Howard Bellamy (Doctors)

Howard first appears when he is introduced by Heston Carter (Owen Brenman) as the new replacement of Julia Parsons (Diane Keen) as the new Practice Manager of The Mill. Howard is a last minute applicant for the job, and asks for a big salary in comparison to the other candidate, Mrs Tembe (Lorna Laidlaw). However, Howard is chosen as there is a re-accreditation at the Mill, needing someone to take charge throughout this. Howard divides opinion between the team, as Kevin Tyler (Simon Rivers) begins to like him, however Freya Wilson (Lu Corfield), Zara Carmichael (Elisabeth Dermot-Walsh) and Elaine Cassidy (Janet Dibley) dislike him in contrast to Julia. After Howard learns that Gary Lucas (Iain Fletcher), a former acquaintance from his military days, is planning to open a rival clinic nearby the Mill, Howard develops bulimia. He purchases a large amount of food, and binges all of it upon returning home, then forces himself to vomit what he ate. Colleague Emma Reid (Dido Miles) discovers Howard's eating disorder and attempts to get him help, but he makes her promise to keep it a secret if he stops. Howard begins dating army officer Gina Williams (Victoria Pritchard), but after a short-lived relationship, Howard decides that he is more interested in Emma. Emma and Howard begin a relationship despite her being married to husband Sam (Grant Masters), since Sam allows her to see other people due to his disability. After Sam's death, the pair decide to have a "40 Day Date". The relationship later ends, but after Emma discovers that she is pregnant, they decide to become a couple again, since they want to be a family unit. At a baby scan, Ruhma Carter (Bharti Patel) is unable to find a heartbeat, and confirms that Emma has miscarried. Howard is upset, but affirms that he still wants to be with Emma, and states that he has an important question to ask her later. He steps out to get a drink, but on the way back, he collapses due to a brain aneurism. Doctors and nurses attempt to resuscitate him, but he is pronounced dead with Emma at his side. While planning his funeral, Emma reveals to Niamh Donoghue (Jessica Regan) that he had a daughter, Amelia Sullivan, whom he walked out on so that she could become accustomed to her stepfather. Emma calls Amelia, who refuses to come to his funeral. ==Casting==

Kelsey's casting was announced on 7 May 2012. He was cast in replacement of Diane Keen's character Julia Parsons after the actress decided to leave the programme. In an interview with Digital Spy, Kelsey said of Doctors; "It's a lovely environment to work in, with a great cast and crew. It's quite easy to settle into something when it's such a laugh to work on! There's great banter between the cast and crew all day long. It's just a load of old mates thrown in a studio with lights and cameras, and everyone cracks on and has a laugh". ==Development==

Characterisation Howard is billed as a "confident, divorced ex-army captain", and is said to have a "highly different and strict outlook on working life" in comparison to Julia. On Howard's BBC profile, he is described as "disciplined, highly organised and emotionally repressed". It explains that prior to his debut appearance on Doctors, Howard has a background in military, and that he worked his to becoming an officer. It notes that as practice manager, he enjoys spreadsheets and that he "would always deal with problems in the correct manner", noting the time when he suspends Al Haskey (Ian Midlane) after stalking Jas Khella (Vineeta Rishi) as an example. Despite the stern characterisation, the profile explains that when the surgery is in jeopardy, Howard is not opposed to taking risks. Creation and introduction In an interview with ''What's on TV'', Kelsey stated that Howard was based on a real person. He explained that somebody stopped working for the army and began as a practice manager of a doctor's surgery, and within three months of him taking over the position, five of the staff members quit. The Doctors producers heard about the situation and wrote Howard's character based on it. On why Howard chose to join the National Health Service, Kelsey said that Howard "wants to get his hands mucky", as well as wanting to be in a position with leadership again. He notes that this results in Howard entering the Mill and leading his colleagues "like they're part of his old military unit", scenes he described as hilarious. When he began filming for the role, Kelsey sourced an authentic army watch and shoe polishing kit, in order to "feel right with the part". Kelsey explained that portraying the role of Howard opened his eyes to the chaos of a doctor's surgery, as well as how they are treated like a business. Kelsey revealed that Howard will discover that Emma is pregnant with his baby, a plot he described as "one of the key storylines" that lead to his exit. In the lead up to the episode's airdate, the Doctors Twitter account tweeted cryptic messages such as "everything changes", "cancel all other appointments" and "consider this a friendly warning, you won't want to miss it." He then spoke about the decision to kill him off, explaining that there were numerous "different scenarios" in which he could leave, but that his death would "have the most impact and would produce many new stories with a lot of potential". He accredited this to Howard being a "big" character, as well as having "strong relationships" with every single regular character. He stated that it was an interesting experience to write and film, since it gave him the opportunity to work with different storylines and cast members. Kelsey was also involved in the casting process for the episode, casting former Blue Murder co-star Caroline Quentin, adding that he wrote the role with her in mind. ==Reception==

In a poll conducted by Digital Spy, the five main soaps in the United Kingdom, EastEnders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks, and Doctors storylines were judged by viewers of the website, with the Doctors storyline of Howard's arrival coming last with 3.8% of the vote. In 2013, Kelsey was nominated for Best Comedy Performance at the 2013 British Soap Awards, and received a longlist nomination for Sexiest Male. Later that year, he was longlisted for Best Daytime Star at the Inside Soap Awards. The next year, he was longlisted for Best Actor at the British Soap Awards, and was shortlisted for Best Daytime Star at the Inside Soap Awards later that year. ==References==