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Lofty Chiltern
Casualty and Holby City character
Lee Mead as Lofty Chiltern
First appearance"The Last Chance Saloon"
1 March 2014 (Casualty)
"Project Aurous"
16 May 2017 (Holby City)
Portrayed byLee Mead
Spinoff(s)"Mrs Walker-To-Be" (2015)
In-universe information
OccupationStaff nurse
(prev. Senior staff nurse)

Ben "Lofty" Chiltern is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by actor Lee Mead. He first appeared in the series twenty-eight episode "The Last Chance Saloon", broadcast on 1 March 2014. The character was introduced to fill the role left by Jamie Collier, following actor Daniel Anthony's decision to leave. Mead had previously appeared on the show in its twenty-sixth series as a patient and was honoured to be invited back. Lofty was originally a staff nurse but was promoted to senior staff nurse in 2016.

The character was specifically written for Mead, who was known for his work in musical theatre. Originally, Mead was contracted to the show for a year and was not required to complete any medical training for the role. Lofty is portrayed as a nice person who is likeable and popular. He is very clumsy and occasionally naïve but a brilliant nurse and team player with good intentions. Lofty's backstory states he used his parents' money to party regularly, but when his parents grew tired of his attitude, they kicked him out. The character's introduction saw him found to be living in Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) and Max Walker's (Jamie Davis) loft.

During his time in the emergency department, Lofty has developed friendships with Robyn, Max, and Dylan Keogh (William Beck); his friendship with Dylan has been well-received by critics. Mead opted to take a sabbatical from the show in 2015. On-screen, while the character was left running the department, agency nurse Diane Stuart (Catherine Skinner) died and consequently, Lofty left Holby. The character departed in the series thirty episode "High Tide", broadcast on 12 March 2016.

It was announced in February 2017 that the character would be reintroduced to Casualty's sister show, Holby City, working as a staff nurse on the fictional Keller ward. Lofty made his first appearance in Holby City in the series nineteen episode "Project Aurous", broadcast on 16 May 2017, and began to explore his absence and his ability to work in the hospital, as well as establishing friendships with his colleagues.

Casting

The character of Lofty was written with Mead in mind.[1] Producers created the role after Daniel Anthony's decision to quit his role as nurse, Jamie Collier. They realised the show would be lacking a young, male nurse and decided to cast Mead.[2] Mead explained that they were looking for a nurse who "had a big heart and cares for his patients with a unique insight".[3] Show writer Matthew Barry said that having Mead in mind helped the writing team write for Lofty.[4] The show's executive producer Oliver Kent asked Mead's agent if Mead would read for the role and when his agent told him the news, Mead believed he was "joking".[5] At the audition, Mead read for the show's producer and casting directors. He believed that he had delivered what they wanted, but was not sure he was "in the frame" for the character.[1][6] He was originally signed to the serial for a year and expressed a possibility in renewing his contract.[1]

Mead originally auditioned for the role of Kieron Fletcher in 2010, but was told he did not have enough acting experience. He later made an appearance on the show as patient Harry Timms in the series twenty-six episode "Starting Out".[7] Mead enjoyed the appearance and described Lofty as "a completely different challenge" in comparison.[6] He added that he was honoured to be invited back to the show.[5] In the guest appearance, Mead filmed scenes with Jane Hazlegrove, who plays paramedic Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon, and expressed his delight to filming again with Hazlegrove.[8]

Due to the on-set team of professional medical staff, Mead did not require any medical training for the role. Nurses would regularly help him with medical terminology and procedures to add realism to the scenes.[8] He added that he found learning the terminology enjoyable and formed an interest in the show's prosthetic department.[9] He described the show's twelve hours a day routine as "very intense".[3] Casualty is Mead's first regular television role after ten years in musical theatre and he described it as "a new phase" in his career.[1] Mead struggled to make the transition from musical theatre to television and said it was "a whole new career" for him.[10] In addition to his work in musical theatre, Mead is a singer and producers allowed him to perform in concerts while contracted to the show.[9]

