Fans of Holby City are still grieving its March departure from our screens, especially after yesterday’s alleged appearance of the former Holby set in EastEnders.
Kheerat (Jaz Singh Deol) and Ben (Max Bowden) went to the clinic to collect Ben’s HIV test results, and the clinic’s hallways seemed awfully familiar.
“Chance question… Is it just me, or does the Walford Sexual Health clinic resemble the old Holby set? One keen-eyed fan of #EastEnders tweeted about it, and other fans quickly joined in and concurred.
They are in fact utilising the Holby set. One spoke, while a second exclaimed, “RIGHT, WHYY?? FIX HOLBY INTO THAT SET AGAIN.
For some people, it was a consoling concept. Holby is still alive today as Walford General.
Even though it hasn’t been confirmed, it would be reasonable to assume that the sequences were shot on the famed Holby City ward sets. In the same complex as the buildings that housed the Holby sets, the BBC Elstree Studios is where EastEnders is produced.
On Holby, Darwin and Keller wards were permanently decorated to resemble hospital wards and furnished with the necessary furniture, beds, etc. The corridors and rooms are probably still looking pretty much the same as they always did, so it wouldn’t be difficult to repurpose them for these EastEnders scenes, even if the most of this equipment was donated back to the NHS and refugee charity after the show finished.
Neptune House and the other structures used by Holby City were allegedly going to be sold off, although nothing official has been made public to date.
An enormous uproar resulted after the 23-year cancellation of Holby City. The show received high appreciation from viewers for its ground-breaking plotlines, diversity and inclusivity, compelling character development, and emphasis on the work of the NHS.
There was hope that we would one day see another glance into those renowned corridors as the show ended with an incredible episode that contained optimism and hope even as it depicted the death of legendary and long-serving character Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel).
Simply said, we didn’t anticipate it to be on EastEnders.
