Maria Kendall was a fictional character on the BBC television series Holby City, portrayed by actress Phoebe Thomas.

[2] 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.

Maria made friends with Donna Jackson and Maddy Young and they were responsible for spreading the news of Connie Beauchamp's pregnancy around the hospital.

However, fate took the decision out of Maria's hands in May 2008, when her biological mother, Alex Deacon, was admitted to Holby City Hospital.

Unfortunately Sam's newly arrived long-lost son, Kieron Patel a talented violinist, also developed feelings for Maria.

He was so hurt that Maria and Sam had lied to him about their relationship that he refused to play the violin again, smashing the instrument to pieces in front of her.

When Maria returned to the present day and arrived at the Christmas party at Holby City Hospital to which she had been preparing to go before the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future had shown up, she made her peace with Donna (with whom she had argued earlier in the day), telling her that she was the best mate she had ever had, and told Sam that she wouldn't be going to live in New York with him and Kieron – thus ensuring that the events of 2011 that she had seen would never happen.

Maria is asked by Linden to write a speech for Maddy's memorial service, which she does, but she can't read it because she is too upset.

On 17 February 2010, it was announced on the official Holby City website that Phoebe Thomas had just shot her final scenes as Maria which will be on screen in May.

[9] The 17 November 2006 Children in Need charity telethon included a segment featuring the Holby City cast performing a version of Hung Up by Madonna.

[10] Although the character had not yet made her on-screen debut in the programme, Phoebe Thomas as Maria Kendall appeared in the sketch – as did fellow newcomers Peter Wingfield (Dan Clifford) and Nadine Lewington (Maddy Young) who also had yet to arrive in the show itself.