A Level Media Studies - Holby City Narrative Case Study

Narrative Construction of TV Hospital Drama (Case Study) – Holby City, Tuesdays 8pm, BBC One

Holby City is a TV hospital drama based on the wards of Holby City Hospital in the fictional city of Holby. Airing weekly on BBC One, the show explores the work lives of everyone working within the facility and also looks at problems concerning patients, their families and love lives. Because it is set in a hospital, the plot revolves mostly around medical incidents.

This drama features continuous narratives that play out during the course of at least one episode. As mentioned previously, many storylines run simultaneously in Holby City, making the show have a multi-strand structure. This is common in soaps as it will intrigue loyal fans who have a connection to the characters, but will also draw the attention of people watching for the first time as they will need to tune in to the next episode to find out what happens. An example of this in Holby City is when a trainee doctor, Arthur, was diagnosed with cancer. The audience will establish an immediate relationship with the character and story, making them watch to discover his fate. In one episode of Holby City, viewers saw three storylines: one about love in the workplace, one about a new nurse's struggles and one concerning a recently deceased patient who had odd wishes for their body. Typically, the plot which is centred around the well-being of a patient and their family is introduced and ends during one episode, however more complicated ones (for example, Serena and Berenice's relationship) require a longer time frame to explore, forcing the drama to be a multi-stranded narrative in order to keep interest.

Additionally, Holby City follows Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory. Each episode begins with some sort of peace and order in the hospital and between the characters which is the equilibrium. Quickly, a patient will be rushed in which causes the disruption and a team of specialists will work together to put this right. However, this is not always the case and there are times where a person will die, somewhat skewing the narrative stages as there is no reinstatement of the equilibrium. Using this theory, Holby City can keep the story moving, allowing for the audience to feel involved with what is going on as it is fast paced. The disruption in Holby City usually sets off a series of events where the viewer is uncertain of the outcome. The problem is always solved in the end, although the programme always ends on a cliffhanger to make people watch next week. The final stage is not always in the traditional way, but at the end of each episode, there is a sense of peace restored in Holby.

Levi-Strauss' theory of binary opposition can be applied to Holby City also. It can be deducted that the characters have conflicts with themselves; many of the characters find themselves torn when making decisions as they struggle to not bring their emotions into play. We see two unique qualities which creates tension and stirs the plot: work mindset and personal mindset. It could also be said that there are clashes between the patients and doctors. Many episodes of Holby City see the expertise of the trained professionals oppose the wants of patients and their families which often introduces boundaries which need to be overcome.