Dominic Copeland
Dominic "Dom" Copeland is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor David Ames. He first appeared in the series fifteen episode "Second Life", broadcast on 23 April 2013. Dom arrives at Holby City hospital as an F1 on Keller Ward being mentored by Antoine Malick and later Sacha Levy. The character was originally introduced for several episodes and featured in a storyline with Malick. Producers later decided to reintroduce the character on a permanent basis with Dom returning in January 2014.
Dom is a complex character who enjoys causing trouble and creating different personalities to suit his desired outcome of a situation. His manipulative behaviour has seen him lie under oath and attempt to ruin his colleagues careers. His reintroduction signalled a rivalry with Arthur Digby and a friendship with Zosia March. He goes on to develop a close friendship with Arthur that proves significant to his character development. Writers also made changes to his personality by placing Dom alongside senior staff with "strong moral compasses" who help him to become a "better person". The character shares romantic relationships with agency nurse Kyle Greenham and patient Lee Canon. The latter subjects him to a violent attack which affects his career at the hospital.
Writers carried on victimising the character when they paired him with registrar Isaac Mayfield. Their relationship was used to portray domestic abuse within a gay relationship. The story culminated with Dom leaving Isaac and exposing his abuse. Dom was left with a steroid addiction and severe trust issues. His next relationship was developed with nurse Lofty Chiltern, which results in a doomed marriage. Holby City producer Kate Hall felt it was important because Dom had been emotionally damaged and could not move on quickly. Writers continued to create dramatic stories for the character when he contracts Hepatitis C from a needle stick injury. Producers later rewrote the character's back story which reveals he was adopted and introduced his biological mother Ange Godard. Critic Anthony D. Langford from TheBacklot.com has often praised the character for not being stereotypical, while other reviews have labelled him "bad" and "sneaky".
Development
Casting, characterisation and family
Ames had previously auditioned for a different character but was unsuccessful. Gaining the role of Dominic meant a lot to Ames' family who were already Holby City fans.Dom is billed as "complicated, unpredictable and deliciously wicked". His manipulative persona is said to make the show more interesting. Career wise Dom is incredibly ambitious. But he is untruthful and has "demons" from past experiences that continue to trouble him. Ames called him a "scheming, cheeky little mongrel" and finds fun in playing the nasty character. He told Lorraine Kelly that "Dominic is a very complex character and he has a lot to prove and he doesn't really hold back on how he goes about doing that." Ames believed that there are similarities between him and Dom. He told a reporter from Gay Times that "as a gay man playing a gay man, there’s definitely an element of myself in Dominic’s personality, because one thing I wanted to do with Dominic is to have fun with him."
The character goes on a journey emotionally and through his career at Holby City his personality changes. Ames assessed that originally his character had "questionable morals and standards". But being around senior hospital staff with "such strong moral compasses" he finds a "good path". Through these connections writers developed him into a "better person, a better colleague and a better friend." In 2017, Ames assessed that the character is "so full of bravado, he is very cocky and he is very full of himself". But Ames also likened his character to someone wearing a mask. When his "mask slips sometimes" and you learn that Dom "is vulnerable and underneath it all he is quite scared and timid." The actor concluded that he was still fascinated by his complex character.
In 2015, Julia Deakin was hired to play Dom's mother Carole Copeland. She was described by a writer from Inside Soap as being the "overenthusiastic parent" of her "beloved boy" Dom. She likes to know all of his business and wants to be close to him again. With this Carole secures a job at the hospital cafe. When Carole hears gossip about her son, she confronts him on Keller ward in front of patients. Dom is "mortified" by his mother and they have an "embarrassing row" on the ward. The incident also causes Dom to behave unprofessionally with a patient. Dom has to tell his mother to "mind her own business for once".
