Lady Anne-Marie Byrne
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| Lady Anne-Marie Byrne | |
|---|---|
| Holby City character | |
 Jane Asher as Lady Anne-Marie Byrne |
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| First appearance | 9x30, "After the Fall", 2007 |
| Portrayed by | Jane Asher |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Executive Chairman of the Byrne Foundation |
| Spouse(s) | Lord Charles Byrne (deceased) |
| Children | Joseph Byrne Harry Byrne (deceased) 2 additional sons, names unrevealed |
Lady Anne-Marie Byrne is a fictional character in the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Jane Asher.[1] The character first appeared on 10 May 2007 in episode "After the Fall" - series 9, episode 30 of the programme.[2] 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,[3] for a period of 10 episodes.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]
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[edit] Creation
Series 8 of Holby City saw the introduction of regular character Joseph Byrne (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).[7] 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",[8] 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,[9] reportedly with the option of returning for more later in the series.[10] Coincidentally, Asher had played Luke Roberts' mother once before, in the 2001 revival of ITV soap Crossroads.[11] 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."[4] 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!"[12]
[edit] Development
[edit] 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.[2] At the time, the Byrne family also comprised of Joseph's comatose brother Harry, introduced in episode "Promises to Keep",[13] and two other, unnamed brothers.[14] 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",[10] while The Sun, commenting on the character's privileged background, have described her rather less flatteringly as "a toff".[15]
[edit] Divorce and widowhood
Anne-Marie is initially highly supportive of Joseph's relationship with Jac Naylor, unaware that the younger woman was having an affair with Lord Charles.[16] 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!"[10] 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.[17] Although they swiftly begin divorce proceedings, Anne-Marie attends to Charles' bedside after he suffers a stroke in episode "The Q Word",[18] and agrees to take him back, before he dies from a fatal heart attack in episode "Temporary Insanity".[5]
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.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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..."[4]
[edit] 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.[22] As Anne-Marie is attending a conference on coma patients in Paris 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."[23] 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.[24]
[edit] 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 syndrome 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."[4] The hospital's Chief Executive Officer, Jayne Grayson, convinces her to take over as Executive Chairman of the charity.[6] "Jayne sees that she has the strength to run the show,"[4] 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."[4] Asher was able to contribute to the storyline in the planning stages, due to her real world experience with Asberger's 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."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ JaneAsher.com - More about us.... JaneAsher.com. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ a b "After the Fall". Holby City. BBC. 2007-05-10. No. 30, season 9.
- ^ Jane Oddy. "Asher: People think I'm dead!", The Mirror, 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ a b c d e f g Moon, Katy, “Affairs of the heart”, Inside Soap (England): 23, 8 April 2008
- ^ a b "Temporary Insanity". Holby City. BBC. 2007-07-31. No. 42, season 9.
- ^ a b Programme Information - Network TV Week 16 - Tuesday 15 April 2008. BBC.co.uk (27 March 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ "Mother Love". Holby City. BBC. 2006-01-03. No. 12, season 8.
- ^ "Paranoid Android". Holby City. BBC. 2007-04-10. No. 26, season 9.
- ^ "Guest Stars Planned", holby.tv, 2 March 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ a b c "Affairs of the Heart", holby.tv, 23 May 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ "Sam & Joseph join Holby", holby.tv, 27 December 2005. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ “Ask the BOSS!”, Inside Soap (England): 41, November 2007
- ^ "Promises to Keep". Holby City. BBC. 2006-06-29. No. 35, season 8.
- ^ "I have three brothers." - Joseph Byrne, "What Lies Beneath". Holby City. BBC. 2007-03-27. No. 23, season 9.
- ^ Sara Nathan. "Les Dennis is a TV smash", The Sun, 21 February 2007. Retrieved on 2008-03-27.
- ^ "An Affair to Forget". Holby City. BBC. 2007-05-31. No. 33, season 9.
- ^ "Close Relations". Holby City. BBC. 2007-06-14. No. 35, season 9.
- ^ "The Q Q Word". Holby City. BBC. 2007-07-24. No. 41, season 9.
- ^ "No-one Likes a Cry Baby". Holby City. BBC. 2007-10-30. No. 3, season 10.
- ^ "My Aim Is True". Holby City. BBC. 2007-09-25. No. 50, season 9.
- ^ "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Holby City. BBC. 2007-03-25. No. 25, season 10.
- ^ "Physician, Heal Thyself". Holby City. BBC. 2007-01-22. No. 15, season 10.
- ^ "Joseph & Faye Kiss", holby.tv, 17 January 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-28.
- ^ "Final Cut". Holby City. BBC. 2007-02-05. No. 17, season 10.
[edit] External links
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