title: Space colonization

text: Assuming a journey of 6,300 years, the astrophysicist Frédéric Marin and the particle physicist Camille Beluffi calculated that the minimum viable population for a generation ship to reach Proxima Centauri would be 98 settlers at the beginning of the mission (then the crew will breed until reaching a stable population of several hundred settlers within the ship) .


title: Space colonization

text: In 2020, Jean-Marc Salotti proposed a method to determine the minimum number of settlers to survive on an extraterrestrial world. It is based on the comparison between the required time to perform all activities and the working time of all human resources. For Mars, 110 individuals would be required.


title: Space colonization

text: Several private companies have announced plans toward the colonization of Mars. Among entrepreneurs leading the call for space colonization are Elon Musk, Dennis Tito and Bas Lansdorp.


title: Space colonization

text: Many space agencies build testbeds for advanced life support systems, but these are designed for long duration human spaceflight, not permanent colonization.


title: Space colonization

text: Remote research stations in inhospitable climates, such as the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station can also provide some practice for off-world outpost construction and operation.


title: Space colonization

text: Although established space habitats are a stock element in science fiction stories, fictional works that explore the themes, social or practical, of the settlement and occupation of a habitable world are much rarer.


title: Space colonization

text: In 2022 Rudolph Herzog and Werner Herzog presented an in-depth documentary with Lucianne Walkowicz called "Last exit: Space".


title: King cake

text: A king cake, also known as a three kings cake, is a cake associated in many countries with Epiphany. Its form and ingredients are variable, but in most cases a () such as a figurine, often said to represent the Christ Child, is hidden inside. After the cake is cut, whoever gets the fève wins a prize. Modern fèves can be made of other materials, and can represent various objects and people.


title: King cake

text: The three kings cake takes its name from the Biblical Magi who are also referred to as the three kings. In Western Christian tradition, Epiphany (also known as "Three Kings Day") celebrates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The Eve of Epiphany is known as Twelfth Night, which is the last day of the Christmas season, and Epiphany Day itself commences the Epiphany season. The three kings cake originated in the Middle Ages in Europe whence Spanish and French settlers brought it to colonial America. It often includes a statue of the Christ Child and it is believed that the individual who discovers it will have good fortune. The three kings cake is consumed throughout Epiphanytide until the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.


title: King cake

text: In northern France, Quebec, Luxembourg and Belgium it is called galette des rois in French or koningentaart in Flemish Dutch. In most of France it is a puff pastry filled with frangipane.


title: King cake

text: A paper crown is included with purchased cakes to crown the "king" or queen who finds the "fève" or bean hidden inside the cake. To ensure a random distribution of the pieces, the youngest person is to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of each piece as they are cut.


title: King cake

text: A 2014 survey reported that 85 percent of French people celebrated the Epiphany with the cake, with nine per cent of the population enjoying more than five sittings. Sixty-eight per cent confessed to rigging the cake so that children found the fève.


title: King cake

text: The German and Swiss "Dreikönigskuchen" 'three kings cake' are shaped like wreathes or rounds, and uses an almond as the fève.


title: King cake

text: The recipe is derived from the French which found its way to Portugal during the 1800s when "" opened as the Portuguese monarchy's official bakery in 1829.


title: King cake

text: The cake is round with a large hole in the centre, resembling a crown covered with crystallized and dried fruit.


title: King cake

text: It is baked from a soft, white dough, with raisins, various nuts and crystallized fruit. Also included is the dried faba bean, and tradition dictates that whoever finds the fava has to pay for the cake next year.


title: King cake

text: The roscón de reyes is celebrated in Spain, Latin America and the United States. Recipes vary from country to country and between cultures but tend to be similar. It generally has an oval shape due to the need to make cakes large enough for large groups. For decoration, figs, quinces, cherries, or dried and candied fruits are often, but not exclusively, used.


title: King cake

text: The tradition of placing a bean, candy or figurine of the Child Jesus inside the cake is followed. The figurine of the baby Jesus hidden in the bread represents the flight of the Holy Family, fleeing from Herod the Great's Massacre of the Innocents. Whoever finds the baby Jesus figurine is blessed and must take the figurine to the nearest church on Candlemas Day or host a party that day.


title: King cake

text: In 1978, the Madrid confectioners held a contest for a new sweet representing the city and the winner was a smaller without liquor or lemon or orange peel or orange blossom water.


title: King cake

text: The Twelfth Cake, Twelfth-night cake, or Twelfth-tide cake was once popular in the United Kingdom on Twelfth Night. It was frequently baked with a bean hidden in one side and a pea hidden in the other; the man/lord finding the bean became King for the night, while the woman/lady finding the pea became the Queen – also known as the Lord or Lady of Misrule. Earlier, in the time of Shakespeare, there was only a Lord of Misrule, chosen by the hidden bean, reflected in Shakespeare's play "Twelfth Night".


title: King cake

text: Samuel Pepys recorded a party in London on Epiphany night 1659/1660, and described the role the cake played in the choosing of a "King" and "Queen" for the occasion: "...to my cousin Stradwick, where, after a good supper, there being there my father, mothers, brothers, and sister, my cousin Scott and his wife, Mr. Drawwater and his wife, and her brother, Mr. Stradwick, we had a brave cake brought us, and in the choosing, Pall was Queen and Mr. Stradwick was King. After that my wife and I bid adieu and came home, it being still a great frost."


title: King cake

text: Although still occasionally found in the United Kingdom, as the Industrial Revolution curtailed the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas during the Victorian era, the cake declined in popularity to be replaced by the Christmas cake. 18th century actor Robert Baddeley's will bequeathed £3 per annum to serve wine, punch and a Twelfth Night cake to the performers of the Drury Lane Theatre in the green room each Twelfth Night; the ceremony of the "Baddeley Cake" has remained a regular event, missed only 13 times in over 200 years, during wartimes or theatre closures.


title: King cake

text: In Louisiana and parts of the Gulf Coast region historically settled by the French, king cake is associated with Mardi Gras and is traditionally served from Epiphany until Carnival. and recently year-round. It may have been introduced by Basque settlers in 1718, or by the French in 1870.


title: King cake

text: It comes in a number of styles. The most simple, said to be the most traditional, is a ring of twisted cinnamon roll-style dough. It may be topped with icing or sugar, which may be colored to show the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.


title: King cake

text: Cakes may also be filled with cream cheese, praline, cinnamon, or strawberry. The "Zulu King Cake" has chocolate icing with a coconut filling.


title: King cake

text: Traditionally, a small porcelain baby, symbolizing Jesus, is hidden in the king cake and is a way for residents of New Orleans to celebrate their Christian faith. The baby symbolizes luck and prosperity to whoever finds it. That person is also responsible for purchasing next year's cake or hosting the next Mardi Gras party. Bakers have recently been placing the baby outside of the cake to avoid liability for any choking hazard.


title: King cake

text: In 2009 the New Orleans Pelicans introduced the King Cake Baby as a seasonal mascot. The New Orleans Zephyrs also played as the Baby Cakes for a few seasons before relocating.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Dominik Hašek (, ; born January 29, 1965) is a Czech former ice hockey goaltender who mostly played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Widely regarded as one of the best goaltenders of all time, Hašek also played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators in his 16-season National Hockey League (NHL) career, before finishing his career in Europe. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the league's finest goaltenders, earning him the nickname "The Dominator". His strong play has been credited with establishing European goaltenders in a league previously dominated by North Americans. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, both with the Red Wings.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek was one of the league's most successful goaltenders of the 1990s and early 2000s. From 1993 to 2001, he won six Vezina Trophies, the most under the award's current system of voting for the best individual goalie. In 1998 he won his second consecutive Hart Memorial Trophy, becoming the first goaltender to win the award multiple times. During the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, he led the Czech national ice hockey team to its first and only Olympic gold medal. The feat made him a popular figure in his home country and prompted hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to call him "the best player in the game". While with the Red Wings in 2002, Hašek became the first European-trained starting goaltender to win the Stanley Cup. In the process, he set a record for shutouts in a postseason year.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek was considered an unorthodox goaltender, with a distinct style that labeled him a "flopper". He was best known for his concentration, foot speed, flexibility, and unconventional saves, such as covering the puck with his blocker rather than his trapper. Hašek holds the highest career save percentage of all time (0.9223) and is seventh in goals against average (first in the modern era) (2.202), and the third-highest single-season save percentage (0.9366 in 1998–99). The record was broken by Tim Thomas in the 2010–11 season and again in the 2011–12 season by Brian Elliott, who now holds the record at .940. Hašek is the only goalie to face the most shots per 60 minutes and have the highest save percentage in one season. He did it twice while with the Sabres (1996 and 1998).


