Jesse Law is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama '' Holby City'', played by actor

Don Gilet Don Gilét (born 17 January 1967) is an English actor, best known for his roles in BBC productions ''Babyfather'', ''EastEnders'' and ''55 Degrees North''. Personal life He was brought up in Caldmore, Walsall, with two older sisters. He att ...

. He first appeared in the series sixteen episode "Battle Lines", broadcast on 22 April 2014. Jesse arrives at Holby City employed as a Consultant

Anaesthetist Anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, or anaesthesia is the medical specialty concerned with the total perioperative care of patients before, during and after surgery. It encompasses anesthesia, intensive care medicine, critical emergency medicine ...

working on the hospital's Keller ward. The show created a rich backstory for the character meaning he already knew three regular characters Guy Self (

John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series '' Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011–2013 and his role as CEO Guy ...

), Zosia March ( Camilla Arfwedson) and

Colette Sheward Colette Sheward is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama ''Holby City'', played by actress Louise Delamere. She first appeared in the series sixteen episode "Fait Accompli", broadcast on 3 December 2013. Colette serves as the Directo ...

(

Louise Delamere Louise Alexandra Delamere (born 17 June 1969) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Lia in the Channel 4 comedy drama ''No Angels'' and Colette Sheward in the BBC medical drama '' Holby City''. Career Delamere appeared in ''Agatha ...

). Jesse and Guy share a professional history and close friendship as it was Guy who mentored Jesse after noticing his talent. He is characterised as a flirtatious, confident and cocky character. Professionally he is a highly skilled anaesthetist and possesses a strong bedside manner. His lack of humbleness has also created animosity with other characters. Jesse's first romance storyline played out during his initial tenure. He begins a secretive relationship with Zosia. But when Guy discovers their affair he leaves disgraced. Producers soon brought the character back and Gilet was promoted to the show's regular cast. His return featured

Jac Naylor Jac Naylor is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama '' Holby City'', portrayed by Rosie Marcel. She made her first screen appearance during the series eight episode "Bird on a Wire", which was originally broadcast on 22 November 200 ...

(

Rosie Marcel Rosie Ellen Celine Marcel (born 6 May 1977) is an English actress. Marcel is known for her role as Jac Naylor, consultant cardiothoracic surgeon lead in the BBC drama series ''Holby City'', a role she has also played in sister series '' Casual ...

) rehiring him to work on the Darwin ward. Critics have mainly passed judgment over Jesse's persona during his first year on air. Katy Moon of '' Inside Soap'' branded him an "irresponsible medic", while her colleagues named him a "mischief-maker" and "brash consultant". A ''

TV Choice ''TV Choice'' is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group.

Casting

On 11 March 2014, it was announced that Gilet had joined the cast of playing Jesse Law. The character was billed as a new anaesthetist brought into the hospital by Guy Self (

). Gilet's agent was contacted with an invitation for him to play the character. Gilet had never been offered a role without auditioning and immediately accepted.

Development

Backstory and characterisation

Jesse and Guy share a professional history. Guy noticed Jesse's talent and became his mentor. The two are similar in their approach to work and have commonalities. Gilet has described Jesse as being Guy's wingman and together they took risks and aimed to be pioneers in their respective fields. He later compared their relationship to that of Star Wars characters

Yoda Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, first appearing in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until it ...

and

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The E ...

. Jesse was forced to leave his previous job after sleeping with a patient. He is already acquainted with the characters

(

) and Zosia March ( Camilla Arfwedson), the latter who refers to him as "uncle". Upon his arrival Jesse presents himself as "very confident, cocky and sure of himself". His official character biography describes him as arrogant. As a highly skilled anaesthetist he can show off his talent. He loves his career and works hard, but he also loves life and parties equally as hard. He is very flirtatious and has a penchant for taking his bedside manner too far. Jesse is also unorthodox in his methods of practicing medicine. Gilet told Katy Moon from '' Inside Soap'' that cocksure Jesse "believes in his own skill at saving lives. He loves his job." His personality can be confusing as he enjoys behaving in a controversial manner. Gilet believed that viewers would never be sure if to view him as dangerous or stable. He added "people try to put him in the box of ladykiller, player, or heart-throb, but he's not that two-dimensional. Jesse's flaws are forgivable in Gilet's opinion. He has a "flip side" to his personality which is "puckish and mischievous" and there is an unpredictability about him. This contrasts to the serious approach he applies to his career. Gilet later told