The character and Mead's casting were publicised on 19 September 2013.[6] On his casting, Mead said, "I'm thrilled to be joining Casualty. I am hoping [Lofty] will charm audiences and they will get behind him. I can't wait to get started and to learn all of the medical jargon!"[6] Kent said, "As the character Lofty was being developed, we couldn't think of anyone else to better to play him. We can't wait to start filming and are thrilled to have Lee join the team. With a very different background to most of the other nurses, his clumsy charm is sure to win everyone over."[6] Mead expressed his delight at joining the show in several media interviews and in a BBC Online interview, he described it is as an "honour".[5][4]

At the time of filming five episodes for the show, Mead expressed his content at being involved in the show.[1] In June 2015, Mead reflected on his casting and expressed his gratitude for Kent for creating the role as it had "brought more variety into [his] working life".[3] He added that he the show had provided him with a "fantastic" experience.[3]

Development

Characterisation

Always stumbling around, he somehow managed to stumble into a job at Holby where he brightens up the corridors with his big blue eyes and beaming smile. Although he is not the smoothest of talkers, or walkers, his warmth and kindness make him easy to forgive. He’s fond of daydreaming, but his clumsiness and lack of attention can often land him in scrapes.

— BBC Online.[11]

Lofty was billed as a "likeable and popular nurse with a less-than-ordinary background".[6] Speaking to Clare Pennington of Inside Soap, Mead described Lofty as "a decent bloke" and "a bit of a cheeky chappy".[5] At heart, he is decent and has "good intentions" but parties heavily.[5] Lofty is fun and has a positive outlook, which Mead opined had made him "a very interesting character."[1] Lofty's energy makes him nice to work with, but he is often very clumsy. Mead explained that Lofty says the "wrong thing" and often falls over.[1] Despite his clumsiness, Lofty means well and is a nice person.[4] He also said Lofty "finds himself in these awkward situations and is often in his own little world."[12] Mead summarised the character as "decent but lazy."[8]

Lofty is in his early thirties and BBC Online describe him as "a brilliant nurse, who is particularly gifted at dealing with children".[11] They also said the ED is "lucky to have such a great team player" who is "full of energy and spark."[11] Lofty is naïve and a team player who contributes "spirit and energy" to his team.[13] Executive producer Kent described Lofty as "the most adorable character" and compared him to nurse John "Abs" Denham (James Redmond), who was well-received during his tenure on the show.[2] Reza Moradi, the director for Lofty's first episode, described the character as "a sweet nature guy who has had a temporary bit of bad luck".[4] Barry, who wrote Lofty's introduction, believed Lofty was "a sort of young, slightly less posh Hugh Grant" and described him as "a bumbly, lovely, nice chap."[4]

Upon his Holby City introduction, the character was described as "loveable but clumsy".[14] Mead labelled the character weird, "endearing" and unconventional, and said he is "very clumsy, which is always funny".[15] The actor explained that Lofty returns "a new man" and with a confidence boost following his experience travelling.[16] He added that "a whole different side to [Lofty] that people never knew existed" would be displayed.[17] Mead told What's On TV that Lofty has "worked out what he wants from life".[18] Despite the character's new-found confidence, Mead insisted that was still the "kind guy" he was in Casualty.[19] Mead called Lofty's way of treating patients unconventional, opining that he resembles fictional detective Sherlock Holmes.[19]

Clare Pennington of Inside Soap labelled Lofty a "hunky nurse".[5] Pennington's colleagues have defined Lofty as "adorable" and a "hapless medic".[12][20] Inside Soap's Sarah Ellis described Lofty as a "beloved colleague".[21] Elaine Reilly of What's on TV called Lofty a "mild-mannered medic" and a "loveable nurse".[22] David Brown, writing for the Radio Times, described Lofty as "a likeable character who gets off to a bad start" in his first episode.[23] He later described Mead as "a charismatic addition to the ED".[24] Brown's colleague, Alison Graham, labelled him as an "amiable idiot",[25] and later, a "well-meaning idiot".[26] She also branded Lofty "the Care Bears version of Dr Tanya Byron".[27]