title: Dominik Hašek

text: At the time of his retirement, he was the oldest active goalie in the NHL at 43, and the second-oldest active player in the league after Red Wings teammate Chris Chelios, who was 46. Hašek announced his retirement on June 9, 2008, but on April 21, 2009, he announced a comeback to professional hockey and signed a contract with HC Pardubice of the Czech Extraliga. On June 7, 2010, he signed with Spartak Moscow of the KHL and played the last season of his career with this team. Hašek announced his retirement on October 9, 2012. Hašek was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on November 17, 2014. He is also a member of the Czech Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and the IIHF Hall of Fame. His number was retired by the Sabres and HC Pardubice. In 2017, he was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In 1980, Hašek joined the top hockey league in the country, the Czechoslovak Extraliga, with his hometown team, HC Pardubice. He became the youngest hockey player in history to play at the professional level at age 16. He helped to win two league titles in 1987 and 1989. The next year, he was conscripted in the Czechoslovak Army and played for an army team Dukla Jihlava. After making his mark and eventually playing for the Czechoslovak national team, Hašek entered the NHL draft and was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1983. At the time, NHL teams were wary of drafting players from behind the Iron Curtain who were often barred from playing in NHL by their countries. Consequently, Hašek was picked in the 10th round (199th overall) and was the seventeenth goalie selected. Hašek did not even know he had been drafted until several months later.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hasek played on the Czechoslovakia team in the 1988 Winter Olympics where the team earned a sixth place finish.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Until 1990, Hašek played in his native Czechoslovakia for HC Pardubice and Dukla Jihlava. He won the Golden Hockey Stick, given to the most valuable player in the Extraliga, in 1987, 1989 and 1990. He was named the Extraliga's Goaltender of the Year for four consecutive years from 1986 through 1990. His American career began with the Indianapolis Ice of the International Hockey League (IHL), where he played parts of two seasons. His NHL debut with the Blackhawks finally came in the 1990–91 season, seven years after the 1983 NHL Entry Draft.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In Chicago, Hašek spent time as the backup to Ed Belfour, and played only 25 games over two seasons with the Blackhawks, splitting time between the Blackhawks and the Indianapolis Ice of the IHL. On November 6, 1990, wearing the number 34 (31 was worn by backup goaltender Jacques Cloutier that year), Hašek made his first NHL start in a 1–1 tie against the Hartford Whalers.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: His first victory came on March 8, 1991, by a score of 5–3 over the Buffalo Sabres, and on January 9, 1992, he recorded his first shutout in a 2–0 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. During this time with the Blackhawks, his goaltending coach was Vladislav Tretiak, who was selected in the 1983 draft but was barred from playing in the NHL by the Soviet government. Hašek appeared in game 4 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, after Belfour allowed two goals on four shots in the opening 6:33, and had 21 saves. Although the Penguins won and clinched the Stanley Cup, Hašek's performance attracted the attention of the Sabres, who had considered trading for him earlier that season.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: After the Stanley Cup finals appearance, Chicago decided to stay with Belfour and Jimmy Waite. Hašek was traded to the Buffalo Sabres for goalie Stéphane Beauregard and future considerations, which later materialized into a draft pick used to obtain Éric Dazé. In Buffalo, wearing number 39, he was initially the backup goaltender, playing behind Grant Fuhr. When Fuhr was injured partway through the 1993–94 season, Hašek was elevated to starter and soon developed into a top-tier goaltender. In 1994, he won his first Vezina Trophy, was runner-up for the Hart Memorial Trophy and shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with Fuhr. Hašek played 58 games with a league-best 1.95 goals against average (GAA), seven shutouts, and a .930 save percentage. He followed this feat by again winning the Vezina Trophy and again placing as a Hart finalist in 1994–95.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek's success in the 1996–97 season was overshadowed by a conflict with then-head coach Ted Nolan. The conflict created a tense, clique-like atmosphere in the Sabres' clubhouse.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In game three of the first round series against the Ottawa Senators, Hašek removed himself in the second period and was replaced by Steve Shields. Hašek suffered a mild sprain of his right MCL, and the team doctor pronounced him day-to-day. However, the media and some teammates speculated Hašek was using his injury to bail out on the team. One such individual was "Buffalo News" columnist Jim Kelley, who wrote a column which detailed Hašek's injury and his conflict with Nolan, and questioned the goaltender's mental toughness. When Kelley approached Hašek for an interview after a loss in game five of the best-of-seven series, Hašek attacked the journalist and received a three-game suspension and a $10,000 (US) fine as a result of the incident. With Steve Shields in goal, the Sabres fought back against the Senators and took the series in seven games. However, Hašek did not play in the five-game loss in the following series against the Philadelphia Flyers.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Though General Manager John Muckler was named "Executive of the Year", he was fired for his constant feuding with Nolan. Hašek, who sided with Muckler, stated in an interview during the 1997 NHL Awards Ceremony that the team would benefit from replacing Nolan.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Despite winning the Jack Adams Award as top coach and being popular with the Sabres fanbase, Nolan was only offered a one-year contract extension by replacement GM Darcy Regier. He rejected this under the grounds that it was too short, and decided to part ways with the franchise. This upset many fans, who blamed Nolan's departure on Hašek's alleged attempt to rid him.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: For the first six weeks of the next season he was booed so vigorously that arena workers would play tapes of a crowd cheering to help balance it out.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: As the season progressed, the booing of Hašek ceased, as he posted a league-record seven shutouts in December and continued to play at an elite level. He won the Vezina Trophy again, as well as the Lester B. Pearson Award and the Hart Trophy for league MVP. He became one of the few goaltenders in NHL history to win the Hart, alongside Jacques Plante, Carey Price, Chuck Rayner, Al Rollins, José Théodore and Roy Worters.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek played a career-high 72 games in the 1997–98 season, and set a team record with 13 shutouts. Six of these shutouts came in December, which tied the all-time NHL record for most in one month. He again won the Lester B. Pearson Award, the Hart Trophy, and the Vezina Trophy, becoming the first goalie in NHL history to win the Hart twice. He donated the $10,000 prize money after winning the Pearson Award in 1998 to the "Variety Club of Buffalo". In the off-season he signed a three-year, $26 million deal, securing the highest goaltender salary contract at that time.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In 1998–99, Hašek averaged a career-best 1.87 GAA and .937 save percentage, capturing him his third consecutive Vezina, and fifth overall. He was also a finalist for the Hart and Pearson trophies. Though the Sabres did not have a stellar regular season and finished with the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, they defeated the Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs in the playoffs en route to a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Dallas Stars. The Sabres eventually lost the series four games to two, with the decisive sixth game being one of the longest Stanley Cup playoff games in NHL history. Hašek and Ed Belfour made 50 and 53 saves, respectively, in a sudden-death triple-overtime duel that only ended when Brett Hull scored a controversial Cup-winning goal with his skate in the goal crease.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: The goal was not reviewed immediately, so officials did not notice Hull's skate in the crease until minutes later. After video reviews showed Hull's position, the goal was still upheld, leaving the Sabres infuriated. Hašek commented, "Maybe [the video goal judge] was in the bathroom. Maybe he was sleeping. Maybe he doesn't know the rule." The following season, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that video replays would no longer be used to judge if players are in the crease or not, and that it would be a judgment call by the officiating crew. After the season ended, Hašek contemplated retirement because of a combination of injuries and a desire to become more involved in his family life. The announcement stunned many of his teammates, particularly Michael Peca and Jason Woolley.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In the 1999–2000 season, Hašek was hampered by a nagging groin injury. He missed forty games and failed to win a major NHL award for the first time in several years. Though he healed in time for the playoffs, the Sabres were eliminated in the first round in five games by the Flyers. In 2000–01—his final season with Buffalo—Hašek set a modern era record by collecting his sixth Vezina Trophy. He also won his second William M. Jennings Trophy. The Sabres played Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs again, where Hašek outplayed his 1998 Olympic back-up Roman Čechmánek. In the clinching sixth game, Hašek recorded a shutout against the Flyers. In the second round, the Sabres played a seven-game series against Mario Lemieux's Penguins, which culminated with the Penguins winning the final game in overtime.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Before the start of the next season, Hašek was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in an attempt to lower the Sabres' payroll and to send Hašek to a more competitive team. He was dealt for Vyacheslav Kozlov, a first-round selection in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft and future considerations, which eventually became the draft pick of Jim Slater. During his first season with Detroit, Hašek posted a career-high 41 wins with just 15 losses, helping the Red Wings earn the President's Trophy with the league's best record. In the playoffs, he led the Wings past the Vancouver Canucks, the St. Louis Blues, the Colorado Avalanche and eventually the Carolina Hurricanes in the finals to win the Stanley Cup. During the Conference Finals against Colorado, he became the first goalie to be awarded an assist on an overtime game-winning goal in the post-season after passing the puck to Wings captain Steve Yzerman, who then assisted Fredrik Olausson in scoring the final goal of the third game of that series. He also set a record for most shutouts in a post-season with six, broken the year after by Martin Brodeur with seven.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: That summer, Hašek officially announced his retirement so that he could spend time with his family and other hobbies.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: However, after Detroit's first-round loss to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the following season, he expressed his desire to play again. This created a difficult situation for the Red Wings, who had two years left on Curtis Joseph's three-year $24 million contract, which had a no-trade clause. Detroit was also under pressure knowing that the rival Avalanche would be looking for a goalie to replace Patrick Roy after his retirement. With Manny Legace also on the Wings' roster, Detroit now had three potential starting goalies.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In the 2003–04 season Hašek injured his groin after playing just 14 games. On January 9, he and the team agreed he should rest his injury for two to four weeks. Hašek privately told general manager Ken Holland that he would not accept any pay while he was injured. On February 10, he announced that he was not going to continue to play that season, surprising the Red Wings management. He eventually revealed that he refused about $3 million of his $6 million salary. In April 2004, he underwent groin surgery in Prague, and returned to his hometown of Pardubice to recuperate.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: After his contract with the Red Wings expired, Hašek announced his intention to play for a Stanley Cup contender, and specifically named the Ottawa Senators as a possibility. On July 6, 2004, after trading Patrick Lalime to the St. Louis Blues, the Senators signed Hašek to a one-year deal.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Hašek toured with the Primus Worldstars. Similar to the tour Wayne Gretzky and IMG formed during the 1994–95 NHL lockout, the Primus Worldstars Tour ran December 7–23, playing in seven different countries (Riga, Latvia; Moscow and St Petersburg, Russia; Bratislava, Slovakia; Bern, Switzerland; Karlstad, Jönköping and Linköping, Sweden; Oslo, Norway; Katowice, Poland) in ten scheduled games. The tour competed against all-star teams or club teams of each country.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek played increasingly well for the Senators up until the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. During the season, he reached 300 career wins, and his GAA and save percentage were the second-best in the league. Upon departure to Turin, Hašek's equipment was accidentally left behind in Ottawa. This caused Hašek to miss a number of practices with the Czech national team. At the Winter Olympics, he injured his right adductor muscle while making a save in the first qualifying match against Germany, forcing him to leave the game after only 9 minutes and 25 seconds.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek's injury caused him to miss the rest of the regular season and post-season, despite several rumours that he would return in time for the playoffs. He said that if he were to be re-signed, he would play for a base salary of $500,000 with bonuses.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: On July 31, 2006, at the age of 41, Hašek joined the Red Wings for the second time. He signed a one-year $750,000 US