Lorraine Kelly Lorraine Kelly, (born 30 November 1959) is a Scottish journalist and television presenter. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including '' Good Morning Britain'' (1988–1992), '' GMTV'' (1993–2010), ''This Morning'' (2003 ...

that Jesse is a thrill-seeker and free-wheeler living on the edge. But he warned that his character's ways could lead to disaster and danger. From Jesse's inception he faces animosity from Deputy CEO

Serena Campbell Serena Campbell is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama '' Holby City'', played by Catherine Russell. She first appeared in the fourteenth series episode "Coercion", broadcast on 1 May 2012. Serena is a consultant general surgeon a ...

( Catherine Russell). Gilet told Daniel Kilkelly ( Digital Spy) that Serena prefers humbleness as opposed to Jesse praising his own professional skills.

Affair with Zosia March

A reporter from the ''

Grimsby Telegraph The ''Grimsby Telegraph'' is a daily British regional newspaper for the town of Grimsby and the surrounding area that makes up North East Lincolnshire including the rural towns of Market Rasen and Louth. The main area for the paper's distributi ...

'' reported that the inclusion of patient Lindsey Kendal (

Claire Sweeney Claire Jane Sweeney (born 17 April 1971) is an English actress, singer and television personality, best known for playing the role of Lindsey Corkhill in the Channel 4 soap opera ''Brookside'' and playing the role of Roxie Hart in the musical ...

) in Zosia's storyline would help develop a romance story with Jesse. It begins with casual flirting. But when Jesse offers advise on how to treat patient, Lindsey, they share a kiss in the locker room. Arfwedson told a ''What's on TV'' reporter that Zosia was delighted by Jesse's appointment as Holby's latest anaesthetist. She added that they are already both fond of each other and often flirt. When Lindsey marks Zosia bedside manner low, Jesse teases her. The actress noted "Jesse's the only one who can tease Zosia and make her laugh and he doesn't give in to her demands, which is even more attractive to her." Arfwedson believed there was much chemistry between Jesse and Zosia. But it is fellow character Dominic Copeland ( David Ames) helps Zosia realise her attraction to Jesse. Following Jesse's tormenting the "predatory" character becomes "very animalistic" and pounces on Jesse, making her feelings clear. The pair continue their affair in secret but it soon becomes problematic. Arfwedson told Katy Moon (''Inside Soap'') that Jesse really gets Zosia. She is characterised as an "ice queen" but she just "melts around him". When Jesse distances himself from Zosia, she tries to win him back with negative consequences. The actress detailed the scenes in which Zosia sneaks into an important neurological operation to be close to him. But Jesse cannot cope with her distraction and she kisses him. But the move causes "everything to blow up in her face". The episodes which aired in July feature Jesse ending his relationship with Zosia for good when she becomes too serious about their future. But when Guy finds out about their affair he punches Jesse and he leaves Holby City. Arfwedson assessed that Guy could not accept Zosia and Jesse because the latter "is such a player" and has been sleeping with his daughter.

Return

Jesse leaves ''Holby City'' following the outing of his affair with Zosia. But an ''Inside Soap'' writer reported that the character would return to the show. They added that his return would be a "bitter pill" for both Jesse and Guy. Jesse returns during the episode airing on 28 October 2014 and was credited as a regular cast member. Having previously been posted on Keller ward, upon his return Jesse resumes work on Darwin ward. Another reporter said that it does not take long for the character to "ruffle a few feathers" when he returns. Gilet told a ''What's on TV'' reporter that the situation between Jesse and Guy should not have ended so abruptly. So Jesse feels that there is "unfinished business there" but foremost he wants to do his job. When Jac employs him, Guy is forced to accept his employment because he knows what Jesse is capable of professionally and wants the best for the hospital. While working on Darwin the character becomes assigned to cardiothoracic registrar

Mo Effanga Maureen "Mo" Effanga is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama '' Holby City'', played by actress Chizzy Akudolu. She first appeared in the fourteenth series episode "Double Bubble", broadcast on 22 May 2012. Mo is a consultant cardi ...

