflecting on the depiction of COVID-19 in television, Neve Gordon-Farleigh from The Indiependent praised the show's portrayal of the pandemic and felt the strain on the NHS was accurately represented.