Lady Anne-Marie Byrne
Encyclopedia
Anne-Marie, Lady Byrne is a fictional character
in the BBC
medical drama
Holby City
, portrayed by actress Jane Asher
. The character first appeared on 10 May 2007 in episode "After the Fall" - series 9, episode 30 of the programme. After several guest appearances as the mother of established character Joseph Byrne
throughout series 9 and 10, Asher signed a three month contract to become a series regular from May 2008 onwards, for a period of 10 episodes. Her initial storyline saw her son's girlfriend, Jac Naylor
, embark on an affair with Anne-Marie's husband and Joseph's father, Lord Charles Byrne - eventually culminating in his death, and leaving the character a widow. Upon her return to the programme, she takes over Lord Charles' position as Executive Chairman of the Byrne Foundation - a charity committed to research into Cardiac Valve Disease
.
(Luke Roberts
), a new Surgical
Registrar
on the hospital's Cardiothoracic
ward, Darwin. Joseph arrived in episode "Mother Love", alongside his father, recurring character Lord Charles Byrne (Ronald Pickup
). One series 9 plot strand saw Joseph begin to date fellow Surgical Registrar Jac Naylor, unaware that she was only interested in him for his father's influence. Jac began an affair with Lord Charles in episode "Paranoid Android", despite Lord Charles' thirty year marriage to his referenced, but as yet unseen wife, Anne-Marie.
Jane Asher was initially cast for a run of five episodes in the role of Anne-Marie, reportedly with the option of returning for more later in the series. Coincidentally, Asher had played Luke Roberts' mother once before, in the 2001 revival of ITV
soap Crossroads. Asher has commented on the co-incidence: "It's the second time I've played Luke Roberts' [Joseph] mother - the first was when we were in Crossroads together [as Angel and Ryan Samson]. We get along really well and are very fond of each other." Series producer Diana Kyle was asked in November 2007: "When you cast an actor, do you actively seek out well-known names - like Jane Asher [Lady Byrne] and Patsy Kensit [Faye] - or will a role simply go to whoever's better suited?", to which she responded: "It's lovely when we have a new member of the cast come in and bring an audience with them. But we want the best actors, and the star names we cast are always the best - which is why we go for them!"
brother Harry, introduced in episode "Promises to Keep", and two other, unnamed brothers. Although Harry was reintroduced in the show's tenth series, neither of Anne-Marie's other two sons have been mentioned since, despite the death of both their father and brother Asher has described Anne Marie as "a strong character", while The Sun
, commenting on the character's privileged background, have described her rather less flatteringly as "a toff".
, unaware that the younger woman was having an affair with Lord Charles. Jane Asher said of the storyline at the time: "Her husband may have strayed before, but never like this. When she finds out the truth, it's going to be pretty earth shattering for her. When she realises what her husband's been up to there'll be quite a showdown!" Indeed, Anne-Marie discovers Lord Charles' infidelity several weeks later, in episode "Close Relations", and immediately terminates their marriage and removes Charles from the family home. Although they swiftly begin divorce proceedings, Anne-Marie attends to Charles' bedside after he suffers a stroke
in episode "The Q Word", and agrees to take him back, before he dies from a fatal heart attack in episode "Temporary Insanity".
Jac later worries when she discovers Anne-Marie is on the interview panel for a Consultant's
post she is applying for, but her fears are proved needless when Lady Byrne supports her application regardless of their shared history. In episode "My Aim is True", it is revealed that Anne-Marie works for the Byrne Foundation, a charity founded by her husband for the purpose of research into Cardiac Valve Disease
. During the course of this episode, she confides her worries about Joseph to his boss, Elliot Hope
, who she later likens to a father figure to Joseph, and invites to a hospital Mexican themed evening, establishing the beginnings of potential romance. Asher has commented on their fledgling romance: "Viewers may have noticed that there's a little twinkle between Lady Byrne and Elliot. They're both lonely, good-hearted people who have been through tough times. We'll have to see that emerges - but there's potential..."
at the time, Joseph cares for Harry in her absence, admitting that he believes himself to be at blame for his brother's condition. Luke Roberts explained of the plot: "The brothers both went to medical school. Harry was naturally gifted but drank it all away. And when it came down to taking his exams he couldn't face the pressure and took an overdose. Harry called Joseph, but his brother didn't answer the phone." By the time Anne-Marie returns from Paris, Harry has deteriorated further, and is in cardiac arrest
when she arrives at his bedside. After caring for him through his eight year coma, she and Joseph finally agree to let Harry die.
can't have a routine operation because they don't have the necessary equipment. Lady Byrne then discovers that the boss of Charles' charity has been investing cash instead of putting it to good use." The hospital's Chief Executive Officer
, Jayne Grayson
, convinces her to take over as Executive Chairman of the charity. "Jayne sees that she has the strength to run the show," Asher explained. "Lady Byrne is reluctant at first, but realises that she can do some good and keep the family name going - and she does a rather excellent job of it." Asher was able to contribute to the storyline in the planning stages, due to her real-world experience with Asperger syndrome. "As president of The National Autistic Society, Asperger's is something I've worked with for 25 years. When Holby approached the society about this plot concerning the boy with Asperger's syndrome, they said, 'Do you realise the woman involved in this storyline is our president?'. So I was able to help out."
