Anton Meyer - Creation

Creation

"Anton's parents were Hungarian intellectuals. They fell foul of the new regime in 1957 and had to get out of Hungary after the uprising. They came to Britain with their son when he was seven, but they never really adjusted and died of broken hearts. That gave him the early drive towards making people better."

— Irving on Meyer's background, which remains deliberately enigmatic within the show.

Irving was heavily involved in the creation of his character, writing Meyer's biography before assuming the role. He felt that it was important for him to understand Meyer's motivation and the reason he is so driven, as the character is presented as a "peacock ogre" who throws scalpels at one of his colleagues in an early episode, and unless Irving could fathom why, his portrayal would be "one step removed". Meyer was loosely based on the cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub. He was originally intended to be of Iranian descent and had the surname Hussein, before the series producers changed their minds and made him central European instead. Irving had developed a Hungarian accent for a film role prior to his involvement with Holby City, and decided that "Meyer was temperamentally Hungarian–gloomy with a bit of Mediterranean liveliness." It was decided that Meyer had left Hungary following the 1956 uprising, with his parents, who were intellectuals.

Although it was decided he has a sister, a wife and a daughter, Meyer's personal life is rarely mentioned on screen, enabling viewers to perceive him as a strong man onto whom they can "project whatever they want from their own imagination." Irving believes that modern television drama is populated by characters prone to disclosing everything about themselves, and so feels that having an enigmatic character like Meyer, who behaves in the reserved vein of Humphrey Bogart and Spencer Tracy, makes for a "refreshing change". He commented that revealing more of Meyer's personal life would be anticlimatic compared to viewers' expectations. As preparation for the role, Irving observed coronary artery bypass surgery performed at Papworth and Middlesex Hospital, deeming the experience an "enormous privilege". He had a "real fascination" with medicine and the human body prior to assuming the role, and considered studying biology at university. Upon receiving the script for the first episode of Holby City, Irving felt immediately connected to Meyer, commenting: "I knew instinctively how he moved, how he spoke, what he felt. I could feel his heartbeat."