He looks so sad (and rather like Rufus Sewell) there.

A good ep tonight.

The Dom and Lofty storyline is really well-written and acted. I felt sorry for Lofty when everyone was laughing at him in the chicken suit. Dom can be a bit thoughtless at times, and this was one of them. It was especially sad, given that we later found out that Lofty had been upset over Robyn, Max and Charlotte being in the fire (well done, Holby writers, for including that reference to Lofty's friends in the ED!). Lofty's face at the end brought a lump to my throat - so poignant.

The little girl who plays Jac's daughter is hilarious! The face she pulled when Jac was having a go at Fletch's son was just brilliant! :D She's also very, very cute!

I liked the scenes between Jac and Fletch. 'Jacula' cracked me up! :D

Guy Self was being a prize git again!

Almost forgotten (not been able to go to many gigs lately just how beautifull he is. That last shot was stunning

Stunning is the word, Maggie!


Lofty bits are on the website, as well as the hilarious "behind-the-scenes" video posted by BBC/Holby. Love the "ad lib"

I've just been watching the latest episode of 'Victoria'. Rufus Sewell is so charismatic! I'm finding myself longing for Victoria to dump the rather wet Albert and run off with the divine Lord M!

I'd really, really love it if Rufus was cast as Lofty's dad! The two of them on-screen together would be just...*THUD*

Looks like Lee is hitting the red carpet tonight, and he's looking good!

Lee Mead‏ @leemeadofficial 5m
5 minutes ago

Tux on. Heading to the @InsideSoapMag awards for @BBCHolbyCity and presenting an award with Mr @semadivad tonight :)

LINKY THING

Well, HELLO new desktop background! Thanks, Jo!

An interesting ep.

Frederick is creepy, as is his wife! It's like they were lifted from a horror film or something! They need to tone down the 'psycho nutter' vibes a bit, because it's a bit OTT creepy at the moment.

How come Dom was losing his temper, etc, when Lofty caught him taking steroids, yet the symptoms have magically disappeared, to the point that no-one is aware he's still taking them?

I had to laugh when Lofty was telling Frederick that Hanssen was "...a bit weird.."

Guy has gone really odd. He probably knows he's dying.

The Donna thing was daft. Not least the lighting quick delivery of all the items she bought online!

I have a bad feeling about Frederick. I hope he doesn't hurt Dom...or Lofty!

I agree about Frederick - although I love that Lofty calls him "Freddie"

Lofty bits are on the website!

Given the way Lofty was around Frederick, I did wonder if he was maybe attracted to him? His expression in that screencap (where he's looking at Frederick) is interesting. He's certainly in awe of Frederick, but will that change?

Some interesting stuff this week.

I wonder if Guy is suffering from some kind of illness and is self-medicating with alcohol? I felt for Zosia, but her constant pained expression is getting on my nerves a bit. She's handled the situation with her dad badly, waiting until the last possible moment to report him. Ollie was right, she should have dealt with him the way she would have done if he wasn't her dad.

Why am I not surprised that Guy has written an autobiography! 'Head Space' is quite a good title, though I would have gone with 'Head Case'!

Donna has steadily grown on me. I'm glad she didn't fall for Jarrod's pressure to make another go of their marriage. He's a creep. Also, if he's sitting around all day (due to his injury), why hadn't he bothered to get off his backside to see the girls? She's definitely better off without him.

I loved the patient (Jarrod's new g/f) getting giddy over Ric! The GILF line made me ! He is handsome, though, and his voice is divine!

The Bowie impersonator/tribute act brought both levity and poignancy to proceedings. It was a while before I realised he was Kevin Kennedy (Curly from Corrie).

Lofty made me feel ancient when he asked who Alvin Stardust was!

I thought that Lofty might end up helping Dom with wedding stuff. I thought that was sweet, especially as he wasn't even going to the thing! I loved Dom's reaction when Lofty told him he'd sorted out the alcohol (though what if people don't like gin?) and retro sweets (I wonder if there will be liquorice torpedos or aniseed balls? ).

