Ange Godard is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actress Dawn Steele.
Ange arrives at Holby City hospital to work as a consultant general surgeon on the Young Adult Unit (YAU), a ward she helps to create.
She was "delighted" to join the show's cast and it was soon publicised that Ange would have a number of "explosive" secrets, which would then drive Holby City stories forward.
It focused on the patient Holly Cartwright (Emma Curtis), who is declared brain dead and being aided by a life support system.
Other stories for the character have focused on her feud with Chloe's manipulative boyfriend Evan Crowhurst (Jack Ryder) and a relationship with Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw).
Sue Haasler of the Metro complimented her performance during the adoption secret revelation and Bill Gibbs from The Sunday Post said Steele "relished" the role.
[3] Jonathon Hughes from the Radio Times reported that Ange would arrive at Holby City hospital to work as a general surgeon, who opens a new treatment unit.
Steele was "delighted" to join the show's cast and stated "Ms Godard is such a great character with lots to tell and I am really looking forward to getting on that Keller Ward and bringing her to life.
[5] Sophie Dainty from Digital Spy reported that Ange would arrive in a special episode in which she helps to open the "swanky new unit".
She told Bill Gibb from The Sunday Post that "I've not studied for seven years to be a doctor so saying all the medical words naturally – and often without emotion – was quite hard as an actor.
Steele told Gibb that "I hit the ground running when I joined Holby and was in every single episode as they hammered out my character.
Steele told Laura-Jayne Tyler from Inside Soap that Ange had a "unique selling point" to run the ward because "she is all about being honest in attempting to help these young men and women.
"[10] Ange's first medical case occurs when teenager Duncan McKenzie (Tim Preston) is admitted to YAU with a stab injury.
She can't abide a goody-two shoes and she'll put patient over policy every single time – a method that's not ingratiated her with many bosses.
[11] Writers have created a back story for Ange, which includes her origins of being raised by a hard working-class family from Glasgow.
The story focuses on YAU patient Holly Cartwright (Emma Curtis), who is declared brain dead and being aided by a life support system.
Holly's parents Ruth Cooper (Marianne Oldham) and Michael Cartwright (Christopher Harper) fight the hospital board over her care plan, which results in the matter being sent to court.
[12] The story began onscreen in January 2019, when Holly was admitted to Holby City hospital and placed into Ange's care.
[14] The story's conclusion is heavily featured in the show's "A Simple Lie" episodes which focus on the court ruling and the trouble caused by right to life protesters that gather outside the hospital.
"[15] David Brown writing for the Radio Times agreed that the story closely followed the Charlie Gard and later Alfie Evans case, with scenes of "vituperative protesters" gathering at the hospital.
"[19] Producers used the character to portray a story which featured the discovery that Ange's colleague, Dominic Copeland (David Ames) is her biological son.
He believed that it helped to explain why he had a difficult relationship with his parents Barry (Nicholas Ball) and Carole Copeland (Julia Deakin).
Ames told Inside Soap's Tyler that they built a good rapport which helped portray such a "huge plot".
Steele told Victoria Wilson (What's on TV) that "this news is massive" and Ange and Carole have an "emotional" exchange in which "lots of secrets are revealed.
Steele said that Ange enjoys Fletch's company and thought it was good to show an "intelligent" and "strong female" having fun.
"[35] Filiz Mehmedova of Digital Spy similarly stated "things have not been easy for Holby City's Ange Godard lately.
[37] Bill Gibbs of The Sunday Post opined "she's a feisty character at the heart of many of the biggest storylines and Dawn has relished getting to grips with being a telly surgeon.
"[3] A writer from TVTimes included Ange telling Dominic about Chloe's conception in their television "highlights" feature and gave the story a three star rating.
She was impressed with the portrayal of the story, stating that "it is making for some deeply emotional acting from David Ames, Julia Deakin and Dawn Steele.
[43][44] She also believed that Fletch would prefer to be in a relationship with Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel), adding "I also think if she snapped her fingers he'd drop Ange like a hot brick.