Veil of Tears – Part One

The episode follows the wedding day of ST3 doctor Zosia March (Camilla Arfwedson) and registrar Oliver Valentine (James Anderson). Zosia's father Guy Self (John Michie) attends a meeting with CEO Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and medical director Nina Karnik (Ayesha Dharker). They inform him that Guy is suspended for being under the influence of alcohol in the operating theatre. Nina asks consultant cardiothoracic surgeon Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel) to review all medical cases involving Guy to find possible errors. Nina then orders Jac to send a patient home waiting for a pioneering cosmetic procedure. She argues that the hospital is short staffed, needs beds and no negative attention. Nina talks to the patient and changes her mind, opting to assist Jac on the operation. Guy attends the wedding venue where he tries to make amends with Zosia. She initially forgives him, but orders him to leave when she realises he is manipulating her. Zosia's best friend, registrar Dominic Copeland (David Ames), walks her down the aisle and she marries Oliver. Guy drinks a bottle of whisky and destroys the wedding cake. He proceeds to make speech criticising his daughter and ruining their reception. Nurse Ben "Lofty" Chiltern (Lee Mead) puts Guy in a guest room to sleep, but Guy smashes glasses and bottles in the room. Dom's boyfriend Freddie Chapel (Aaron Fontaine) complains that the wedding is boring and abruptly leaves. An upset Dom is mean to Lofty who offers his support. He later goes to Lofty's room to apologise and kisses him. The pair sleep together unaware of trouble unfolding outside. Zosia finds Guy unconscious in the guest room. He has taken an overdose and fallen on a shard of glass. He is rushed to hospital where Jac and Nina battle to save his life. They manage to resuscitate him and remove the shard of glass. He has to have his spleen removed and is stabilised. Oliver tries to comfort Zosia who seems disinterested in him, as she sits by her father's bedside. ==Production==

The episode features Zosia and Oliver's wedding as the main story. The episode was highly anticipated by fans of the two characters. Arfwedson believed viewers were "terribly excited" because they wanted the pair finally achieve happiness together following difficult times. "Veil of Tears – Part One" was written by Joe Ainsworth and directed by Jan Bauer. Zosia and Oliver's wedding was filmed on location at Brocket Hall, a Grade I-listed classical country house set in a large park near Hatfield in Hertfordshire, England. Of her experience of filming there, Arfwedson told Sarah Ellis from Inside Soap that "it was so much fun and such a romantic episode." He married off-screen within twenty-four hours of the episode being broadcast. Arfwedson told Victoria Wilson from ''What's on TV'' that the episode features her character as "quite a lonely figure, pacing around this grand house". This is because she has cancelled many of the wedding guests' invitations due to her argument with Guy. The episode was also one of a two-part collective of episodes, with the following episode titled "Veil of Tears – Part Two". These episodes formed the lead up to Arfwedson's departure from the series. The actress told ''What's on TV'' that it was "nice to have this big wedding" episode leading to her exit. She described filming the two parts as "very full on and quite exhausting". ==Promotion==

In August 2017, Hall stated that the episode would be one of the show's "biggest of the year". She praised all the main cast's acting performance in the episode and promoted it as "a brilliant, brilliant episode." The show's official website later released a teaser trailer featuring scenes involving Jac and Nina to promote the episode. The BBC also aired a televised trailer to promote the episode. It was broadcast on 19 September 2017 on BBC One in the United Kingdom. ==Reception==

The episode was watched by 4.33 million people during the BBC One airing. Twenty-eight days later, the episode's rating continued to increase, to a new total of 4.52 million viewers. A ''What's on TV reporter branded it a "nightmare wedding" and said that Guy made it "one to remember - for all the wrong reasons." Another said it was their "wedding nightmare" and "Zosia certainly doesn’t look like a woman about to marry the man of her dreams. A reporter from Soaplife included it in their "Must see TV" feature. Olivia Wheeler from OK!'' wrote "like any good soap wedding, the two characters' big day was thrown into chaos when Zosia's dad, CEO Guy Self – played by John Michie, got drunk and crashed the reception." Digital Spy's Kilkelly branded the wedding episode as "eventful". A writer for the Inside Soap Yearbook 2018 included the ceremony in their "Wedding Gloom" feature for the month of September. They observed, "Zosia and Ollie's wedding was thrown into disarray when her unhinged father, Guy, turned up and tried to stop the ceremony!" ==References==