Adrian Fletcher (Casualty)
| Adrian Fletcher | |
|---|---|
| Casualty and Holby City character | |
|
Alex Walkinshaw as Adrian Fletcher | |
| First appearance |
"Zero Sum Game", 7 July 2012 (Casualty) "Star Crossed Lovers", 12 August 2014 (Holby City)[1] |
| Last appearance | "Falling - Part Two", 29 June 2014 (Casualty) |
| Portrayed by | Alex Walkinshaw |
| Introduced by |
Johnathan Young (2012) Oliver Kent (2014) |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Ward manager, AAU (2014–)[2] |
| Spouse(s) | Natalie Fletcher (until 2015) |
| Significant other(s) |
Colette Sheward (ex-fiancée)[1] Tess Bateman (2013–14) |
| Children |
Evie Fletcher Mikey Fletcher Ella Fletcher Theo Fletcher |
Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Alex Walkinshaw. He first appeared in the twenty-sixth series episode "Zero Sum Game", broadcast on 7 July 2012. Fletch was a Senior Staff Nurse in Holby City Hospital's emergency department. On 1 April 2014, Walkinshaw announced his departure from Casualty, but revealed that he would be reprising his role in spin-off show Holby City. Fletch departed Casualty on 29 June 2014[3] and made his debut on Holby City on 12 August 2014.[1][2]
Creation
The character was announced on 13 March 2012, along with the casting of Alex Walkinshaw and his departure from Waterloo Road as Jez Diamond.[4] Walkinshaw was due to begin filming the following month at Casualty's new home, Cardiff. Speaking of his character Fletch, Walkinshaw commented: "He's the ultimate cheeky chappy - the kind of entertaining bloke you'd really want to go down the pub and have a laugh with, whether you're male or female. He's into football, rugby, beer and beautiful women - only to flirt with and admire, though - he's a devoted family man which just makes him all the more attractive. Personally, I can't wait to get to know him better myself!"[4] Casualty's executive producer, Johnathan Young commented: "We're absolutely thrilled to welcome Alex to the Casualty team. He's brings bags of talent, a wealth of experience and a cheeky sense of humour to rival Fletch's!"[4] Fletch originally trained as a mechanic, but ended up losing his business. When his wife Natalie, originally called Keila, went into labour with their third child and found herself in Holby's ED, Fletch saw the hard work of the nursing staff and decided it was the career for him.[4] By arriving back in the ED, Fletch is returning to the birthplace of his daughter and his inspiration. It was mentioned that Fletch's first episode would be airing in June and Lloyd would be his mentor. Walkinshaw's first scenes were due to air on 30 June but, was rescheduled due to extended coverage of the 2012 Wimbledon Championships. Despite this, the episode temporarily available on BBC iPlayer from 30 June.
Speaking about the character, producer Nikki Wilson said; "Fletch is a brilliant character and I'm already completely in love with him! He's a real cheeky chappy who has changed his career later in life. Fletch was a car mechanic who ran his own garage, but his business went under during the recession, so he chose to re-train as a nurse. From talking to the Royal College of Nursing, we discovered that this is quite a regular pattern at the moment - real-life A&Es are seeing a lot of people coming into nursing later in life. Fletch brings a real sense of humour into our nursing team. You'll see a real charm, energy and playfulness from his character, which is absolutely joyous."
Development
Relationship with Tess Bateman
In an interview with Digital Spy, producer Nikki Wilson said; "I think Fletch and Tess seem to be getting on really well - she quite likes the fact that he's a bit of a joker and that there's a bit of laughter going on in the ED."
When Fletch's assigned mentee, Aiofe O'Reilly (Gemma-Leah Devereux) begins to harbour feelings for Fletch, Tess tries to warn him but he insists they are friends.[5] This is when Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer) begins to harbour her own feelings for Fletch. The two later begin an affair after they kiss in a taxi before sleeping together. Tess later ensures that they will not work the same shifts while Fletch suggests they spend more time together.[6] Fletch later goes on holiday with his family, leaving Tess wondering about having an affair with a married man before discovering she is pregnant.[7] Following Fletch’s return from holiday, he tells the team how much fun him and his kids had and when Tess is faced with Fletch, following her abortion, she makes her feelings clear by ending their relationship.
Walkinshaw revealed, on 21 August, that he had been filming some very challenging scenes and that his character would be having a big storyline at Christmas.[8] Walkinshaw told an Inside Soap reporter, "We're filming Christmas at the moment, and I have some really heartbreaking stuff. The scenes were very emotional and stayed with me for days afterwards. I had an inkling about what was going to happen, but soon realised it was more difficult than I thought."
