Donna Jackson - Reception and Impact

Reception and Impact

Jacobs won the "Best Emerging Talent" accolade at the 2005 Screen Nation Awards for her role as Donna. She was also nominated for the "Best Newcomer" award at the 2004 National Television Awards, and the "Favourite Female TV Star" Screen Nation award in 2008. Discussing public reaction to her character, Jacobs stated that real nurses enjoyed her "man-eating antics", and were envious that Donna got away with wearing so much make-up. She commented, "I've never met anyone who has been sensitive about Donna throwing herself at men. The women I meet seem to appreciate her tactics." In the aftermath of the Donna/Mickie storyline, the BBC banned its actresses from appearing in raunchy photo-shoots, after Jacobs and Adams were photographed in intimate poses while dressed in nurses uniforms for various "lads' mags".

In November 2007, Shelley deemed Donna one of Holby City's few "really good, realistic, characters". He named Peters' casting as Donna's father his "Worst TV moment of the year" in 2009, however found their relationship "deeply moving". Donna's farewell speech to Derek was again called moving by both a reviewer for the Liverpool Daily Post, and Simon, though she had previously despaired at Donna's optimism despite Derek's terminal prognosis. The following year, What's on TV named Donna one of their favourite characters, praising her for taking a stance against Director of Surgery Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) in defence of her fellow nurses.

Donna's relationship with Michael proved unpopular with critics. In an editorial discussing the boundaries between fiction and reality, The Guardian's Scott Murray and Barney Ronay declared their love for Donna, commending the way she "always has time for people" and recommending that she stay away from Michael as she deserves better. Bree Treacy of RTÉ.ie believes that Michael had better chemistry with Donna than with his wife Annalese, however similarly commented that he did not deserve Donna, never having seen her as more than "a notch on his stethoscope". Following her promotion to ward sister, Treacy hoped that the series producers would give Donna a man who would see her "as more than just a good time girl." Simon criticized Donna for failing to observe correct organ donation protocol in an attempt to win Michael's affection, commenting that she had "thrown her own heart willynilly at the first good-looking doctor she s with an ego the size of Texas." She later branded her "selfish to a fault" for her negative reaction to Kieran's posting to Afghanistan, but opined that Kieran "makes a far more suitable partner for her" than Michael did.

Several of Donna's pivotal episodes were selected as recommended viewing by critics. "Myself, Coming Back", the series ten episode in which she goes on a road-trip and discovers the existence of her niece, Mia, was named a televisual highlight by the Daily Mirror, Birmingham Post, and Liverpool Daily Echo, with the latter publication deeming it "refreshingly different" following the "doom and gloom" of preceding episodes. Many regional newspapers named "Promises", in which she decides to adopt Mia, a "pick of the day", and Sarah Morgan of the Daily Record cited Jacobs' appearance as Donna in the premiere episode of Casualty's twenty-fifth series as a positive example of the BBC "pull out all the stops to make sure the first edition in this latest run is something of a cracker."