I thought it was lovely of Dom to blag Lofty an invite to the wedding. Though as Freddie (Dom's new boyfriend) is also going to be there, I sense that things are going to get very interesting next week!

Blimey, that was quite an ep!

I suppose it was too much to ask that Zosia would actually be cheerful on her wedding day. I feel sorry for Ollie. Why were all the guests uninvited? Were we given a reason? I'm guessing the BBC couldn't afford to have loads of the cast there, but I found it odd that Morven and Donna weren't there, at least.

The house where the wedding took place was lovely. Was it really Brocket Hall (home of Queen Victoria's first PM, Lord Melbourne)?

Guy Self got completely wasted very quickly. He also managed to eat that massive cake very quickly...and didn't throw up! Quite an achievement!

Freddie seems to have undergone a personality transplant since his last appearance in the show - I'm sure he wasn't such a git last time! What was his problem with Lofty? All Lofty did was walk into the room, and Freddie was calling him a 'waste of space'! I thought that was really sad - I actually got a lump in my throat! Then when Dom told Lofty he'd been uninvited... Lofty was so lovely throughout the events at the wedding (even stepping forward to help Guy back to his room), which made the situation all the more sad.

Dom and Lofty...blimey! So it finally happened! Let's face it, if it's going to happen, a stately home is the place for it to happen...and they managed to miss all the drama with Guy, and the arrival of the ambulance! There are going to be some interesting screencaps from this week's ep, that's for sure!

In tonight's ep, we had Lofty in a tux, Lofty in a tight grey t-shirt and Lofty in...er...bed! It was certainly a feast for the eyes! Oh, and I loved Lofty's expression when he opened the door to Dom (looking very 'Mr Darcy' in his white shirt) and Dom asked if he could come in. That smile was naughty!

Incidentally, when Dom mentioned all Lofty's stuff, I did wonder if, perhaps, Lofty is homeless - hence having all his stuff with him?

Yes, it is Brocket Hall. The same venue as the infamous EastEnders wedding, where Ronnie and Roxy both drowned. Just as well the Holby lot avoided the swimming pool!

I'm sure someone mentioned that Zoshia had cancelled most of the arrangements (and guests) after the previous episode with her father. Not sure, I'd need to watch again.

As for Lofty and Dom .... somehow I don't think it will all be plain sailing for them. It is a soap after all! Looking forward to the screencaps .....

Well, well, well . . . wasn't that "interesting"?

Poor Lofty. I know there has to be drama but I just don't want to see Lofty hurt!!! It's sort of like . . . killing a mockingbird. (Do you all know that book? Sorry if it's only a US reference. lol)

You asked for screen caps . . . here's a taster. More on the website. Sunny-mead had such a difficult task this week.

Now that's what I call a screencap!

Lofty is a sweet, sensitive guy, so I don't want to see him get hurt, but sadly I can see it happening. I just hope that Dom doesn't get back with the odious Freddie!

TKAM is also a well-known book (and film) here.

Oh, good to know about TKAMB - thanks, jo. One thing I've learned in this website "collaboration" is how really far apart UK/US can be even in our similarities. So I hesitate to take anything for granted . . .

I love that it's happening but as I mentioned in a later post, would have liked it to have happened a little more slowly. Don't get me wrong, I really want this pairing, but I wanted a 'first date' story, and little gradual things like that. But as somebody else said, this is soap and everything's rushed in soaps.

I'm quite worried for Lofty, to be honest.

I'm just watching the 'Lofty Bits'.

Freddie! I noticed that he actually said to Dom "Your favourite waste of space is here!" Hmmm...interesting.

Lofty and Freddie sat together...I bet Freddie loved that!

Lofty helping Guy back to his room. So touching!

How did Lofty end up at the top of the table with the bride and groom?

Freddie going off with Ollie's Best Man - I sense a spark there, despite Ollie's mum's best efforts to flirt with him!

Lofty: "I never should have sta***!" So sad!

Lofty's smile when Dom asks if he can come into his room - naughty boy!

Lofty's room is the MILTON room. Any significance? The camera zooms in on the nameplate.