Talking about his affair with Tess, Walkinshaw admitted; "It's like Marmite - people either love it or hate it. Personally, I'm really enjoying the storyline. It's had lots of interesting twists and turns, and put together two people you wouldn't expect." Tess’ friend, Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) picks up on the tension between the pair and confronts Tess, who reveals all. Speaking of the revelation, Sarker said; Zoe can tell something is wrong between Tess and Fletch so she decides to confront Tess and she gets more than she was expecting when Tess tells her she had an abortion. Zoe becomes annoyed with Tess for not telling her about the abortion and becomes annoyed with herself for not realising what Tess was going through.” Zoe instantly forgives Tess though.
After Natalie becomes suspicious that Fletch is cheating on her, she questions him leading him to reveal he had an fling but tells her it was with an agency nurse. Natalie tells Fletch he will need to say goodbye to their children and he will move out the family home.
Spoiler pictures were later released, showing a shock for Tess following weeks of trying to move on from her secret fling with Fletch.[9] It was revealed that Natalie would visit the ED to see Fletch but then faints and staff become determined to discover what is wrong with her. Tess is dismayed when she finds herself tasked with telling Natalie she is pregnant with her fourth child. Despite Zoe telling her she should focus on other patients, Tess remains determined to show how professional she can be by continuing to focus on Natalie.[9] In reality, the situation is far too much for Tess to handle and this leads to her making a huge error by giving the wrong medication to a patient, Peter. It’s clear Tess has made the error due to being distracted, but as she leaves work for the day, she is completely oblivious to the consequences of her actions as Peter goes into a cardiac arrest.[9] Fletch takes the blame, leading to a full investigation into it being made. Tess feels guilty and tries on several occasions to say it was her fault but, Fletch keeps stopping and insists it was he was to blame. Old feelings between the pair arise but they resist. Zoe notices this and tells Tess he isn’t worth it, unaware what Fletch has done for Tess.
Relationship with Natalie Fletcher
Following from Fletch's affair with Tess, Natalie becomes suspicious that he is cheating on her. Her suspicions arise further when Fletch does not return home as he is covering for nurse, Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) whose kitchen has flooded.[10] Just as Fletch is trying to help a patient that keeps lying to him, Natalie turns up to complain about her husband not being at home and ignoring her calls. Natalie even tells Fletch about her concerns regarding him seeing another women.[10]
He later reveals he had a fling but tells her it was with an agency nurse. Natalie tells Fletch he will need to say goodbye to their children and he will move out the family home. On New Year's Eve, Fletch arranges to meet Natalie and the children. He meets Natalie and there she tells him that the children are too tired to come. A disappointed Fletch then leaves the bar and becomes embroiled in an explosion in a bar opposite the one he was in.[11]
After Natalie gives birth to Fletch's son, she agrees to reunite with him. Speaking about the couple’s reconciliation, Walkinshaw said; “Part of the reason Natalie begins to accept Fletch back into the family home is because Tess helps sell his story. She speaks up for Fletch to Natalie even though it’s obviously very difficult for her, the near tragedy of potentially losing two children in this episode forces everyone to make some big decisions. It’s hard for Natalie, but after she and Fletch have a heart-to-heart she asks him to move back in.” Walkinshaw continues, “Fletch realises his affair has caused massive problems. He regrets jeopardising everything and desperately wants to get his family back. Natalie would be absolutely devastated about Tess and Fletch. Tess has lied to her by backing up Fletch’s story. Natalie would be really hurt and betrayed if she ever found out." Walkinshaw also said there is much more to come for trio and secrets will explode.
