Further exploration of Serena's background began when her mother, Adrienne (Sandra Voe), and daughter, Elinor (Charlotte Hope; Amy McCallum), were introduced, followed by her ex-husband, Edward (Aden Gillett), in 2013.

After seven years in the role, Russell made the decision to leave Holby City, and her final scenes aired on 21 January 2020.

[1] Actress Catherine Russell joined the cast as Serena Campbell, alongside Chizzy Akudolu as Mo Effanga and Michael Thomson as Jonny Maconie.

[2] When the character of Serena was first created, she was initially called Frankie Renard, a name producers Oliver Kent and Simon Harper said was "terrible".

[3] Russell appears as Serena in a two-part crossover episode with Holby City's sister show, Casualty, originally broadcast in March 2019.

[5] Speaking with Katy Moon of Inside Soap, Russell called Serena "the queen of manipulation" and a big flirt.

[5] When a What's on TV columnist branded Serena "a bit cold-hearted", Russell defended her explaining that she had a great bedside manner, but she did not care what people thought about her, which made her "so scary".

"[8] In September 2014, Russell told Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that she enjoyed playing Serena as she was such "a multi-dimensional character" with both fun and serious sides to her.

[9] Russell also stated that a genuine friendship would develop between Serena and Raf di Lucca (Joe McFadden), and they would enjoy some "drunken evenings" together.

[4] In June 2012, Serena's work and personal lives clashed when her teenage daughter, Elinor (Charlotte Hope), arrived on the wards with her friend Gabby (Georgina Campbell).

[13] Serena later insisted that the Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) should not refer patients to Keller ward, but when it started to cause problems, she had "a crisis of confidence".

[8] Serena later backed down when Chrissie Williams (Tina Hobley) wanted to bring a patient, with a degloving injury to her leg, up to Keller.

[10] At the same time, Serena was trying to treat a patient, Lennie Keane (Mark Bagnall), who had been admitted with a broken shoulder, but everything went "pear-shaped" with him and his son.

"[10] Serena turned to alcohol to cope with the stress and a What's on TV columnist wondered if it was leading to the beginning of a downward spiral for the character.

[10] On 6 April 2013, it was announced that actor Aden Gillett had been cast as Serena's ex-husband Edward Campbell, a consultant anaesthetist who takes a locum position at the hospital.

[19] Russell explained that as the storyline progressed Adrienne would become more aggressive, while Serena would try to keep the severity of her mother's condition a secret, as she worries that Guy will recognise she cannot cope.

[19] The show's producers worked with the Alzheimer's Society on the storyline, while Russell also did some research, including taking three online dementia tests.

[9] When Adrienne was readmitted to the hospital, Adrian Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) and Raf di Lucca discovered she was covered in bruises.

"[21] The actress joked that the younger characters were always "nipping off into the hospital laundry rooms and having guilt-free snogs", and believed that just because Serena was middle-aged, it did not mean she was not interested in having a relationship.

[21] Russell told Laura-Jayne Tyler of Inside Soap, "Serena wants to build a relationship with Jason, but she has no experience with Aspergers.

[23] An Inside Soap writer noted that "a power struggle" occurs between the two women, which leads Raf and Fletch to bet on who will win.

"[25] To convey their characters' emotions during the scene outside the theatre[clarification needed], Russell revealed that she and Redgrave used their sadness at the result of the Brexit vote.

Russell thought that Serena had returned to work too soon and that her behaviour was "unfair" towards Jasmine, but she also understood that after the death of a child, a parent would naturally try to blame someone.

[30] On 30 October 2019, Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy confirmed the character would be departing the show in early 2020, after Russell made the decision to leave the role.

[31] Dainty reported that Russell had already filmed her final scenes,[31] and the actress stated: "Playing Serena Campbell and being part of the Holby family has been an absolute delight.

"[31] Dainty described Serena's exit as "heroic", and said viewers would see a lot of drama from her final storylines, including "unexpected events" and "a dark reminder from the past.

[37] Serena's introduction was praised by the Daily Mirror's Jane Simon, who called her "smiley, confident, a bit playful and professional too".

[38] When Serena stopped a relative of a patient from suing Malick, Simon observed she "swoops in on a wave of charm to smooth things over: the proverbial iron fist in a designer velvet glove.

"[43] Simon (Daily Mirror) thought the show's writers might have it in for "poor" Serena when she had to perform another rectal exam a couple of months later.

[20] A reporter for the Daily Post praised Russell and Voe for their performance during Adrienne's dementia storyline, saying they had "put us all through the emotional wringer for months".