Man Down (Holby City)

"Man Down" is the thirty-fifth episode of the twentieth series of the British medical drama television series Holby City, and the 938th episode of the overall series. The episode was written by Michelle Lipton and directed by Tracey Rooney, and premiered on BBC One on 28 August 2018. The plot sees Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett), who has depression, contemplate suicide on the roof of Holby City Hospital after the death of long-term patient Connor Barrat (Luke Higgins), with whom he has bonded. The episode features flashbacks to scenes set at key moments within the previous year, which are portrayed from Sacha's perspective. Lipton reread scripts from the past year when developing the flashbacks.

The episode was announced on 10 August 2018, where the show's executive producer, Simon Harper, teased the exploration of a year in the mind of a "beloved, vulnerable character".^[2] The episode serves as a climax to a story exploring Sacha's mental health, which began in series 18 (2016). Barrett felt honoured to have a whole episode assigned to the story. Holby City worked with the British mental health charity Mind to accurately portray the story and Barrett researched the subject further, speaking to friends and medical professionals with mental health issues and those who have attempted suicide.

Filming for the episode took place at the BBC Elstree Centre studios and involved filming on the rooftop across two days. To showcase Sacha's agitation on the roof, Rooney opted to use a camera on a gimbal rather than a traditional Steadicam, which Barrett felt benefited his performance. For Sacha's suicidal scenes, Barrett had to walk onto the edge of the roof using only a harness and rope; he chose to perform his own stunts rather than use a stuntman. The actor suffers from vertigo and was initially scared about filming on the roof, but he channelled his fears into his acting.

"Man Down" was promoted through a series of trailers and cast members being interviewed on television. The episode received a positive response from television critics. Cydney Yeates of the Daily Star and Duncan Lindsay of the Metro agreed that it was "one of [Holby City's] most emotional episodes to date".^[2][3] Lindsay's colleague, Sue Haasler, also enjoyed the episode, calling it "a powerful hour of television" with excellent performances from the core cast.^[4] The episode was submitted as the show's entry at the 2019 Broadcast Awards, where judges praised Rooney's direction and Lipton's character development.