title: Dominik Hašek

text: contract, with added bonuses if the team succeeded in the playoffs. He posted 38 wins and a 2.05 GAA while leading the Red Wings to


title: Dominik Hašek

text: the number one seed in the Western Conference. He also broke his own personal record by going 181 minutes and 17 seconds without allowing a goal.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Midway through the regular season, the team announced that to avoid injury and preserve Hašek for the playoffs, he would not play on consecutive nights. He played his first consecutive nights of the season on April 21 and 22 against the Calgary Flames in games 5 and 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Hašek won both games, clinching the series for Detroit. In the next round against the San Jose Sharks, the Red Wings were on the road and down two games to one, but Hašek held the Sharks to three goals in the next three games. His 28-save shutout in game six was his 13th in postseason play and sent the Red Wings to the Western Conference finals against the Anaheim Ducks. However, Hašek and the Red Wings lost in six games to the Ducks, who eventually defeated the Ottawa Senators for the Stanley Cup.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek contemplated retirement in the 2007 offseason, but on July 5, 2007, he signed a one-year contract with Detroit worth $2 million with up to $2 million in bonuses,


title: Dominik Hašek

text: During the 2007–08 season, Hašek was replaced by backup Chris Osgood, who had originally been waived by the Red Wings to make way for Hašek before the 2001–02 season. When Hašek recovered and got back into his stride, Detroit chose to alternate goaltenders in tandem instead of designating either as the backup. Detroit head coach Mike Babcock announced that Hašek was to start in the 2008 playoffs. Through the first two games against the Nashville Predators, the Red Wings were victorious, but after a lackluster performance in the next two, Osgood was in goal for the remainder of the playoffs. Despite expressing disappointment at losing his starting position, Hašek maintained his professionalism in practice and continued to support his teammates, with Darren McCarty citing a close relationship between Hašek and Osgood. Eventually the Red Wings beat the Penguins in six games for the Stanley Cup.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: On June 9, 2008, Hašek announced his retirement from the NHL, only five days after winning his second Stanley Cup with the Red Wings, saying he lacked the motivation for another year in the NHL. With Osgood, the two were awarded the William M. Jennings Trophy for fewest goals against on a team in the season.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In April 2009, Hašek once again came out of retirement and signed a one-year contract with HC Moeller Pardubice, the club where he started his long career. In the 2009–10 season he led his team to win the Czech league title. Hašek had three shutouts in the playoffs, one in the finals, while his Pardubice lost just one game in the playoffs before claiming 12 consecutive wins. For the 2010–11 hockey season, Hašek signed a one-year contract with HC Spartak Moscow.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: On May 15, 2012, Czech website hokej.cz reported that Hašek had discussed playing for Piráti Chomutov after their promotion to the Czech Extraliga. On May 25, 2012, Czech sport website Deniksport reported that Hašek was considering a return to the NHL, possibly with the Red Wings or Tampa Bay Lightning. However, the start of the 2012–13 NHL season was delayed due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout and Hašek announced his retirement on October 9, 2012.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: The Sabres retired Hašek's #39 jersey prior to a January 13, 2015 game against the Red Wings, making Hašek's number the seventh to be retired in Sabres history. In a ceremony held on January 27, 2017, during the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, Hašek was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek's most memorable international performance came in the 1998 Winter Olympics, where he led the Czech national team to the gold medal. He allowed six goals in total, with only two of them coming in the medal round. Against Team Canada in the semifinals, Hašek stopped Theoren Fleury, Ray Bourque, Joe Nieuwendyk, Eric Lindros and Brendan Shanahan in a dramatic shootout win. He then shut out the Russian team 1–0 in the final game, stopping 20 shots. He was later announced as the best goaltender in the Olympics. After he won the gold, he was quoted as saying:


title: Dominik Hašek

text: His play made him one of the most popular figures in the Czech Republic, so much so that residents chanted "Hašek to the castle!" in the streets, referring to the Prague Castle, the seat of the President of the Czech Republic. In response to this, Hašek called the president Václav Havel and jokingly told him that his job was not in jeopardy.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Hašek played for just nine minutes and twenty-five seconds, until he injured his right adductor muscle.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Despite his absence, the Czechs managed to earn the bronze medal with backup goaltender Tomáš Vokoun, which Hašek received as well.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: He was extraordinarily flexible and was jokingly described in a MasterCard commercial as having "a Slinky for a spine".


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In order to cover the bottom of the net, where most goals are scored, Hašek dropped down on almost every shot. His "flopping" style was derived from him flailing in the crease, using every part of his body, including his head, to stop the puck. Hašek occasionally dropped his stick and covered the puck with his stick hand, whereas most goaltenders would use the glove hand instead.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Because of his flexibility, Hašek could make difficult saves that other goalies could not—an opposing coach once referred to them as "miracle saves". These types of saves include toe-stops and a maneuver known as the "Hašek roll". Hašek was also known for his strict regimen of conditioning. During the off-season between May and September 2006, he lost a considerable amount of weight to increase his flexibility. Hašek was one of the last goaltenders to wear a helmet-and-cage combo rather than a contemporary hybrid goalie mask. The last few included his former teammate Chris Osgood, who left the NHL three years after Hašek, Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins and Rick DiPietro actually borrowed one of Osgood's helmets for a short time with the New York Islanders while he recovered from a facial injury.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek and his former wife Alena have a son named Michael (born 1990) and a daughter named Dominika (born 1994). Dominika is the lead singer of the electro-pop band We Are Domi, which represented the Czech Republic in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, finishing in 22nd place. In November 2012 Hašek announced his divorce after 23 years of marriage.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: He divides much of his free time playing squash and inline hockey, where he plays defense. When he was younger, Hašek played competitive football as a midfielder, and was a junior tennis champion in Eastern Bohemia.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: His brother Martin is also a competitive athlete and played for the Czech Republic football team AC Sparta Prague before retiring and eventually deciding to coach. Cousin Ivan Hašek also played professional football and was captain of the Czechoslovakia national football team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. Hobby-wise, Hašek claims that he has been a fan of professional wrestling since his Buffalo days, and says that he mostly follows his favorite wrestlers, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Don "The Rock" Muraco.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Because of his formal education, Hašek stands out among Czech sportsmen. He earned a university degree after studying history and the Czech language in the Faculty of Education at the University of Hradec Králové, which qualified him to be a teacher, and led him to teach high school classes. Hašek also had a brand of sportswear named "Dominator Clothing", which was launched shortly after the Nagano Olympics in 1998. It also had two locations in Michigan for a short time. However, sales were low, and the Dominator brand was forced out of business in 2008.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In May 2001, Hašek founded the "Dominik Hašek Youth Hockey League"/"Hašek's Heroes", and donated over $1 million to help underprivileged children in Buffalo play hockey.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: He organized a charity hockey game in Prague in 1998, and donated the profits to hospitals in the Czech Republic.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek was known to appreciate humor to keep team spirits up, and often jokes about his resemblance to Cosmo Kramer of "Seinfeld". In the late 1990s, he was featured in a MasterCard commercial that praised his flexibility. On November 26, 2006, Mark Parisi's comic panel "off the mark" featured a comic about Hašek's childhood.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: During an inline hockey game on May 18, 2003, Hašek was accused of assaulting another player. He was playing as a defender for Bonfire Střída when he crosschecked Martin Šíla. The prosecutor in the case, Lenka Strnadová, ruled two months later that there was no evidence that Hašek intended bodily harm and recommended the case be treated as a misdemeanor, punishable only by fine (US$95 maximum), rather than a felony where jail time would have been possible. Hašek's lawyer Pavel Jelínek announced in a statement that media reports about the incident were exaggerated, with Šíla not having sustained any documented injuries. In October 2003, the country's top prosecutor overruled Strnadová, saying her ruling was unlawful because the case had not been properly investigated. The Pardubice prosecutor's office then investigated the case again, and reached the same decision as Strnadová.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: Hašek earned his 300th National Hockey League win on October 15, 2005, in a 5–1 home victory with the Ottawa Senators over the Boston Bruins. He stopped 34 of 35 shots and was holding a shutout until Bruins forward Pat Leahy jammed a loose puck under him three minutes into the third period. He became the twenty-second goaltender to reach the milestone. He is the oldest goaltender in NHL history to post a 30-win season, and in 1997, he became the second goaltender to win the Lester B. Pearson Award for most outstanding player in the league (Mike Liut won the Lester B. Pearson Trophy as the league's MVP as determined by his peers in 1981). He is also the only goaltender to win the Hart Trophy twice for most valuable player, and was only one Vezina Trophy away from tying Jacques Plante's record of seven.


title: Dominik Hašek

text: In nine seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Hašek acquired over 25 franchise records, including most all-time games played, wins, shutouts and lowest goals against average. He also holds the Sabres' record for most shutouts in a single season with 13 in 1997–98, and lowest goals against average in a single season with a total of 1.87 in 1998–99. During the Detroit Red Wings' championship run in 2002, Hašek set franchise records for most games played, minutes played, wins and shutouts in a playoff year. He holds several notable NHL records:


title: Dominik Hašek

text: One of the most impressive single-game performances by any player in NHL history came on April 27, 1994. Hašek made 70 saves in a four-overtime shutout. The opposing goalie was Martin Brodeur, then a rookie, who made 49 saves before being beaten by Dave Hannan and the Sabres beat New Jersey 1–0, which helped the Sabres to tie the series 3–3 in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Hašek's 70 saves set a record, which still stands, for the most saves in a game without allowing a goal.


title: Holby City

text: Holby City (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama "Casualty", and premiered on 12 January 1999; the show ran until 29 March 2022. It follows the lives of medical and ancillary staff at the fictional Holby City Hospital, the same hospital as "Casualty", in the fictional city of Holby, and features occasional crossovers of characters and plots with both "Casualty" (which include dedicated episodes broadcast as "Casualty@Holby City") and the show's 2007 police procedural spin-off "HolbyBlue". It began with eleven main characters in its first series, all of whom subsequently left the show. New main characters were then periodically written in and out, with a core of around fifteen main actors employed at any given time. In casting the first series, Young sought actors who were already well known in the television industry, something which has continued throughout its history, with cast members including Patsy Kensit, Jane Asher, Robert Powell, Ade Edmondson and John Michie.


