John Gaskell

Professor John Gaskell is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Paul McGann. He first appeared in the nineteenth series episode "Group Animal − Part One", broadcast on 5 December 2017. John is a consultant neurosurgeon who joins the staff at Holby City Hospital as the director of surgical innovations. The character and McGann's casting was announced on 4 April 2017 and the actor began filming in August. Producers approached McGann about the role while he was appearing in a theatre production and when he liked the character, he signed a twelve-month contract. John is characterised as an excellent surgeon with an established reputation. John's backstory states he attended university with Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and Roxanna MacMillan (Hermione Gulliford) and in his career, John has used stem cell treatment to reverse motor neurone disease. Despite his fame, John remains down-to-earth and has not become arrogant. John's two-part introduction sees him arrive at the hospital as a mass shooting begins, which kills and injures regular characters. A trailer and promotional image was released for John's introduction. The character has been well-received by critics, who anticipated his introduction. Casting On 4 April 2017, it was announced that actor Paul McGann had joined the cast of Holby City as new surgeon Professor John Gaskell. BBC head of continuing drama Oliver Kent expressed his delight at McGann's casting and said he admired the actor's career. Series producer Kate Hall also expressed her joy at McGann's casting, while executive producer Simon Harper called McGann "one of our country's most internationally renowned screen talents". Of his casting, McGann commented, "I'm really excited to be joining Holby. Professor John Gaskell is certainly going to be an interesting character and I can't wait to get started on the wards." McGann began filming in August 2017. Producers approached McGann about a role in the serial while he was appearing in a touring theatre production. They presented the character to McGann, which impressed him. He proceeded to contact school friend and actor Guy Henry, who portrays Henrik Hanssen in the series. Henry encouraged him to pursue the role. Holby City marked the first time McGann had been involved in a long-running drama series, something which he stated he had always wanted to attempt. He described joining a continuing drama as "a slight culture shock".