In March 2016, Graham said "Lofty is hopeless; far from assertive and prone to being distracted by the personal lives of patients" as well as "docile" and "too forgiving".[28] Holly Wade from the Radio Times labelled Lofty as "a Band 5 Nurse who stumbled his way into a job in the ED."[29] She described Lofty as "warm and kind and often the object of many attractions" and said "he can be a bit oblivious and bumbling but he’s got a good heart."[29] Emma Bullimore of TV Times called Lofty "kind",[16] while Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy called Lofty "loveable".[15] Duncan Lindsay, writing for the Metro, labelled Lofty "amiable" and "genuine".[30]

Backstory and introduction

Mead explained that Lofty is a trained nurse who, prior to his introduction, was living with his parents and using their money to party. Lofty repeatedly told his parents that he would apply for a job and find a house, which he never did. His parents grew tired of him and his father asked him to move out so Lofty lied and told them he had found a house.[1] In May 2017, Mead revealed that Lofty's backstory would be explored following his introduction to Holby City, with the character's reasons for joining the nursing profession explained.[18]

Lofty's first episode, entitled "The Last Chance Saloon", aired on 1 March 2014.[31] Lofty's first scenes saw him reveal to be living in the loft of a house owned by his father and rented by Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) and Max Walker (Jamie Davis), having stolen the keys to the house. The scenes provided the character with the nickname, "Lofty".[5] Robyn found him in the house, topless and about to iron a shirt. Henderson explained that Robyn was scared and angry to find Lofty.[4] Robyn chases him and so, Lofty — still topless — was "forced to make a run for it" by leaping over fences in the rain.[5] Moradi said he believed that the chase sequence was something the writer "had in mind when going over quite a lot of things", but struggled with due to the location's practicality.[4] The chase sequence was the first scenes Mead filmed, which he found surreal.[8]

In the chase, Robyn was injured after stepping on a rake and Lofty had to decide to either "leave her and run, or do the right thing"; Lofty chose to help Robyn and Barry explained that it was in Lofty's nature to stay and help Robyn. Mead said Lofty stayed because he was "a good guy".[4] Because he helped Robyn, Lofty missed an interview at a local hospital.[1] After discovering this, Robyn speaks to management about Lofty and he is offered a vacant nursing position at the hospital.[5] Mead explained that Robyn is able to see that Lofty is a good person and so, as well as helping him receive a job, she offers him a place to live.[10]

Mead praised the character's introduction and praised his introduction, expressing his enjoyment at filming it.[1] In an interview with BBC Online, Mead revealed the filming took course over a twelve hour day and summarised the day as having to "literally [roll] in mud."[4] Henderson added that filming the scenes was interrupted by bad weather.[4] Moradi praised Mead's approach to filming in his introduction, praising his professionalism and said that Mead was "really cool" with the cast and crew on-set.[4]

Friendships

From filming his early episodes, Mead noted that Lofty had "got along with most people."[1] At the time of the character's introduction, show writer Barry believed that Lofty would "fit in really well within the team as a whole" because he is "such a genuinely nice guy" and tipped Lofty to have good relations with Robyn, Max, and Noel Garcia (Tony Marshall).[4]

Throughout his duration on the show, Lofty has shared a close friendship with Robyn and Mead said that he and Henderson got on well off-set.[32] They shared most of their scenes together and Barry compared Robyn and Lofty's relationship to a relationship between a brother and sister.[4] In a storyline airing in early 2015, Robyn began developing feelings for Lofty and began subtly seeking a romance with him. Reflecting on Robyn's feelings, Henderson said "She was so in love with him, but he just didn't feel the same."[33]

"Lofty is going to struggle, partly because he wants to please Dylan, who pushes him a bit further out of his comfort zone than he should go. The results are pretty disastrous for Lofty, but his completely fabulous bromance with Dylan is ongoing."[34]

—Oliver Kent on Lofty's friendship with Dylan Keogh. (2016)