Holby City introduction
On 1 April 2014, it was announced Walkinshaw would be leaving Casualty and reprising his role as Fletch in its spin-off show, Holby City. Fletch will leave the ED in hope to pursue a new challenge.[12] It was also revealed that his transition to the new department would not run smoothly as he will come face to face with someone from the past, director of nursing, Colette Sheward (Louise Delamere). The unresolved issues between the two will make Fletch's new role far from straightforward.[12] Speaking on the ITV programme Lorraine, Walkinshaw said "My Casualty days are over. With the storyline and the way it has panned out with the gambling starting - that spirals out of control for Fletch and he has to do certain other things to make up the shortfall in his wages and puts himself under pressure. He makes things difficult for himself and lots of other things happen. His relationship with Tess all comes back up and they have to deal with certain things about that. It has to play out and to play out, it means Fletch has to leave Casualty."[12] Oliver Kent, executive producer of both shows, said: "We at Holby City were thinking of a new male nurse to play alongside Jonny and lock horns with Colette. When Alex suggested he might get in the lift and come upstairs to Holby City, we accepted like a shot. Alex as Fletch has been a wonderful asset to Casualty and I am very excited about him bringing his unique blend of warmth and blokiness to the wards."[12]
Storylines
Fletch misses his induction with his mentor, Lloyd Asike (Michael Obiora), to fix senior nurse, Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer)' car and since, he continued to show Lloyd how to have a good time. In series 27, Fletch is given a mentee called Aiofe O’Reilly (Gemma-Leah Devereux) and this becomes a father-daughter relationship, but Aoife begins to think that this will be much more. She reveals this to Fletch, who tells her where she stands. Fletch also develops a close relationship with his boss, Tess, which later develops into a sexual affair. Fletch goes on holiday with his family for two weeks and while he is away, Tess discovers she is pregnant with his baby. She doesn't inform anyone of this, but confides in Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) after deciding to have the baby aborted. When he returns from his trip away, Natalie starts to worry that Fletch is having an affair and he denies her worries. Tess then ends the affair with Fletch after finding out that Natalie is beginning to worry but they stay friends. Fletch later comes clean to Natalie that he has had an affair, but he does not reveal who with, after finding out about Tess's abortion. She ends things with him and tells him to say goodbye to their children. On New Year's Eve, Fletch arranges to meet Natalie and the children. She tells him that the children are too tired to come. A disappointed Fletch then leaves the bar and becomes embroiled in an explosion in a bar opposite the one he was in. He then takes on the task of helping the injured that are left inside. One of them are Peter, who had filed a complaint against him because his abusive partner made him. He successfully got the injured parities out of building with Jeff Collier (Matt Bardock) and the fire crew's assistance.
Fletch's daughter, Evie, went missing recently and discovered her neighbour's secret One Direction hideout. She became friends with her neighbour but when her friend had to leave, she was left alone. Fletch discovered her with the help of Jeff but the building began to collapse. Fortunately, they escaped but while on her way to the ED to meet Fletch and Evie, Natalie had a crash and this threatened the baby but the baby was also fine. Weeks later, Natalie began her contractions and was brought into the ED, where she had her baby son, with Fletch at her side. Fletch also mentioned to her that he has hoped that they could reconcile and she said yes, leaving Fletch ‘over the moon’. After a brief struggle, where the baby was unable to breath, it was later fine after Zoe's assistance. They are still yet to name their baby boy. Fletch returned to the ED the following week after his paternity leave.
In June 2014, Tess is injured in a train crash and after discovering this, Fletch risks his job by going on to the crash scene after Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) and Charlie tell him to stay in the ED. Natalie arrives in the hospital, looking for Fletch and becomes worried gate seeing him on the scene of the crash. Fletch then risks his life to go into the train and rescue Tess and a school boy. As Tess is rescued by Fletch, the train ignites and blows up - fortunately both Fletch and Tess are left unharmed by the fire. Meanwhile, in the ED, Natalie, who is watching the live footage of the crash, realises that Tess is the women that Fletch had an affair with and lashes out at Zoe. Fletch arrives in the ED and stays by Tess' side, confessing his love for her to the shock of Tess, Zoe and the rest of the staff - without knowing that Natalie was listening. Natalie then storms out of the hospital, quickly followed by Fletch. She lashes out about the affair to Fletch, before asking him whether it is her that he really wants or whether it is Tess. He says he loves Tess and Natalie leaves, hurt and annoyed. Tess then rejects Fletch and after much thought, he decides that Tess is more needed and respected at the ED. Following a final emotional goodbye with Charlie and Tess, Fletch leaves the ED behind.
Reception
Walkinshaw was nominated for "Best Actor" at the 2015 TV Choice Awards.[13]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s19/holby-city/scoop/a588608/holby-city-tension-as-casualtys-fletch-joins-show-spoiler-pictures.html
- 1 2 Moon, Katy (9–15 August 2014). "I joined Holby to spend more time with my family". Inside Soap (31): 44–45.
- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/sitenews/a130011/soaplands-joiners-movers-and-leavers.html
- 1 2 3 4 Kilkelly, Daniel (13 March 2012). "'Casualty' casts 'Waterloo Road' star Alex Walkinshaw as new nurse". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (10 February 2013). "'Ostrich Syndrome'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (23 May 2013). "'The Milk of Human Kindness'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (6 July 2013). "'Secrets and Lies'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (21 August 2013). "'Casualty' Alex Walkinshaw: 'Heartbreaking scenes ahead for Fletch'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 Kilkelly, Daniel (25 September 2013). "'Casualty': Tess, Fletch face awkward day at work – spoiler pictures". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- 1 2 Kilkelly, Daniel (20 November 2013). "'Casualty': Fletch confronted by wife Natalie – spoiler pictures". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (28 December 2013). "'For Auld Lang Syne'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 Dainty, Sophie (1 April 2014). "Casualty's Alex Walkinshaw to reprise Fletch role in Holby City". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ↑ "TV Choice awards 2015". TV Choice (Bauer Media Group) (22): 8. 23–29 May 2015.