Anton Meyer
Encyclopedia
Anton Meyer is a fictional character
from the BBC
medical drama
Holby City
, played by actor George Irving
. He appeared in the series from its first episode, broadcast on 12 January 1999, until series four, episode 46, broadcast on 20 August 2002. His role in the show is that of consultant
cardiothoracic surgeon
and head of the cardiothoracic surgery department at Holby General. Irving had considerable input in creating the character, who was initially envisioned by the series producers as an Iranian surgeon named Hussein. At Irving's suggestion, Meyer became Hungarian, an emigrant to Britain following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Little of the backstory created for Meyer was ever revealed on-screen, as part of a deliberate bid to present the character as enigmatic, allowing viewers to project their own imagination onto him.
Meyer is a driven, arrogant surgeon, with high expectations of his colleagues. His major storylines see him operate on his own sister, fear that he may have Motor Neurone Disease
, lose his spleen after being shot in a road rage incident, and ultimately depart from Holby
for Michigan
when the hospital Board make impositions on his autonomy. Irving made the decision to leave the series as he struggled to set the character aside outside of work, which had a negative impact on his personal life. He ruled out the possibility of returning to Holby City in future, preferring his memory of Meyer to remain untarnished.
Meyer proved popular with viewers and critics. Following the series launch, he was described by Jaci Steph of the Daily Mail
as the series' "only distinctive character". Peter Paterson, also of the Daily Mail, deemed Meyer an asset to the show, which he finds "feeble" in Meyer's absence. Jim Shelley
of The Mirror described Meyer as "one of the best characters on television in recent years". Meyer was particularly well-received by female fans, attaining sex-symbol status, described by journalist Lynda Lee-Potter
as "the kind of domineering, unsmiling hero who made Mills & Boon
heroines swoon."
Professor Charles Merrick (Simon Williams
), when he fears he may have Motor Neurone Disease
, but Merrick deduces he has an easily-treatable thyroid problem instead. Merrick's daughter Victoria (Lisa Faulkner
) works on Meyer's firm for a period as a Senior house officer
(SHO). When she is murdered by the irate father of one of her patients, Meyer becomes involved when he is trapped in a lift with her killer, James Campbell. Campbell overdoses on pills and dies in the lift before Meyer can revive him to face justice.
At the beginning of series four, Meyer is shot in a road-rage incident on his way to work. The culprit is later admitted to the hospital as a patient, when he crashes his car after trying to flee following the shooting. He tries to escape from the hospital in fear that the police will discover him, and after three attempts at leaving the hospital, he finally achieves his goal but collapses in the hospital car park and dies.
When the parents of Rufus Wooding, a young patient of Meyer's, suddenly withdraw their consent for a complicated operation, Total Cable Pulmonary Connection (TCPC), Meyer discovers that his SHO, Sam Kennedy (Collette Brown), has intervened and persuaded the parents not to go ahead with surgery. Believing that his authority has been undermined, Meyer promptly fires her. Kennedy threatens to go to the press if Meyer is not investigated, so the hospital Board begin an enquiry, during which Meyer is suspended. The investigation is headed by Meyer's old friend and rival, Tom Campbell-Gore (Denis Lawson
). It concluded that Meyer's clinical skills were exemplary and unquestionable, although the Board, aware that Meyer's penchant for taking extremely difficulty cases has made hospital death rates appear bad, remove Meyer's discretion to decide when to operate in such cases. This decision angers Meyer, who argues that he performs operations that are in the interests of the patients not league tables. The Board also relieve Meyer of his registrar
Alex Adams (Jeremy Sheffield). Meyer resigns to work in Michigan
to develop an artificial heart, while Campbell-Gore takes his post at Holby.
