Holby City revival hopes closer as Netflix brings back the popular soap

Can I be hopeful, just a little bit? (Picture: BBC/Metro/Netflix) In a very unexpected twist, you will soon be able to watch old episodes of Holby City… on Netflix. For 23 years, Holby City served up everything from life-or-death emergencies, complicated love stories and hospital politics. Viewers became invested in the lives of countless doctors and nurses, watching them navigate pressures of the job while dealing with their own personal dramas. Characters became household names, and the hospital itself felt like a familiar place to millions of viewers. Which is why the announcement that Holby was being axed came as such a huge disappointment. After more than two decades on screen, the show’s final ever episode aired in March 2022, forcing fans to say goodbye to a programme that was part of their lives for so long. Jac died during the show’s last episode (Picture: ITV) It’s now been revealed that Holby City is making its way to Netflix, meaning fans can return to the wards and a brand new generation of viewers can finally find out what all the fuss was about. Both Holby City and Casualty are listed on the streaming service, with episodes dropping on November 23. At the moment, it isn’t known which episodes from each show will be added. While there are no longer any episodes of Holby available on BBC iPlayer, you can watch classic instalments of the medical drama on U. For Casualty fans, you can watch every episode of the show since 2023 on iPlayer, with classic episodes available on Channel 4 and U. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. While the Netflix news is certainly exciting for Holby fans, it does raise a big question – could the show’s arrival on the streaming platform eventually lead to a revival? Fans were heartbroken when the show ended (Picture: BBC) It’s not completely out of the question. During the Coronavirus pandemic, Waterloo Road enjoyed a huge resurgence when viewers flocked to watch old episodes on BBC iPlayer. The renewed interest prompted the school drama’s return in 2023. And there’s clearly still an appetite for medical dramas. Casualty continues to be a fixture of the BBC schedule, while Noah Wyle’s The Pitt has proved that viewers are still interested in high-stakes medical dramas. A revival of Holby City could offer the opportunity to bring back some familiar faces while introducing a whole new generation of medical staff to the wards. Of course, there’s no guarantee that Holby will follow the same path as Waterloo Road. But with the show about to reach a potentially whole new audience, it’s difficult not to wonder whether this could be the beginning of something more. Episodes of Casualty will also be on Netflix at the end of the month (Picture: BBC/Metro) And who better to ask about the possibility of a Holby comeback than the people who once called its wards their workplace? I caught up with some of the show’s former stars to hear their thoughts on the Netflix news, and whether they’d ever consider returning. Bob Barrett, who played Sacha Levy, called Holby’s move to Netflix ‘extraordinary’. Asked about whether it could lead to the show coming back, he was a little hesitant, noting that Holby would be ‘unthinkable’ without Jac Naylor, who died during the final episode. Still, that didn’t stop him pondering over the possibility of putting on Sacha Levy’s scrubs again: ‘I think it would depend on how it’s done, and who does it, that sort of stuff. It would have to be something that makes you go yes, I want to do that.’ While James Anderson (Oli Valentine) added: ‘Making this show was a really special experience, and I look back on the years I was part of it with great affection. ‘It’s lovely to see it getting a new lease of life and finding its way to a whole new audience.’ Arrow MORE: Netflix dropping Russell Brand documentary tomorrow about ‘open secret’ Arrow MORE: Netflix ‘hides convicted rapist Russell Brand’s stand-up comedy film – but won’t remove it’ Arrow MORE: Netflix announces Stranger Things spin-off set in 1955 with a major twist The Soaps Newsletter – Weekly Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.