Family loyalties are stretched to breaking point when a young tearaway is forced to choose between saving his brother and freedom. And Charlie has a decision to make which will change his future â€“ and that of the department. Matt joins the staff on the reception desk and Josh, now manning a motorbike, has a fight on his hands, trying to save a young tearaway's brother but he dies later, of his injuries. The staff are shocked when they find a stab victim has sold one of her kidneys and she now faces kidney failure.

Blood's Thicker

Ian Bleasdale

Derek Thompson

Clive Mantle

Jane Gurnett

Sorcha Cusack

Joan Oliver

Steven Brand

Jason Merrells

Sue Devaney

Patrick Robinson

First Impressions

Season 8

Tensions run high in Holby as foot-ball fans gather for the Saturday match. For Kevin, a rookie policeman, the simple arrest of a drunk biker has tragic consequences. Meanwhile, a disabled young girl poses a challenge for new nurse Jude. The arrested biker arrives at Holby with symptoms of being drunk but tests reveal he has a brain tumour of which he dies of later. A disabled young girl confides to Jude that she has a sexual relationship unknown to her mother. Dr Eddie Gordon and Nurse Kate Wilson disagree over involving Social Services with an asthmatic mother and her home alone daughter.

A horrifying chain of events begins to unravel after Rachel is the victim of a disturbed patient. A case of sexual harassment by her brother-in-law is uncovered when a woman appears anxious about her job. Tragedy strikes a couple who are mugged, when the man dies and then the woman tells Ash, although they lived as man and wife, they were in fact brother and sister. Mike Barratt finally admits to Charlie that his wife has left him and taken the kids. An elderly woman is found dead and her daughter is brought in with stab wounds. A mentally disturbed patient is recognised as the missing daughter, who killed her mother and stabbed her sister. When she tries to kill herself, Charlie comes to the rescue and talks to her. She reveals how her family made her life hell and she just snapped.

Keeping it in the Family

Two homeless girls are drawn into a murky underworld. A woman who thinks she has the answers to her husband's collapse discovers that life is never that simple. Ash is put on the spot when Mike Barratt takes him into his confidence. Two homeless girls, drawn into a murky underworld of prostitution and drugs, end up in casualty, where one of them dies. The other one decides she'll have to carry on because she can't see any other choices. A woman has to face up to the fact that her husband has cancer and another women goes to extreme lengths to conceal from her husband that she's crashed the car.

Chasing the Dragon

Tragedy strikes when two sisters are determined to stop at nothing to see their idols. Charlie finds there's more to a seeming domestic abuse case than meets the eye. Mike's private life becomes common knowledge, as he surprises everyone by working on Saturday. When a young girl dies after being crushed, the family have to reavalueate their priorities, if they are to overcome the loss of a daughter and sister. A psychiatrist finds an insensitive husband is the problem of his wife's illness and a stay in hospital away from the pressures he puts her under, would help. Rachel tries to calm a panic-stricken man convinced he's been impregnated by an alien life-form but all he has is shingles.

Love and Affection

A long-standing feud over territory explodes into violence, forcing a young man to make decisions about his future. Mike races to a shooting and swift action on his part saves the shot man's life. Dr Gordon is reluctant to tell a patient that she's dying. Mike and Rachel make a pleasant discovery about each other. Adam makes a breakthrough in his relationship with his ex-wife.

Negative Equity

Ash's professionalism is put to the test by anti-racists and Fascist demonstrators. A demonstration march gets out of control when anti-racists and Fascists clash and Josh witnesses an attack on a black youth but can't help. A DIY enthusiast saves the day as he applies his skills to the problems in casualty and an old man unwillingness to being admitted puzzles Charlie. Kate gets Rachel to talk, after she went missing and admits she needs help.

A Breed Apart

Mike is called to the rescue when Josh is trapped underground with an injured miner. Brave paramedic Josh puts his life on the line when a man is trapped at the bottom of a mine shaft. Mike is called to the rescue, as he Josh face a tough bonfire night shift. Eddie Gordon loses her patience with a hysterical young girl brought in for biting a security guard's hand, after being caught shop lifting. When the girl's mother hears about the charges, she reveals the security guard is the girl's father and his wife is devastated. Ash's world is set to collapse when the police pay him a visit with regards to last Saturday's fight and he's taken away for questioning and Eddie makes the situation worst for him, when questioned.

In the Black

Danny, a 10-yr-old boy, is shocked to find his father unconscious. Hospital staff learn that there is a skeleton in the family closet. Charlie informs the staff that Ash is on bail, facing charges of actual bodily harm. Rachel takes time off for counselling and tells Mike it's helping her. After a failed suicide attempt, a father is confronted by his mother-in-law who wants her grandson to live with her. Two casualties from a bus crash arrive but their personal problems appear more serious, Kate and Jude turn social workers to resolve their differences. Throughout the shift, the staff are questioned about the fighting and Matt's statement should help Ash in court.

Crossing the Line

Hostile rivalries at a village rugby match end in tragedy, and team medic Mike Barratt finds himself back in A&E. Ash, deputising for Charlie, is informed his case has been referred to the Crown Court and it doesn't help when Matt turns up at work in a foul mood. Jude's on hand to talk to him and he confides his family's having problems with his brother. Josh is back in his old job and Liz, his new partner, has an amusing first meeting with Mike Barratt on the rugby field. An affair and a brief lapse of judgement have unfortunate consequences for a son and father at the local swimming pool. Ash and Matt apologise to each other and shake hands.

