Creation and characterisation On 29 March 2012, it was announced that three new regular characters would make their debuts during ''Holby City's''
fourteenth series in May 2012. Actress
Chizzy Akudolu joined the cast as Mo Effanga, alongside
Catherine Russell as
Serena Campbell and
Michael Thomson as Mo's best friend
Jonny Maconie. Mo joined the show as a Cardiothoracic surgical registrar. Akudolu's agent gave her the character breakdown for Mo and when she read that Mo was on the transplant team, she knew she had to get the part. She told Katy Moon from
Inside Soap that she was passionate about organ donation as her brother had a kidney transplant. Mo's first episode was broadcast on 22 May 2012. BBC Online describe Mo as having a "disorganised and chaotic" personal life, and a talent for finding disastrous men. Moon observed that Mo was a "bubbly" person and "warm-hearted". Akudolu also said that Mo had some "cool pieces" in her wardrobe, including a
Ted Baker feather boa and a
Mary Portas leather jacket. When Jonny began a relationship with
Jac Naylor (
Rosie Marcel), Mo felt pushed out, especially because Jonny started lying to her. Mo was upset when Jonny maintained the lie about missing their annual barbecue because he was visiting a relative – when he was actually with Jac. Mo wanted to save her patient Hattie Edison (Sophie Jones), who needed a heart-transplant. When Nicole withdrew her consent for the organ removal, Mo ignored her wishes and went ahead with the procedure to save Hattie. Akudolu explained "With Mo if she could, she would have the baby, then go back to work the next day. It's her first child and she knows nothing about childbirth, but she thinks she can just give birth and everything's going to be fine and she'll be back to normal." Young said having Sorcia's baby was "a wonderful thing to do", but did not think Mo had thought about the emotional consequences. Adele is a healthcare assistant assigned to
AAU. Mo was not initially aware of Adele's arrival and was surprised when she bumped into her sister in the corridor. Mo was convinced Adele would not last in a serious job, knowing her sister was not a serious girl, and bet Adele would not be strong enough to cut it at Holby. Harper told
Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that Adele's arrival was a "major curveball" for Mo and explained "What's really nice about it is that, on paper, Mo is the sister who's done better and come good – but Adele has a wonderful talent of making them feel like children again. That makes Mo feel slightly undermined, so there's that to watch out for." While Mo was focused enough to become a surgeon, Adele spent her life being "a bit of a drifter". Since the arrival of her sister at the hospital, Mo felt overshadowed by her, so she embraced the chance to gain "some notoriety". Mo and Adele attended Celia's wedding to Max Niven (Robert Mountford), Mo's ex-boyfriend. Akudolu said Mo wanted to get married herself and have a family, so the fact her younger sister was getting married before her was "a bit of a blow". Akudolu called the wedding "a lot of fun to film" at the time of her departure. Adele told Clifford that Mo was his daughter, resulting in him running away from her.
Mr Thompson Harper commented that the chemistry between Mo and obstetrician-gynaecologist
Derwood "Mr T" Thompson (
Ben Hull) was something that needed resolving in 2014, and that they would be doing something about it one way or another. Mr T organised a welcome home party for Mo, but when Clifford revealed that he had made alternative plans, Mr T finally snapped. Clifford later suggested that they all celebrate together at Albie's, despite the ongoing tension between them. Akudolu thought Mr T would be the perfect father for Mo's baby due to his occupation and "lovely" nature. However, Mr T got "carried away" with his enthusiasm about the potential baby, causing Mo to end the plan. Mo was forced to perform life-saving surgery on Sorcia's partner, Brett Jones (John Lightbody) who was also badly injured in the accident. When Sorcia suddenly had to be rushed into theatre, she asked Mo to take care of William if anything happened to her. Mo bonded with William and when it came time to hand him back to Brett, Mo struggled to let him go. She decided to run away with him, after learning Brett wanted to hand him over to Sorcia's mother. Akudolu told Laura-Jayne Tyler of
Inside Soap that she began considering quitting the role in late 2015 and informed Harper of her decision eight months later. The actress explained that upon telling Harper, she was hysterical and began crying. She confirmed that producers had left the door open for a potential return, suggesting that she could return for "a bunch of episodes". Mo is offered a job in London and plans to leave alone with Hector, her son with Mr T. However, at the last minute, Mo questions why she is leaving "this wonderful man" and gives him a speech about her love for him. Of her return, she stated, "It's only for two months. I love the show and going back was so like coming home, like putting on your duvet – you just know you are home. But I know that I have to do other stuff. We are nomads, actors. I'm really honoured to go back in." Mo then stays around to run the Darwin ward, and Akudolu commented that Mo's leadership style would lead to "some fun". On 16 March 2022, it was announced that Akudolu had reprised her role as Mo for the show's final episode, which first airs on 29 March 2022. ==Reception==