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Kobina Eric "Ric" Griffin is a fictional character from the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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medical drama
A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...
''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty'', and pr ...
'', portrayed by actor
Hugh Quarshie
Hugh Anthony Quarshie (born 22 December 1954) is a Ghanaian-born British actor. Some of his best-known roles include his appearances in the films ''Highlander'' (1986), '' The Church'' (1989), ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' (1 ...
. The character is introduced as a
consultant
A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization.
Consulting servic ...
in
general surgery
General surgery is a surgical specialty that focuses on alimentary canal and abdominal contents including the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, pancreas, gallbladder, appendix and bile ducts, and often the thyroid ...
during the series four episode "
Rogue Males", originally broadcast on 9 October 2001. Having appeared in over 500 episodes, Ric is the show's longest-serving character. Quarshie announced his departure from the drama in 2020, and Ric departs in a
series 22 episode, originally broadcast on 10 November 2020. Quarshie returned for the show's final episode, which was broadcast on 29 March 2022.
Development
Discussing the storyline which saw Ric's oldest son Leo die from a heroin overdose, Quarshie said; "I don't think his death is a shock to Ric as he almost expected it. It's devastating for him, but in true Ric style he holds everything in and throws himself into work. The consequences of the tragedy are felt later down the line."
He drew on Ric's troubled relationship with his own father to explain his distant relationship with his children, assessing; "Ric had a domineering and violent father. He swore he'd never be that controlling with his own kids and as a result he was too hands-off."
In July 2010, Quarshie revealed that Ric would be diagnosed with inoperable cancer, explaining: It's asymptomatic – you don't know you've got it until it's spread... It's so far gone, what's the point in having chemotherapy?" He stated that following the diagnosis, Ric would become close to
Annalese Carson, the estranged wife of his colleague
Michael Spence
Andrew Michael Spence (born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American economist and Nobel laureate.
Spence is the William R. Berkley Professor in Economics and Business at the Stern School of Business at New York University, and the Philip H. Kn ...
.
As a long-standing cast member, Quarshie has been granted leave to pursue other projects including directing an episode of ''Holby City''. Series producer Simon Harper has stated that the actor is allowed to ensure the character remains in the show for a longer tenure. The character remained off-screen for several months during 2015.
Quarshie appears as Ric in a two-part crossover episode with ''Holby City'' sister show, ''
Casualty
Casualty may refer to:
*Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster
**Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare
* The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'', originally broadcast in March 2019.
In October 2020, it was announced that Quarshie had decided to leave the show, having appeared in over 500 episodes. In a statement, the actor credited ''Holby City'' with changing his career and revealed that he nearly quit acting prior to joining the show. He commented, "I wouldn't have stayed so long if it hadn't been a great place to work, and leaving will be like leaving home - a place where there is warmth and a welcome, a place to which you can always return..."
Ric departs in a specially commissioned episode focusing on the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, originally broadcast on 10 November 2020 as part of the
twenty-second series.
''Holby City'' was cancelled in June 2021 after 23 years on air. Producers invited multiple former cast members to reprise their roles during the show's
final series. On 16 March 2022, it was announced that Quarshie had reprised his role as Ric for the show's final episode, which first airs on 29 March 2022.
Storylines
Ric arrived at
Holby City Hospital
Holby is a fictional city in the United Kingdom, the setting for the BBC medical dramas ''Casualty'' and '' Holby City'', and the police drama ''HolbyBlue''. It is based on the real city of Bristol, where ''Casualty'' was formerly filmed, and is ...
in episode "Rogue Males" as a
General Surgical Consultant
A consultant (from la, consultare "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice and other purposeful activities in an area of specialization.
Consulting servic ...
.
It was revealed in the show's seventh series that he originated from
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
, where his brother Kumi runs a hospital. He has been married five times - twice to Critical Care Consultant
Lola Griffin - and has had several romances during his time on the show, including engagement to
Senior House Officer A senior house officer (SHO) is a non-consultant hospital doctor in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised in their work by consultants and registrars. In training posts these registrars and consultants oversee training and are usually their ...
Sam Kennedy, long term flirtation with former flame
Diane Lloyd
Diane Lloyd is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama '' Holby City'', played by actress Patricia Potter. She first appeared in the series four episode "High Risk", broadcast on 2 July 2002. Diane arrives at the hospital to work as a s ...