All Lofty's stuff - is he homeless? Also why are there a pair of underpants (blue checked boxer shorts) hanging over the footboard of Lofty's bed?

Lofty getting changed out of his suit was a bit pointless, considering that very tight t-shirt is going to come off in a minute!

Blimey, the kiss!

Aah, the lingering shot of Lofty and Dom asleep in bed.

Blimey, all those missed calls! Dom will be in for a shock when he finds out that he and Lofty managed to miss all the commotion of a medical emergency, plus the arrival of an ambulance, paramedics stomping along the landing, dealing with the casualty, stomping back along the landing with the casualty, and the departure of the ambulance!

Now I'm checking out the screencaps vid. Freddie's face in some of those pics is brilliant! There's one pic (at 49 secs) where he's glancing at Lofty, which says it all!

Dom's trousers are too short and tight. It seems to be the fashion at the moment, but it just looks like his trousers have shrunk in the wash!

Another odd ep tonight.

Thank God Zosia is going. Her unrelenting misery is draining! Why did she take her rings off? That was just weird.

What did Guy inject into himself? Do they usually leave trollies full of drugs and syringes next to a patient's bed?

I'm glad that Dom dumped Freddie - he (Freddie) is violent, as he proved when he punched Lofty. I couldn't believe that Dom actually was considering forgiving Freddie at one point, especially considering what a git he'd been at the wedding, and the fact that he left. It almost seemed like that was forgotten. In fact, I don't think it was mentioned at all, by either Dom or Freddie.

I felt sorry for Lofty - punched by Freddie, admonished by Sacha (even though it was Freddie who attacked him, so it was Freddie's fault the wound reopened) and dumped by Dom, who didn't let him speak. Had he done so, Lofty would probably have pointed out that he had feelings for Dom long before they actually had sex! I found Dom a bit patronising there. I half expected him to add "It's not me, it's you!" It would have made more sense for Dom to say that he needed time alone, which would have been fair enough, but the excuse he used made no sense.

I think Dom is a weak character in some ways. He allowed the situation to get as bad as it did by breaking up with Freddie on hospital premises, instead of waiting until they'd left. In fact, why did he tell Freddie he'd slept with someone? That seemed completely unnecessary. Again, a simple "This isn't working out!" would have done the job.

On the plus side, it gave Lofty a really good storyline which will carry on into the next series. And Lee acts heartache so well.

I was sooooooo sad after last night's episode!

I've never been a fan of Dom - even less now - but I did understand his comment to Lofty that he felt Lofty was over-emotional since it had been his "first time". He actually seemed trying to be noble and not take advantage of Lofty.

But, poor Lofty!! Just as we expected/feared. Definitely like shooting a mockingbird.

Lofty bits are on the website - I'll be watching again as soon as I land in hot and sunny So Cal this evening.

Au revoir, LoveLee London ...

Safe journey home Lin - though don't envy you the long flight. See you next year.

Hope you've had (or are still having) a good flight, Lin.

Lee does play heartbreak so well. It's those sad eyes. With one look, he can break your heart. It's also those little moments that just floor me. Last week, when he said "I should never have sta***!", and this week, when he said "It meant something to me!" Funnily enough, all the hysteria from Zosia left me unmoved, but there were some Lofty moments that had me in bits.

I was looking for some info on Holby characters' ages and came across a Wiki page about Holby with links about each character (but no ages, frustratingly). Anyway, here's Lofty's:-

LINKY THING

I'd forgotten about the 'less than ordinary background' thing. That was never explored in 'Casualty'. I wonder if it will be in 'Holby'? It would be interesting to know what's so 'less than ordinary' about Lofty's background. Very wealthy parents? Gay or Lesbian? Criminals? Dad (or mum) is a Vicar? Hippies? Perhaps his parents are gypsies/travellers? I can't recall any 'Casualty' or 'Holby' character being from a gypsy/traveller background before, so it would certainly be a 'first' if that was the case.

