Hanssen/Hemingway

"Hanssen/Hemingway" is the thirteenth episode of the fifteenth series of the British medical drama Holby City. It was written by Justin Young and directed by Rob Evans. "Hanssen/Hemingway" first aired on 8 January 2013 on BBC One in the United Kingdom. It is one of the show's frequent standalone episodes, which features two stories; one on location and one set in Holby City Hospital. Young, who was also the consultant series producer at the time, confirmed in an August 2012 interview that there were plans to explore the fictional backstory of Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry), the hospital's CEO, who was introduced in 2010. Young confirmed that the show would also reveal more about registrar Luc Hemingway (Joseph Millson), whose background, like Hanssen, had yet to be explored. In the same interview, Young revealed that the producers had just come up with an idea for a new episode set abroad and they were in the early planning stages.

Four months later, the BBC announced details of the special episode focusing on Hanssen and Luc, with one of the storylines set and filmed in Sweden. The plot sees Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) travelling to Stockholm to track down Hanssen, who has gone AWOL. Meanwhile, at the hospital, Luc is struggling with past events despite help from his colleagues. Young called the episode "one of the most ambitious" in the show's history. Marcel and Henry travelled to Sweden to film the episode, and Henry was pleased to get away from the Holby City set. Hanssen's estranged father is introduced in the episode and their history is slowly revealed to viewers when his company offer Holby City Hospital a partnership deal. Henry said that as the episode progresses, his character learns that things were not what he thought they were. Viewers also learn that Hanssen abandoned his former girlfriend when she became pregnant with their son. Henry was surprised by the development and said it was "an emotional episode" for his character.

"Hanssen/Hemingway" marks the final appearance of Luc. Producers did not announce Millson's departure before the episode aired in order to surprise viewers. His final scene hints that he will reunite with his love interest Eddi McKee (Sarah-Jane Potts). Young was pleased to bring fans of the couple a possible happy ending. The episode features guest appearances from Jeff Rawle as Luc's psychiatrist, and Swedish singer Sven-Bertil Taube as Hanssen's father Anders Lövborg. For Taube, the role marked the first time in a while that he had acted in English. The episode was well received by critics, with Katy Moon of Inside Soap saying it had been "eagerly" anticipated. Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror chose it as her "Pick of the Day", and Sue Haasler, author of Holby City: Behind The Screen, praised Young's script and Henry and Millson's emotional performances.