title: Holby City

text: McHale was the show's lead writer for several years, and was the first British writer ever to become the showrunner of a major prime-time drama. Under his tenure as executive producer, attempts were made at modernising the programme and appealing to a younger audience by taking on the filmizing technique and introducing musical montage segments into each episode. Twenty-three series of "Holby City" aired, with the final series concluding on 29 March 2022. The show ran for over 1000 hour-long episodes. It was filmed at the BBC Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire, and has featured special episodes filmed on location abroad. From October 2010, "Holby City" moved to high definition broadcasting. Its first executive producers were Young and Johnathan Young, who were succeeded by Kathleen Hutchison from 2002 to 2004, Richard Stokes from 2004 to 2006, McHale from 2006 to 2010, Belinda Campbell from 2010 to 2011, Johnathan Young from 2011 to 2013, Oliver Kent from 2013 to 2017 and Simon Harper from 2017 to 2021. "Holby City" aired once a week, all year round, and each series contained 52 episodes.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has attracted comparisons to other medical dramas, often unfavourable, and figures within the television and entertainment industry, including Broadcasting Standards Commission director Paul Bolt, have accused the BBC of squandering the television licence fee on the programme. The series employs a team of researchers to ensure medical accuracy, and utilises surgeons from different disciplines to check scripts. Cast members are taught to perform basic medical procedures, and given the opportunity to spend time on real hospital wards for research. "Holby City" has, however, been criticised for its lack of realism, with the British Medical Association denouncing its portrayal of organ donation and unrealistic impression of resuscitation, and an accident and emergency nurse at the 2008 Royal College of Nursing conference accusing the show of fostering unrealistic expectations of the NHS and fuelling compensation culture.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has been nominated for over 100 television awards, of which it has won ten: the 2008 British Academy Television Award for Best Continuing Drama, one BEFFTA Award, two Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards, two Music Video and Screen Awards, and four Screen Nation Awards. The show's first series averaged 9.27 million viewers, but apart from a rise in its fifth series, ratings declined year-on-year until 2009, with the eleventh series averaging 5.44 million viewers. The twelfth series saw a small rise to 5.62 million. Later series consistently drew over 4 million viewers per week.


title: Holby City

text: The show began with only eleven main characters in its first series, all of whom have since left the show. New main characters have been both written in and out of the series since, with a core of fifteen to twenty main actors employed on the serial at any given time. In casting the first series, Young sought out actors who were already well known in the television industry, something which has continued throughout the show's history, with cast members including Patsy Kensit, Jane Asher, Robert Powell, Adrian Edmondson, Alex Walkinshaw and Jemma Redgrave.


title: Holby City

text: McHale was the show's lead writer for several years, and was the first British writer ever to become the "showrunner" of a major prime time drama. Under his tenure as executive producer, attempts were made at modernising the programme and appealing to a younger audience by taking on the filmising technique and introducing musical montage segments into each episode. Twenty complete series of "Holby City" have aired, and an twenty-first began airing in January 2019. The show has run for over 600 hour-long episodes. It is filmed in studios at the BBC Elstree Centre in Hertfordshire, with the 1960s office building Neptune House being used for multiple exteriors and interiors in the series. It has occasionally featured special episodes filmed on location abroad. From October 2010, "Holby City" moved to high definition broadcasting.


title: Holby City

text: In September 2016, as part of the broadcaster's Compete Or Compare Strategy, the BBC confirmed the show would be one of the first put up for tender. In the tender released in October, it was confirmed the contract, open to independent producers and BBC Studios, would be for 3 series of a minimum 50 episodes per series, delivered from December 2017 with no break in transmission and produced from the existing production base at BBC Elstree Centre. BBC Studios was announced as the winning bidder and was to continue to produce the show through to 2020.


title: Holby City

text: It was announced on 18 March 2020 that production had been suspended on "Holby City" and other BBC Studios continuing dramas in light of new government guidelines following the COVID-19 pandemic. A BBC Studios statement said there would be no impact on the immediate broadcast of episodes, but that the "long-term ramifications are still unclear". Despite this, it was announced on 9 April 2020 that the drama would be going on an extended hiatus on 14 April. It was later confirmed that the show would return in July 2020.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the BBC medical drama "Casualty", which is set in the emergency department of the fictional Holby City Hospital. Young wanted to explore what happened to patients treated in "Casualty" once they were taken away to the hospital's surgical wards. While "Casualty" scope is limited to "accident of the week" storylines about patients entering hospital, "Holby City" allowed the possibility of storylines about long-term care, rather than immediate life and death decisions. The series was commissioned by BBC One Controller Peter Salmon, and began airing on BBC One on 12 January 1999.


title: Holby City

text: Series producer Richard Stokes believes that the series' popularity stems from the fact the hospital setting presents numerous plotline opportunities, explaining: "You have licence to create life-and-death situations every week, something you cannot do in any other set piece. The interaction of the characters can be sexy and social issues also permeate the writing. But, basically, hospital drama is successful because the viewers will forgive all the yukky bits for the wonder of a life saved." The focus of the series has developed since its conception, expanding to cover extra wards, including a gynaecology ward, an acute assessment unit and a maternity ward. When the maternity ward and a special care baby unit were introduced during series four, Young explained that new wards were necessary to allow the crew to rotate sets, maximising filming potential.


title: Holby City

text: Episodes of "Holby City" cost around £370,000 to produce—more than the BBC soap opera "EastEnders", at £130,000 per episode, but less than "Casualty" at £450,000 per episode, or "Dalziel and Pascoe" at £700–800,000 per episode. As "Holby City" is a high-volume, year-round production, it has relatively low production costs. Set-up costs can be spread over many years and standing sets can be repeatedly re-used, which is not the case for shorter series or one-off dramas.


title: Holby City

text: Young remained an executive producer of "Holby City" until 2004, when he left the BBC to work for production company 19 TV. Former "Casualty" producer Johnathan Young was an executive producer for the duration of "Holby" first series, before joining Channel 4 in 1999. Kathleen Hutchison served alongside Mal Young as co-executive producer from 2003 to 2004, when she left the series to become executive producer of "EastEnders". Hutchison was succeeded by former series producer Stokes, who remained working on "Holby City" until 2006, when McHale returned to the series. He resigned from the position in 2009, and was succeeded by Belinda Campbell in 2010.


title: Holby City

text: In February 2011, it was announced that Johnathan Young would return to the BBC from March, succeeding Campbell as executive producer of both "Casualty" and "Holby City". Two years later, the BBC advertised for a new executive producer for both shows. Oliver Kent was then announced as Young's successor, being promoted from senior producer at "Holby City" and series producer at "Casualty". Kent was promoted to Head of Continuing Drama Series for BBC Studios in December 2016, and series producer Simon Harper was appointed the serial's acting executive producer. In June 2017, it was announced that Harper would take the job on a permanent basis. Kate Oates was hired as the show's senior executive producer in October 2018, working alongside Harper. She was promoted, succeeding Kent in his position, in April 2019. Harper remained in the role of executive producer until 2021.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" storylines are planned eight months in advance. The series utilises a number of scriptwriters, who are found and scheduled by script development editor Simon Harper. Harper receives around 20 speculative scripts a week, and also finds writers through the BBC Writers Academy, a course established in 2005 which guarantees its graduates the opportunity to work on prime time television. McHale teaches at the academy, and graduate Abi Bown went on to become a regular writer for "Holby City". Harper also recruits writers through the BBC's Continuing Drama Shadow Scheme, open to writers from all levels of experience. He believes that scripts which demonstrate synthesis between guest and serial storylines are "the spine of the show", and has stated that, "Good, cracking, intelligent, ballsy dialogue is a must," explaining: "It's about getting the characters' voices because the characters drive these shows. It is a love for and investment in these characters and the consistency of those characters." Harper does not require that writers are necessarily familiar with the show, and would like to attract more female scriptwriters.


title: Holby City

text: McHale wrote the series' first episode, and served as the show's lead writer. His 2006 promotion to executive producer was part of a bid by Controller of BBC Drama Production John Yorke to "put writers back at the heart of the process". Yorke called McHale's promotion "fantastic", explaining: "It means that for the first time you've got a writer running one of our big powerhouse BBC1 shows." Following McHale's resignation, his replacement as lead writer was Justin Young, who intends to introduce a more writer-led commissioning process from series 13 onwards, with writers creating more of the theme and story of their episodes than was previously the case.


title: Holby City

text: To ensure accuracy in scriptwriting, the serial employs a team of researchers to advise writers on nursing issues and health service politics. One medical advisor was given a cameo role in the series as an orthopaedic surgeon, and another, recovery nurse Rachel Carter, appears in "Holby City" as a scrub nurse. Another adviser, a heart surgeon, has occasionally left open-heart surgery to advise "Holby City" writers over the telephone. The programme utilises surgeons from different disciplines, who check scripts for accuracy. Carter believes this is particularly important in case viewers copy procedures they have seen in the show, such as CPR. Series star Amanda Mealing commented: "We pride ourselves on being realistic. You need to know what you are doing and why. It is a complex and foreign thing to act out an operation. For training, I watched a number of real ones."


title: Holby City

text: Cast members are taught how to give realistic injections, monitor blood pressure and check a pulse, and some are given the opportunity to observe procedures in real hospitals. Original cast member George Irving observed coronary artery bypass surgery performed at Papworth and Middlesex Hospital in preparation for his role as Anton Meyer, while Edward MacLiam observed laparoscopic surgery being performed before joining the cast as Greg Douglas in series twelve.


