| Alex Adams | |
|---|---|
| Holby City character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Alex_Adams_(Holby_City).jpg) Jeremy Sheffield as Alex Adams | |
| First appearance | "The Deep End" 5 October 2000 |
| Last appearance | "On the Inside" 6 August 2003 |
| Portrayed by | Jeremy Sheffield |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Consultant cardiothoracic surgeon (prev. Cardiothoracic registrar) |
| Family | Pete Adams (brother) |
| Significant other | Victoria Merrick Sam Kennedy Jess Griffin |
Alex Adams is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Jeremy Sheffield. He first appeared in the series three episode "The Deep End", broadcast on 5 October 2000. Alex arrives at Holby City hospital to work as a Cardiothoracic registrar. He is introduced as a protégé of cardiothoracic lead Anton Meyer (George Irving) and they forge a strong working relationship. Alex is characterised as a loyal, enthusiastic and honest man. He finds it difficult to commit to a relationship because he prefers to concentrate on his work. Writers made him very passionate about his role within the show, often to the point it overrides logic.
His first romance is with Victoria Merrick (Lisa Faulkner) who is murdered by a patient. He later romances senior house officer Sam Kennedy (Colette Brown). They have an affair and her fiancé, consultant surgeon Ric Griffin (Hugh Quarshie) jilts her on their wedding day. Alex also romances nurse Jess Griffin (Verona Joseph) and gets her pregnant but she later has an abortion. Writers developed feuds with Ric and cardiothoracic registrar Ed Keating (Rocky Marshall), who was unhappy with Alex securing a consultant role. While contracted to the show, producers granted Sheffield six months leave to secure other roles. Writers explained the character absence by sending him to work in Michigan.
His most notable stories include drunk driving which results in a car collision with a child and trying to commit suicide. Holby City also developed a story which sees Alex diagnosed with early on-set Parkinson's disease. The show's research team worked with the charity Parkinson's UK to ensure they accurately portrayed the illness. The story resulted in an increase in calls requesting support to both the PDS and BBC. Sheffield decided to leave the series for good at the end of his final contract. Alex last appeared during the series five episode titled "On the Inside", which was broadcast on 6 August 2003. His inclusion proved popular with television critics who found the character's good looks aesthetically pleasing. However Alex's arrogance proved unpopular with some critics.