Tom Campbell-Gore is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama series Holby City, played by Denis Lawson. He made his first appearance in the fourth series episode "New Hearts, Old Scores", broadcast on 13 August 2002. The character was introduced as a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon.

Creation and casting

The then BBC drama controller Mal Young approached both Denis Lawson and Art Malik, who went on to play Zubin Khan, about joining the show, telling them he wanted to create new characters for them. Young said Lawson was "a bit intrigued" when he asked to meet with him, and both actors were tentative about joining the cast. ^[1] Lawson initially signed on for six months. ^[2] In preparation for the role, Lawson chose to observe a surgery at a hospital, however, he had to leave shortly after it started, as he felt ill. ^[2] He said, "I had to go into an operating theatre but I didn't last more than a minute-and-a-half. They were draining someone's lung so I watched the incision and had to leave after that because I was sure I would pass out. What'll you see on screen is acting, I was not that calm around real blood." ^[2] Lawson also had to learn some basic surgical techniques, and scenes set in the theatre were filmed with a real surgeon on set, so they would look convincing to the audience. ^[3]

Lawson began filming in May 2002. ^[3] He found the role "daunting" because of the show's fast filming. ^[2] He later likened the pace of filming to "getting onto a moving train." ^[4] He admitted: "It's taken me about three weeks to adjust. But I feel very comfortable now, I'm enjoying it a lot, I'm enjoying the material, it's great fun actually." ^[4] Lawson was "delighted" to be cast in "a major role" and join a prime-time show, knowing that a lot of people watched. He like the show's acting style and believed he could "slip into that style very easily." ^[4] Lawson made his first appearance as Tom during the episode broadcast on 13 August 2002. ^[3]

Development

Characterisation and introduction

Lawson described Tom as a driven, ambitious, and political man, with ruthless and Machiavellian tendencies. ^[6] He branded Tom "a complex guy", ^[2] while a reporter for the Wales on Sunday called him "manipulative". ^[4] Julie MacCaskill of the Daily Record observed that the character was "an esteemed surgeon who thrives on medical challenges." ^[2] Lawson told her that Tom is "good with his patients", but he can be "hard" on his colleagues as he only wants the best from them. ^[2] Lawson also said Tom was "very much a loner, no wife, no children". ^[6] He thought that it would be unlikely that the writers would give Tom a love interest, saying "although there have been women in his life, he is something of an emotional wreck. As soon as someone gets too close to him he cuts the relationship dead." ^[2]

To mark the show's 100th episode, the producers created a storyline arc that resulted in cardiothoracic surgeon Anton Meyer ( George Irving) being investigated. ^[2] Tom Campbell-Gore comes to Holby City Hospital to assess Meyer's competence on behalf of the hospital board, following the death of a young patient during surgery. ^[3] Tom and Meyer are former colleagues and adversaries. ^[4] Lawson said that viewers could "expect sparks to fly between the two men", and he later explained "Tom has to investigate why Meyer's death rates are so high but he's got a personal interest in the case – he's after Meyer's job. Tom has to play a canny game, though, because if he finds against Meyer he won't be able to take his job from him. Basically, he's not to be trusted – I know I wouldn't." ^[2] Lawson praised Irving and assured viewers that he was not going to be "stepping into his shoes" and would be doing "something very different" with his performance. ^[4] Tom enjoys holding power over Meyer and is "thrilled" when his rival resigns, as it gives him opportunity to take Meyer's job. ^[5]

Storylines

Producers introduced Tom's heroin addict brother, Martin Campbell-Gore (Tom McGovern) in late 2002. Tom is "shocked" when Martin turns up at the hospital on the day he is interviewing for clinical director. The situation grows worse when Martin takes a heroin overdose and has to be admitted, leaving Tom to make "some difficult decisions". ^[7] The interview goes ahead, but the panel are split about their choice. Janice Taylor ( Siobhan Redmond) eventually chooses Tom for the role, leaving Ric suspicious about her relationship with Tom. ^[7] The following week, when Tom is due to perform vital surgery with Ric, a gang of men break into his house and Tom is surprised that his "troublesome" brother is involved. ^[8] He is then forced to perform surgery on one of the men, who has been injured in a botched bank robbery. A "reluctant" Ed also becomes involved as he helps Tom with the operation. ^[8] An Inside Soap writer noted that it is "just the beginning of Tom's problems" when Ric threatens to report him for missing their surgery. ^[8]

The character's parents Harriet ( Colette O'Neil) and Charles Campbell-Gore ( Leslie Phillips) were introduced in the fifth series episode "Sins of the Father". ^[9] Seeing that his son is about to go into surgery to operate, Charles "enrages" Tom when he decides to observe him. ^[10] Sarah Caden for the Sunday Independent described Charles as "Tom's bullying father and the only person able to hurt him". ^[11] A reporter for the Irish Independent noted that Tom spent most of the time shouting at his father in "a well-worn storyline". ^[12] They did not think the story of "squabbling" father and son surgeons was very original, but Lawson and Phillips made the most out of the "threadbare material." ^[12]

Tom develops a dependency on alcohol and carries out several operations while under the influence. At one point his drinking ruins an "historic day" for the hospital. The storyline sees Tom selected to demonstrate the first bypass operation using a robotic arm, but he has trouble staying focused and Ed realises he is still drinking. ^[13] Ed is "running out of patience with his mentor" and threatens to report Tom when he fails to resuscitate a young patient. ^[13]

