Maria Kendall

Maria Kendall
Holby City character
Phoebe Thomas as Maria in 2007
First appearance	9x07, "It's Been A Long Day", 28 November 2006
Last appearance	12x34, "Time and Tide Part Two", 19 May 2010
Created by	Tony McHale
Portrayed by	Phoebe Thomas
Information
Occupation	Student nurse Staff nurse Ward sister
Family	Alex Deacon (mother) Adrian Kendall (adoptive father) Leonie Kendall (adoptive mother)
Significant other(s)	Sam Strachan

Maria Kendall was a fictional character on the BBC television series Holby City, portrayed by actress Phoebe Thomas. The character first appeared on-screen on 28 November 2006 in the episode It's Been A Long Day - Series 9, Episode 7 of the programme. Her role in the show was originally that of a naive and inexperienced Student Nurse, with a slightly naughty side and a penchant for spreading hospital gossip. She later held the position of Staff Nurse. The character last appeared on-screen on 19 May 2010 in the episode Time and Tide: Part Two - Series 12, Episode 34 of the programme.

Maria's surname is actually misspelt 'Kendal' on her nameplate, as can be clearly seen in photographs which have been published in magazines such as Inside Soap.

Prior to the introduction of the character Maria, Holby City had lost three regular nursing characters over the course of Series 8 and the beginning of Series 9 - Staff Nurses Jess Griffin,Mickie Hendrie, and Tricia Williams. Despite this outflow of nursing staff, the only recurring nursing character introduced in the show during this period had been Acting Sister Kyla Tyson, in Series 8, Episode 17. The creation of the character Maria - deliberately introduced an episode after the death of Tricia Williams, helped redress this balance to some extent, while also adding to the cast a Student Nurse for the first time since Jess Griffin's career change in Series 4, Episode 50.