Although it was decided he has a sister, a wife and a daughter, Meyer's personal life is rarely mentioned on screen, enabling viewers to perceive him as a strong man onto whom they can "project whatever they want from their own imagination." Irving believes that modern television drama is populated by characters prone to disclosing everything about themselves, and so feels that having an enigmatic character like Meyer, who behaves in the reserved vein of Humphrey Bogart
and Spencer Tracy
, makes for a "refreshing change". He commented that revealing more of Meyer's personal life would be anticlimatic compared to viewers' expectations. As preparation for the role, Irving observed coronary artery bypass surgery
performed at Papworth
and Middlesex Hospital
, deeming the experience an "enormous privilege". He had a "real fascination" with medicine and the human body prior to assuming the role, and considered studying biology at university. Upon receiving the script for the first episode of Holby City, Irving felt immediately connected to Meyer, commenting: "I knew instinctively how he moved, how he spoke, what he felt. I could feel his heartbeat."
Graham Keal of the Birmingham Post
observed that Meyer begins the series as a "hate figure"–ferocious, unbending and unsmiling, but is actually more complex a character than that, with "much to admire too." Peter Paterson of the Daily Mail
described Meyer as "an arrogant, sarcastic, demanding tyrant", a surgeon who "insults his subordinates, terrifies the nurses, and unashamedly puts his social life at least on a level with his hospital duties." Paterson called Meyer "saturnine and sinister in appearance", likening him to James Robertson Justice
's Doctor in the House
consultant Lancelot Spratt. Shane Donaghey of The People
compared Meyer to Hannibal Lecter
, describing him as "Part panto villain, part grim reaper, with a bedside manner of a cruel vet" and commenting that he manages his department "with an iron fist veiled in a concrete glove." The Daily Mail Christopher Matthew called Meyer "wonderfully supercilious", and "one of the great television monsters of our age", likening Irving's portrayal to that of a foreign spy in a 1950s British war film.
Meyer has a penchant for listening to classical music
whilst in theatre, and has a "right-hand-man" in his registrar, Nick Jordan (Michael French), who is presented as Meyer's "more humane" counterpart. Meyer's catchphrase is "Walk with me", an instruction he issues to his staff while, according to The Mirror Jim Shelley
, "sneer[ing] imperiously" and "saunter[ing] around the wards like a Roman emperor
, suavely saving lives and damning other doctors with their own inadequacies."
Irving was dismayed by the storyline which saw Meyer shot in a road rage incident, describing filming the scenes as an "unpleasant experiences", the worst aspect being that Meyer loses his spleen
as a result of his injuries. Of the later storyline which sees Meyer investigated by Tom Campbell-Gore on behalf of the hospital Board, Denis Lawson
explained: "[Campbell-Gore] actually rather fancies Meyer's job but if he finds against him in the investigation he cannot get the job because it's a conflict of interest. So he has to play a rather clever game, which he does." On taking over as head of the cardiothoracic surgery department, he commented: "George is fantastic in the show, but obviously I'm going to do something very, very different, so I don't feel that I'm stepping into his shoes."
After four years in the role, Irving decided to leave Holby City and return to performing in theatre. He stated: "I've had four great years but I felt the time had come to leave. The show has gone from strength to strength so now seems a good time to go." Of his decision to leave, Irving explained that, while he enjoyed Meyer's sureness and confidence, he found it difficult to "switch off" the character outside of work, and had been forced to "put the rest of his life on hold" whilst part of the series, deeming it to be an "intense experience." He felt that, had he stayed in the series, Meyer could not have remained enigmatic much longer, and believed: "you have to stop when a character's time is through." Following Irving's departure from Holby City, Benji Wilson of the Radio Times
questioned whether he would ever consider returning. Irving responded: "I don't know–my feeling is that Meyer was of his time. He's the kind of character that belongs at the launch of series like Holby and I think that's where he should remain. The memory of Meyer is important to me and I want it to stay as it is."
