| Ange Godard | |
|---|---|
| Holby City character | |
 Dawn Steele as Ange Godard | |
| First appearance | "China Crisis" 8 January 2019 |
| Last appearance | "Episode 1102" 29 March 2022 |
| Portrayed by | Dawn Steele |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Angel Godard[1] |
| Occupation |
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| Family |
|
| Significant other | Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher Josh Hudson |
Ange Godard is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Dawn Steele. She first appeared in the series twenty-one episode "China Crisis", broadcast on 8 January 2019. Ange arrives at Holby City hospital to work as a consultant general surgeon on the Young Adult Unit (YAU), a ward she helps to create. Steele was cast in the role following a meeting with the show's production team. She was "delighted" to join the show's cast and it was soon publicised that Ange would have a number of "explosive" secrets, which would then drive Holby City stories forward. Ange is characterised as "ballsy", "tenacious" and "stubborn". Steele has stated that Ange is portrayed as the most emotional surgeon imaginable. Her empathy for patients is often displayed in scenes, which Steele believed was a result of Ange's past experiences.
Ange was introduced into the series alongside returning character Tom Campbell-Gore (Denis Lawson). At the helm of the new YAU ward, writers gave Ange a pivotal role in a right to life story. It focused on the patient Holly Cartwright (Emma Curtis), who is declared brain dead and being aided by a life support system. Ange assists the patient's family but also advocates for the hospital's right to remove life support. The topical story also drew comparison to real life cases. Her secrets soon became the focus of her storylines. First came the revelation that her colleague, Dominic Copeland (David Ames), is her biological son that she had previously placed for adoption. Steele later revealed that she felt the story was divisive amongst viewers because of the emotional drama it caused Dominic. Then her daughter, Chloe Godard (Amy Lennox) was introduced and writers explored their backstory detailing that Chloe was conceived after Ange was raped.
Other stories for the character have focused on her feud with Chloe's manipulative boyfriend Evan Crowhurst (Jack Ryder) and a relationship with Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw). The character was received positively due to Steele's acting abilities. David Brown writing for the Radio Times praised Steele's portrayal during the right to life story. Sue Haasler of the Metro complimented her performance during the adoption secret revelation and Bill Gibbs from The Sunday Post said Steele "relished" the role.
- ^ Haasler, Sue (19 March 2019). "Holby City review with spoilers: Fletch's son snatched by protesters?". Metro. (DMG Media). Retrieved 28 April 2020.