(

Chizzy Akudolu Andrea Chizoba "Chizzy" Akudolu (born 7 October 1973) is a British actress. Career In 2002, Akudolu was one of eight new comedy performers who won the BBC Talent Initiative, The Urban Sketch Showcase. All eight performed a comedy sketch sho ...

). Gilet said that Jesse and Mo share the same work related chemistry that he had with Guy. But Mo does not trust him and he tries to earn it. He added that Jesse helps Mo in theatre and encourages her to adopt his risk taking approach to surgery.

Storylines

Jesse arrives at Holby City Hospital to secure a job as a Consultant Anaesthetist. Serena is not impressed by Jesse but his old friend and CEO Guy hires him. Jesse pretends to threaten Arthur but this proves to be a test and befriends him. It becomes apparent that there is an attract between Jesse and Guy's daughter Zosia. They later continue their flirtation and kiss. Jesse then tries to conceal their dalliances from Guy. While Arthur realises that they are seeing each other. Colette discovers their affair and warns Jesse that Guy will be angry. Jesse realises that Zosia is behaving erratically and ends their relationship. Guy discovers the affair and attacks Jesse who then leaves Holby City. Jac rehires Jesse to work as a consultant anaesthetist on Darwin and he begins working with Mo. Initially clashing with her, he convinces her to go ahead with an operation. When it is successful they discuss rivaling Jac and Guy's plans. He later sees Zosia and asks her out for a drink but she declines. Jesse mistreats a patient named Lisa Chad (Olivia Vinall), after she tells him that Zosia is mentally ill because of Jesse. He is forced to attempt to make amends with Zosia to save Lisa's life. Mo develops an attraction to Jesse but is upset when she witnesses him kissing her sister Adele Effenga (

Petra Letang Petra Letang (born 4 May 1979 in Plaistow, London, England) is a British actress, probably best known for her role as Naomi Julien in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' and Adele Effanga in '' Holby City''. Biography Letang grew up in east L ...

Reception

A writer from ''

TV Choice ''TV Choice'' is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group.Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Manage ...

called him a "cheery new doc" and praised the "upbeat tempo" Gilet added to the show. But he felt the lady-trilling and singing doctor was not the most original of characters. He also compared Jesse to previous character Antoine Malick (

Jimmy Akingbola James Olatokunbo Akingbola (born 7 April 1978) is an English television, theatre and film actor. Early life Jimmy Akingbola was born in London to parents of the Yoruba tribe who had emigrated from Nigeria. In 1996, Akingbola started at the ...

), branding them both "crazy but brilliant maverick weirdos". Jane Simon of the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...

'' noted that Jesse was completely different to Gilet's previous role, '' EastEnders'' murderer

Lucas Johnson Lucas Johnson is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Don Gilet. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 April 2008. Lucas is introduced as a reformed drug addict and criminal-turned-preacher who appears ...

. But she said that his initial treatment of Arthur may have "set a few alarm bells ringing for the viewers". Laura-Jayne Tyler of ''Inside Soap'' enjoyed Jesse and Zosia's tryst because of the potential fallout it could cause for Guy. Her colleague Moon stated "irresponsible medic Jesse took mixing business with pleasure to perilous new depths by sleeping with hospital boss Guy Self's daughter." Other writers from ''Inside Soap'' have branded the character a "mischief-maker" and "brash consultant". Andrew Watt from '' Bedfordshire on Sunday'' said that Jesse would be keen to avoid Guy upon his return but questioned just how long it would take the character to revert to his usual "flirty form".

References

External links

Jesse Law
at

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:Law, Jesse Holby City characters Fictional Black British people Fictional English people British male characters in television Television characters introduced in 2014