Ric Griffin
Encyclopedia
Kobina Eric "Ric" Griffin MBBS MD
PhD
FRCS FRCS(Gen Surg)
is a fictional character
from the BBC
medical drama
Holby City
, portrayed by actor Hugh Quarshie
. The character first appeared on-screen on 9 October 2001 in episode "Rogue Males" - series 4, episode 1 of the programme. Ric is the second longest serving main character in the show, after Chrissie Williams
.
In July 2010, Quarshie revealed that Ric would be diagnosed with inoperable cancer, explaining: It's asymptomatic - you don't know you've got it until it's spread... It's so far gone, what's the point in having chemotherapy?" He stated that following the diagnosis, Ric would become close to Annalese Carson, the estranged wife of his colleague Michael Spence.
Consultant
. It was revealed in the show's seventh series that he originated from Ghana
, where his brother Kumi runs a hospital. He has been married five times - twice to Clinical Care Consultant Lola Griffin - and has had several romances during his time on the show, including engagement to Senior House Officer
Sam Kennedy
, long term flirtation with former flame Diane Lloyd, and a brief marriage to Registrar Thandie Griffin.
Two of Ric's six children have appeared in the show; oldest son Leo Griffin, who Ric initially hoped would follow him in to medicine, but died in series ten from a heroin overdose, and daughter Jess Griffin, who worked alongside him at Holby City Hospital as an AAU nurse. Through Jess and Leo, Ric had two grandsons, but both died as infants.
In the show's tenth series, Ric applied for the position of Director of Surgery, making an underhand deal to turn the position over to Connie Beauchamp
in return for her support with his application. As each of the other candidates dropped out or were rejected, Ric was moments away from being offered the position, when he was called away to identify his son's body.
Later in mid series 11, Connie reminded Ric, that the director of surgery job was up and he had to pass it over to her like they had agreed. But Ric didn't and made out that he had resigned and had to give three months notice. Connie found out that he was lying. In the end Connie and Ric constantly battled each other, but Ric still holds down the position of the job.
Ric had recently introduced breathalyser tests as part of his zero tolerance policy. Annalese Carson failed hers. Ric promised to cover it up as long as Paul Rose supervised her in theatre. But Connie found out and reported it to Jayne.
A full investigation was held into the death of Steve Hewitt. He was a friend and patient of Connie's who died during an operation Michael Spence was performing. Ric had previously refused to operate on him as he was a zero tolerance patient, but his condition deteriorated. Michael Spence operated on Steve Hewitt. Annalese was the anaesthetist in the operation and she hadn't given proper drugs when he arrested and died on the table. His wife wanted an investigation, and Kathy Hewitt blamed Ric. An investigation was held and Connie discovered the hidden information Michael had tried to hide.
In episode thirty-five of series eleven Ric Griffin was informed by Jayne Grayson that she has lost confidence in his leadership as Director of Surgery and was planning to ask the board to re-advertise the position. At the end of the episode Jayne is seen handing a piece of paper with details of the director of surgery job to Connie.
Awards. He was nominated for the "Male Performance in TV" award at the 2006 Screen Nation Awards, and received a Mention in the same category in 2007. Quarshie was named 23rd "Best Actor" in the 2004 BBC Drama Awards, and came 22nd the following year. He was long-listed for the "Most Popular Actor" award at the 2004 and 2005 National Television Awards
, and was also long-listed for the "Best Actor" award at the 2004 TV Quick
Awards.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
FRCS FRCS(Gen Surg)
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons
Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons is a professional qualification to practise as a surgeon in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland...
is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
, portrayed by actor Hugh Quarshie
Hugh Quarshie
- Early and Personal Life :Quarshie is of mixed Ghanaian, English and Dutch ancestry and was born in Accra, Ghana, to Emma Wilhelmina and Richard Quarshie, and emigrated with his family to the United Kingdom when he was aged three...
. The character first appeared on-screen on 9 October 2001 in episode "Rogue Males" - series 4, episode 1 of the programme. Ric is the second longest serving main character in the show, after Chrissie Williams
Chrissie Williams
Christine "Chrissie" Williams a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Tina Hobley. The character first appeared on-screen on 5 June 2001 in episode "The Road Less Traveled" - series three, episode 30 of the programme. Chrissie briefly left the show in April...
.
Development
Discussing the storyline which saw Ric's oldest son Leo die from a heroin overdose, Quarshie said; "I don't think his death is a shock to Ric as he almost expected it. It's devastating for him, but in true Ric style he holds everything in and throws himself into work. The consequences of the tragedy are felt later down the line." He drew on Ric's troubled relationship with his own father to explain his distant relationship with his children, assessing; "Ric had a domineering and violent father. He swore he'd never be that controlling with his own kids and as a result he was too hands-off."In July 2010, Quarshie revealed that Ric would be diagnosed with inoperable cancer, explaining: It's asymptomatic - you don't know you've got it until it's spread... It's so far gone, what's the point in having chemotherapy?" He stated that following the diagnosis, Ric would become close to Annalese Carson, the estranged wife of his colleague Michael Spence.
