| Serena Campbell | |
|---|---|
| Holby City character | |
 Catherine Russell as Serena Campbell | |
| First appearance | "Coercion" 1 May 2012 |
| Last appearance | "Episode 1102" 29 March 2022 |
| Portrayed by | Catherine Russell |
| Spinoff(s) | Casualty (2019) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation |
|
| Family | Adrienne McKinnie (mother) Marjorie Haynes (half-sister) Jason Haynes (nephew) |
| Spouse | Edward Campbell (divorced) |
| Significant other | Robbie Medcalf Bernie Wolfe |
| Children | Elinor Campbell (daughter) |
Serena Campbell is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by Catherine Russell. She first appeared in the fourteenth series episode "Coercion", broadcast on 1 May 2012. Serena is a consultant general surgeon and formerly Holby General Hospital's deputy CEO. She was introduced along with two other regular characters by the show's then executive producer Johnathan Young, who wanted more "truthful and complicated" characters in the series. Serena was originally Frankie Renard, but the name was changed as the producers thought it was "terrible". Russell auditioned for the role and attended a second call back where she was made up in Serena's costume and make-up. After being cast, the actress was given advice about Serena's profession from a female surgeon to help her prepare for the part. Aspects of Russell's personality traits were incorporated into the character of Serena after she was cast.
Serena is portrayed as being candid, professional, manipulative and efficient. She also has an MBA from Harvard University making her a good manager, as well as a good surgeon. Russell commented that Serena did not care what people thought about her. Serena was brought to the hospital by Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) to help the place run more efficiently. She immediately clashed with Ric Griffin (Hugh Quarshie). Further exploration of Serena's background began when her mother, Adrienne (Sandra Voe), and daughter, Elinor (Charlotte Hope; Amy McCallum), were introduced, followed by her ex-husband, Edward (Aden Gillett), in 2013. He and Serena briefly reconciled until she learned that he was a secret alcoholic. Serena also faced disappointment when she was passed over for the job of CEO again. In 2014, she had to cope with Adrienne's vascular dementia diagnosis and the worsening of her condition.
Producers created a long-lost sister and nephew for Serena in 2016. Her nephew, Jason Haynes (Jules Robertson), has Asperger syndrome and Serena takes over his care. She was also given a love interest in the form of police officer Robbie Medcalf (Mark Healy). Serena was paired with trauma surgeon Bernie Wolfe (Jemma Redgrave) in late 2016, first professionally and later romantically. Russell took a break in early 2017 to star in a play and returned the following year. After seven years in the role, Russell made the decision to leave Holby City, and her final scenes aired on 21 January 2020. She reprised the role in 2022 for the show's final series, along with Redgrave. Both the character and Russell's portrayal of her have received a positive response from television critics.