Michael Spence (Holby City)

Michael Spence
Holby City character
Hari Dhillon as Michael Spence in 2008
First appearance	10x06, "Unfinished Symphony" 20 November 2007
Last appearance	17x06, "Severed" 18 November 2014
Created by	Tony McHale
Portrayed by	Hari Dhillon
Spinoff(s)	Casualty, 2014
Information
Occupation	Consultant general surgeon Clinical Lead, Acute Admissions Unit (2010–11) Director of Surgery (2009–10) Consultant plastic surgeon (2011)
Spouse(s)	Annalese Carson
Children	Meena Spence Jasmine Spencer Milly Spence Charlie Spence

Michael Spence is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actor Hari Dhillon. The character first appeared on 20 November 2007, in the episode "Unfinished Symphony" - episode six of the show's tenth series. Dhillon had formerly appeared in the show on a recurring basis in a more minor role, as Dr. Sunil Gupta, between 2001 and 2003. In the episode dated 17 December 2013, Michael was forced to take a break from the hospital by the new CEO, Guy Self (John Michie) and it was announced when the episode ended that Dhillon had taken an extended break from the show.

On 19 June 2014, it was announced that Dhillion would be returning to Holby City for a short stint. He returned on 14 October and appeared in an episode of Casualty on 1 November.

The character was initially constructed as a public schoolboy, with less of a "bad boy" persona than he would ultimately exhibit on screen. Actor Hari Dhillon had a chance encounter with a Holby City casting director whilst in London, who suggested to him that he might be right for a part in the show. Dhillon was living in America, but as the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike was ongoing at the time, his wife Lara had suggested that they leave to find work elsewhere before the impending birth of their child. Dhillon submitted a tape, and the next day was asked if he was interested in the role. Given the circumstances, he has described his casting as a "beautiful stroke of luck". Dhillon had previously appeared in the show as minor character Sunil Gupta for six episodes after leaving drama school. He does not believe that this role contributed to his casting as Michael, but instead worried that it would work against him. In auditioning for Michael, Dhillon used his own accent, rather than the RP accent originally envisioned for the character. He explained that he "put [his] own twist on what [he] thought Michael Spence should be like." Executive producer Tony McHale and series producer Diana Kyle accepted his take on the character, and tailored the role towards his accent. Michael became an Asian character with an Indian/Christian background and the ability to speak Punjabi. Dhillon has stated: "Most producers would have just thrown my tape in the trash, considering that I wasn't able to give them their original vision of the character, but I really admire the way they were willing to build on what I was able to bring to Michael."