title: Holby City

text: The series uses operational ventilators on set and these were donated to the NHS Nightingale Hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" and "Casualty" are both set in Holby City Hospital, in the fictional county of Wyvern, in the southwest of England close to the Welsh border. The city exterior is represented by Bristol, though "Holby City" is filmed at BBC Elstree Centre in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. The "Casualty" set in Bristol was not large enough to encompass the surgical ward and operating theatre required for "Holby City", and as a result, some crossover scenes in the first episode had to be shot twice, first on the "Casualty" set and then again at Elstree, with cast members travelling between the two locations. In October 2007, BBC cutbacks led "The Daily Telegraph" to report that the Elstree site would be sold, and "Holby City" relocated to share a set with "Casualty", possibly in Cardiff. In March 2009, the BBC confirmed that "Casualty" would move to a new set in Cardiff, however in the following month, "The Guardian" announced that the BBC would retain Elstree Studios for at least another four years.


title: Holby City

text: Several episodes of the series have been shot on location abroad. In 2004, the romance between nurse Jess Griffin (Verona Joseph) and anaesthetist Zubin Khan (Art Malik) culminated in an episode set in Paris. The following year, registrar Diane Lloyd (Patricia Potter) followed consultant Ric Griffin (Hugh Quarshie) to Ghana as part of the BBC's "Africa lives" series, a week of programmes bringing an exploration of African culture to UK audiences. In 2006, an episode shot in Switzerland featured consultant Elliot Hope's (Paul Bradley) wife Gina (Gillian Bevan) committing assisted suicide after her motor neurone disease worsened. A 2007 episode filmed in Dubai focused on "Holby" registrar Joseph Byrne (Luke Roberts) meeting new nurse Faye Morton (Patsy Kensit), and in 2008, Joseph and consultant Linden Cullen (Duncan Pow) travelled to Cape Town when Faye experienced difficulties there. Series producer Diana Kyle stated in November 2008 that due to major BBC budget cuts, the series would not be filming abroad again for the "foreseeable future". However, on 10 December 2012, it was announced that the show had filmed one episode in Stockholm, which focusses on Jac tracking down hospital CEO Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and exploring his backstory.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" was shot using the single-camera setup. Filming occurred from 8am until 7pm daily, 50 weeks a year. From July 2007 onwards, the show took on the filmising technique, giving episodes the impression of having been shot on film. Kyle stated that this was intended to attract a younger audience and modernise the programme, and that there had been a "very positive" response to the change. On 28 May 2010, the BBC announced that it would be launching a high definition (HD) simulcast of BBC One from the autumn, and that "Holby City" would move to HD by the end of the year. The series moved to HD broadcasting, with a BBC HD simulcast, from the start of series 13 in October 2010.


title: Holby City

text: The show's eleventh series saw musical montage or "songtage" segments become standard in each episode, introduced by McHale as a means of modernising the show. Although McHale initially considered commissioning original pieces, budgetary constraints limited choices to pre-existing tracks. The use of songtages was first popularised by the US medical drama "Grey's Anatomy", however McHale stated he was unaware of this until "Holby City" had already adopted the technique. Music was generally selected by each episode's scriptwriter. If the writer was not specific about which songs should be used, the producers and director would select the music in post-production. Actors also have some input: Hugh Quarshie personally selected the music he believed his character Ric Griffin would listen to in theatre. Asked in June 2010 whether she felt songtages were appropriate for a serious drama show, Kyle responded: "Yes – sometimes. On a multi-strand series such as "Holby", they are an excellent way of telling stories visually – a moment from each – to open or close an episode or create the passing of time in a concise way for the audience." Kris Green of entertainment and media website "Digital Spy" suggested that the number of songs used per episode could be "very jarring", to which Kyle replied: "We plan to use music carefully in the future – maybe 'songtages', as above – and sourced music within a scene, that is music actually playing in the scene itself, for example on a radio – but less incidental."


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" premiered on 12 January 1999 on BBC One. Twenty-one series of the show have since aired, and a twenty-second began airing on 7 January 2020. The show's first series ran for nine episodes. In June 2000, then Director-General of the BBC Greg Dyke pledged extra funding for BBC One, some of which was used for extra episodes of "Holby City". The second and third series ran for 16 and 30 episodes respectively, with new episodes then airing on a weekly basis from the fourth series onwards. Series four to nine and eleven all ran for 52 episodes, while series ten ran for 53 episodes, including the stand-alone finale episode "Mad World", set outside the hospital. All series from then on continued to consist of 52 episodes, with exception to the twelfth series, which consisted of 55 episodes in total. Young explained of the increase in series length: "Longer runs allow you to develop really strong storylines for the regular characters. As long as you do volume with passion, it'll work." The series reached its 500th episode on 13 April 2010, and its 1000th episode on 5 November 2019.


title: Holby City

text: Throughout "Holby City" first series, episodes were 50 minutes long. From the second series onwards, episodes have been one hour in length. The show was originally broadcast on Tuesday nights at 8.10 pm, until a switch to Thursdays occurred for the second series, which began broadcasting in November 1999. Halfway through the third series in 2001, Holby reverted to its original Tuesday night slot, but now at 8.05 pm. Finally, the show moved into the 8pm timeslot, where it has since remained. The show is occasionally broadcast on a different day dependent on BBC scheduling. In 2007, the show temporarily moved to Thursday nights, allowing "HolbyBlue" to air in the 8pm Tuesday timeslot. BBC One in Scotland typically broadcasts episodes at the later time of 10.45 pm.


title: Holby City

text: In February 2019, it was announced that repeats of "Holby City" would begin airing on the channel Drama, starting from the first episode.


title: Holby City

text: On 2 June 2021, it was announced that "Holby City" had been cancelled and would conclude with the twenty-third series. The final episode was broadcast in March 2022. The decision was made as part of plans from the BBC to make more programmes across the country with the intention to better reflect it. An official press release statement thanked the entire cast and crew for their work on the serial and promised that it would "[go] out on a high". Gleeson explained that his team wanted to make the series' concluding broadcasts "the most entertaining "Holby" yet". Hugh Quarshie, the show's longest-serving cast member, told Sarah Marsh of "The Guardian" that the cast and production team were informed about the cancellation one hour before its announcement.


title: Holby City

text: The show's cancellation received a backlash from critics, fans and past and present cast members. Calli Kitson of "Metro" branded the decision "a huge mistake" and summarised, "Put simply, storylines in Holby City have saved people's lives." Borehamwood and Elstree Times writer and Elstree Studios historian Paul Welsh was disappointed by the news and felt sorry for the cast "whose fame rests on being in "Holby City"" and may struggle with typecasting. Quarshie, Joe McFadden (Raf di Lucca), Davood Ghadami (Eli Ebrahimi) and Luisa Bradshaw-White (Lisa Fox) were among the cast who expressed their sadness with the show's cancellation. Fans of the show launched a Change.org petition to save "Holby City"; it reached over 30,000 signatures in a matter of days.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" follows the professional and personal lives of medical and ancillary staff at Holby City Hospital. It features an ensemble cast of main and recurring characters. New main characters have been both written in and out of the series regularly since it started, the show contains a core of 10 to 20 main characters on the show at any given time.


title: Holby City

text: The original cast of 11 characters featured in the show's first episode consisted of consultants Anton Meyer (George Irving) and Muriel McKendrick (Phyllis Logan), registrars Nick Jordan (Michael French) and Kirstie Collins (Dawn McDaniel), senior house officer Victoria Merrick (Lisa Faulkner), ward sister Karen Newburn (Sarah Preston), theatre sister Ellie Sharpe (Julie Saunders), senior staff nurse Ray Sykes (Ian Curtis), staff nurses Julie Bradford (Nicola Stephenson) and Jasmine Hopkins (Angela Griffin), and ward clerk Paul Ripley (Luke Mably).


title: Holby City

text: Towards the end of its run the show featured an ensemble of sixteen regular characters. Having originally appeared between 2004 and 2011, Jaye Jacobs reprised her role as Donna Jackson in 2017. Rosie Marcel has starred as Jac Naylor since 2005, while Sacha Levy actor Bob Barrett joined "Holby City" in 2010. Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) rejoined the show in 2015, two years after leaving a three-year stint on the show. Initially cast in a guest stint, actor David Ames (Dominic Copeland) joined the regular cast in 2014. Following his decision to leave "Casualty", Alex Walkinshaw accepted an invitation to reprise his role as Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher in 2014. In 2019, Ange Godard (Dawn Steele) and Max McGerry (Jo Martin) were introduced to the series. Max's son, Louis McGerry (Tyler Luke Cunningham), was introduced in 2020, marking the introduction of the show's first regular transgender character. Following the show's production break, three new characters were introduced: Josh Hudson (Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge), Jeong-Soo Han (Chan Woo Lim), and Lucky Simpson (Vineeta Rishi). Amy Murphy joined the show's cast as Kylie Maddon in February 2021. Three regular characters were introduced in the show's final series: Eli Ebrahimi (Davood Ghadami), Madge Britton (Clare Burt), and Russell "Russ" Faber (Simon Slater).


title: Holby City

text: In casting the first series of "Holby City", Young—who had previously worked on the soap operas "Brookside" and "Family Affairs"—selected actors who were already established names in the acting industry, particularly from a soap opera background. French had starred in the BBC's "EastEnders", while Stephenson and Faulkner had starred in "Brookside". Griffin had also appeared in ITV's "Coronation Street". Young explained: "Some of the best performances on screen have come out of soaps in the past few years. There is a fantastic amount of talent on those shows." This propensity for hiring established actors continued as the soap progressed, with former "Brookside" actress Patricia Potter cast as registrar Diane Lloyd, "Star Wars" actor Denis Lawson cast as consultant Tom Campbell-Gore, and "Family Affairs" star Rocky Marshall cast as SHO Ed Keating. Later roles were awarded to comedian Adrian Edmondson, former film actress Patsy Kensit, and "Jesus of Nazareth" star Powell. When Jane Asher was cast in the recurring role of Lady Byrne in 2007, "Inside Soap" magazine asked Kyle whether the production team intentionally sought out "well-known-names". She responded: "It's lovely when we have a new member of the cast come in and bring an audience with them. But we want the best actors, and the star names we cast are always the best – which is why we go for them."


