Holby City
Henrik is back!
There has been great change – most of it unwelcome – on the wards of Holby since ruthless Max took over as CEO. So, the team is thrilled this week, when her predecessor Henrik Hanssen returns from Sweden and sets the cat among the pigeons!
In real life, actor Guy Henry reprises the role after playing the Devil in an adaptation of Peter Gynt at the National Theatre – and tells us why it was always the plan to don Hanssen’s scrubs again…
Welcome back to Holby, Guy! Did you have a nice break?
Yes, thank you, it was lovely! The story with Hanssen’s grandson meant that he could prance off to Sweden to see his family, while I went away to do something different for a little while. Our executive producer Simon Harper has always graciously said,
“If you find a good play that you’d like to do, we can make the schedules work,” and he has stayed true to his word. I’m so grateful for that.
Did you find it easy to slip back into Hanssen’s scrubs, considering he is no longer the CEO and is returning primarily as a surgeon?
The surgery is never my favourite thing to do! One of our best directors said to me, “What are you doing? You look like you’re cutting up roast lamb!” I’m very bad at the suturing, and the show has been known to get a real surgeon’s hands to do that bit, with some clever use of camera trickery. There is always a bleed, have you noticed? You can’t do an operation on Holby without someone going, “There’s a bleed!” – and off we go with the sucky machine. I quite like doing the sucking out of blood, if you pardon the expression. Perhaps I should have been a vampire? Maybe they’ll make me a vampire!
Well, the staff would argue that Max is a bit of a monster! What does Hanssen make of her?
I think he plays his cards very close to his rather skinny chest when he comes back. Hanssen is probably prepared to give her the benefit of the doubt, but equally he can tell fairly soon that some of Max’s plans are not what he thinks are in the best interests of the hospital.
Will Hanssen reclaim his Holby throne eventually?
He hasn’t yet! We’re a few months down the line filming, and I’m still in my civvies cutting up roast lamb. I don’t know what is going to happen there. Apparently there is a big story coming up for Hanssen that is quite serious. From what I gather, things from his past will loom, but we haven’t started that yet, so the bosses might end up changing their minds!
Is it odd that another actor has taken over Hanssen’s office?
Yes! I like being behind that desk with my favourite props. One is a sort of silvery fish that always sits in front of me, with a big bowl of bright red apples and a lovely little globe of the world which is a very beautiful thing. I left the show for 20 months a few years ago, and when someone else took over, there was this hideous wallpaper that reminded me of the Oscar Wilde line, “This wallpaper, well, one of us is going to have to go” – which is apparently what he said on his deathbed. I thought, ‘I’m not having that wallpaper in my office!’ – and the design department graciously got rid of it for me.
Our readers do worry whenever Hanssen goes off for a while, so can you confirm that you’re back for the foreseeable future?
It’s lovely when people stop me and say, “You are coming back to sort them all out, aren’t you?” And yes, on this occasion I am back and signing up for another stretch. I love the part – the character of Hanssen and the fact that people enjoy watching him.
We always love hearing about your dogs! How are they getting on?
We have four now! There is a new lurcher called Walter, who is lovely and fluffy, but very frightened of humans. He was treated badly prior to coming to live with us, so he’s shy – we’re making good progress, though. He’s on the sofa next to me right now, and we’re off to Wimbledon Common shortly!