Producers established a friendship between Lofty and consultant Dylan Keogh (William Beck). Mead said he enjoyed scenes with Beck because they got on well.[12] He said that the difference between Lofty's "awkwardness and sincerity" and Dylan's "very dry and direct" approach made "a good contrast".[12] Mead revealed that he and Beck often kept "getting the giggles" in takes.[12] In a 2015 interview with Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy, Hossington teased the show's Christmas episode and revealed that Lofty and Dylan would feature in what would be "the most fantastic ending".[35] She added that "people will be talking about [the ending] for a very long time!"[35] In late 2015, Hossington said she enjoyed Lofty's relationship with Dylan and described them as "the odd couple" with a "fun bromance".[36] Mead noted that the pairing was "strange" yet "quite special", which was amusing and hoped that following his move to Holby City, he would appear in Casualty to develop Lofty's friendship with Dylan.[15] He told Brown (Radio Times) that the characters formed a "funny bond" and found them a strange pairing that developed over time.[19]

In Holby City, Lofty initially clashes with "frosty" F2 doctor, Dominic Copeland (David Ames), who becomes irritated by Lofty's personality and displays a negative response.[16] Mead told Dainty (Digital Spy) that Dom is a "strong" character who struggles to understand Lofty.[15] The characters do not develop a friendship initially, with Dom continuing to be cautious of Lofty, although Mead suggested that a friendship could be created.[30] Prior to Lofty's arrival, Dom was involved in a domestic violence storyline and when he discovers this, Lofty tries to support Dom.[37] Mead revealed that Lofty and Dom establish a "good" friendship, which will be "interesting" to watch.[37] Lofty has a good relationship with his boss, Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett) as they have similar personalities and Sacha can tell Lofty is trying his best.[30] Mead enjoyed acting alongside Ames and Bob Barrett, who portrays Lofty's boss Sacha Levy, commenting that is fun "seeing how [their friendships] all unfolds."[15] Lofty forms friendships with his colleagues on Keller ward, including Dom, Sacha, Essie Harrison (Kaye Wragg) and Raf di Lucca (Joe McFadden), with Mead suggesting the potential for Lofty to develop friendships outside the ward.[15] He added that producers would create more relationships when they discovered who Lofty "works best with" and promised that "there are certainly plans in place."[15]

Other storylines

At the time of his introduction, Mead promised "some good storylines" for Lofty.[10] In an early storyline, paramedic Dixie Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove) asked Lofty's help with reuniting a patient with his estranged, terminally ill mother before she died. Lofty agreed to help Dixie and they hire a campervan and take the mother and son to the seaside. Mead explained that the characters were "doing a good deed".[1] He added that the reunion of the son with his mother was "uplifting" because they had a damaged relationship.[8] Mead said he enjoyed filming the episode,[1] but ultimately called the episode "quite a sad episode".[8] Lofty was punished for his actions; Mead revealed he would be "demoted for a while and sent to another part of the hospital".[1]

In January 2016, Lofty was offered a promotion and Dylan pushed him to apply. Prior to the interview, Lofty was "a bag of nerves", which were worsen when he arrived and found the hospital's CEO, Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry), would be interviewing him.[38] As Lofty settled, clinical lead Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) forced him to return to work as the ED was over-capacity. Despite believing he had "messed things up", Lofty was offered the promotion.[38]

Departure

In late 2015, producer Hossington teased a new storyline for the character, which would not "disappoint" fans.[36] She added that Dylan would feature heavily in the storyline with Lofty.[36]

The storyline began in February 2016 when Lofty was challenged to run the ED in the absence of senior nurses Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Rita Freeman (Chloe Howman).[20] Despite the original plan being that Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) would run the ED, Dylan volunteered Lofty for the job, which he reluctantly accepted after encouragement from Dylan. Mead explained that as a senior staff nurse, Lofty had been waiting for such an opportunity.[39] When faced with "football hooligans and AWOL patients", Lofty begins to panic but manages to gain control and run the department successfully.[20][39] Lofty hires agency nurse Diane Stuart (Catherine Skinner) to help with the ED's workload, who an Inside Soap reporter described as "incompetent".[20]

