Joe McFadden to make surprise Holby City return in special episode this month

McFadden's return comes as a huge surprise - not least because his character was killed off when he originally exited back in December 2017, having been shot by Fredrik Johanssen and dying of his wounds.

However according to the BBC, Raf will come back "in a very special way" as the show sees his widow Essie continue to struggle with her cancer diagnosis and search for answers from a comforting place.

Speaking about his return to the medical soap, McFadden said, “I’ll always look back on my four years on Holby with such fondness as it was one of the happiest jobs I’ve done and it was a real pleasure to get to wear Raf’s scrubs one last time in order to offer his wife Essie some guidance in such a touching episode.”

McFadden originally appeared on the soap from 2014 to 2017 and was a popular character among fans, appearing in a number of high profile storylines including a will-they-won't-they romance with Cara Martinez, as played by Niamh Walsh.

After leaving the show he went on to achieve success on Strictly Come Dancing - winning the 2017 competition with dance partner Katya Jones.

It's not yet clear exactly what date the new episode will air beyond the fact that it will certainly be broadcast this month.

Holby City airs on Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC Two - find out what else is on with our TV Guide.