title: Holby City

text: There is a casting department at Elstree Studios which casts actors for "Holby City" as well as "Casualty", "EastEnders" and "Doctors". The programme also has two dedicated casting directors who bring in a shortlist of actors for the producer and director to audition. Some cast members who play main characters have made previous appearances in "Holby City" in minor roles. Mealing appeared as the mother of a paediatric patient in the show's fourth series, Roberts appeared as the son of a medical professor in "Holby City" seventh series, and Dhillon appeared as anaesthetist Sunil Gupta in 2001. Roberts believes that his single scene in series seven was enough for him to be called in for the part of Joseph, while in contrast, Dhillon does not believe that his role contributed to his casting as Michael, but instead worried that it would work against him.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has featured a number of famous guest stars. Emma Samms, Antonio Fargas, Ronald Pickup and Leslie Phillips made appearances within the show's first few series, and Anita Dobson, Peter Bowles and Susannah York all appeared in the fiftieth episode. Other notable guest stars include Paul Blackthorne, Suzanne Shaw, Geoffrey Hutchings, Richard Todd, Johnny Briggs, Terence Rigby, Michael Obiora, and Lionel Jeffries. Richard Briers appeared as patient George Woodman in the Christmas episode "Elliot's Wonderful Life", Eric Sykes played Roger Ludlow, a patient with Alzheimer's disease and Phill Jupitus starred as morbidly obese patient Andy Thompson. Kieron Dyer was in four episodes as an injury prone footballer, Denise Welch had a recurring role as risk manager Pam McGrath, mother of nurse Keri, Clarke Peters appeared for five episodes in 2009 as the father of nurse Donna Jackson, and Graeme Garden had a recurring role from 2003 to 2007 as cardiothoracic consultant Edward Loftwood. Cascade Brown played Sophie Hindmarsh in 2004, Antonio Fargas appeared in 2003 as Victor Garrison, a patient with Parkinson's disease, Sheridan Smith appeared for six episodes in 2001 as teenage stalker Miranda Locke, and David Soul made two appearances as Professor Alan Fletcher. The BBC's William Gallagher wrote in a November 2001 column that Soul's guest-appearance had begun a trend for American actors appearing in UK shows. In 2012, Ron Moody guest starred as patient Vincent Mancini, a war veteran.


title: Holby City

text: In 2003, the BBC reached an agreement with the actors' union Equity to cease offering walk-on drama series roles to members of the public as prizes. When an untrained person won such a role in "Holby City" in a competition, Equity complained to the broadcaster that such prizes were "demeaning" to actors, depriving them of paid employment. The competition winner was allowed to visit the "Holby City" set, but did not appear on-screen as a result of the policy change.


title: Holby City

text: Reflecting "Holby City" origins as a spin-off from "Casualty" and the closely related premises of the two programmes, the BBC has screened occasional crossover mini-dramas entitled "Casualty@Holby City", featuring a number of characters from each of the two casts. Prior to the commissioning of "Casualty@Holby City", the two shows had occasionally crossed-over storylines and cast members before; for instance developing a romance between "Holby City" Ben Saunders (David Paisley) and "Casualty" Tony Vincent (Lee Warburton). The first full crossover was spearheaded by "Casualty" executive producer Mervyn Watson, and "Holby City" McHale. Logistical difficulties arose from the fact the two series are usually produced 120 miles apart, and work on both shows had to be halted for two weeks to release a number of cast members to appear in the special.


title: Holby City

text: A second crossover was commissioned in 2005 as part of the BBC's DoNation season, aiming to raise public awareness of organ donation and help viewers make an informed decision about whether to sign up to the Organ Donor Register. An interactive episode of "Casualty@Holby City" was one of the headlining shows of the season, allowing viewers to vote by phone to determine the outcome of a fictional organ donation. The third "Casualty@Holby City" crossover aired in October 2005. The four-part storyline tackled the issue of youth violence, following the events of a turbulent A&E demonstration at an inner-city school. Based on the success of the 2004 "Casualty@Holby City" Christmas special, another crossover was ordered for Christmas 2005. Rather than dividing the episodes between the two series' crews as had previously been standard, this crossover operated as an entirely separate production, with Kyle producing and Paul Harrison directing.


title: Holby City

text: In February 2010, another crossover occurred when "Casualty" Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) was operated on by "Holby City" Elliot Hope after suffering a heart attack. The storyline was, however, broadcast as regular "Casualty" and "Holby City" episodes, rather than under the "Casualty@Holby City" title. "Casualty" series producer Oliver Kent commented that, while it is "fantastic" to be able to produce crossover episodes, they are logistically difficult, and it is unlikely that another "Casualty@Holby City" episode will be produced in the "foreseeable future". In September 2010, "Holby City" nurse Donna Jackson (Jaye Jacobs) appeared in "Casualty", and Kent hopes that characters from the two shows will begin to crossover two or three times a year.


title: Holby City

text: Despite the show's end, former cast members have continued to crossover to "Casualty", starting with Alex Walkinshaw as Fletch appearing on 2 April 2022 as a continuation of plot of the final episode that aired earlier in the week. In October 2022, it was confirmed Bob Barrett would appear as Sacha Levy in a 2023 episode.


title: Holby City

text: On 27 April 2006, the BBC announced the commissioning of "Holby Blue", a police procedural spin-off from "Holby City" created by Tony Jordan. Jordan contemplated that "soap snobs" may hold the series in disdain for using the "Holby" brand, but concluded: "After much thought, I remembered who I was as a writer, the joy I take from surprising an audience, by subverting expectation – and "HolbyBlue" was born." "Holby City" was moved to Thursdays for the duration of "HolbyBlue" first series, with the spin-off broadcast on Tuesday nights at 8 pm. A two-part crossover episode with "Holby City" was developed for the beginning of the show's second series, broadcast in 2008. The episodes were written by McHale and Jordan, and saw "Holby City" registrar Jac Naylor accused of murder. Yorke compared the crossover to the American "CSI" franchise, in that: "You really believe it's a world." While the second series attracted 5.6 million viewers with its opening episode, by the end of May 2008 viewership had fallen to 2.5 million. In August 2008, the BBC announced that due to declining ratings, "Holby Blue" would not be recommissioned for a third series.


title: Holby City

text: In June 2002, cast members from "Holby City" and "Casualty" competed against the "EastEnders" cast for the first "Sport Relief" fundraiser, in a segment dubbed "Sport in the Square". The teams competed in events such as taxi pulling, melon tossing and a beer keg relay. The competition was televised on BBC One, and the event as a whole raised £10 million. In October 2003, BBC One aired a "Kenyon Confronts" documentary by "Panorama" reporter Paul Kenyon, investigating hospitals run by the Private Finance Initiative. He discovered many problems within the hospitals, which were dramatised by the "Holby City" cast in specially commissioned scenes. March 2004 saw the station air the documentary "Making It at Holby", as part of a BBC initiative to develop new acting talent. The documentary followed the casting process of "Holby City" and "Casualty", from the audition stages to the filming of the selected actors' first scenes. Young explained his casting criteria, stating: "I try to put my head into the head of a viewer and ask: do I want to spend three years in the life of this person?"


title: Holby City

text: The 17 November 2006 "Children in Need" charity telethon included a segment featuring the "Holby City" cast performing a comical version of "Hung Up" by Madonna. The 16 November 2007 "Children in Need" appeal again contained a musical performance from Holby City cast members. Sharon D Clarke, backed by Nadine Lewington, Rakie Ayola and Phoebe Thomas performed a soul version of Aretha Franklin's signature song, "Respect". On 28 June 2008, "Holby City" stars competed against their "Casualty" counterparts in a special charity edition of BBC Two game-show "The Weakest Link". "Holby City" and "Casualty" cast members united on 20 February 2010, performing a dance rendition of "Jai Ho" for "Let's Dance for Sport Relief".


title: Holby City

text: On 12 October 2021, it was announced that "Holby City" would partake in a special crossover event involving multiple British soaps to promote the topic of climate change ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. It was confirmed that events from "Holby City" would be discussed on "Hollyoaks".


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has attracted comparisons to other medical dramas, often unfavourable. In November 2002, John Whiston, then head of drama at Granada Television, accused the BBC of producing "ersatz parodies" of ITV drama, commenting that: "With "Holby City" cloned out of "Casualty", the BBC has even ended up copying itself." Paul Hoggart of "The Times" has written that the differences between the two shows are "mild", calling "Holby City": ""Casualty" cute little sister". Kevin Lygo, director of television at Channel 4, referred to "Holby City" as "sudsy drama", deeming it, "Casualty" and "HolbyBlue" "all decent programmes, but strikingly similar in many aspects of their tone and construction." "Holby City" has also been unfavourably compared with the American medical drama "ER". Television producer Paul Abbott has commented that although he watches "ER", he does not watch "Holby City" as: "it looks like you've crammed one hour's drama into 26 episodes." In October 2009, former "Holby City" writer Peter Jukes wrote a critical piece for "Prospect" magazine, contrasting the show negatively with the standard of American television dramas. Jukes wrote that "Holby City" has become a soap opera, rather than a drama, and deemed the episodes he worked on "the most dispiriting experiences in [his] 25 years as a dramatist."


title: Holby City

text: On several occasions, people within the television and entertainment industry have suggested that "Holby City" is a waste of the television licence fee, with some suggesting that it ought to be cancelled. In August 2002, Paul Bolt, director of the Broadcasting Standards Commission criticised BBC programming as being "humdrum" and "formulaic", saying of "Holby City" and the police procedural "Mersey Beat": "One begins to wonder what really is the point of the BBC bringing this to us. Let's have something a bit different." Then head of BBC drama Jane Tranter responded that Bolt's examples were "highly selective" as well as "hugely patronising to the millions of viewers who enjoy popular dramas like "Holby City" – week in, week out". Young, who at the time held the position of head of drama serials, told "The Guardian": "Popular drama has always been singled out for criticism, but people are increasingly voting with their on-buttons." Also in 2002, David Cox of the "New Statesman" criticised BBC One's 2001 Christmas schedule, for airing "Holby City" against a contemporary version of "Othello". On this basis, Cox advocated the abolition of the licence fee, explaining: "The BBC was invented in a period when the elite decided what the population should know. If that has gone, then the licence fee should go too." At the 2003 Edinburgh International Television Festival, BSkyB chief executive Tony Ball called for stricter restrictions on how the BBC spent licence payers' money, suggesting that "Holby City" be sold to the channel's commercial rivals, with the proceeds used to develop more original programming. The BBC refused Ball's suggestion, responding in a statement: "This speech clearly reflects BSkyB's view that programmes are merely a commodity to be bought and sold." In June 2004, Charles Allen, chief executive of ITV plc questioned the amount of funding spent on lengthened episodes of "Holby City", and in January 2010, Janet Street-Porter of "The Independent" argued that "Holby City" was one of several series which had "come to the end of their natural life" and "should be put out of its misery."


