Holby City Guy Self is back!
AS GUY RETURNS TO HOLBY, JOHN MICHIE TELLS US WHETHER HIS ALTER EGO CAN BE TRUSTED THIS TIME ROUND…
Just when we think there’s no coming back for the human tornado that is Guy Self, the narcissistic neurosurgeon manages to wheedle his way back on to the wards of Holby! Inside Soap is sworn to absolute secrecy about exactly how Guy re-enters the plots this week – however, actor
John Michie, who plays him, is pleased to confirm that he’s going to be back at Holby City for a little while…
Welcome home to Holby, John! What was the reaction like after news of Guy’s return was announced?
I had quite a big reaction on the street, actually! People seemed rather excited about him, and if I asked them why, they would say, “Well, Guy’s a bit of a b ***** d – but we like what he gets up to!” I think initially [when Guy first arrived in 2013], people thought, “Oh, my God, who’s this? We don’t want him in our show!” But I think once people realised that essentially Guy is a flawed character, who actually deserves as much sympathy as he does hatred, the audience started to really tune into him.
How easy was it for you to slip back into character?
I found it very easy this time around. I’ve really enjoyed the writing for Guy on these new episodes, and it’s pretty ‘out there’ towards the end – quite dangerous and dramatic stuff. I’ve really enjoyed playing this journey.
Do we have you back for a longer stint this time?
I think it’s about a dozen episodes. I was filming from December for three months. It’s been great!
Tell us what Guy is up to this time, and how he’s coping…
Well, he’s been going to AA meetings trying to sort himself out, and he’s pretty broke as he hasn’t worked for a while. So the aim is to get back into Holby, and try to make a bit of money on the side by introducing Guy’s private company, Kestrel, to run the stuff that Darwin should be doing. It’s his usual Machiavellian behaviour that gets him back into the hospital…
And how do the other staff react to seeing him again?
It’s a 50/50 split. Some people are like, “Oh, God, what’s he doing back?”, then there are other people who quite like him and recognise his skills as a surgeon. He’s a real Marmite character, isn’t he?
Surely him having saved Jac’s life last year will have curried him some favour, though?
Well, initially, I hope that people will be on his side, but it depends how Guy behaves himself as to whether they stick with him or not. It’s not like
Guy to take the normal path in life!
CEO Max is a neurosurgeon as well – is there room for both her and Guy at Holby?
Oh, I think he’d be No 1 wherever he worked in the world. He doesn’t see anyone else with the same abilities as himself. I mean, he is a very arrogant man. That’s what’s so great about playing him, of course, as he’s a flawed individual. Guy’s arrogance is one of those flaws, and his ego is another.
He’s very skilled and highly intelligent in most ways, just not with life!
Has the costume department treated Guy to any new suits?
Well, when he first arrived, I went out with a designer and we chose a number
of good-quality suits – and they’re still going strong! I must say, it’s quite nice as an actor to get back into the same clothes that you wore before. They might look new, but they aren’t! Guy hasn’t been earning a lot of money since the last time he left – the major time being when he crashed his daughter Zosia’s wedding. He went into complete freefall there, and returned again briefly to save Jac before going on the straight and narrow. So now he wouldn’t be able to afford the suits he used to buy – that’s my excuse, anyway. But I really like them, and
I think they still look good!