| Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher | |
|---|---|
| Casualty and Holby City character | |
 Alex Walkinshaw as Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher | |
| First appearance |
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| Last appearance |
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| Portrayed by | Alex Walkinshaw Aaron Mullen (flashback) |
| Spinoff(s) | "Mistletoe and Rum" (2012) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation |
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| Family | Steven Fletcher (father) |
| Spouse | Natalie Fletcher (until 2015) |
| Significant other |
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| Children |
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Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher is a fictional character from the BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City, portrayed by Alex Walkinshaw. He appears in Casualty from its twenty-sixth series in 2012 until its twenty-eighth in 2014, before joining Holby City in its sixteenth series. Fletch is characterised as a fun, likeable and charming Jack the lad who considers his family very important. The character is introduced as a staff nurse in Holby City Hospital's emergency department (ED) and progresses in his career to the hospital's Director of Nursing. Fletch's personable characterisation has helped establish friendship with many characters, notably with Lloyd Asike (Michael Obiora) and Raf di Lucca (Joe McFadden). Fletch's main story in Casualty is his affair with senior nurse Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer), which leads to the breakdown of his marriage to Natalie Fletcher (Claire Cage). The plot was explored in the online episode "Mistletoe and Rum" and contributed to his exit.
Upon joining Holby City, writers connected Fletch and Colette Sheward (Louise Delamere) through their backstory. Fletch's first major story began in 2015 when he becomes a single father following Natalie's death and struggles financially, briefly becoming involved in criminal activity. An appearance in Casualty for its thirtieth anniversary episode sparks another story for Fletch as he becomes temporarily paralysed after a stabbing. Producers then paired Fletch with Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) for a relationship, before establishing a long-running friendship between them. Further exploration of the character's background began in 2018 when his father, Steven Fletcher (Jesse Birdsall), is introduced. His next relationship was developed with consultant Ange Godard (Dawn Steele), which was challenged.
Fletch became the focus of an issue-based story in 2020 when he is diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer. The plot was played in conjunction with Essie Harrison's (Kaye Wragg) cancer story to highlight the statistical realism of cancer. His next story portrays him as a protective father when his daughter, Evie Fletcher (Phoebe French), becomes involved with Andrei Tarpov (Sonny Poon Tip) and Kian Madani (Ramin Karimloo). The character continued to be written into dramatic stories as Evie becomes sexually exploited by Fletch's new love interest, Jeni Sinclair (Debra Stephenson). Other stories for the character include a gambling addiction, clashing with Sydney Somers (Gemma Oaten) after receiving her father's inheritance, a move to management including a stint as acting chief executive officer (CEO), and a relationship with Abigail Tait (Olivia Poulet).
Holby City was cancelled in 2022, so the show's story team devised appropriate endings for their characters. Fletch's final stories feature him becoming disillusioned with the hospital and supporting Jac through her terminal illness. The character has generally been well received by television critics. Walkinshaw also spoke frequently of the positive reception he received from fans. In particular, Fletch's relationship with Jac and his cancer story was highly praised. Sue Haasler from the Metro opined that as Fletch, Walkinshaw is "a marvellous asset [...] to the Holby cast".[1] For his portrayal of Fletch, Walkinshaw has been shortlisted twice for Best Drama Star at the Inside Soap Awards.