In episode 37 of the same series, Lady Byrne held an event to celebrate the anniversary of a piece of ground breaking heart surgery, of which her deceased husband aided in. The occasion had a 60's theme and Lady Byrne's current boyfriend, Elliot Hope
, gave a talk on the surgery. Throughout the day, Elliot was constantly reminded of his late wife, Gina, and the event culminated in Elliot leaving Lady Byrne on a dance floor when she was accidentally referred to by Gina's name. The two discussed the direction of their relationship and decided to split. In the next episode it was revealed that Lady Byrne had stepped down as Chairwoman of the Byrne Foundation and had left to go on a world cruise.
Lady Byrne returned for the wedding of her son Joseph to Faye Morton. She told Elliot that she'd being staying in England.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, portrayed by actress Jane Asher
Jane Asher
Jane Asher is an English actress. She has also developed a second career as a cake decorator and cake shop proprietor.-Early life:...
. The character first appeared on 10 May 2007 in episode "After the Fall" - series 9, episode 30 of the programme. After several guest appearances as the mother of established character Joseph Byrne
Joseph Byrne
Joseph Charles Mortimer Byrne is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by Luke Roberts. Joseph first appeared in the 3 January 2006 episode "Mother Love", series eight, episode twelve of the programme...
throughout series 9 and 10, Asher signed a three month contract to become a series regular from May 2008 onwards, for a period of 10 episodes. Her initial storyline saw her son's girlfriend, Jac Naylor
Jac Naylor
Jacqueline "Jac" Naylor MBBS MS FRCS FRCSTh is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Rosie Marcel. She first appeared in the series eight episode "Bird on a Wire", originally broadcast on 22 November 2005....
, embark on an affair with Anne-Marie's husband and Joseph's father, Lord Charles Byrne - eventually culminating in his death, and leaving the character a widow. Upon her return to the programme, she takes over Lord Charles' position as Executive Chairman of the Byrne Foundation - a charity committed to research into Cardiac Valve Disease
Valvular heart disease
Valvular heart disease is any disease process involving one or more of the valves of the heart . Valve problems may be congenital or acquired...
.
Creation
Series 8 of Holby City saw the introduction of regular character Joseph ByrneJoseph Byrne
Joseph Charles Mortimer Byrne is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by Luke Roberts. Joseph first appeared in the 3 January 2006 episode "Mother Love", series eight, episode twelve of the programme...
(Luke Roberts
Luke Roberts
Luke Roberts is an Australian racing cyclist specialising in both track cycling and road bicycle racing, on for road racing....
), a new Surgical
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
Registrar
Specialist registrar
A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
on the hospital's Cardiothoracic
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax —generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs .-Cardiac / Thoracic:...
ward, Darwin. Joseph arrived in episode "Mother Love", alongside his father, recurring character Lord Charles Byrne (Ronald Pickup
Ronald Pickup
-Life and career:Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer. Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.His television work began with an episode...
). One series 9 plot strand saw Joseph begin to date fellow Surgical Registrar Jac Naylor, unaware that she was only interested in him for his father's influence. Jac began an affair with Lord Charles in episode "Paranoid Android", despite Lord Charles' thirty year marriage to his referenced, but as yet unseen wife, Anne-Marie.
Jane Asher was initially cast for a run of five episodes in the role of Anne-Marie, reportedly with the option of returning for more later in the series. Coincidentally, Asher had played Luke Roberts' mother once before, in the 2001 revival of ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
soap Crossroads. Asher has commented on the co-incidence: "It's the second time I've played Luke Roberts' [Joseph] mother - the first was when we were in Crossroads together [as Angel and Ryan Samson]. We get along really well and are very fond of each other." Series producer Diana Kyle was asked in November 2007: "When you cast an actor, do you actively seek out well-known names - like Jane Asher [Lady Byrne] and Patsy Kensit [Faye] - or will a role simply go to whoever's better suited?", to which she responded: "It's lovely when we have a new member of the cast come in and bring an audience with them. But we want the best actors, and the star names we cast are always the best - which is why we go for them!"
Lineage and personality
Anne-Marie is first introduced in episode "After the Fall", as the wife of thirty years of recurring character Lord Charles Byrne, and the mother of regular character Joseph Byrne. At the time, the Byrne family also included Joseph's comatoseComa
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
brother Harry, introduced in episode "Promises to Keep", and two other, unnamed brothers. Although Harry was reintroduced in the show's tenth series, neither of Anne-Marie's other two sons have been mentioned since, despite the death of both their father and brother Asher has described Anne Marie as "a strong character", while The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
, commenting on the character's privileged background, have described her rather less flatteringly as "a toff".
Divorce and widowhood
Anne-Marie is initially highly supportive of Joseph's relationship with Jac NaylorJac Naylor
Jacqueline "Jac" Naylor MBBS MS FRCS FRCSTh is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Rosie Marcel. She first appeared in the series eight episode "Bird on a Wire", originally broadcast on 22 November 2005....