. In the Birmingham Post, Graham Keal called Irving's portrayal "a charismatic combination of autocratic arrogance and dry wit", and noted that the character's interactions with Nick Jordan "form the programme's primary double act". Andrew Billen in the New Statesman
called Meyer the most compelling character of the series, while Kathleen Morgan of the Daily Record
similarly deemed Meyer the star of the show, writing that Irving: "gave a chilling performance as a man who saves lives simply to boost his ego." Following the broadcast of the second episode, Daily Mirror critic Charlie Catchpole wrote that Irving gave the best performance in a hospital drama as a "a rude, eccentric, conceited, arrogant bully" since Tom Baker
in Medics.
John Russell of The People disliked the storyline which saw Meyer operate on his own sister, describing it as "something between a carve up and a cock up", and commenting that he was "so disturbed" he "switched the tripe off", however fellow People critic Shane Donaghey lauded Meyer as the only reason to watch Holby City. Tony Purnell of The Mirror gave a poor review when Meyer did not appear for several episodes, commenting that the show was in "very poor health" in his absence, and "the sooner he returns, the better." Purnell praised Meyer's return two episodes later, however was concerned by his Motor Neurone Disease scare, deeming Meyer "the lifeblood of the series" and writing that Holby City could "ill afford to lose him".
In April 2001, Paterson again reviewed the character positively, writing that the series is "feeble" in his absence, and that: "when surgeon Meyer is not strutting arrogantly around the hospital, Holby City loses much of its zing and bite." He deemed Meyer one of the series' two major assets, alongside Siobhan Redmond
as paediatrician Janice Taylor, and criticised the opening episode of series four, in which Meyer is shot in a road rage incident, believing that Meyer was "wasted" in spending "most of a wearisome hour-long show under the knife". Jim Shelley of The Mirror similarly hoped for Meyer to "get well soon and resuscitate the series." Shelley selected the character as a runner-up for his 2001 "Man of the Year" award, and upon the character's exit from Holby City, described him as "a study in arrogance and laconic authority [...] one of the best characters on television in recent years."
Meyer has been particularly well-received by female Holby City fans, elevating Irving to sex-symbol status. The Dail Mail Lynda Lee-Potter
described him as "devastatingly attractive, brusque and autocratic" and "the kind of domineering, unsmiling hero who made Mills & Boon
heroines swoon." Irving felt that this was "fairly predictable in terms of the nature of Meyer–tough and masterful–combined with the aphrodisiac of power, and the life and death aspects of his job." He commented that he was surprised by the positive reaction to his character, explaining: "He seems to have captured people's imaginations, but it's difficult to put your finger on what he has. I think it's got something to do with being a character who says exactly what he means all the time. He's got integrity, which I admire anyway, and I expect the audience responds to that. Surgeons seem to like him too. I find that particularly gratifying. He's got the courage to do what's right for his work and his patients and not worry about popularity or being liked." Conversely, Irving noted that after assuming the role, members of the public would sometimes "give a kind of shudder" upon encountering him, associating him with his character.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, played by actor George Irving
George Irving (English actor)
George Irving is a British actor who is probably most famous for playing Anton Meyer in Holby City from 1999 to 2002...
. He appeared in the series from its first episode, broadcast on 12 January 1999, until series four, episode 46, broadcast on 20 August 2002. His role in the show is that of consultant
Consultant (medicine)
In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
cardiothoracic surgeon
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Cardiothoracic surgery is the field of medicine involved in surgical treatment of diseases affecting organs inside the thorax —generally treatment of conditions of the heart and lungs .-Cardiac / Thoracic:...
and head of the cardiothoracic surgery department at Holby General. Irving had considerable input in creating the character, who was initially envisioned by the series producers as an Iranian surgeon named Hussein. At Irving's suggestion, Meyer became Hungarian, an emigrant to Britain following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Little of the backstory created for Meyer was ever revealed on-screen, as part of a deliberate bid to present the character as enigmatic, allowing viewers to project their own imagination onto him.