, and a brief marriage to
Registrar
A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to:
Education
* Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records
* Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the se ...
Thandie Griffin. Diane and Ric got even more close in Ghana, while Keller ward was downsized and Diane hoped Ric would come back to Holby. He refused but eventually moved back. He had to put Diane under supervision while she was a consultant because a healthcare commission worker told him so. Diane committed suicide because she felt nobody supported her and when Thandie found out that Ric loved Diane, she broke up with him. Ric went to have a time alone with Diane in the mortuary and he had a breakdown.
Two of Ric's six children have appeared in the show; oldest son Leo Griffin, who Ric initially hoped would follow him into medicine, but died in series ten from a heroin overdose, and daughter
Jess Griffin
'' Holby City'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 12 January 1999 on BBC One. The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama ''Casualty''. It is set in the ...
, who worked alongside him at Holby City Hospital as an AAU nurse. Through Jess and Leo, Ric had three grandsons. Two died as infants, but Jess's second son Jacob survived, and is still with Jess.
In the show's tenth series, Ric applied for the position of Director of Surgery, making an underhand deal to turn the position over to
Connie Beauchamp
Connie Beauchamp is a fictional character from the BBC medical dramas ''Holby City'' and '' Casualty'', portrayed by actress Amanda Mealing. She first appeared in the series six, episode 35, "In at the Deep End", broadcast on 1 June 2004, and ...
in return for her support with his application. As each of the other candidates dropped out or were rejected, Ric was moments away from being offered the position, when he was called away to identify his son's body.
Later in mid series 11, Connie reminded Ric, that the director of surgery job was up and he had to pass it over to her like they had agreed. But Ric didn't and made out that he had resigned and had to give three months notice. Connie found out that he was lying. In the end Connie and Ric constantly battled each other, but Ric still holds down the position of the job.
Ric had recently introduced breathalyser tests as part of his zero tolerance policy. Annalese Carson failed hers. Ric promised to cover it up as long as Paul Rose supervised her in theatre. But Connie found out and reported it to Jayne.
A full investigation was held into the death of Steve Hewitt. He was a friend and patient of Connie's who died during an operation Michael Spence was performing. Ric had previously refused to operate on him as he was a zero tolerance patient, but his condition deteriorated. Michael Spence operated on Steve Hewitt. Annalese was the anaesthetist in the operation and she hadn't given proper drugs when he arrested and died on the table. His wife wanted an investigation, and Kathy Hewitt blamed Ric. An investigation was held and Connie discovered the hidden information Michael had tried to hide.
In episode thirty-five of series eleven Ric Griffin was informed by
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" – Holby City (series 9), series 9, episode 3 ...
that she has lost confidence in his leadership as Director of Surgery and was planning to ask the board to re-advertise the position. At the end of the episode Jayne is seen handing a piece of paper with details of the director of surgery job to Connie.
During Season 17 Episode 32 The Ides of March (May 2015) Ric took an extended break from Holby to visit his daughter Jess in Australia, he returned on the episode Beginnings - Season 18 Episode 12 (29th Dec 2015) however was out of place upon his return due to his extended absence.
Reception
Quarshie has been nominated for several awards for his portrayal of Ric, and won "Favourite Male TV Star" at the 2008
Screen Nation
The Screen Nation Film & TV Awards, formerly the bfm (black filmmaker) Film and TV Awards, was founded in September 2003 by independent film producer Charles Thompson MBE, as a platform to raise the profile of black British and international fil ...
Awards. He was nominated for the "Male Performance in TV" award at the 2006 Screen Nation Awards, and received a Mention in the same category in 2007. Quarshie was named 23rd "Best Actor" in the 2004 BBC Drama Awards, and came 22nd the following year. He was long-listed for the "Most Popular Actor" award at the 2004 and 2005
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards (often shortened to NTAs) is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted ...
,
and was also long-listed for the "Best Actor" award at the 2004 ''
TV Quick
''TV Quick'' was a British weekly television listing magazine published by H Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group. It featured weekly television listings running from Saturday to Friday, and began pub ...
'' Awards.
References
External links
Ric Griffinat
BBC Online
BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffin, Ric
Holby City characters
Fictional surgeons
Fictional Ghanaian people
Television characters introduced in 2001
Crossover characters in television
Male characters in television