1. Serena Campbell is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by Catherine Russell.
68 Facts About Serena Campbell
1. 2.
Serena Campbell first appeared in the fourteenth series episode "Coercion", broadcast on 1 May 2012.
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Serena Campbell was introduced along with two other regular characters by the show's then executive producer Johnathan Young, who wanted more "truthful and complicated" characters in the series.
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Serena Campbell was originally Frankie Renard, but the name was changed as the producers thought it was "terrible".
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Serena Campbell is portrayed as being candid, professional, manipulative and efficient.
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Serena Campbell has an MBA from Harvard University making her a good manager, as well as a good surgeon.
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Russell commented that Serena Campbell did not care what people thought about her.
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Serena Campbell was brought to the hospital by Henrik Hanssen to help the place run more efficiently.
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Serena Campbell and Serena briefly reconciled until she learned that he was a secret alcoholic.
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Serena Campbell faced disappointment when she was passed over for the job of CEO again.
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Serena Campbell was given a love interest in the form of police officer Robbie Medcalf.
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Serena Campbell was paired with trauma surgeon Bernie Wolfe in late 2016, first professionally and later romantically.
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Serena Campbell reprised the role in 2022 for the show's final series, along with Redgrave.
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Serena Campbell was introduced as a "charmingly candid and utterly professional" consultant general surgeon.
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Serena Campbell likened the experience to "a movie screen test", as she was made up in Serena's costume and make-up.
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Serena Campbell told Collins that Serena "occasionally takes efficiency too far".
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Serena Campbell often uses her flirting skills as a weapon to get what she wants and leads from her head, instead of her heart.
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Russell hoped Serena Campbell would have a love interest, as she was "all for having a snog".
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Serena Campbell was recruited by Henrik Hanssen to help "run things more efficiently and make the figures work".
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Serena Campbell immediately clashed with her new colleague Ric Griffin, but Russell stated that they both wanted what was best for their patients.
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When Serena Campbell treated a cancer patient with innovative surgery against Ric's advice, it sparked "a power game" between them.
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Russell said Serena Campbell wanted to get in the middle of Ric's working relationship with Antoine Malick, and get Malick on her side.
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Russell said that Ric and Serena Campbell would have a "love-hate relationship" and hinted that they could form a romantic connection in the future, as they were both single.
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When Serena Campbell confronted her daughter, Elinor revealed that she and Gabby had drunk alcohol and taken ecstasy.
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Serena Campbell was "glad of Ric's help" and the pair bonded over parenthood.
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However, they clashed again when Serena Campbell interfered in Ric's treatment of her mother Adrienne.
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Serena Campbell later insisted that the Acute Assessment Unit should not refer patients to Keller ward, but when it started to cause problems, she had "a crisis of confidence".
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Serena Campbell later backed down when Chrissie Williams wanted to bring a patient, with a degloving injury to her leg, up to Keller.
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However, Serena Campbell wanted to perform the operation on AAU and asked Chrissie to join her in surgery, as she was impressed by her.
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Serena Campbell wanted Chrissie to move to Keller and be close by her side, as she realised Chrissie had no problems standing up to authority figures.
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Serena Campbell was later reunited with Imelda Cousins when she was appointed acting CEO of the hospital.
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Serena Campbell was unaware of Guy's arrival and when she demanded to know who he was, he informed her in "no uncertain terms" that he was her new boss and she would have to watch herself.
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When Guy and Serena Campbell had to go into theatre together, Michie commented that Guy was threatened by her.
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In May 2014, Serena Campbell suffered a particular stressful day when Guy asked her to file a report early and Adrienne turned up at the hospital.
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Serena Campbell found Adrienne's presence "extremely irritating" and had to show restraint when Adrienne used Serena Campbell's laptop and lost the report she was working on.
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Serena Campbell was surprised to see Edward at the hospital and "totally loses it" with him when he makes a comment about her to Malick, while they are treating a patient.
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Serena Campbell soon learned that Edward had had a brief relationship with nurse Mary-Claire Carter and that he was a secret alcoholic.
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Russell thought Serena Campbell was quite grown up about Edward and Mary-Claire's fling, as it happened while they were separated.
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Serena Campbell felt humiliated because she had stood up for Edward when he blamed Mary-Claire for the incident.
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Serena Campbell struggled to cope when Adrienne's symptoms accelerated and was "out of her depth" when Adrienne was admitted to the hospital after smashing up mirrors in the house and getting a shard of glass in her leg.
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Russell explained that as the storyline progressed Adrienne would become more aggressive, while Serena Campbell would try to keep the severity of her mother's condition a secret, as she worries that Guy will recognise she cannot cope.
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Adrienne then blamed Serena Campbell for being aggressive towards her and stealing her rings.
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Russell believed that Serena Campbell found comfort knowing that she could help influence her mother's care while Adrienne was at the hospital.
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Russell said Serena Campbell was "very shocked and upset" by her mother's request and refused to do it.
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The second change for Serena Campbell was the introduction of a long-lost sister and nephew.
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Serena Campbell was unaware that she had a sister and when she tried to find her, Serena Campbell learned that she was dead.
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Shortly after, Serena Campbell met her nephew Jason Haynes.
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Serena Campbell emailed him to explain who she was, where she worked and that they should meet sometime.
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Serena Campbell told her he had Asperger syndrome and Serena felt "a little out of her depth", but wanted to get to know him.
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Serena Campbell suggests that she and Jason move in with him.
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However, Serena Campbell was torn between him and her feelings for colleague Bernie Wolfe.
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When Serena Campbell is challenged during theatre, she has to step back and allow Bernie to proceed with the surgery.
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Serena Campbell feels that her future at Holby is "bleak" and tells Hanssen she wants to resign.
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Serena Campbell then suggests to Hanssen that they create a proper trauma department within the hospital.
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Serena Campbell hoped the storyline would have a positive impact on lesbian viewers in particular and she felt "a great responsibility" to get it right.
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Serena Campbell explained that as her father, Nicholas Smith, has recently died, she needed to sort his things out and "recharge my batteries".
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Serena Campbell becomes "obsessed" with mentoring Jasmine, as she wants to be able to prevent her from making another mistake.
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Russell thought that Serena Campbell had returned to work too soon and that her behaviour was "unfair" towards Jasmine, but she understood that after the death of a child, a parent would naturally try to blame someone.
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Russell found the level of Serena Campbell's grief "tiring and heart-wrenching" to portray.
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Serena Campbell eventually finds herself in a position where it is "untenable for her to stay" at Holby.
61.
On 8 September 2017, Russell confirmed that she would return to filming in October, with Serena Campbell's return airing in February 2018.
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Russell stated that Serena Campbell would prefer to be with Bernie in Nairobi.
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Russell said that Serena Campbell wants to know why Ric is being "cagey" about his whereabouts.
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Serena Campbell is adamant that she will not stay at Holby for long, and although she misses Bernie, Serena Campbell decides to stay in Holby because she realises how much the hospital needs support.
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Serena Campbell wanted the chance to play different roles, as she thought playing Serena for any longer would stop being a challenge.
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Serena Campbell received a nomination for Best Drama Star at the 2018 Inside Soap Awards.
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Serena Campbell's introduction was praised by the Daily Mirror's Jane Simon, who called her "smiley, confident, a bit playful and professional too".
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Martin Hoscik from SEENIT thought Serena Campbell had been created to fill the stereotypes of "someone new changes things in ways the regulars don't like" and "tough bitch riles her colleagues", both of which, Hoscik pointed out, had already been fulfilled by Hanssen and Jac Naylor.