Meyer is a driven, arrogant surgeon, with high expectations of his colleagues. His major storylines see him operate on his own sister, fear that he may have Motor Neurone Disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
, lose his spleen after being shot in a road rage incident, and ultimately depart from Holby
Holby
Holby is a fictional city in the United Kingdom, in which BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City, and police drama HolbyBlue are set. It is based upon the city of Bristol, and is located in the fictional county of Wyvern in the South-West of England, not far from the Welsh border...
for Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
when the hospital Board make impositions on his autonomy. Irving made the decision to leave the series as he struggled to set the character aside outside of work, which had a negative impact on his personal life. He ruled out the possibility of returning to Holby City in future, preferring his memory of Meyer to remain untarnished.
Meyer proved popular with viewers and critics. Following the series launch, he was described by Jaci Steph of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
as the series' "only distinctive character". Peter Paterson, also of the Daily Mail, deemed Meyer an asset to the show, which he finds "feeble" in Meyer's absence. Jim Shelley
Jim Shelley (TV critic)
Jim Shelley is a British television critic who writes a column for the Daily Mirror each Monday titled Shelleyvision. Prior to writing for the Daily Mirror he wrote for The Guardian and his collection of reviews "Interference: Tapehead vs. Television" was published by Atlantic Books...
of The Mirror described Meyer as "one of the best characters on television in recent years". Meyer was particularly well-received by female fans, attaining sex-symbol status, described by journalist Lynda Lee-Potter
Lynda Lee-Potter
Lynda Lee-Potter OBE was a columnist for the British newspaper the Daily Mail.-Early years:...
as "the kind of domineering, unsmiling hero who made Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels. It was founded in 1908, and was independent until its purchase in 1971 by Harlequin Enterprises with whom the company had had a long informal partnership...
heroines swoon."
Storylines
Meyer's major storylines include operating on his own sister when she falls ill, despite a long-term enmity with his brother-in-law, Greg. He seeks help from his friend, neurologistNeurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
Professor Charles Merrick (Simon Williams
Simon Williams (actor)
Simon Williams is an English actor known for playing James Bellamy in the period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. Frequently playing upper-class roles, he is also known for playing Dr...
), when he fears he may have Motor Neurone Disease
Motor neurone disease
The motor neurone diseases are a group of neurological disorders that selectively affect motor neurones, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, breathing, swallowing and general movement of the body. They are generally progressive in nature, and can cause...
, but Merrick deduces he has an easily-treatable thyroid problem instead. Merrick's daughter Victoria (Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Faulkner
Lisa Tamsin Faulkner is an English actress and television personality.-Early life:Faulkner was educated at Tiffin Girls' School, Kingston upon Thames.When Faulkner was 16, her mother, Julie, died of cancer...
) works on Meyer's firm for a period as a Senior house officer
Senior house officer
A senior house officer is a junior doctor undergoing training within a certain speciality in the British National Health Service or in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised by consultants and registrars, who oversee their training and are their designated clinical supervisors...
(SHO). When she is murdered by the irate father of one of her patients, Meyer becomes involved when he is trapped in a lift with her killer, James Campbell. Campbell overdoses on pills and dies in the lift before Meyer can revive him to face justice.
At the beginning of series four, Meyer is shot in a road-rage incident on his way to work. The culprit is later admitted to the hospital as a patient, when he crashes his car after trying to flee following the shooting. He tries to escape from the hospital in fear that the police will discover him, and after three attempts at leaving the hospital, he finally achieves his goal but collapses in the hospital car park and dies.
When the parents of Rufus Wooding, a young patient of Meyer's, suddenly withdraw their consent for a complicated operation, Total Cable Pulmonary Connection (TCPC), Meyer discovers that his SHO, Sam Kennedy (Collette Brown), has intervened and persuaded the parents not to go ahead with surgery. Believing that his authority has been undermined, Meyer promptly fires her. Kennedy threatens to go to the press if Meyer is not investigated, so the hospital Board begin an enquiry, during which Meyer is suspended. The investigation is headed by Meyer's old friend and rival, Tom Campbell-Gore (Denis Lawson
Denis Lawson
Denis Stamper Lawson is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and as Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero, but is best known for playing the part of Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.-Early life:Lawson was...
