Holby looks like it may have its very own McDreamy in the form of new Italian consultant Matteo Rossini, played by actor Christian Vit, who tells us more
Matteo Rossini, Darwin's new locum consultant, certainly ruffles Jac Naylor's feathers when he arrives at BBC1's Holby on Tuesday. Christian Vit reveals why the pair are immediately at war...
Consultant Matteo Rossini certainly makes a bold entrance when he arrives at Holby next week… on a horse! What more can you tell us? "Matteo makes a very grand entrance which reflects the man he is; assertive, romantic and passionate. Filming with the horse was amazing. Since I arrived in the UK, the roles I've played, I've been paired with a horse several times, so it's quite funny that my first scene is with a horse!"
What does Jac make of him when they first meet? "Jac doesn't seem to like him – but she has that attitude with everyone, so why would Matteo get different treatment?"
How would you describe Matteo as a person and as a consultant? "Matteo's a very well-travelled, well-educated doctor, who has gained a lot of experience all over the world, so he's very skilled. He's Italian, so he finds it easy to charm the people around him."
Matteo manages to do anything but 'charm' Jac, though, when he tries to muscle in on her patient, Lauren. Why does he have to get involved? "Matteo wants to establish straight away how skilled he is, so he insists on getting involved with Lauren's case because he sees it as a chance to put his hands on something quite unusual. Plus, he actually likes challenges, so he'll try and click with difficult people like Jac rather than step back."
As Jac continues to be riled by Matteo, she finds out something about him that REALLY annoys her. What is that? "Jac finds out by searching online that Matteo was part of the team in Berlin who stole the Digby Stent research. Matteo's an honest guy, though, and he basically took something without being 100 per cent sure of where it was coming from. But he absolutely didn't do it on purpose to hurt Jac or to 'steal' – and he's genuine when says that."
Jac's not convinced, though, is she and decides to fight fire with fire. What does she do? "Jac wants pay back, so she tells Ric she's the one who thinks they should operate on Lauren, when it's actually Matteo, to take the credit. While Matteo immediately realises what kind of character Jac is, he also thinks: 'What a woman!' and he's intrigued…"
Do you think these two will ever be friends? "I don't know, we'll see. At the moment, they're like cat and mouse. He's certainly going to try and win Jac over with his Italian charm – but he's seen that Jac can be tough, so he has to tread carefully. With Jac, he knows he'll always be on thin ice!"
Are you anything like Matteo? "Oh, the passionate part, of course. I am a very passionate man. When I do something I put my heart and soul into it."
How are you enjoying playing a doctor? And are you squeamish at all? "I'm really enjoying it actually. Before I started playing this role, I shadowed a real surgeon and went to the hospital to witness some operations and I was a little afraid because you never know what your reaction is going to be.
"I was told that when medical students first see a scalpel touch the skin, they faint. So I made sure I kept a safe distance away from the patient because I was afraid I'd faint, but luckily that didn't happen! I'm actually fascinated by all the different procedures and I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty."
Holby City continues on Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC1.