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" was praised by campaigners for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) in October 2003, when an episode which coincided with "Learn To Sign Week" used deaf actors, and featured characters communicating through British Sign Language. RNID chief executive John Low stated: "Too often individuals have to rely on family members or friends to communicate complicated personal information to professionals. This is the reason the RNID is calling on the government to channel funding into the training of British Sign Language interpreters who could then be available to NHS staff treating deaf patients." Stokes commented: "The writer had a great story he wanted to tell – for us, that's what matters first and foremost." A 2008 report into ethnic diversity on television, commissioned by Channel 4, cited "Holby City" as a positive example of "diverse British programm[ing]". Five years previously in 2003, former BBC host Sir Ludovic Kennedy complained that ethnic minorities were over-represented on television, prompting a BBC spokeswoman to explain that "Holby City" has more ethnic characters as it is set in an area where minorities account for up to 30% of the population. According to the 2001 census, the population of Bristol – which the city of Holby is loosely based upon – is 88% white and 12% ethnic minorities.


title: Holby City

text: The show has been criticised for its lack of realism. Former nurse Vici Hoban commented in February 2004 that there existed three stereotypes of nurses exist: "sex object, doctor's handmaiden, or angel". She felt that media portrayal had amplified these misconceived views, observing that with "the syringe-toting serial killer Kelly in "Holby City", realism has never been top of TV's agenda." However, Hoban felt that the worst offender at the time was the Channel 4 medical drama "No Angels", which she described as: "so inaccurate that it makes "Holby City" look like a factual documentary." "No Angels" creator Toby Whithouse defended his series, stating that "Holby City" presents an unfair representation of nursing, deceiving viewers into believing that nursing "is a nice, clean job full of handsome doctors." Whithouse observed that the content of "Holby City" is defined by the watershed, describing real nursing work in contrast as "very post-watershed". In November 2009, Antony Sumara, CEO of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Hospital Trust, wrote a column criticising "Holby City" for misrepresenting real hospital life. Tom Sutcliffe of "The Independent" reviewed a December 2009 episode poorly, finding it "astonishing" that any patients leave Holby General alive, as the staff are "so busy looking stricken or lovelorn at each other".


title: Holby City

text: In December 2003, Libby Purves wrote a critical opinion piece in "The Times", observing that "Holby City" medical staff are often depicted getting drunk in clubs, but afterwards are able to function properly at work, and that as a result, alcohol "is made to look innocent". In October 2004, Canon Kenyon Wright, chair of Alcohol Focus Scotland, criticised an episode of "Holby City" which saw doctors downing tequila slammers, stating that it glamorised irresponsible drinking. Similarly, in October 2007, drinks' industry body the Portman Group made an official complaint to communications regulator Ofcom about a scene in "Holby City" which depicted two medics drinking five shots of tequila following a stressful day at work. The body's chief executive David Poley claimed that in failing to show the negative consequences of this action, the series was presenting a "highly irresponsible portrayal of excessive and rapid drinking". Ofcom received a total of eight complaints about the incident.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has also been accused of medical inaccuracies. The British Medical Association denounced a January 2004 episode of the serial which portrayed organ donation being carried out despite withdrawal of consent by the patient's relatives. Dr Michael Wilks, chairman of the Medical Ethics Committee stated: "This simply would not happen, but its portrayal, even in a drama, is totally irresponsible and risks causing huge damage to the already struggling transplant programme." The British Medical Association later opined that the show was giving viewers an unrealistic impression of resuscitation by typically presenting only two outcomes, death or total recovery. Andrew Thomson, a Dundee GP, deemed this "a terrible distortion of the truth." In a follow-up story for "The Times", Vivienne Parry highlighted the fact that in reality, less than half of patients who require resuscitation survive the initial catastrophe and only a third of those live to leave hospital. At the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) conference in Bournemouth in April 2010, "Holby City" was accused of fostering unrealistic expectations of the NHS, encouraging patients to believe in miracles and fuelling compensation culture. Accident and Emergency nurse John Hill stated: "In A&E it is sometimes a fact that sadly we cannot get people through the trauma they have received. Unfortunately, unlike in "Holby City", I am a mere mortal and cannot perform miracles. But many relatives believe because of that, you can. And the injury lawyers assure them that if you don't they will get recompense for it."


title: Holby City

text: In October 2000, Dr John Ryan, an Accident & Emergency consultant at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton criticised the number of patients visiting the department for minor ailments without first contacting their GP. Ryan attributed this phenomenon to patients viewing "Holby City" and American medical drama "ER", and coming to regard hospitals as glamorous. A three-year Belgian research project, presented at a British Psychological Society meeting in September 2008, claimed that watching "Holby City" and similar medical dramas such as "Casualty" and "ER" had a subliminal influence on fear of illness. 1,300 teenagers were questioned on their viewing habits, and those who watched more medical dramas were found to be up to 10% more fearful about their health, with females more affected than males. Dr Jan Van Mierlo of Hasselt University stated that further research was needed into the long-term impact of television.


title: Holby City

text: In 2006, it was revealed that a British double murderer who worked as a nurse, Benjamin Geen, may have been inspired by the plot of Holby City to kill and harm his own patients. Geen, who murdered two patients and committed grievous bodily harm against 15 others between December 2003 and February 2004, had appeared in an edition of the "Banbury Citizen" in December 2003 which also featured an interview with Rachel Leskovac, who played a serial killer nurse in Holby City. This character had murdered patients by secretly administering insulin and was eventually exposed as a murderer. Nurses at the hospital Geen worked at, Horton General Hospital, would later observe that there were notable similarities between this storyline and the crimes Geen was later convicted of, which started in the same month as the article appeared.


title: Holby City

text: In 2008, Conservative Party strategists identified four archetypes based on TV programmes to help the party target swing voters. Alongside ""Top Gear" man", ""Apprentice" generation" and ""Grand Designs" couple", they identified ""Holby City" worker", a middle-ranking health service employee. The following year, strategists identified ""Holby City" woman" as a key voter demographic who may help the party win the 2010 General Election. The ""Holby City" woman" is a female voter in her 30s or 40s, employed in a clinical or clerical position or some other public sector job. She is a swing voter in General Elections, who has voted for the Labour Party in previous elections, though her identification with the Labour Party is not strong. The ""Holby City" woman" archetype is modelled on the character of Faye Morton.


title: Holby City

text: In January 2009, Jill Berry, president of the Girls' Schools Association and head teacher at the Dame Alice Harpur School in Bedford, cited medical dramas such as "Holby City" as an inspiring force in increasing numbers of female students deciding to pursue careers in medicine. Berry said: "The girls see that as an exciting and dynamic way of life. They see it as making a difference to people's lives. It gives them a sense sometimes of the pressures, responsibility and adrenaline. Such TV programmes can be good, as long as they give a realistic impression." Similarly, consultant surgeon Andrew Raftery uses clips from "Holby City" as part of the University of Sheffield Outreach and Access to Medicine Scheme, to inspire pupils from under-represented social and educational backgrounds to pursue careers in medicine.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has been nominated for over 100 awards, of which it has won six. The series has received five nominations for the British Academy Television Awards, winning one. Minkie Spiro was nominated for the "Best New Director (Fiction)" award in 2003 for her work on the series. The show itself was nominated for the "Best Continuing Drama" award in 2004, 2005 and 2006, winning in 2008. McHale commented on the win: "It's fantastic not being the bridesmaid", hoping that the award would help to make the serial "less of a guilty pleasure". "Holby City" received multiple BBC Drama Award nominations between 2002 and 2006. Its best results saw the show voted fifth "Best Drama" in 2004 and 2006. Amanda Mealing was voted fourth "Best Actress" in 2006 for her role as Connie Beauchamp, and the ""Casualty@Holby City"" moment where doctor Jim Brodie (Maxwell Caulfield) sacrifices his life for midwife Rosie Sattar (Kim Vithana) was voted viewers' fourth "Favourite Moment" of 2004. The series has been nominated for the "Best Drama" award at the "Inside Soap" Awards on six occasions—in 2004, then concurrently from 2006 to 2010.


title: Holby City

text: "Holby City" has received multiple long-list nominations at the National Television Awards (NTAs) and "TV Choice" Awards. Mealing was short-listed for the "Most Popular Newcomer" award at the 2005 NTAs, and for the "Best Actress" award at the 2008 "TV Choice" Awards. At the 2000 Royal Television Society Awards, Sean De Sparengo and Richard Gort were nominated for the "Best Graphic Design – Titles" award for their contribution to the series. The show itself was nominated in the "Soap and Continuing Drama" category at the 2007 awards. "Holby City" was nominated "Best Serial Drama" at the 2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards, and in 2009, Stella Gonet was nominated for the "Acting Performance in TV (Female)" award at the British Academy Scotland Awards for her role as CEO Jayne Grayson. In 2010, the series was shortlisted in the "Best Television Continuing Drama" category at the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Awards.