I don't remember this bit being mentioned on either 'Casualty' or 'Holby':-

"Lofty is a trained nurse who, prior to his introduction, was living with his parents and using their money to party. Lofty repeatedly told his parents that he would apply for a job and find a house, which he never did. His parents grew tired of him and his father asked him to move out so Lofty lied and told them he had found a house."

Why would he have lied about finding a house?

Also, I didn't know that Lee auditioned for the role of Fletch in 2010!

It would be great to have more information on Lofty's parents - I'd love him to come from a gypsy/traveller background.

It would be interesting to see Dom's reaction to Lofty being a Gypsy/Traveller. I was reading the wiki page for Dom, and he was a total git to begin with, when he first arrived! He was a 'bad boy', who was mani****tive and liked to play the victim.

LINKY THING

I think Lofty has completely thrown him. It certainly took him a long time to 'get' Lofty and realise that he was genuinely lovely.

No Lofty/Dom tonight. I wanted to see the aftermath of last week's events.

Ollie is now saying that he and Zosia are over, which is contradicting what was said last week. Inconsistant writing there.

I wondered if Nina had something to do with Nico's disappearance, but she wouldn't have hired a PI if that was the case.

Frederick has a 'potential serial killer' vibe going on. There's a definite God complex brewing there.

I was getting 'DOFTY' flashbacks while watching 'Victoria' tonight. Two gay men, sexual tension between them, stately home (in Scotland) and furtive kiss! Though it didn't end with the two in bed together. In fact it seemed a bit chaste, compared to Lofty and Dom 'getting it on'!

My thoughts on tonight's ep:-

Much as I find Parker annoying, would it not have been better to have him stay in Holby to complete his education (or at last the rest of the school term), rather than randomly uprooting him with no notice? Personally, I wouldn't trust his gormless mother with a tortoise, never mind a teenage boy...and two babies!

Some good stuff between Fletch and Jac. I love Fletch's ringtones, especially the funeral march for Hanssen!

Holby City Hospital needs to beef up its security, if people can just wander the corridors! OK, so the corridor wanderer wasn't a homicidal maniac, he was just a relative of a patient, looking for answers, but he could have been a homicidal maniac!

When Hanssen made his little speech of doom at the end (dinners with Frederick must be a riot! ), I half expected a loud clap of thunder and a flash of lighting to accompany it!

I'd love to have seen more of the sloth look-alike pics! I thought the Raf one looked more like Lofty! Stick a black curly wig on it and it would have been a dead ringer!

I was just thinking of other animal look-alikes:-

Hanssen - Vulture
Frederick - Ostrich
Sacha - Old English Sheepdog
Nina - Emu
Matteo - Black Panther
Dom - Meerkat
Jac - Sphinx cat
Raf -Scottie dog
Essie - Lemur
Morven - Fox
Donna - Poodle
Ric - Lion
Damon - Bear cub

Some thoughts on tonight's ep:-

I'm surprised at the nonsense about Ollie supposedly being boring. Damon is there to learn from Ollie, not party with him! I'm also shocked at someone casually spending £400 (and actually having that amount on them!). That's loads of money!

Frederick is teetering on the edge. He's desperate for that trial to happen! I was slightly confused when his wife left. Why? There seemed to be no reason for her to go.

I liked the interaction between Frederick and Lofty - it would be interesting to see more of that. I get the impression that Lofty is a bit in awe of him. I loved Lofty's reaction to seeing the inside of the organ on the TV screen, and Hanssen's response!

Raf definitely got the looks in his family! How the heck does his brother get all those women?

Lofty and Dom is another strange one. We had Lofty trying to talk to Dom all ep, then suddenly running past him at the end, blurting out that he was transferring to AAU! I did like that Dom was suddenly the one who was wrong footed by Lofty, though. I look forward to seeing what happens next. Incidentally, why has there suddenly been a mass exodus to AAU from Keller?

I've only seen the Lofty bits so far - they are up on the website - but I did like that he left Dom at a loss for words!

Now to watch the entire episode.

Fun bit of "cleanliness" on the home page - check it out!

Good to see Lofty adhering to the strict hospital hygiene rules!

My thoughts on tonight's ep:-

Why doesn't Nina just tell Matteo she's pregnant? It's all a bit daft!

