Am I the only person not enjoying this romance? I do not enjoy seeing Lee Mead kissing another man.

Well I must admit I would have liked his first on screen romance to have been with a girl.But I guess I am getting on a bit and it seems to be the norm on TV these days. Have always though even when he was in Casualty how strange none of the nurses noticed how georg. he is

I think it's been really well done. It's been a slow burn, so we've seen it gradually build, rather than coming from nowhere, which has made it more believable and allowed us to get to know both characters. It also helps that there's great on-screen chemistry between the two actors. The writing has also been spot-on. It's easy for a gay storyline to end up being clichéd, but this really hasn't felt that way. It's had moments of humour, but has also, at times, been achingly sad.

I'm really pleased that Lofty is being fleshed out by the Holby writers.

Well, I think it's well known that I'm in favour of gay love - I've been 'in trouble' for defending this storyline on Facebook recently. I love the pairing between Dom and Lofty, but I do have a small objection to this plot. Just as in a straight storyline, I felt it was too early for total commitment. I'd have liked to have seen a build-up of this romance, with, for example, a first date. A lovely slow burn. I knew that it would happen eventually but I feel a little like somebody who was looking forward to Christmas and then been given their present three months early... I would have liked to wait.

I suspect that there will be a few bumps in the road before Dom and Lofty officially become a couple.

I hope so; it would make their story more interesting. Not that it isn't now, but hazards always make a good plot even better.

I understand all the points being made and am not against love between members of the same sex.It is entirely their own business. I just think that those who cast Lee Mead as gay were being perverse.
I also think that he is showing good acting skills and sensitivity and hope that that side of his character is developed and the "Lofty is a bit of a fool" element is dropped.

I was surprised when I heard that Lofty was going to be gay, but it worked. I think it helped that Lofty didn't have any relationships in 'Casualty', so there was no indication of his sexual orientation prior to him coming into 'Holby'. He was essentially a blank canvas.

I don't think Lofty is a fool. I think he's often underestimated by people, in part because he's gentle and doesn't say much. But he's actually pretty observant, and seems to pick up on things. I thought he handled Guy brilliantly - that was a touching scene when he helped him back to his room.

There are still some mysteries about Lofty, and I'm looking forward to finding out more about him.

I don't think it's perverse at all. It's acting. Many straight people play gay characters. I'd be quite sad if he was cast as somebody violent but I'd just think of it as a chance to show his skills.

I loved the bit where he helped Guy back to his room as well. Quiet, gentle authority. Lovely.

I was very disappointed when I heard Lofty was to be gay. Let me explain.

I get a lot of stick over Lee from our local pub. OH's friends know all about me following Lee all over the country and going to his shows goodness knows how many times. When it was announced he was going into Casualty as a nurse, they all fell about laughing, saying he was gay (the old stereotype, male nurse = gay). This so anno*** me, as Casualty does seem to have had more than its fair share of gay nurses over the years, and I did think they had done this to death. As we all know, nothing was said about Lofty's sexuality in Casualty and the pub teasing stopped.

Then Holby. OH (the so-and-so) couldn't wait to tell his mates that Lofty was gay after all. You can imagine the laughter. I didn't go there for a fortnight, until they had forgotten about it.

I have to say I was cringing as I watched the first episodes, knowing what the pub lot would say, but Lee pla*** it all so well, and actually they haven't said anything to me about it. What worries me is that I live in Essex, not too far from Southend, and I just have this horror that one day someone will come into the pub who knows Lee and will hear them all in full flow.

It has to be said that the blokes in the pub are, shall we say, not exactly liberal in their views. Having said that, one guy, who is the most bigoted individual it has ever been my displeasure to meet, has gay friends. Knowing him, we were staggered to find this out. But I digress.

Lee is an actor. Lofty is a character. I think sometimes the difference gets a bit blurred! There is so much of Lofty's character still to be explored, and I wonder how much we will ever find out. I do think that things will not go smoothly with Dom (at least for the time being). I think Dom will wake up and be absolutely devastated at not being there for Zosia when she needed him and will somehow blame Lofty. There have been photos of Lee/Lofty (see? I'm doing it now!) on another ward, so my theory is there will be a big fall out and Lofty will be moved away from Keller. What will happen after that with him and Dom is anyone's guess!

I like that Lofty isn't a clichéd gay character. He's just an ordinary guy who happens to be gay.

I hope that Dom doesn't blame Lofty for him not 'being there' for Zosia. It was Dom who went to Lofty's room, and instigated the kiss (which led to...er...other things! ). I suspect that Lofty might blame himself.

Liz, that's a perfectly logical reason for not wanting Lofty be gay when you first found out. Gay characters can often be badly written and cliched but as long as they keep plenty of other situations for him - more of his background would be greatly appreciated. I had to smile when I read about your homphobic friend in the pub - I used to work with a man who once said to me "I don't like gays, and I know it's wrong of me but I can't help it'. How could I dislike him after he stated that it was his problem and not theirs?

I've said before on another post that I'd have to bite my tongue, or at least choose my words very carefully, if Lee ever pla*** a racist or a homophobic, or a man who liked to slap women around? If anybody's worried that people might think Lee's gay in real life, intelligent people will always separate the character from the actor. How many people believe Tom Cruise is really a vampire or that Johnny Depp is really a pirate?

Surely this is what being an actor is all about, doing something out of your
comfort zone. Lee is proving that he is a good actor and as he has said in
interviews, that as long as the story line is well written he is happy to
play it. This is a challenge for Lee and he is doing a brilliant job.

I expect that if Lee was cast as a villian some people wouldn't like it,
but Lee has said he would love to play a nasty character at some point.