, unaware that the younger woman was having an affair with Lord Charles. Jane Asher said of the storyline at the time: "Her husband may have strayed before, but never like this. When she finds out the truth, it's going to be pretty earth shattering for her. When she realises what her husband's been up to there'll be quite a showdown!" Indeed, Anne-Marie discovers Lord Charles' infidelity several weeks later, in episode "Close Relations", and immediately terminates their marriage and removes Charles from the family home. Although they swiftly begin divorce proceedings, Anne-Marie attends to Charles' bedside after he suffers a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in episode "The Q Word", and agrees to take him back, before he dies from a fatal heart attack in episode "Temporary Insanity".
Jac later worries when she discovers Anne-Marie is on the interview panel for a Consultant's
Consultant (medicine)
In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
post she is applying for, but her fears are proved needless when Lady Byrne supports her application regardless of their shared history. In episode "My Aim is True", it is revealed that Anne-Marie works for the Byrne Foundation, a charity founded by her husband for the purpose of research into Cardiac Valve Disease
Valvular heart disease
Valvular heart disease is any disease process involving one or more of the valves of the heart . Valve problems may be congenital or acquired...
. During the course of this episode, she confides her worries about Joseph to his boss, Elliot Hope
Elliot Hope
Elliot Hope OBE is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama television series Holby City, portrayed by actor Paul Bradley. The character first appeared on 8 November 2005 in the episode "More Equal Than Others" - series eight, episode four of the programme. Elliot was introduced as a...
, who she later likens to a father figure to Joseph, and invites to a hospital Mexican themed evening, establishing the beginnings of potential romance. Asher has commented on their fledgling romance: "Viewers may have noticed that there's a little twinkle between Lady Byrne and Elliot. They're both lonely, good-hearted people who have been through tough times. We'll have to see that emerges - but there's potential..."
Death of Harry
Anne-Marie's younger son Harry is admitted to Holby City Hospital in episode "Physician, Heal Thyself", having deteriorated in his comatose state. As Anne-Marie is attending a conference on coma patients in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at the time, Joseph cares for Harry in her absence, admitting that he believes himself to be at blame for his brother's condition. Luke Roberts explained of the plot: "The brothers both went to medical school. Harry was naturally gifted but drank it all away. And when it came down to taking his exams he couldn't face the pressure and took an overdose. Harry called Joseph, but his brother didn't answer the phone." By the time Anne-Marie returns from Paris, Harry has deteriorated further, and is in cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
when she arrives at his bedside. After caring for him through his eight year coma, she and Joseph finally agree to let Harry die.
Chairmanship of the Byrne Foundation
In episode 28 of the show's tenth series, the character returns to Holby City Hospital, and is disappointed to discover her late husband's charity is in decline. Asher has commented on the storyline: "She's horrified when a young man with Asperger's syndromeAsperger syndrome
Asperger's syndrome that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. It differs from other autism spectrum disorders by its relative preservation of linguistic and cognitive development...
can't have a routine operation because they don't have the necessary equipment. Lady Byrne then discovers that the boss of Charles' charity has been investing cash instead of putting it to good use." The hospital's Chief Executive Officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, Jayne Grayson
Jayne Grayson
Jayne Grayson is a fictional character in the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Stella Gonet. The character first appeared on-screen on 10 July 2007 in episode "Under the Radar" - series 9, episode 39 of the programme...
, convinces her to take over as Executive Chairman of the charity. "Jayne sees that she has the strength to run the show," Asher explained. "Lady Byrne is reluctant at first, but realises that she can do some good and keep the family name going - and she does a rather excellent job of it." Asher was able to contribute to the storyline in the planning stages, due to her real-world experience with Asperger syndrome. "As president of The National Autistic Society, Asperger's is something I've worked with for 25 years. When Holby approached the society about this plot concerning the boy with Asperger's syndrome, they said, 'Do you realise the woman involved in this storyline is our president?'. So I was able to help out."
In episode 37 of the same series, Lady Byrne held an event to celebrate the anniversary of a piece of ground breaking heart surgery, of which her deceased husband aided in. The occasion had a 60's theme and Lady Byrne's current boyfriend, Elliot Hope
Elliot Hope
Elliot Hope OBE is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama television series Holby City, portrayed by actor Paul Bradley. The character first appeared on 8 November 2005 in the episode "More Equal Than Others" - series eight, episode four of the programme. Elliot was introduced as a...
, gave a talk on the surgery. Throughout the day, Elliot was constantly reminded of his late wife, Gina, and the event culminated in Elliot leaving Lady Byrne on a dance floor when she was accidentally referred to by Gina's name. The two discussed the direction of their relationship and decided to split. In the next episode it was revealed that Lady Byrne had stepped down as Chairwoman of the Byrne Foundation and had left to go on a world cruise.
Lady Byrne returned for the wedding of her son Joseph to Faye Morton. She told Elliot that she'd being staying in England.