Storylines
Ric arrived at Holby City Hospital in episode "Rogue Males" as a General SurgicalGeneral surgery
General surgery, despite its name, is a surgical specialty that focuses on abdominal organs, e.g., intestines including esophagus, stomach, small bowel, colon, liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts, and often the thyroid gland . They also deal with diseases involving the skin, breast, soft...
Consultant
Consultant (medicine)
In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
. It was revealed in the show's seventh series that he originated from Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, where his brother Kumi runs a hospital. He has been married five times - twice to Clinical Care Consultant Lola Griffin - and has had several romances during his time on the show, including engagement to Senior House Officer
Senior house officer
A senior house officer is a junior doctor undergoing training within a certain speciality in the British National Health Service or in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised by consultants and registrars, who oversee their training and are their designated clinical supervisors...
Sam Kennedy
Sam Kennedy
Samuel Edward Kennedy is a former professional American football Linebacker in the National Football League. He attended San Jose State. He would play with the San Francisco 49ers in 1988 and won the Superbowl with them, the highlight of his career.-External links:*...
, long term flirtation with former flame Diane Lloyd, and a brief marriage to Registrar Thandie Griffin.
Two of Ric's six children have appeared in the show; oldest son Leo Griffin, who Ric initially hoped would follow him in to medicine, but died in series ten from a heroin overdose, and daughter Jess Griffin, who worked alongside him at Holby City Hospital as an AAU nurse. Through Jess and Leo, Ric had two grandsons, but both died as infants.
In the show's tenth series, Ric applied for the position of Director of Surgery, making an underhand deal to turn the position over to Connie Beauchamp
Connie Beauchamp
Constance "Connie" Beauchamp is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Amanda Mealing. She first appeared in the series six episode "In at the Deep End", broadcast on 1 June 2004, and remained in the programme until its thirteenth series, departing in the...
in return for her support with his application. As each of the other candidates dropped out or were rejected, Ric was moments away from being offered the position, when he was called away to identify his son's body.
Later in mid series 11, Connie reminded Ric, that the director of surgery job was up and he had to pass it over to her like they had agreed. But Ric didn't and made out that he had resigned and had to give three months notice. Connie found out that he was lying. In the end Connie and Ric constantly battled each other, but Ric still holds down the position of the job.
Ric had recently introduced breathalyser tests as part of his zero tolerance policy. Annalese Carson failed hers. Ric promised to cover it up as long as Paul Rose supervised her in theatre. But Connie found out and reported it to Jayne.
A full investigation was held into the death of Steve Hewitt. He was a friend and patient of Connie's who died during an operation Michael Spence was performing. Ric had previously refused to operate on him as he was a zero tolerance patient, but his condition deteriorated. Michael Spence operated on Steve Hewitt. Annalese was the anaesthetist in the operation and she hadn't given proper drugs when he arrested and died on the table. His wife wanted an investigation, and Kathy Hewitt blamed Ric. An investigation was held and Connie discovered the hidden information Michael had tried to hide.
In episode thirty-five of series eleven Ric Griffin was informed by Jayne Grayson that she has lost confidence in his leadership as Director of Surgery and was planning to ask the board to re-advertise the position. At the end of the episode Jayne is seen handing a piece of paper with details of the director of surgery job to Connie.
Reception
Quarshie has been nominated for several awards for his portrayal of Ric, and won "Favourite Male TV Star" at the 2008 Screen NationScreen Nation
The Screen Nation Film & TV Awards was founded in 2003 by , as a platform to raise the profile of black British and international film and television talent....
Awards. He was nominated for the "Male Performance in TV" award at the 2006 Screen Nation Awards, and received a Mention in the same category in 2007. Quarshie was named 23rd "Best Actor" in the 2004 BBC Drama Awards, and came 22nd the following year. He was long-listed for the "Most Popular Actor" award at the 2004 and 2005 National Television Awards
National Television Awards
The National Television Awards is a British television awards ceremony, broadcast by the ITV network and initiated in 1995. The National Television Awards are the most prominent ceremony for which the results are voted on by the general public. Because of the way the awards are decided, winners are...
, and was also long-listed for the "Best Actor" award at the 2004 TV Quick
TV Quick
TV Choice, is a British weekly TV listings magazine published by H. Bauer Publishing, the UK subsidiary of family-run German company Bauer Media Group...
Awards.
External links
- Ric Griffin at BBC Online