Nathan Spencer
Encyclopedia
Nathan Spencer is a character in the British medical drama Casualty
. He is portrayed by actor Ben Price
.
, even threatening to remove Harry from his post because he consistently refused to make any sort of (financial) compromise with patient care.
Displaying character traits of being a jobsworth
and a stickler for the rules, Nathan took great pleasure in installing a large plasma TV screen in the middle of the department to enforce the "four-hour rule", a government directive in which all A&E patients must be seen, treated, and admitted/discharged within four hours of arrival. However, in blatant disregard of his own rules, on one occasion Nathan had his own mother admitted ahead of all those currently queued in the system.
Harry Harper
continued to clash with Nathan, so in another attempt to get rid of him, Nathan fabricated a charge of sexual harassment against him and persuaded Alice to make a complaint. Harry was suspended, but Alice became suspicious and withdrew her allegation when it threatened to devastate Harry's election campaign. Nathan was forced to confess all to Selena, who ended their engagement.
When Harry was unexpectedly elected as Holby's new MP (he stood for Parliament in a bid to save the Emergency Department from closure), Nathan installed wildcard Australian Theo "Stitch" Lambert as the new consultant. When he discovered Stitch in his office taking cocaine
, he was convinced to keep quiet by the threat of the ridicule which would ensue if it was revealed Nathan had made such a poor staffing choice.
Later on in the series, Selena discovered she was pregnant with his baby. She informed Nathan that she had had an abortion
, however later revealed to Harry that she had not actually done so. Nathan remained unaware of this until the last episode in the series, when Selena was shot dead. The team performed a Cesarean section on Selena, delivering her and Nathan a baby daughter, Angel.
Sadly Angel later died in Nathan's arms after being diagnosed with a severe E.Coli infection in the NICU and he switched off her ventilator.
Nathan left the show in episode 6 of Series 22. He was sacked for incompetence by Harry Harper, now having quit Westminster to return as the Emergency Department's consultant manager. Despite their previous working relationship Harry found the job difficult, knowing what Nathan had recently been through.
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
. He is portrayed by actor Ben Price
Ben Price
Ben Price is a British actor, best known for playing the third incarnation of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
.
Overview
Nathan was installed as the new corporate director in 2005, and from the outset his unswaying mindset and failure to empathise with the human condition made him unpopular with his staff. His professional background was in banking, so his only concern was with meeting hospital targets and balancing the books. As a result, he would frequently clash with A&E consultant Harry HarperHarry Harper (fictional character)
Harry Harper is a fictional character from the BBC One medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Simon MacCorkindale. He made his first appearance in the series sixteen episode "Denial", broadcast on 8 June 2002. He ran Holby City Hospital's emergency department for five years, before being...
, even threatening to remove Harry from his post because he consistently refused to make any sort of (financial) compromise with patient care.
Character history
Nathan began his time at Casualty by stalking Selena Donovan. He was at one point jabbed with a needle which could possibly have been used by an HIV-positive patient. Nathan ordered a search of all clinical waste to find the needle and became more uptight than usual, with receptionist Alice Chantrey bearing the brunt of his anger. However after being persuaded to take an HIV-test, Nathan was relieved to be given the all-clear. After starting a relationship with Selena, Nathan proposed marriage to her.Displaying character traits of being a jobsworth
Jobsworth
A jobsworth is a person who uses their job description in a deliberately uncooperative way, or who seemingly delights in acting in an obstructive or unhelpful manner....
and a stickler for the rules, Nathan took great pleasure in installing a large plasma TV screen in the middle of the department to enforce the "four-hour rule", a government directive in which all A&E patients must be seen, treated, and admitted/discharged within four hours of arrival. However, in blatant disregard of his own rules, on one occasion Nathan had his own mother admitted ahead of all those currently queued in the system.
Harry Harper
Harry Harper (fictional character)
Harry Harper is a fictional character from the BBC One medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Simon MacCorkindale. He made his first appearance in the series sixteen episode "Denial", broadcast on 8 June 2002. He ran Holby City Hospital's emergency department for five years, before being...
continued to clash with Nathan, so in another attempt to get rid of him, Nathan fabricated a charge of sexual harassment against him and persuaded Alice to make a complaint. Harry was suspended, but Alice became suspicious and withdrew her allegation when it threatened to devastate Harry's election campaign. Nathan was forced to confess all to Selena, who ended their engagement.
When Harry was unexpectedly elected as Holby's new MP (he stood for Parliament in a bid to save the Emergency Department from closure), Nathan installed wildcard Australian Theo "Stitch" Lambert as the new consultant. When he discovered Stitch in his office taking cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
, he was convinced to keep quiet by the threat of the ridicule which would ensue if it was revealed Nathan had made such a poor staffing choice.
Later on in the series, Selena discovered she was pregnant with his baby. She informed Nathan that she had had an abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, however later revealed to Harry that she had not actually done so. Nathan remained unaware of this until the last episode in the series, when Selena was shot dead. The team performed a Cesarean section on Selena, delivering her and Nathan a baby daughter, Angel.
Sadly Angel later died in Nathan's arms after being diagnosed with a severe E.Coli infection in the NICU and he switched off her ventilator.
Nathan left the show in episode 6 of Series 22. He was sacked for incompetence by Harry Harper, now having quit Westminster to return as the Emergency Department's consultant manager. Despite their previous working relationship Harry found the job difficult, knowing what Nathan had recently been through.