Guest role and return
Dom arrives on Keller Ward while Antoine Malick is in charge. Dom sleeps with Malick, but he is in a relationship with Nathan Hargreave. Malick treats infamous serial killer, Amanda Layton. He grants her wish to not resuscitate after she tells him the location of her final victim. But he finds himself in trouble and the matter gets taken to court. When Malick rejects Dominic's further advances he wants revenge. Malick is questioned over the DNR and expects Dom to validate his statement. Dom uses the opportunity to get Malick in further trouble over the incident. Ames believed that Dom was under much "psychological stress" at this point.Dom then proceeds to lie under oath to further enact his revenge. Dom claims that Malick delivered Amanda a fatal overdose. To defend himself he is forced to admit that he kissed Dom. Akingbola told a reporter from Inside Soap that "Dominic's crush rebounds on Malick, Nathan has been a rock to him, and now Malick worries that he'll lose the love of his life as well as his job." Ames told a reporter from BBC Online that it was Dom's "inexperience and naivety" that got him in to deep with Malick. But Dom's lies at the coroner's inquest are exposed and he leave Holby City shamed. Ames summed up the departure as Dom leaving the show disgracefully under a cloud.
In September 2013, it was announced that Ames had reprised the role. Executive producer Oliver Kent said that his return would "definitely shake things up at Holby City". Ames told a TV Choice reporter that "Dominic is definitely going to spice things up and he's someone who is going to cause a lot of sparks." Dom returned during the episode titled "Intuition", broadcast on 14 January 2014. He "skulked off with his tail between his legs" when he left the hospital shamed. But he returns to try again but this time remain focused on his career. He also damaged his emotional wellbeing in addition to his career. Lying to the jury delivered a "massive blow" to his life and he struggled to regain respect. Ames believed that his character had learned a "valuable lesson" and that Dom would use it to better himself. He warned that while Dom would not be predictable he remained as untrustworthy as ever. Dom will do "whatever it takes" to appear better at everything tries.
F1 repeat
Dom's return to Keller Ward means that he has to contend with F2 doctor Arthur Digby. Malick and Arthur were close colleagues so his return inevitably causes friction. Ames explained that "Dom has a long way to go before Arthur even begins to consider them equals, let alone friends. Arthur is a faithful old Labrador." Arthur wants to expose Dom to registrar and mentor Sacha Levy. Ostlere told Kelly that Arthur "is very suspicious about Dominic but he cannot convince Sasha." Sacha believes they are working well together, but this is due to Dom behaving in a manipulative manner. He fakes multiple personas and uses them to suit a desired outcome. Ames namely described a "butter wouldn't melt" attitude shown while in Sacha's presence.Dom is aware that forming a working relationship with Arthur will be difficult; so he decides to have fun creating tension. Ames told a reporter from What's on TV that "there’s clearly a lot of friction between them and Dom likes to push Arthur's buttons, not least just to entertain himself." One example of Dom and Arthur's rivalry occurs while treating a patient involved in a factory explosion. Sacha places Arthur in charge of Keller and Dom uses the opportunity to make Arthur appear unable to manage the situation. Ames said "Dominic will put his own job above anyone else's job. He'll say whatever needs to be said in order to better himself and his career."
Holby City quickly developed a "best friend" partnership between Dom and fellow F1 Zosia March. Arthur warns Zosia about Dom's past. But she takes no notice of Arthur's concerns, befriends him and asks him to move in with her. A What's on TV reporter observed that Dom's "bad boy reputation" managed to impress Zosia. Dom later creates a false account of his mother's supposed death and Arthur exposes his lies. But Zosia is not fazed by the revelation. Jane Simon of the Daily Mirror noted that Dom being a sociopath only served to make him more interesting to the aspiring psychiatrist Zosia. He sees his friendship with Zosia as part of creating his new life. Ames said that they have a "different dynamic" compared to his other working relationships. Ames opined that gay men are often attracted to strong independent women and Zosia is very ambitious. It was therefore a natural development that Dom gravitated towards her. Zosia's interest in psychiatrics means that she likes to observe Dom. But Ames believed that the duo "equally intrigue each other". Dom, Arthur and Zosia were often featured in storylines together and formed a best friend group. In 2015, Producer Simon Harper decided to split up the trio having Dom staying on Keller, Zosia moving to Darwin and Arthur working on AAU. Harper said it was a difficult decision to make and it was discussed at length with executive producer Oliver Kent. But Harper wanted to tell stories reflecting real medical careers. He noted that "as they mature and progress, would go on to their separate disciplines and wards What's great about the changes is that gives them different stories."