Following Arthur's sudden death, best friend Dominic Copeland struggles to cope in next week's Holby City – and Sacha is on the receiving end of his grief.
As everyone at the hospital grieves for Arthur (Rob Ostlere), who tragically lost his battle with cancer, consultant Sacha Levy (Bob Barrett) is concerned about Dom. But the young doctor just wants to focus on work to take his mind off things.
"Dom doesn’t deal with things very well and tends to just suppress his feelings," said David Ames, who plays him. "In situations like this, he reverts back to a way he used to act, which is to be very emotionally cut off."
Things don't quite go to plan, however, when Dom deals with a patient, Marisa, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Arthur! But Dom insists on seeing Marisa’s case through when scans reveal she has internal bleeding and will need surgery.
Sacha, however, doesn't think Dom’s in the right headspace to lead the op – and it seems he’s right when Dom freezes in theatre and Sacha’s forced to take over. Dom is furious and confronts Sacha!
"Dom doesn’t know how to channel his emotions so, short of breaking down and crying, he feels pushed to a point where he sees no other way, but to get very, very angry," said David. "It's a tumultuous time for him."
There's worse to come when Dom then flips out in front of the entire ward… and Holby boss Hanssen (Guy Henry) sees his outburst. Has Dom put his career in jeopardy?
David reckons Dom has really grown as a character in recent months, so he certainly hopes not.
"Dom had such questionable morals and standards when he first arrived at Holby," he said. "But having people with such strong moral compasses like Sacha, Ric and Hanssen to help him, he has managed to find a good path and become a better person, a better colleague and a better friend."
Holby City continues next Thursday on BBC1. Transmission is subject to change throughout June, due to coverage of Euro 2016.
