Casting The character was initially constructed as a
public schoolboy, with less of a "bad boy" persona than he would ultimately exhibit on screen. Actor
Hari Dhillon had a chance encounter with a
Holby City casting director whilst in London, who suggested to him that he might be right for a part in the show. Dhillon was living in
America, but as the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike was ongoing at the time, his then partner Lara had suggested that he move back to London before the impending birth of their child. Dhillon submitted a tape, and the next day was asked if he was interested in the role. Given the circumstances, he has described his casting as a "beautiful stroke of luck". Dhillon had previously appeared in the show as minor character Sunil Gupta for six episodes after leaving drama school. He does not believe that this role contributed to his casting as Michael, but instead worried that it would work against him. In auditioning for Michael, Dhillon used his own accent, rather than the
RP accent originally envisioned for the character. He explained that he "put [his] own twist on what [he] thought Michael Spence should be like."
Executive producer Tony McHale and series producer Diana Kyle accepted his take on the character, Dhillon believes that Michael is "a very idiosyncratic character" and "not overly sincere in that 'I'm just trying to save a life' way." He described: "He's very objective about himself - as though he is slightly outside of himself in situations - a slight ironic disposition. Half the time I think he says things just to watch the reaction. He's direct, honest, morally ambiguous, unapologetic. He certainly thinks and behaves outside the normal parameters of behaviour, which is challenging to many characters." Jacobs explained of Donna's affair with Michael: "Donna knows he's married deep down, although he hasn't actually told her, but unfortunately that doesn't stop her. It carries on for a while and Donna thinks he's the one, she is in love with him and he's different from all the others - she's deluded." She opined that Michael was at least treating Donna a little better than her previous love interests. In October 2008, it was announced that
Anna-Louise Plowman had been cast as Michael's wife
Annalese, who would be arriving in
Holby City as a consultant
anaesthetist. Dhillon believes that while Michael and Annalese have their differences, they are "complements to each other [...] they understand one another, and have a deep, loving relationship." In a 2008 interview with the
Holby Gazette, Dhillon stated: "I'm starting to realize that Annalese is the one person in the world - along with his children - that Michael truly loves. It may seem strange to a lot of fans, but Michael is a real family man - nothing is more important to him than his family - they make him feel secure, safe, and most importantly, successful. For Michael, there is nothing beyond family and medicine. It would be unimaginable to Michael to envision a world without his wife. He certainly would never try to hurt Annalese deliberately, but he just loves attention from women." After discovering Michael's infidelity, Annalese accidentally killed a patient during surgery. Plowman became pregnant during the filming of the storyline, so was written out of the series temporarily, leaving both Michael and her job. The plotline was left open-ended, allowing Plowman to return after taking maternity leave. She returned briefly to the programme in
series eleven, when the couple's daughter Milly (Darcy Cannon) was admitted to hospital seriously injured. Michael and colleague
Ric Griffin (
Hugh Quarshie) saved Milly, and he and Annalese began rebuilding their relationship. Off-screen, Annalese gives birth to a son, Charlie, and in the opening episode of
series twelve, Michael announced that he had become a father for the fourth time. On 4 June 2010, Kyle told Kris Green of
Digital Spy that Plowman would again be reprising her role as Annalese, commenting: "The last time we saw her on screen there was practically no prospect of a loving reunion but they complement each other wonderfully. Annalese will be returning, but unfortunately someone else may come between her and Michael so I can't guarantee a loving reunion." Annalese returned on 15 June 2010, breaking up with Michael after their marriage counselling proved unsuccessful.
Departure and returns Following the episode broadcast 17 December 2013, Daniel Kilkelly from
Digital Spy reported that Dhillon had chosen to take an extended break from the role to pursue other projects. His departure storyline saw him forced to leave the hospital by Guy Self (
John Michie) and
Serena Campbell (
Catherine Russell) after he broke strict rules surrounding liver transplants. Dhillon told Kilkelly that "I have had a wonderful time at Holby during the past six years - thank you to all the viewers for their great interest and support!" On 19 June 2014, it was announced that Dhillion would be returning to
Holby City for a short stint, and that
Debbie Chazen would be joining the cast as his "partner-in-crime" Fleur Fanshawe. Michael returned during the episode broadcast on 14 October 2014 before later leaving the show again.
Holby City was cancelled in June 2021 after 23 years on air with the final episode due to be broadcast in March 2022. Producers invited multiple former cast members to reprise their roles during the show's
final series. In February 2022, it was revealed that Dhillon had reprised his role and would appear in episode 1098, first broadcast on 28 February 2022. Michael returns when he interviews
Dominic Copeland (
David Ames) for a position at the private hospital where Michael is working as a professor. ==Storylines==