Diane struggled from sleep loss and when Lofty catches her taking pills to keep her awake, he asks to discuss it with her in his office.[39] Diane reveals her husband recently left her and her teenage daughter so Lofty offers her a second chance.[39] Lofty, Diane and Dylan later became stuck in a lift and have to resuscitate a patient. Diane died when she failed to remove her hand from the patient in time and electrocuted herself.[39] Mead promised that "a lot is going to unfold" from the scenes and revealed that he "welled up" when he watched the episode.[39]

"Diane was half asleep at the time and not really on the ball, so Lofty wasn't actually in the wrong. But the fact is that the incident happened on Lofty's watch, and he can't deal with the guilt of that. [...] The bigger dilemma for him is whether he can cope with the fact this person that was in his care has died."[21]

—Lee Mead on Lofty's guilt following Diane's death. (2016)

In the aftermath of Diane's death, Lofty began to blame himself for her death and prepares to be interviewed by the hospital's board where it would be decided whether Lofty could keep his job.[40] Dylan is "adamant" that neither of them were to blame and encourages Lofty to be "firm" with the board, but when Lofty encounters Diane's mother, he questions whether he was to blame.[40] Mead explained that Lofty struggles to cope with Diane's death because he "saw so much of himself in her".[22]

In the interview, Lofty is allowed to continue working, but decides to resign regardless due to his feelings surrounding Diane's death.[22] Lofty explains that he is struggling with Diane's death. Mead described it as "a huge thing" for Lofty because it happened on the first occasion he ran the ED.[22] Mead also explained that Lofty needed "distance and time" to understand the events surrounding Diane's death and decide whether to return to the hospital and "confront those demons within himself".[22] Reflecting on his character's reasons for leaving, Mead said that Lofty is "quite ashamed and embarrassed to face his colleagues".[17] He told Tricia Martin of Total TV Guide that Lofty is scarred by the events and compared it to a marriage breakdown, commenting that "it's always there, but you have move forward — life goes on."[41] He noted that the situation had left the character "traumatised".[14] Lofty decided to break from his job and travel Australia and New Zealand while retraining as a bereavement counsellor.[22] Mead explained that Lofty felt "ashamed" and decided he "needed to get as far away as possible so went to New Zealand and Australia."[30] When the actor originally watched the episode, he became emotional and felt proud of the storyline, hoping viewers would sympathise with Lofty.[22]

Off-screen, Mead had taken a one-year hiatus from the show in order to spend more time with his daughter and "pursue other projects".[21] Mead chose to leave the show because he got "itchy feet" and decided to return to theatre.[42] Producers tried to persuade Mead to remain with the show and offered to extend his contract by a further two years, but he wanted to spend more time with his daughter as she grew older.[16] Describing his experience with the show, Mead said it had been "amazing".[21] Mead reassured fans of the show that "Lofty’s job is still there" so he could return to the show and promised to return to the serial.[22] Despite this, Mead said in an interview with Elaine Reilly of What's on TV that his return had not been confirmed and there was a possibility he may not reprise the role.[42] Mead's official website described his break as "a 12-month leave of absence".[43] In September 2016, Mead expressed his interest in reprisng the role.[44] He reflected on the role in May 2017, commenting that he missed the show as he created "strong bonds" on the show.[17]

Holby City introduction

"I'm really excited to be coming back as Lofty, I've missed him! I'm looking forward to being in a new part of the Holby hospital and seeing what it has in store for him next."[45]

—Lee Mead on Lofty's reintroduction. (2017)

Producers called Mead in September 2016 and offered him the opportunity to reprise the role in Casualty's spin-off show, Holby City.[17] The actor initially believed Kent was asking him to reprise the role in Casualty so declined, but when Kent explained the situation, he accepted.[30] The show is filmed at Elstree Studios, which is a forty-five minute journey to Mead's home and benefits him as he can assist with the care of his daughter.[30] Mead believed that the "book was closed" after his departure from Casualty and felt the character could be further explored so was pleased to receive the call.[15][30] Mead was initially signed up for a three month trial to explore whether the character works well with other characters.[46] His contract was later extended to September 2017, with the potential to extend it beyond that.[46]

