George Irving plays cardiothoracic consultant Anton Meyer from "Holby City" first episode until series four, episode 46. Irving had considerable input in creating the character, who was initially envisioned by the series producers as an Iranian surgeon named Hussein. At Irving's suggestion, Meyer became Hungarian, an emigrant to Britain following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. Little of the backstory created for Meyer was ever revealed on-screen, as part of a deliberate bid to present the character as enigmatic, allowing viewers to project their own imagination onto him. Meyer is a sarcastic, arrogant surgeon, with high expectations of his colleagues. His major storylines see him operate on his own sister, fear that he may have motor neuron disease, lose his spleen after being shot in a road rage incident, and ultimately depart from Holby for Michigan when the hospital Board make impositions on his autonomy. Irving made the decision to leave the series as he struggled to set the character aside outside of work, which had a negative impact on his personal life. He has ruled out the possibility of returning to "Holby City" in future, preferring his memory of Meyer to remain untarnished.