). It concluded that Meyer's clinical skills were exemplary and unquestionable, although the Board, aware that Meyer's penchant for taking extremely difficulty cases has made hospital death rates appear bad, remove Meyer's discretion to decide when to operate in such cases. This decision angers Meyer, who argues that he performs operations that are in the interests of the patients not league tables. The Board also relieve Meyer of his registrar
Specialist registrar
A Specialist Registrar or SpR is a doctor in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland who is receiving advanced training in a specialist field of medicine in order eventually to become a consultant...
Alex Adams (Jeremy Sheffield). Meyer resigns to work in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
to develop an artificial heart, while Campbell-Gore takes his post at Holby.
Creation
Irving was heavily involved in the creation of his character, writing Meyer's biography before assuming the role. He felt that it was important for him to understand Meyer's motivation and the reason he is so driven, as the character is presented as a "peacock ogre" who throws scalpels at one of his colleagues in an early episode, and unless Irving could fathom why, his portrayal would be "one step removed". Meyer was loosely based on the cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub. He was originally intended to be of Iranian descent and had the surname Hussein, before the series producers changed their minds and made him central European instead. Irving had developed a Hungarian accent for a film role prior to his involvement with Holby City, and decided that "Meyer was temperamentally Hungarian–gloomy with a bit of Mediterranean liveliness." It was decided that Meyer had left Hungary following the 1956 uprising, with his parents, who were intellectuals.Although it was decided he has a sister, a wife and a daughter, Meyer's personal life is rarely mentioned on screen, enabling viewers to perceive him as a strong man onto whom they can "project whatever they want from their own imagination." Irving believes that modern television drama is populated by characters prone to disclosing everything about themselves, and so feels that having an enigmatic character like Meyer, who behaves in the reserved vein of Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey Bogart
Humphrey DeForest Bogart was an American actor. He is widely regarded as a cultural icon.The American Film Institute ranked Bogart as the greatest male star in the history of American cinema....
and Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
, makes for a "refreshing change". He commented that revealing more of Meyer's personal life would be anticlimatic compared to viewers' expectations. As preparation for the role, Irving observed coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
performed at Papworth
Papworth Hospital
Papworth Hospital is a heart and lung hospital in Cambridgeshire, England. It was home to the first successful heart transplant in the UK and one of the world's first beating-heart transplants.-History:...
and Middlesex Hospital
Middlesex Hospital
The Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, United Kingdom. First opened in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally closed in 2005. Its staff and services were transferred to various sites...
, deeming the experience an "enormous privilege". He had a "real fascination" with medicine and the human body prior to assuming the role, and considered studying biology at university. Upon receiving the script for the first episode of Holby City, Irving felt immediately connected to Meyer, commenting: "I knew instinctively how he moved, how he spoke, what he felt. I could feel his heartbeat."
Development
Irving concentrated on his own ideas of Meyer's characterisation when playing him, believing it was important to ignore outside input, as Meyer in turn is unperturbed by others' opinions of him. Irving describes Meyer as a driven man, determined to only work with colleagues who meet his exacting standards. He feels that Meyer's "dry sense of humour" and bullying manner are both tools he uses to ensure colleagues meet his standards. Irving believes that Meyer's manipulative nature actually serves the greater good of the hospital, and despite his perfectionist and purist tendencies, Meyer is actually a great humanist, who holds his staff in the highest regard.Graham Keal of the Birmingham Post
Birmingham Post
The Birmingham Post newspaper was originally published under the name Daily Post in Birmingham, England, in 1857 by John Frederick Feeney. It was the largest selling broadsheet in the West Midlands, though it faced little if any competition in this category. It changed to tabloid size in 2008...