Lofty's reintroduction was publicised in a press release on 10 February 2017, where it was announced that he would first appear in Spring 2017. A show press release explained that following his departure from Casualty, Lofty decided to retrain as a bereavement counsellor, specialising in palliative care as well as travel in Australia. It was teased that Lofty could be "still running away from his problems".[45] The show's acting executive producer, Simon Harper, said, "It's thrilling [...] to have Lee make the ‘trip upstairs’ as Lofty. Keller Ward is going through some dark times, so Lofty’s trademark warmth and kindness will come at just the right moment."[45] Mead later tweeted his excitement and branded this "the next chapter" of his career.[47]

Mead's move to Holby City was criticised by his former co-stars, Henderson and Crystal Yu (who portrays Lily Chao), who hoped he would reprise the role in Casualty.[17] Mead began filming on 20 February 2017, with his first episode scheduled for May 2017.[48][49] Mead felt "nervous" on his first day of filming, but "slipped back into" the character after a few scenes. He added that he missed portraying Lofty as he is a "great character".[16]

Lofty is introduced to Holby City on 16 May 2017.[50] The actor teased that Lofty would return "with a punch".[51] He arrives for a shift on Keller ward as an agency nurse and first appears straddling a patient whose heart has stopped, giving them CPR. Mead labelled the entrance "punchy".[41] While travelling, the character regained his confidence and returns stronger, having met new people who have helped him.[30] Lofty struggles in his shift and has a "crisis of confidence", which leads him to encountering Robyn. Henderson guest appeared in the episode for Lofty's introduction. Mead told Lindsay (Metro) that Lofty "keeps getting stuff wrong and he’s on the brink of giving up again" when he encounters Robyn.[30] Robyn helps Lofty reestablish his qualities and reignites his passion for nursing. The actor enjoyed the scene, calling it "beautiful".[19] Lofty initially decides to leave after his agency shift so he can continue travelling, but after realising how much he misses the profession, he decides to stay and Sacha offers Lofty a permanent position as a nurse on Keller ward.[14] Mead enjoyed his introduction to Holby City and called it "nice" and "really exciting".[15][46]

"I didn’t want to do this thing that’s been done before in a lot of shows about the struggle of coming out. I think we live in such a modern society now and times have changed very much and moved forward. You’re not defined by your sexuality… you, me, none of us, it’s about the person you are."[52]

—Lee Mead on portraying Lofty's sexuality. (2017)

Mead explained that while travelling, Lofty entered a relationship with Alice Dujon (Tiana Benjamin) who helped him "find himself and rebuild his confidence."[19] This was explored in the character's second episode when Alice's brother, Lenny Dujon (Micah Balfour), was admitted onto the ward.[53] Lenny reveals to Dom and Sacha that Lofty jilted his sister at the alter after preparing to marry her.[53] Mead explained that Lofty is "annoyed" with Lenny for revealing his secret.[53] Mead previously teased a plot twist in the storyline,[19] and in the episode, it is revealed that Lofty developed feelings for Lenny, setting up a love triangle.[52] Mead spoke to Kent about Lofty's sexuality and informed him that he would be "more than happy" for Lofty to gay, but did not want Lofty to be defined by his sexuality.[52] He added that the director, Jermaine Julian, was helpful with the storyline and made him "proud".[52] Mead told Victoria Wilson of What's on TV that he did not want portray Lofty struggling to come out and instead chose to portray the "matter of fact and the audience just discovering this side to Lofty, which [was] really nice to play actually."[52] In the episode, Lofty is featured assisting in theatre, which Mead described as "a huge deal" for him.[15] On his two episode introduction, Mead said, "There were a lot of hours filming – about 140 in about two or three weeks! I feel lucky to have big storylines to get back into."[30] He added that the storyline helped him ease back into the role and helped to reestablish the character.[30] Mead also said that he enjoyed exploring Lofty's personal life since it has "never really been touched on before".[46]Lofty later ends up sleeping with Dom in the chaos of of Oliver Valtentine and Zosia Marsh's wedding.

