Back in the hotseat, Holby City's newest CEO Henrik Hanssen spirals out of control when he receives some upsetting news, as Guy Henry reveals…
After a certain amount of musical chairs in the top spot at Holby City hospital, Henrik Hanssen is finally back in charge as CEO. Where he rightfully belongs, fans might say.
However, it seems Hanssen’s first day back at the helm gets off to a rocky start when he learns the CPS has decided to drop the case against Reyhan Shah, the man who sexually abused him as a child.
As all the nurses protest outside the hospital over unpaid overtime and working conditions, Hanssen - who first became the hospital’s CEO back in 2011 - assures both Fletch (Alex Walkinshaw) and new director of funding Jeni Sinclair (Debra Stephenson) that the matter will ‘sort itself out’.
But when dedicated nurse Donna Jackson (Jaye Jacobs) broaches the nurses’ concerns with him directly, Hanssen’s obviously pre-occupied with in his own pain and tempers flare. Hanssen tells Donna he doesn’t approve of the way she organised the protest… and that she’s sacked!
However, when Hanssen then hears how Donna has saved the life of one Holby favourite, he realises how invaluable she is to the running of the hospital, and she’s promptly re-hired! It seems Hanssen’s got things under control. For the moment, at least.
Later though, a secret rendezvous between lovers Ange (Dawn Steele) and Josh (Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge) takes an unexpected turn when Josh finds a traumatised Hanssen in the basement, having plunged to new depths of despair…
Will Josh be able to help Hanssen? And, more importantly, will Hanssen let him help?
"Like a lot of abuse victims, Hanssen blames himself for allowing it to happen," says Guy Henry, who plays him. "He’s embarrassed and horrified by the whole thing."
Guy hopes the storyline will offer some comfort to anyone going through a similar trauma to Hanssen.
"It's lovely to have been given such a great storyline and Holby is not treating the subject lightly or sensationally," says Guy. "It’s an important topic because someone, somewhere is being abused right now and some people may even find this story relates to them. Let’s hope, in some way, it might help."
Holby City continues Tuesdays at 7.50pm on BBC1.