observed that Meyer begins the series as a "hate figure"–ferocious, unbending and unsmiling, but is actually more complex a character than that, with "much to admire too." Peter Paterson of the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
described Meyer as "an arrogant, sarcastic, demanding tyrant", a surgeon who "insults his subordinates, terrifies the nurses, and unashamedly puts his social life at least on a level with his hospital duties." Paterson called Meyer "saturnine and sinister in appearance", likening him to James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice
James Robertson Justice was a popular British character actor in British films of the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
's Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House
Doctor in the House is a 1954 British comedy film, directed by Ralph Thomas and produced by Betty Box. The screenplay, by Nicholas Phipps, Richard Gordon and Ronald Wilkinson, is based on the novel by Gordon, and follows a group of students through medical school.It was the most popular box office...
consultant Lancelot Spratt. Shane Donaghey of The People
The People
The People, previously known as the Sunday People, is a British tabloid Sunday-only newspaper. The paper was founded on 16 October 1881.It is published by the Trinity Mirror Group.In July 2011 it had an average daily circulation of 806,544....
compared Meyer to Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter
Hannibal Lecter M.D. is a fictional character in a series of horror novels by Thomas Harris and in the films adapted from them.Lecter was introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer...
, describing him as "Part panto villain, part grim reaper, with a bedside manner of a cruel vet" and commenting that he manages his department "with an iron fist veiled in a concrete glove." The Daily Mail Christopher Matthew called Meyer "wonderfully supercilious", and "one of the great television monsters of our age", likening Irving's portrayal to that of a foreign spy in a 1950s British war film.
Meyer has a penchant for listening to classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
whilst in theatre, and has a "right-hand-man" in his registrar, Nick Jordan (Michael French), who is presented as Meyer's "more humane" counterpart. Meyer's catchphrase is "Walk with me", an instruction he issues to his staff while, according to The Mirror Jim Shelley
Jim Shelley (TV critic)
Jim Shelley is a British television critic who writes a column for the Daily Mirror each Monday titled Shelleyvision. Prior to writing for the Daily Mirror he wrote for The Guardian and his collection of reviews "Interference: Tapehead vs. Television" was published by Atlantic Books...
, "sneer[ing] imperiously" and "saunter[ing] around the wards like a Roman emperor
Roman Emperor
The Roman emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period . The Romans had no single term for the office although at any given time, a given title was associated with the emperor...
, suavely saving lives and damning other doctors with their own inadequacies."
Irving was dismayed by the storyline which saw Meyer shot in a road rage incident, describing filming the scenes as an "unpleasant experiences", the worst aspect being that Meyer loses his spleen
Spleen
The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
as a result of his injuries. Of the later storyline which sees Meyer investigated by Tom Campbell-Gore on behalf of the hospital Board, Denis Lawson
Denis Lawson
Denis Stamper Lawson is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and as Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero, but is best known for playing the part of Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.-Early life:Lawson was...
explained: "[Campbell-Gore] actually rather fancies Meyer's job but if he finds against him in the investigation he cannot get the job because it's a conflict of interest. So he has to play a rather clever game, which he does." On taking over as head of the cardiothoracic surgery department, he commented: "George is fantastic in the show, but obviously I'm going to do something very, very different, so I don't feel that I'm stepping into his shoes."
After four years in the role, Irving decided to leave Holby City and return to performing in theatre. He stated: "I've had four great years but I felt the time had come to leave. The show has gone from strength to strength so now seems a good time to go." Of his decision to leave, Irving explained that, while he enjoyed Meyer's sureness and confidence, he found it difficult to "switch off" the character outside of work, and had been forced to "put the rest of his life on hold" whilst part of the series, deeming it to be an "intense experience." He felt that, had he stayed in the series, Meyer could not have remained enigmatic much longer, and believed: "you have to stop when a character's time is through." Following Irving's departure from Holby City, Benji Wilson of the Radio Times
Radio Times
Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...
questioned whether he would ever consider returning. Irving responded: "I don't know–my feeling is that Meyer was of his time. He's the kind of character that belongs at the launch of series like Holby and I think that's where he should remain. The memory of Meyer is important to me and I want it to stay as it is."