The live kidney transplant seemed to happen very quickly! Come to think of it, all operations at Holby seem to be done at lightening speed!

Poor Ollie - I felt for him, with the neurosurgeon woman bringing back painful memories. I loved Damon at the end in the lift!

Lofty was lovely with 'Mrs O'. When he was rooting through her bag, I thought he was going to find something unpleasant/illegal? I wonder if he identified with her because of his own loneliness? Also, her hoarding reminded me of Lofty's overloaded suitcase in the wedding ep. I wonder if Lofty will end up with Mrs O's cat, Major Marmalade?

Blimey, Nina's supporting Frederick over Dom? What does Frederick have to do to get called on his behaviour and actually punished? Kill someone?

Ooh, a lingering look between Dom and Lofty across the bar!

Frederick saying "Trust Me!" is all kinds of creepy! I'm reminded of the snake in The Jungle Book!

Aww Lofty was so lovely with Mrs O.
He had real empathy and kindness as well as some good diagnosing skills.

That was just the kind of medical related story I've been wanting for Lofty.

No Lofty tonight, but a nice little mention (though not by name) in a conversation between Dom and Sacha.

Dom and Frederick are like stroppy kids!

Blimey, Frederick's twitch when Dom knocked on Hanssen's office door! If I was Dom, I'd be watching my back!

Why is Amira back? I'm with Jac on that one!

Was it Donna who forgot to request the coagulants?

Blimey, Frederick is positively murderous! I hope he's not going to go after Dom. If he does, I have an uneasy feeling that Lofty might get caught up in it!

I'm liking the scenes between Fletch and Jac.

My thoughts on tonight's ep:-

I love Hanssen! He's a seriously cool dude!

I'm surprised that Jac wasn't in this ep, with all the merger stuff going on. Talking of which, I wonder if St Francis will close instead, with staff coming to Holby from there?

The impotent patient made me , especially with his comment about Ollie's stubble and Matteo's hair!

The 'patient with a tag' story was a bit weird. Donna forgave her in super quick time. Also 'man whose mum died' seems to spend every waking moment hanging around the hospital! Now his mum's case is going to court, he should be staying away!

The new post surgery recovery programme sounds interesting, but what happens if someone starts bleeding (which seems to happen in every ep)? By the time they've 'speed-dialled' Dom (or whoever) and he's arrived, you could be dead?

Frederick is still sending out 'on the edge of a monumental melt-down' vibes. The way he was glaring at Dom in the operating theatre - if looks could kill, Dom would be in the mortuary by now!

Lofty is lovely. His guess (about the 'patient with a tag' being an insurance fraudster) amused me. I was hoping that the conversation about Morven's mum would lead to him mentioning something about his mum.

We're still waiting (not so)patiently for some backstory on Lofty, aren't we?

Maybe it's time for an email campaign to Holby powers-that-be?

Lofty bits are on the website.

I noticed that Lofty's pacifism was revisited last night when Morven said she felt like giving someone a good kicking, and Lofty replied that he wouldn't advocate doing that. I'm surprised that 'Casualty' did such a good ep on it (the one where Lofty refuses to buy a red poppy and Iain gives him a hard time over it, only for Lofty to end up performing an act of courage by resucing someone later that day), but didn't explain why Lofty was a pacifist.

It occurred to me that we don't even know Lofty's mum's name! We know his dad's (Arthur) and that he was Robyn and Max's landlord, because it was mentioned during Lofty's first 'Casualty' ep, but we know nothing about his mum.

I feel in some ways Lofty's move to AAU is a backward step in terms of advancing his storyline (I do hope I'm wrong), and that he is back to merely dealing with patients a la Casualty, so that we find out nothing more about him.

At the moment his (non)relationship with Dom has taken a back seat and I can't see how it will reignite unless he goes back to Keller.

There are quite a few new characters due to start in Holby over the next few months (personally, I can't wait for Paul McGann to join as a new consultant, and the return of 'Serena'), so it will be interesting to see if anything develops from this.

