Patsy Kensit returning to Holby City for 20th anniversary

Patsy Kensit is returning to \'Holby City\' to celebrate the medical drama\'s 20th anniversary later this year.

The 51-year-old actress will be making her first appearance as Faye Morton since her departure in 2010 as the BBC One series celebrates the milestone.

It has also been announced that Luke Roberts, 41, will return as Joseph Byrne, a role he left in 2011 and the special episode will see the characters back in the hospital under dramatic circumstances which will include a reunion between Faye and her former love rival Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel).

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In a statement, Patsy said: "It\'s a great honour to be asked back. As soon as I got the script I read it as fast as I could, which shows what a gripping episode it\'s going to be.

"Faye has changed quite a lot, it\'s very feisty and there are lots of surprises! It\'s exciting to be working with Rosie and Luke again, we always had a fantastic time on set and that\'s not changed."

Luke also said: "For five years from 2005, \'Holby City\' provided me with a community of artists and technicians who always made me feel at home, it was like a family. It\'s been a joy to slip back into the surgical scrubs, see so many familiar faces and reconnect with the likes of Rosie Marcel, Patsy Kensit, Jaye Jacobs and Bob Barrett to name but a few."

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Holby City\'s executive producer Simon Harper has promised viewers that they are in for a nostalgic treat with the pair\'s return.

He said: "Holby\'s 20th anniversary year continues apace with the return of these two huge, iconic characters after a decade away. It will be a particularly nostalgic and exciting treat for long-term viewers of the show as old \'Holby\' collides explosively with the present."