Only the Lonely

Is Kate Wilson getting ideas above her station? She disagrees with consultant Mike Barratt over the diagnosis of a patient. Everyone is busy reading about Ash and his assault case in the local paper, including the personnel officer, who sends him home in disgrace in the middle of his shift. Ash's last job before being sent home, is removing a moth from an old lady's ear and they end up sharing a taxi. Meanwhile a father's gift to his daughter has disastrous consequences when the car he bought her is involved in an accident and kills his wife, daughter and his son-in-law. He must face life caring for his two young granddaughters.

The Facts of Life

An adventure down the sewers for two young boys leads to a race through Holby for Liz and Josh. Matt has evidence that an A&E patient isn't the person she claims to be and Jude tries to solve the puzzle of an old soldier's recurring nightmare.

Under the Weather

Mike's dreading spending Christmas alone, but after Rachel's invitation, he might not have to. Meanwhile, the festivities give Charlie and Ash a chance to show some goodwill towards each other. But tidings of comfort and joy are absent for a girl who's brought in to casualty after being violently sick by a railway line. Has she just had too much to drink, or is it something more serious. The shift starts off badly with the death of two young boys and the death of a policeman causes heartbreak for his wife and lover. Two young girls arrive and the staff have to deal with their problems. One of them is pregnant and the other has an eating disorder, leaving both sets of parents are shocked.

Talking Turkey

Jude finds herself embroiled in a suicide attempt. A teenage prank turns a birthday party into a tragic disaster. Mike owes Rachel an explanation, but her response takes him by surprise. The suicide patient disappears but becomes a victim of a road accident, when he's knocked down by an ambulance, driven by Liz and later dies. Ash comes in to ask Charlie if he would be a character witness in his coming trial.

End of the Road

The team uncovers the secret behind a young girl's mysterious collapse â€“ but what will her religious parents say when they learn the truth? Meanwhile, another youngster pushes his parents to the limit. Matt is threatened by the thug who helped his mate bring charges against Ash and later tells Jude about it. A young boy is attacked by two dogs when he breaks into their home and the owner's concerned about her pets being destroyed. A schoolgirl faces a life in care when her religious parents turn their back on her and her baby son. A car crash helps bring a family together and Emma ends her relationship with Adam. Mike clears the air with Rachel, after returning for his holiday.

Learning Curve

Kate is out of her depth when a young girl's confession unearths dark family secrets. The staff have two cases dealing with elderly people, who are at the mercy of their off-springs. One has to endure being beaten by her son but it's the reverse in the other case, where the father feigns suicide, to get his daughter to take him in. A young girl, injured at a railway station, confides in Kate that she's abused by her father, but is she telling the truth? Jude falls out with Matt over he refusal to testify at Ash's trial because he's been threatened and Mike finally asks Rachel out.

Stitching the Surface

Tension are running high at Holby prison where an inmate decides to take advantage of the riotous situation and a warder with a secret foolishly risks his job. A prison riot puts the staff under pressure as they have to deal with the inmates first, before the public, but one wants an unscheduled visit to sort out his martial problems. A surprise do for a prison officer, leaving the service, shocks his wife, when she finds out he's leaving her for another woman. Matt has a bad day when first he tells Ash why he can't testify in court and then finds Jude refuses to talk to him. Then his drunken father is brought in after his mother turn on him, so Matt pressures her to get outside help. Dr Eddie Gordon has last minute swotting to do for her exams and Mike and Rachel are getting closer.

Heartbreak Hotel

Ash's case finally comes to trial and Matt has an important decision to make. Jude's personal and professional lives collide when a young man with AIDS is rushed into casualty.

Trials and Tribulations

It's Ash's first day back. Mike's plans for the future surprise Rachel. A cosmetic operation for a woman leaves her in need of emergency treatment, and a lorry driver and her baby are separated in violent circumstances. Ash has to confront some unsettling emotions on his first day back.

Out of Time

A new arrival of an old flame makes it a memorable shift for Charlie, while a woman's past leads to the destruction of another's future, and a young mother's children cause Eddie and Kate to disagree.

Branded

A hold-up in an off-licence goes badly wrong and a phone call from a desperate young girl poses problems for Charlie. A violent fight at an ice-hockey match leads to family recriminations. A mystery illness causes concern for Baz and Eddie, and Kate discovers Charlie's secret.

Exiles

Ignorance and fear lead to disaster for an air taxi company. A moral argument causes a family rift, and a body found in a skip gives the staff a few surprises.

Nobody's Perfect

A father's desperate attempt to get closer to his daughter leads him to commit a crime which backfires. A surfing beach is turned into a battleground after chemical waste is dumped into the sea. Matt is attacked, and Charlie and Baz finally clear the air. Matt and Jude try to come to a new understanding.

Not Waving but Drowning

A patient with a grievance causes panic at Holby City and it is left to Baz to try and defuse a potentially explosive situation. An horrific injury on a farm poses problems for Josh and Liz when an old woman insists she does not want to be helped. And it's a day of reckoning for Charlie and Baz.

Duty of Care

Drama series about the staff and patients at Holby City Hospital's emergency department, charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

Blood's Thicker

Seasons46

Season 9 Episodes24

Cast10

Discussion

Episode Summary