Mead told Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap that he had filmed a guest appearance in Casualty following his Holby CIty introduction, which would feature Lofty attending the funeral of Caleb Knight (Richard Winsor), who was killed-off in a recent episode.[17] He added that he hopes for another crossover appearance "at some point" and suggested that Lofty could visit Robyn.[17] Lofty will guest star in the Casualty series thirty-one episode, "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep", broadcast on 17 June 2017.[54]

Storylines

Lofty first appears in the house rented to Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) and Max Walker (Jamie Davis), having been squatting in their loft. When Robyn catches him, she chases him but impales her foot. Lofty waits with her and accompanies her to the emergency department, initially calling himself "Nigel" until Robyn discovers his identity and he is forced to explain himself. He reveals he has missed his interview with a hospital for a nursing vacancy so Robyn recommends Lofty for a vacant position in the ED and invites him to live with her and Max at their house.[31]

Dixie Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove) asks for Lofty's assistance in taking a patient out of the hospital so he can spend a day at the seaside with his terminally ill mother. He complies and is subsequently suspended from his job.[55] When the ED becomes understaffed, Lofty volunteers to help out and is allowed to return to work permanently.[56] Lofty controversially refuses to buy a remembrance poppy, resulting in disagreements with his colleagues, especially Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), who is a former soldier. However, he is praised when he endangers himself to save a teenage boy, despite the boy dying from an unrelated problem.[57]

When Robyn develops feelings for Lofty and sends him an unsigned Valentines, he panics because the feelings are unreciprocated.[58] Robyn remains unaware of Lofty's unrequited feelings and when she later catches Lofty sharing a kiss with a patient, she becomes upset and annoyed that Lofty did not tell her sooner.[59] Lofty begins working with Dylan Keogh (William Beck) who repeatedly undermines him.[60] As Dylan struggles with OCD, he berates Lofty several times; on one occasion, Dylan labels Lofty incompetent. Robyn encourages him to make a complaint, but Lofty refuses.[61]

Max asks Lofty to be his best man at his wedding to Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker), which Lofty happily accepts.[62] A fire breaks out at the wedding, leaving Zoe in danger. Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) saves her, but suffers a heartattack with Lofty treating him. Lofty struggles with Charlie's near-death experience and is infuriated by Charlie's heroism.[63] When he returns from extended leave, Dylan assigns Lofty to assisting him, which surprises Lofty. When Lofty interferes with a patient's personal life, Dylan becomes frustrated but realises he could be the problem and compliments Lofty on his work.[64] When he realises Dylan has nowhere to live, Lofty invites him and his dog Dervla to live with him, which annoys Robyn and Max.[65] They urge him to tell Dylan to move out, but Lofty struggles and Robyn inadvertently tells him so Dylan moves into a houseboat.[66] When senior staff nurse Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) shouts at Lofty, he becomes anxious around him and avoids him. Jacob later apologies to Lofty.[67]

Lofty and Robyn are upset when they discover they are on shift for Christmas Day so Jacob decides to swap shifts with one of them; Lofty asks him to take Robyn's shift. Dylan invites Lofty to spend Christmas with him after working and they spend it together on Dylan's houseboat.[68] Lofty and Robyn apply for a senior staff nurse position, but when she notices Lofty's loss in self-confidence, she decides to retract her application. Clinical nurse manager Rita Freeman (Chloe Howman) later interrupts Jack Diamond (Alistair Brammer) giving Lofty a spray tan and questions his eligibility for a promotion.[69]

Lofty attends an interview for the senior staff nurse position and is startled to find the hospital's CEO, Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry), is observing the interview. Lofty is called back to work and has to deal with a difficult patient. As the patient argues with Lofty, he pushes Lofty into the glass pane in reception. Lofty decides to open an outdoor triage to reduce the amount of patients in the ED, which impresses Rita and Hanssen. Later, Rita offers Lofty the job and he thanks Dylan for his support.[70] Lofty struggles in the position of Robyn's superior and when Dylan reminds him to assert his authority, he has a conversation with Robyn about it.[71] Lofty starts to overwork himself, attracting the concern of Robyn and Dylan, but he dismisses their claims.[72]