Reception
The broadcast of the first episode brought positive comments for Irving and Meyer from television critics. Jaci Stephen of the Daily Mail described Meyer as the series' "only distinctive character", while Peter Paterson, also of the Daily Mail, deemed Meyer a welcome change to the caring, politically correct and compassionate characters seen in CasualtyCasualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. In the Birmingham Post, Graham Keal called Irving's portrayal "a charismatic combination of autocratic arrogance and dry wit", and noted that the character's interactions with Nick Jordan "form the programme's primary double act". Andrew Billen in the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
called Meyer the most compelling character of the series, while Kathleen Morgan of the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
similarly deemed Meyer the star of the show, writing that Irving: "gave a chilling performance as a man who saves lives simply to boost his ego." Following the broadcast of the second episode, Daily Mirror critic Charlie Catchpole wrote that Irving gave the best performance in a hospital drama as a "a rude, eccentric, conceited, arrogant bully" since Tom Baker
Tom Baker
Thomas Stewart "Tom" Baker is a British actor. He is best known for playing the fourth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction television series Doctor Who, a role he played from 1974 to 1981.-Early life:...
in Medics.
John Russell of The People disliked the storyline which saw Meyer operate on his own sister, describing it as "something between a carve up and a cock up", and commenting that he was "so disturbed" he "switched the tripe off", however fellow People critic Shane Donaghey lauded Meyer as the only reason to watch Holby City. Tony Purnell of The Mirror gave a poor review when Meyer did not appear for several episodes, commenting that the show was in "very poor health" in his absence, and "the sooner he returns, the better." Purnell praised Meyer's return two episodes later, however was concerned by his Motor Neurone Disease scare, deeming Meyer "the lifeblood of the series" and writing that Holby City could "ill afford to lose him".
In April 2001, Paterson again reviewed the character positively, writing that the series is "feeble" in his absence, and that: "when surgeon Meyer is not strutting arrogantly around the hospital, Holby City loses much of its zing and bite." He deemed Meyer one of the series' two major assets, alongside Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond is a Scottish actress.Originally from Tollcross, Glasgow, Redmond's first television appearances were in the early 1980s. Her first TV appearance was in 1982 in a sketch show called "Nothing to worry about!" which then lead to the sketch show Alfresco...
as paediatrician Janice Taylor, and criticised the opening episode of series four, in which Meyer is shot in a road rage incident, believing that Meyer was "wasted" in spending "most of a wearisome hour-long show under the knife". Jim Shelley of The Mirror similarly hoped for Meyer to "get well soon and resuscitate the series." Shelley selected the character as a runner-up for his 2001 "Man of the Year" award, and upon the character's exit from Holby City, described him as "a study in arrogance and laconic authority [...] one of the best characters on television in recent years."
Meyer has been particularly well-received by female Holby City fans, elevating Irving to sex-symbol status. The Dail Mail Lynda Lee-Potter
Lynda Lee-Potter
Lynda Lee-Potter OBE was a columnist for the British newspaper the Daily Mail.-Early years:...
described him as "devastatingly attractive, brusque and autocratic" and "the kind of domineering, unsmiling hero who made Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon
Mills & Boon is a British publisher of romance novels. It was founded in 1908, and was independent until its purchase in 1971 by Harlequin Enterprises with whom the company had had a long informal partnership...
heroines swoon." Irving felt that this was "fairly predictable in terms of the nature of Meyer–tough and masterful–combined with the aphrodisiac of power, and the life and death aspects of his job." He commented that he was surprised by the positive reaction to his character, explaining: "He seems to have captured people's imaginations, but it's difficult to put your finger on what he has. I think it's got something to do with being a character who says exactly what he means all the time. He's got integrity, which I admire anyway, and I expect the audience responds to that. Surgeons seem to like him too. I find that particularly gratifying. He's got the courage to do what's right for his work and his patients and not worry about popularity or being liked." Conversely, Irving noted that after assuming the role, members of the public would sometimes "give a kind of shudder" upon encountering him, associating him with his character.
External links
- Anton Meyer at BBC Online