Maddy Young - Development

Development

Upon announcing the character's creation, BBC Publicity initially stated of her personality: "Maddy's enthusiasm and ability speaks for itself. She's a young SHO who loves her job and is fun to be around." Expanding, it was added that: "Maddy's young, fun and up for a laugh while, at the same time, dedicated to her job. She's definitely not going to be single for very long, but there's a family secret she's harbouring which could just get in the way..." The BBC Holby City homepage describes Maddy as: "enthusiastic and eager to learn. Being with her is fun. She doesn't moan, she loves her job and gets on with it. She just wants to be happy". Comparing the character's personality to her own, Lewington commented: "My good pal, Sir Robert Powell (Mark Williams) has said that a character is often only yourself turned 3 degrees. I think this to be true of Maddy and I. There are similarities. Although she's smarter than me, she does the daftest things! She's says things I wouldn't. But when she cries, I cry and when she smiles, I smile".

Throughout the show's ninth series, Maddy maintained a close relationship with General Surgical Consultant Dan Clifford. It was revealed in her first episode that she had previously worked alongside him in Middlesex. It later came to light that she once covered for him when he attempted an operation drunk - going so far as to date the lesbian anesthetist present during the surgery in order to buy her silence. Shortly before his departure from Holby City, Dan and Maddy briefly became romantically involved. However, Dan was also in love with his sister-in-law Louise and ultimately departed for a new job in France, leaving Maddy behind. Peter Wingfield (Dan) has said of the relationship:

"There was a line in one of the last episodes, "one of them seems perfect for you" and I always thought that summed it up. Dan and Maddy have always been incredibly close without becoming lovers, but it is obvious that they are great together, so when it happens it is effortless and joyous and has wonderful potential. But Dan's private demons prevent it from being allowed to live and grow. I always thought it might be great for him, if only he could have let it be."

Lewington's own assessment of the relationship is that: "Maddy doesn't have anyone in her life that she can count on. Dan was her family and that's what hurt so bad. I guess to have Dan as a lover would mean that he would never go away. She wouldn't have to share him. Dan loved Maddy sincerely which is why he didn't want to risk hurting her anymore than he already had. He was too messed up to be good for anyone and he knew it."

The character also had a brief sexual relationship with hospital Lothario Sam Strachan. She and Sam had a one night stand in episode "The Borders of Sleep", and went on to become close friends, with Maddy assisting Sam in caring for a teenage prostitute he felt responsible for. She also supported him through his Non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, and enlisting his support in illegally proving a patient's death through negligence. In the show's tenth series, Maddy also formed a fast respect for the new head of the hospital's Acute Assessment Unit, Linden Cullen (Duncan Pow). Pow ruled out a romance between the two characters, however, stating: "They're protective of each other, but they're more like brother and sister than anything else. I don't think he's ready for the relationship merry-go-round at Holby just yet". He added that: "Any man would be a fool to turn down Maddy, but Linden wants his wife back". Similarly, Lewington has assessed that neither Sam nor Linden are Maddy's ideal man, and instead she is "waiting for a new hunk!"