The character returns in the sixth series episode "Sixty Minutes", which plays out in real time. Tom "doesn't exactly get a warm welcome" from the staff and is seen struggling to adjust to the shift in the balance of power at the hospital since his exit. ^[14] An Evening Standard reporter observed that Tom "breezes back" into Holby and appeared to be over his alcohol problem. They thought it was "no bad thing" that he upset Alex Adams ( Jeremy Sheffield) by ordering him out of his office, but noted that he seemed less than enthusiastic about performing surgery again. ^[15] Tom eventually regains a consultant's position at the hospital and attempts to boost it and his reputation. ^[16] He opts to try out a new procedure on asthmatic patient Glen, who is suffering from angina and needs a bypass operation. However, Tom fails to tell Zubin Khan ( Art Malik) of his plan and halfway through the surgery things go wrong. When Zubin is called in, he is "furious" he was not told, but manages to "avert disaster". ^[16]

Departure

In early January 2004, an Inside Soap writer reported that the show's producers had planned a big storyline featuring Tom and Ed. ^[17] While Ed has to deal with his father causing him problems at the hospital, Tom, Zubin and Ric are faced with "a big dilemma" about the organ transplants and Tom's rule bending. ^[17] A spokesperson for the show stated "Tom is taking the law into his own hands and ends up putting all their jobs on the line." ^[17] A couple of weeks later, it was confirmed that both characters were being written out as part of "a sensational spring storyline." ^[18] Claire Brand of Inside Soap reported that the story would tackle relevant questions about medical ethics and the actors would have some "challenging scenes" to film. ^[18] Brand noted that Tom and Ed are "ruthlessly ambitious" and have "a strong bond", leading her to state "with Tom's drinking spiralling out of control, and Ed's single-minded careerism frequently clouding his judgement, are they about to go too far?" ^[18]

Lawson said that while he had enjoyed his years with Holby City, he felt that he could not go much further with the character without him ending up in jail. ^[19] Lawson said Tom was "definitely a maverick, but he believes everything he's doing is right, because he's saving lives. Despite carrying out these operations without permission, he believes the end justifies the means. He's been getting away with this for a long time, but the end is nigh." ^[19] Lawson explained that his Holby stint was the longest he had been part of a television series and while it had been "a lot of fun", he also found that it was "very hard work" as they filmed most days. ^[19] He revealed that he was initially supposed to be on the show for six months, but he was asked back as the producers liked his character. He admitted that he had been "happy to commit for another year or so", but as he has "always done lots of different things" he did not want to stay for the rest of his life. ^[19] Lawson filmed his final scenes in March 2004, and he hoped to get back to directing and working on a film script. ^[19] He made his final appearance in the episode " If You Can't Do the Time..." broadcast on 18 May 2004. ^[20]

Return

Lawson reprised the role in January 2019, as part of the show's 20th anniversary. ^[21] Of his return, he stated: "I have great memories of my time on Holby City and I'm delighted to be back on my old stomping ground with the Holby cast and crew." ^[22] Tom returns in a special standalone episode, in which Ric Griffith ( Hugh Quarshie), Jac Naylor ( Rosie Marcel) and Sacha Levy ( Bob Barrett) attend an awards ceremony at a country house. ^[21] Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy described Tom as one of Ric's "biggest professional rivals" and reported that Ric would have to "face off for funding" with his rival at the Innovation Conference. Quarshie revealed a little more on the story, saying "The scenes with Tom Campbell-Gore are almost bittersweet because he's married a much younger woman who's giving him a lot of grief and Ric feels his pain." ^[21] Tom later returns to Holby to help open a new Young Adult Unit (YAU) on Keller Ward, alongside newly introduced character Ange Godard, played by Dawn Steele. ^[23] Before the YAU is opened, Tom suffers a heart attack, leading Ange to prove that she is capable of running the unit. ^[23] Steele already knew Lawson professionally and she was thankful for this, as she had to film the scenes featuring Ange administering CPR to Tom on her first day. ^[24]

Reception

Writing about Lawson's first episode, Sarah Caden for the Sunday Independent said that introducing "a bit of quality can't hurt" the "pedestrian" drama. ^[25] Caden called Tom "the kind of pompous professional that tends to populate such a show, too big for his boots and immediately arch-enemy of the other bigwigs." ^[25] Julie MacCaskill of the Daily Record thought Tom was "a man who seems to have had an emotion-bypass", and described him as an "emotionally inscrutable character". ^[2] The Liverpool Echo's Claire Stoker disliked the show and its newer characters, including Campbell-Gore. She wrote, "It's such a shame an actor of Denis Lawson's capability has been wasted in such a one-dimensional role as the flawed cold-hearted surgeon Tom Campbell-Gore." ^[26] Nancy Banks-Smith of The Guardian agreed with Stoker's assessment, saying Lawson was "clearly wasted looking bouffant in Holby City". ^[27]

Sarah Dempster of The Scotsman branded the character "darkly handsome, 'mysterious', TINY mouth". ^[28] The Guardian's Rupert Smith joked that "something terrible" must have happened to Tom while he was in rehab, as he returned humming "a horrible jazz version of 'Mack the Knife'." ^[29] Smith thought Tom's "nifty bit of open heart surgery" showed that "even alcoholic jazz fans have their redeeming qualities." ^[29] During his feature on the show's 15th anniversary, Matt Goddard of the Daily Mirror praised the casting of the consultants and named "dodgy" Campbell-Gore as of his "most compelling characters in the last 15 years". ^[30] Lawson's co-star Hugh Quarshie called Tom Campbell-Gore "someone people loved to hate", and thought it was between him and Jac Naylor for the "biggest baddie" on the show. ^[31]

References