In the absence of Rita and Charlie, Lofty was left to run the ED and began to struggle when disruptive patients were admitted. Since there was a staff shortage, Lofty hired agency nurse Diane Stuart (Catherine Skinner). When Lofty caught Diane sleeping on the job, she revealed she and her husband had recently separated, which Lofty sympathised with and so, gives her a second chance. Later, Lofty, Dylan and Diane are with a patient in a lift when the lift breaks down and the patient flatlines. As Lofty prepares to resuscitate, Diane fails to remove her hand from the patient and is electrocuted, killing herself.[73]

In the aftermath of Diane's death, Lofty blames himself and Dylan tries to support him by reminding him it was Diane's fault she died. Feelings of guilt resurface when Lofty meets Diane's mother, Meg Stuart (Sharon Duce).[74] On the day of his interview (which decides whether can continue practising medicine), Lofty meets Diane's daughter, Lana Westmore (Mimi Keene), and helps her to grieve for her mother. Consequently, he is late for the interview where he is allowed to continue working. Despite this, Lofty resigns from his job and decides to travel and retrain as a bereavement counsellor. Before he leaves Holby, he shares an emotional goodbye with Dylan and expresses his gratitude for his support.[75]

Reception

Mead was nominated for Favourite Newcomer at the 2014 TV Times Awards, but lost out to Emmerdale's Amelia Flanagan for her role as April Windsor.[76] He was also nominated for Best Newcomer at the 20th National Television Awards in January 2015,[77] but lost out to EastEnders' Maddy Hill for her role as Nancy Carter.[78]

Holly Wade of the Radio Times named Lofty's memorable moments as his introduction, his suspension after taking a patient from the hospital, and being "hailed a hero" after risking his life to save a patient.[29] James Brinsford, writing for the Metro, was surprised when Mead joined the cast as a nurse rather than "the 'famous person who’s befallen a nasty accident' that brings to TV those people who you wondered what happened to."[79] He noted that the character became "a viewer favourite" during his tenure on Casualty.[79]

Henderson praised Mead's casting and said, "adding Lee Mead to the cast is gonna [sic] be fab [because] he's such a nice energy to have around."[4] Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy said that Lofty's introduction was "a very unusual way to bring in a new character".[1] Brown also described Lofty's arrival as "unusual".[9] Graham praised a series 29 episode which focused around Lofty, Robyn Miller and Max Walker.[80] She later developed a negative view of Lofty's actions, quipping that "Lofty simply must know what is wrong at the heart of the household" and that he "has a hotline to everyone's innermost feelings".[81][82] She later sarcastically noted that Lofty is "all-seeing, all-knowing" and able to "[look] within the soul of an 11-year-old boy", who was "his intellectual equal".[83] She did, however, praise Lofty's "calm common sense" as he "[came] to the rescue" following the black alert at a nearby hospital.[84]

Mead revealed that he and Beck had received a positive reaction to their characters' friendships from the audience.[12] Catherine Kielthy of What's on TV described Lofty's shift running the ED as a "horror shift".[39] Graham noted that the death of agency nurse, Diana, left Lofty "[moping] in extremis" and "tormented by guilt".[85] She added that it made him "[roam] the emergency department looking like a tormented poodle".[86] At the time of his departure, Mead revealed that the character had made "such an impact" because he is "connected" to the public.[21]

In May 2017, Mead told Dainty (Digital Spy) that he had received positive feedback on Twitter from fans of the character, commenting that "I just feel really fortunate that Lofty has connected with the public for the two years I did on Casualty."[15] He added that there was "lots of excitement" surrounding Lofty's reintroduction.[15] Mead was approached at concerts about the character, with fans asking him whether he would reprising the role.[30] TV Choice reporters placed Lofty's Holby City introduction at number four on its list of "Six shows you must not miss!", commenting that Lofty's appearance served as a "surprise".[87] Dainty (Digital Spy) called the introduction "exciting".[15] Lofty's reintroduction was welcomed by viewers, who shared their excitement at his return.[88] Viewers were surprised to discover Lofty's sexuality and expressed their delight at his sexuality being explored.[89]

References

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