| Arthur Digby | |
|---|---|
| Holby City character | |
 Rob Ostlere as Arthur Digby | |
| First appearance | "Blood Ties" 2 January 2013 |
| Last appearance | "Episode 1100" 15 March 2022 |
| Portrayed by | Rob Ostlere |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | CT2 |
| Spouse | Morven Shreve (2016) |
| Significant other | Chantelle Lane |
Arthur Digby is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Rob Ostlere. He first appeared in the series fifteen episode "Blood Ties", broadcast on 2 January 2013. Arthur arrives at Holby City hospital to start his first year of the Foundation Programme. To prepare for the role Ostlere visited a hospital and shadowed a registrar and foundation doctors on their rounds. He has been described by Holby City's publicity department as "naïve and socially awkward" plus holding an "encyclopaedic knowledge" on unusual subjects. Ostlere's first days on-set influenced various aspects of Arthur's characterisation such as his "preppy attire", fidgeting with his glasses and his clumsy nature. Arthur is a talented doctor and his skills are awarded the medical prize titled, Junior Doctor of the Year. Arthur's storylines have focused on his career on the hospital's Keller and AAU wards, alongside the various characters that staff them. In his first year on-screen he works closely with mentor Antoine Malick (Jimmy Akingbola) and staff nurse Chantelle Lane (Lauren Drummond). The latter he develops romantic feelings for which are not reciprocated. Their friendship dominates his initial story and together they become victims of a vicious mugging and a car crash which is caused by Arthur.
His second year saw him working alongside F1 doctors Dominic Copeland (David Ames) and Zosia March (Camilla Arfwedson) while remaining on Keller. This trio dynamic proved popular with viewers and producers made the difficult decision to split them up. The move was labelled as an attempt to reflect reality as Junior Doctors generally progress to different wards and specialities. Arthur began his CT1 training on AAU where he is entrusted with mentoring Morven Shreve (Eleanor Fanyinka). Writers then introduced an issue lead storyline for the character as Arthur begins to behave anxiously, self medicating and finally being diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
After three years in the role Ostlere decided to leave Holby City. The decision was made to kill the character off and producers planned a terminal cancer storyline. It also highlighted the importance of skin checks to detect melanoma and helped raise awareness for a British charity. The character died during the episode titled "I'll Walk You Home", broadcast on 7 June 2016. Ostlere reprised the role for guest appearances in 2017 and 2022. Critics of the show have often commented on Arthur's professional skills. Katy Moon of Inside Soap said that Arthur's bedside manner is non-existent. Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror branded him "very bright" but lacking surgical excellence when under pressure.