Lady Byrne

Anne-Marie, Lady Byrne is a fictional character in the BBC medical drama Holby City, portrayed by actress Jane Asher. The character first appeared on 10 May 2007 in episode "After the Fall" - series 9, episode 30 of the programme. After several guest appearances as the mother of established character Joseph Byrne throughout series 9 and 10, Asher signed a three-month contract to become a series regular from May 2008 onwards, for a period of 10 episodes. Her initial storyline saw her son's girlfriend, Jac Naylor, embark on an affair with Anne-Marie's husband and Joseph's father, Lord Byrne - eventually culminating in his death, and leaving the character a widow. Upon her return to the programme, she takes over Lord Byrne's position as Executive Chairman of the Byrne Foundation - a charity committed to research into Cardiac Valve Disease.

Creation

Series 8 of Holby City saw the introduction of regular character Joseph Byrne (Luke Roberts), a new Surgical Registrar on the hospital's Cardiothoracic ward, Darwin. Joseph arrived in episode "Mother Love", alongside his father, recurring character Charles, Lord Byrne (Ronald Pickup). One series 9 plot strand saw Joseph begin to date fellow Surgical Registrar Jac Naylor, unaware that she was only interested in him for his father's influence. Jac began an affair with Lord Byrne in episode "Paranoid Android", despite Lord Byrne's thirty year marriage to his referenced, but as yet unseen wife, Anne-Marie.