The move to AAU did seem odd, but I can understand why Lofty feels unable to work with Dom at the moment. It was also a wake-up call for Dom. I think the relationship between Lofty and Dom will be revisited in the near ***ure - we had the lingering look across the bar a couple of weeks ago, then last week, Sacha asked Dom if he was missing a 'certain someone' and pointed out that he was just along the corridor.

Incidentally, I think Sacha is the only person who knows what went on between Lofty and Dom at the wedding (Zosia also knows, but she's gone to the US).

I was delighted by Lofty's pacifist comment. It was a joy to find out that my favourite character had my beliefs when I saw the Poppy Day episode. Although I always joke that I'm a pacifist, but I wish for Karma twice as hard as everybody else.

I'm having misgivings about the move to AAU. The Lofty/Dom storyline seemed so good and then it was put into the background. I hope the scriptwriters aren't doing this to appease any homophobics who've complained. But I have another theory - didn't Jane say Lee had mentioned he was working part weeks for a while? It might be easier to have him in the AAU while that's happening. Let's hope the new year sees him back on Keller and back with Dom.

I think the 'Holby City Hospital in danger' storyline has somewhat taken over during the past few weeks, which has meant the Dom and Lofty storyline has rather been sidelined. I doubt it's down to complaints - the Dom and Isaac storyline was a big one (with added Domestic Violence), and I don't recall any controversy over that. Dom has also had previous boyfriends/relationships, so I can't see why this storyline with Lofty would be sidelined due to complaints.

Oh that's a relief. I was a bit disheartened when I saw all the negative posts on Facebook although to be fair I kicked off royally about them! Our Janet says I need to be more careful about giving my opinion online, as one day a psychotic person could be reading it, take objection, and next thing it'll be goodbye Annie!

I think that's just wishful thinking on her part.

When Essie asked Dom if he was disappointed not to have been at her wedding, I did wonder if he was thinking about the last wedding he went to?

Ollie is annoying me - he should be concentrating on his own presentation, not following his rival around.

Morven was right - Lofty shouldn't have been searching for her mum without her permission. I did feel sorry for him, though. He's always being shouted at.

Is it a good idea for Essie to tell Sacha she's married before he goes into the operating theatre?

Lofty is right about Morven treating her mum.

A sentient tumour!

Blimey, the "You're my mum!" speech went well...not! Morven's mum seems to be putting all the responsibility for getting in contact on Morven, which is unfair.

I wish they'd make Ollie less of a whinging wimp.

Blimey, Medusa the tumour is huge!

Ollie being selfless.

Morven's mum is a bit of a cow.

The rubber glove balloons!

I was hoping we'd get a scene with Morven and Lofty patching things up. That aspect of the storyline just tailed off. We didn't even find out why Lofty decided to search for Morven's mum.

And Lofty wasn't at the after-party so no longing looks between him and Dom!!!!

I'm missing them together . . .

Lofty bits are on the website. And just a reminder that we do have a link to the whole episode in case anyone missed it or can't watch online since they're not in the UK (like me).

Lofty was very wrong there. He meant well but rules are there for a reason in a hospital. I know it's been mentioned before that Lee said he was working part weeks lately and I wonder if this is the way they're getting round it, putting him in the beginning of an episode but not at the end. It did make that episode feel very unfinished. I wonder if the part weeks are so Lee can make the WW1 film that he's mentioned before?

I found the writing a bit frustrating on last night's ep, re: Lofty. It started out well, but it petered out, leaving more questions than answers. We didn't even get any explanation as to why Lofty wasn't at Albie's for the wedding celebration, and no-one mentioned him.

I wondered if Lofty's loneliness is going to be examined - I could see things getting on top of him, what with blaming himself for the ED nurse's death, the thing with Alice/Lenny, Dom and now the business with Morven's mum. There's also the situation with his parents. Blimey, that's a lot for one person to deal with on his own.

Just thought I'd mention that, although Lee said at his last Pheasantry gig he was working fewer days at present, I'm sure he also said he had some big story lines coming up. The ones currently being broadcast would have been filmed some months ago. We'll have to wait and see .