title: Holby City

text: At the Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards, Angela Griffin won "Best Actress" in 2000 for her role as nurse Jasmine Hopkins, and was nominated "Best TV Actress" in 2002, alongside co-star Thusitha Jayasundera for her role as registrar Tash Bandara. In 2004, Art Malik won the "Best TV Actor" award for his role as anaesthetist Zubin Khan. Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal of "The Times" criticised Malik's award, opining that: "A show such as "Holby City" doesn't merit any recognition." The show has won three Screen Nation Awards, and received nominations for a further seven. Jaye Jacobs won the "Emerging Talent" award in 2005 for her role as nurse Donna Jackson. In 2006, Rakie Ayola and Hugh Quarshie were nominated for the Female and Male "Performance in TV" awards for their roles as Kyla Tyson and Ric Griffin respectively. Sharon D. Clarke won the 2007 "Female Performance in TV" award for her role as Lola Griffin, while Ginny Holder was nominated in the same category for her role as Thandie Abebe, and Ayola received an Honourable Mention. Also in 2007, Roger Griffiths was nominated for the "Male Performance in TV" award for his role as Harvey Tyson, and Quarshie received an Honourable Mention in the same category. Quarshie went on to win "Favourite Male TV Star" in 2008. Also in 2008, Jacobs was nominated for the "Favourite Female TV Star" award, Ayola was nominated in the "Female Performance in TV" category, and the show itself was nominated for the "Diversity in Drama Production" award.


title: Sing Street

text: Sing Street is a 2016 musical coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by John Carney from a story by Carney and Simon Carmody. Starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Aidan Gillen, Jack Reynor and Kelly Thornton, the story revolves around a boy starting a band to impress a girl in 1980s Ireland. It is an international co-production between producers from Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.


title: Sing Street

text: The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2016. It was released in Ireland on 17 March 2016, in the United States on 15 April and in the United Kingdom on 20 May. The film received positive reviews from critics, grossed $13 million worldwide on a $4 million budget, and was nominated for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the 74th Golden Globe Awards.


title: Sing Street

text: In inner-city south Dublin in 1985, Robert Lawlor struggles with his architecture practice and his marriage, and drinks and smokes to excess. At a family meeting, he announces he is taking his youngest son Conor out of his expensive school and moving him to a Christian Brothers school, Synge Street CBS, which Robert asserts is of equally high repute. Conor's older brother Brendan ribs him about the change as well as about the state of the family unit.


title: Sing Street

text: Conor appears in his new uniform but without the regulation black shoes. The school principal, Br. Baxter, chastises him despite Conor's pleas of being unable to afford new shoes. To avoid going shoeless, he paints his shoes black. An encounter with the school bully, Barry, introduces Conor to Darren, an ally and budding entrepreneur. When Conor recruits aspiring model Raphina for a music video, Darren agrees to manage his band and introduces him to multi-instrumentalist Eamon.


title: Sing Street

text: The band practices in Eamon's living room, playing covers until Brendan encourages him to develop the band's own style. He writes original songs with Eamon, describing themselves as "futurists". The band films their first music video wearing comical costumes; Raphina acts as ingénue and makeup artist. Conor goes into school the next day wearing make up, and Brother Baxter forcibly removes it. Raphina gives Conor his nickname "Cosmo", which she says is more in keeping with his new band's image. After spending the day filming a music video for a new song, Conor and Raphina kiss. Conor also stands up to his bully, Barry by pointing out the insignificance of both their lives, which greatly upsets Barry.


title: Sing Street

text: Robert and Penny's marriage falls apart while Raphina and Conor's relationship blossoms. Conor takes Raphina out to Dalkey Island in his granddad's motor cruiser. Here, they view the car ferry leaving Dún Laoghaire for the UK and discuss Raphina's dream of leaving Ireland for London.


title: Sing Street

text: Conor, Raphina and the band prepare to film a "Back to the Future"-inspired music video for their new song, but Conor is disheartened when Raphina fails to show up. She reveals that she was set to leave for London with her boyfriend, but he abandoned her. Hurt by her lack of disclosure and offended by her nonchalance, Conor breaks up with Raphina. Because of the break-up and his family's problems, Conor finds difficulty in writing or playing music, but Brendan urges Conor to continue so he can make a better future for himself. Penny and Robert announce to the family that they are getting legally separated and selling the house. Penny plans on moving in with her affair and boss, Tommy, whilst Robert plans on getting a small apartment. They will share custody. An opportunity arises for the band to play live at an end-of-year party at school. Conor strikes up a friendship with Barry, offering him the chance to be the band's roadie and escape his abusive family.


title: Sing Street

text: Conor prepares a new song mocking Baxter, which the band perform as an encore while distributing homemade masks of Baxter's face. Raphina arrives before the band finishes and reconciles with Conor. Both of them leave the party and the school in uproar. After secretly saying goodbye to his family later that night, Conor and Raphina persuade Brendan to drive them to Dalkey, so they can escape in the motor cruiser and head to London. Brendan agrees and drives them to the harbour, where Brendan and Conor embrace. Conor and Raphina sail out to sea, following the ferry across the rough Irish Sea to a new life in London. Brendan watches them disappear into the distance and cheers, overjoyed that his younger brother has left to go on to greater things.


title: Sing Street

text: In February 2014, it was announced that John Carney would be directing the film, from a screenplay he wrote about a boy starting a band in order to impress a girl. Carney would produce through his Distressed Films banner, along with Anthony Bregman through his Likely Story Banner, Kevin Frakes for PalmStar Media, and Raj Brinder Singh for Merced Media Partners, with Paul Trijbits and Christian Grass for FilmWave. The film is a semi-autobiographical depiction of Carney's upbringing in Dublin.


title: Sing Street

text: In a July 2014 interview, Carney announced he would be casting unknown actors in the film. The unknown actors turned out to be Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Ben Carolan, Mark McKenna, Percy Chamburuka, Conor Hamilton, Karl Rice, and Ian Kenny. In September 2014, it was announced that Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy and Jack Reynor had joined the cast of the film, portraying the role of Conor's father, mother and brother respectively.


title: Sing Street

text: Principal photography on the film began in September 2014 in Dublin, and concluded on 25 October 2014. Its namesake school, Synge Street CBS, was among the shooting locations for the film.


title: Sing Street

text: Much of the original music by the band "Sing Street" was composed by Danny Wilson frontman Gary Clark, with Carney, Ken and Carl Papenfus of the band Relish, Graham Henderson and Zamo Riffman also receiving writing credits. Adam Levine co-wrote (with Carney and Glen Hansard) and sings on the track "Go Now".


title: Sing Street

text: The film also features music of the period from The Cure, a-ha, Duran Duran, The Clash, Hall & Oates, Spandau Ballet, The Blades and The Jam.


title: Sing Street

text: In February 2014, it was announced that FilmNation Entertainment had been selected to sell international rights to the film. In May 2014, it was announced The Weinstein Company had acquired U.S distribution rights to the film, for $3 million.


title: Sing Street

text: The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on 24 January 2016. The film screened at the Dublin Film Festival on 18 February 2016, and at South by Southwest on 11 March 2016. The film was released in Ireland on 17 March, and in the United Kingdom on 20 May 2016. It was released in the United States on 15 April 2016.


title: Sing Street

text: In the United States, the film made $63,573 from five theatres in its opening weekend, an average of $13,796 per venue.


title: Sing Street

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 95% based on 214 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Sing Street" is a feel-good musical with huge heart and irresistible optimism, and its charming cast and hummable tunes help to elevate its familiar plotting." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 96% overall positive score and an 85% "definite recommend".


title: Sing Street

text: Guy Lodge of Variety.com gave the film a positive review, writing "Perched on a tricky precipice between chippy kitchen-sink realism and lush wish-fulfilment fantasy, this mini-"Commitments" gets away with even its cutesiest indulgences thanks to a wholly lovable ensemble of young Irish talent and the tightest pop tunes—riffing on Duran Duran and the Cure with equal abandon and affection—any gaggle of Catholic schoolboys could hope to write themselves. Given the right marketing and word of mouth, this Weinstein Co. release could "Sing" a song of far more than sixpence."


title: Sing Street

text: In "The Observer", Mark Kermode gave the film four out of five stars, writing: "When it comes to capturing the strange, romantic magic of making music, few modern film-makers are more on the money than John Carney." He added, "The bittersweet, 'happy sad' drama that follows has drawn inevitable, if misguided, comparisons with "The Commitments", yet tonally this is closer to the teen spirit of Todd Graff's 2009 film "Bandslam" [...] or even Richard Linklater’s sublime "School of Rock". As Carney has proved previously, he knows how to straddle the line between the sound in the room and the sound in your head – a sequence that segues from bedroom composition to living room rehearsal (with tea and biscuits) to full studio production perfectly negotiates the space between kitchen-sink realism and musical fantasy in which this lovely, lyrical movie casts its spell". Kermode concluded by saying, "Happy sad indeed. I laughed, I cried, I bought the soundtrack album."


title: Sing Street

text: "Sing Street", like Carney's film "Once", was adapted for stage as a musical, also called "Sing Street". The screenplay was adapted by Enda Walsh (who also wrote the book for the musical "Once") and the production was directed by Rebecca Taichman. The show premiered at New York Theatre Workshop on 16 December 2019 after extensive workshops. The musical was initially set to premiere on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in previews on 26 March 2020, and officially on 19 April. but it suspended its production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, a cast recording featuring the original Broadway cast was released on 22 April 2020. The musical now plans to open in 2022.


title: 1992–93 UEFA Champions League

text: The 1992–93 UEFA Champions League was the 38th European Cup, the premier European club football tournament, and the first season with the UEFA Champions League branding (originally adopted only in the group stage).


title: 1992–93 UEFA Champions League

text: It was the second season of the competition in which the eight second round winners would be split into two groups, with the winner of each one meeting in the final. In addition, a preliminary round was required as this was the first season after the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, resulting in many new countries eligible to enter the champions of their own leagues into the competition. Israel and the Faroe Islands were also represented for the first time.


title: 1992–93 UEFA Champions League

text: The tournament was won for the first time by Marseille, defeating Milan in the final, becoming the first and as of 2022 only French team to win the European Cup/Champions League.