Who are Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne in Holby City? When are they back?
A reminder of the returning pair's turbulent history
Holby City has announced the return of Patsy Kensit and Luke Roberts as Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne for a special episode marking the medical drama's 20th anniversary year.
The familiar faces will make their first appearance in over a decade under dramatic circumstances, and long-term fans can look forward to revisiting the love triangle between the pair and Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel).
Show bosses have promised to explore the bad blood as the trio reunite, but what is the history of their messy past that draws them together again? Here's a handy reminder…
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When are Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne returning to Holby City?
Enigmatic drama-magnet nurse Faye and troubled surgeon Joseph are back for a special one-off episode to be broadcast this autumn. Throughout 2019, Holby City has been dishing up nostalgic treats with several returns including Amanda Mealing as Connie Beauchamp, Sharon D Clarke in the role of Lola Griffin, Denis Lawson playing Tom Campbell-Gore and Marc Elliott as abusive Isaac Mayfield.
Speaking about her comeback, Kensit said: “It’s a great honour to be asked back. Faye has changed quite a lot, it’s all very feisty and there are lots of surprises!" Roberts added: “Holby City was like a family. It’s been a joy to slip back into the surgical scrubs and see so many familiar faces.”
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How long are Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne back in Holby City?
Executive producer Simon Harper has confirmed the characters' hotly-anticipated comeback is for one single episode to be shown in the autumn, teasing it as a “nostalgic and exciting treat for long-term viewers. Joseph was the love of Jac’s life, and turns up with her sworn enemy! It was for Joseph’s sake that Jac sent Faye packing in 2010 and it’s the ultimate insult when they return at a time when she is already feeling off-balance both professionally and personally. This unique episode concentrates on this classic Darwin trio with all their past tensions and rivalries bubbling to the surface."
How long were Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne in Holby City?
Luke first appeared in January 2006 with Faye following a year later in January 2007. They left the show within a month of one another, Faye departing first on screen in December 2010 followed by Joseph in January 2011.
What were Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne's biggest storylines in Holby City?
Joseph spent his life in the shadow of his successful father Lord Byrne and followed in his footsteps to pursue a career in medicine. The feeling he never quite measured up wasn't helped when registrar girlfriend Jac cheated on him with his own father. Tormented by his brother's attempted suicide, uptight Joseph developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and at one point took an accidental overdose of drugs as he tried to secretly manage the condition.
After the collapse of his romance with Jac, Joseph found comfort in the arms of Ms Naylor's nemesis Faye, beginning a long-running love triangle as both women vied for his affections over the next few years. Faye had many skeletons in her closet, including two husbands who died in mysterious circumstances (she was accused of murdering one of them) and a secret son with a rare genetic disease who was kidnapped by his father and later died.
Despite Jac's jealousy and attempts to split them up, Joseph and Faye married but grew apart after Archie's death and she hooked up with consultant Linden Cullen, only to discover she was pregnant with Joseph's child. Linden then died saving his lover from an attack by a drug-addict patient, sending Faye spiralling into self-harm and a nervous breakdown. She went into labour while in a psychiatric unit and gave birth to a boy, Harry.
Keen to put her painful past behind her and struggling to bond with her child, Faye left Harry with Joseph and moved to France. Jac had swooped in to support Joseph through Faye's breakdown and the pair reignited their romance, but he soon decided to leave for a new job up north. Despite him asking her to go with him, Jac stayed behind and tearfully waved Joseph and Harry off. What has happened in the intervening years to Faye and Joseph, and how will Jac react to seeing them again?
Who played Faye Morton and Joseph Byrne in Holby City?
Holby scored a coup signing screen veteran Patsy Kensit back in 2006, tempting her away from her role as Emmerdale super bitch Sadie King which she had played since 2004.
Kensit made her film debut in 1972 at the age of four and was a successful child star notching up numerous film and TV credits and working with the likes of Robert Redford, Elizabeth Taylor and Harrison Ford.
Her role in notorious flop film musical Absolute Beginners in 1986 launched a brief pop career as the lead singer of Eighth Wonder (they had a hit in 1988 with I'm Not Scared, penned by the Pet Shop Boys) and she starred in Hollywood blockbuster Lethal Weapon II opposite Mel Gibson in 1989. Other film roles in include Twenty One and Angels and Insects.
She has been a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing (2010) and Celebrity Big Brother (2015), and high-profile marriages to rock stars Liam Gallagher from Oasis and Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr have also meant tabloid interest in her personal life.
Prior to playing Joseph, Luke Roberts had roles in Band of Brothers, the short-lived Crossroads revival and Sky1 drama Mile High, and has since been in Game of Thrones (playing Ser Arthur Dayne in season six), the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, On Stranger Tides, and US historical series Black Sails.
