Appearance
S19 E5 ‘Facing Up’ – S21 E38 ‘A Long Way from Home’
Job Title
Receptionist/ Health Care Assistant
First Words
Background
Sam is the eldest of Tess Bateman’s children and still lives at home with the rest of the family. He has a good relationship with both his parents but is spending more time out of the house in an effort to gain independence.
Having just finished college Sam has decided to take a year out before going to University. He is a bright lad and could do very well but is easily distracted by beer and babes. Sam is a likely young man who is easy to get on with. However at times Sam can be short and moody for no apparent reason. Lately his temper has been flaring up more often but he is very charismatic and people quickly forgive him.
We are first introduced to Sam in S19 E5 when interviews for the new receptionist job is taking place at the hospital. Sam, has applied for the job but Tess warns him not reveal that she is his mother. Bex takes a shine to him and both women are pleased when they discover he has got the job. In S19 E6, it is Sam’s first day on reception. He turns up late and spends the day chatting to the friend of a patient. When Tess reprimands him in front of Bex, he reveals that she is his mother. In S19 E10, Sam invites Bex out for a drink. When she gets home, Sam assumes she will invite him inside. However, Bex rejects him, leaving him seething. He shouts that she has been leading him on and calls her a tease. Next episode in S19 E11, Bex is confused when Sam does not mention the other night and, later, he tells her they should go out together again soon. In S19 E13, Tess tells Sam he must stop irritating Bex and that he needs to take his job more seriously. In S19 E15, Abs catches Sam on the ward helping a patient with a bloody nose. Sam is tilting the man’s head back and Abs shouts at him, telling him he should not be looking after patients and that his actions are making the man’s condition worse. Tess overhears, but Sam says he does not care about the job and is going for a break. When Tess asks Abs not to say anything about Sam, and says that she will deal with him, Abs relents. In S19 E19, when Sam finds Comfort and Fin’s marriage certificate, he scribbles all over it. Comfort is furious but Sam says he is altering it because it’s inaccurate – they were never married. Outraged, Comfort screams at Sam but Tess intervenes, telling her never to speak to her son like that again. Later, Tess asks Sam if he drew on the certificate but he denies it and says Comfort is lying. In S19 E20, Tess asks Comfort to apologise for how she treated Sam. Comfort refuses to and tells Tess she should admit that Sam has a problem. In S19 E21, Tess asks Sam why he defaced Comfort’s marriage certificate. Sam replies that she should not have left it lying around and that the reception is a mess. He says he will tidy up all the files before Bex arrives. Tess says that he has not been himself lately but he tells her to leave him alone. Later, Sam tells Bex that his computer has a virus. She tells him to call IT but he says he will deal with it himself. Sam works late that night and deletes all his computer files. In S19 E22, Sam continues to act strangely and delete computer files. Tess catches him burning patient records in a skip outside the hospital. They fight over the files and she demands to know what is going on. He rambles on about too much information being dangerous so he must destroy the records. Tess is horrified, she finally realises something is seriously wrong. In S19 E23, after treating a mentally ill patient Tess breaks down to Abs about Sam. Abs comforts her and says he will go and see Sam tomorrow. When Tess gets home she finds Sam lying on the bedroom floor – he tells her he wanted to lie there as he felt it was the safest place to be. In S19 E24, Abs goes to see Sam at his house, he is clearly deluded and is hearing voices. Abs tries to tell Tess but she is in denial – believing he is acting like a normal teenager. In S19 E25, Tess confides in Abs that she thinks Sam may have a mental illness. Abs pulls in some favours and arranges for a psychiatrist to see Sam the following day. When she arrives home Tess lets Sam know he will be seeing a psychiatrist; however, he is unresponsive and just stares vacantly. Later that evening her husband [ID 273]Mike[/ID] arrives home from the oil rigs – Tess tells him about Sam and he is angry that she has not told him before and that his break from work will not be as relaxing as he thought. In S19 E26, Tess and Mike take Sam to see the psychiatrist, Sam tells him he has thought about suicide. The doctor says he wants to admit Sam into hospital for a few days for further tests – it is too early to make a diagnosis at the moment. Sam begs not to go but Tess tells him it is for the best. Mike is angry with Tess for not telling him about Sam and they argue – Mike storms off. Later, Mike is involved in a car accident. In S19 E29, Tess is in a dilemma about whether to tell Sam about his father. She goes to see Sam at the hospital and although the doctor advises her not to she tells him that Mike has been in a serious accident. Sam does not seem to fully understand what is going on but asks if he can visit Mike. In S19 E31, There is friction between Tess and Comfort when Tess announces she is bringing Sam home from the psychiatric unit. Comfort is not alone in her concern, as the psychiatric nurse advises caution, but Tess is determined that with Mike still in hospital, she needs her son home now more than ever. Sam feels ready to be home; he understands now that he was ill, and he knows it’s going to be difficult for them all to adjust, and tells Tess that she has to learn to trust him again if this is going to work. In S19 E32, After a fire at the psyhicatric unit where Sam had previously attended, one man, Dennis dies and and another alcoholic man, Ron, with depression is brought in. Sam, who is in the department at the time, worries Tess when he gets involved with Ron but she ends up being proud of the way he manages the situation. In S19 E33, Sam is back at work and feeling out of his depth but Bex and Tess help him through a tough first day. Sam tells Bex the real reason why he was off and she supports him. In S19 E36, Charlie cannot find some patient records. He tells Tess he will ask Sam about it but she tells him not to. Tess speaks to Sam about the files, he asks if they are missing because of his illness. She reassures him, but he is clearly worried. Tess tells Charlie Sam destroyed the files when he was ill. Charlie cannot understand how this can have happened and clearly disapproves. In S19 E37, Sam worries to Tess about what Charlie will say about him destroying the files when he was ill. Tess asks Charlie if he has decided what to do yet, Charlie says no. Later he tells them he was disappointed in Tess for lying for Sam but then thought as a parent he probably would have done the same thing. He has therefore decided not to take action. Tess and Sam are overjoyed. In S19 E46, Manic depressive Elsa is brought in with her friend Sue after cutting her head. Sue is shocked to discover she was attempting suicide. Elsa feels she has been a burden on Sue and on her advice decides to seek professional help. After Sam talks to Sue, he is seen chucking away his own medication. In S19 E48, a girl called Fleur comes into the hospital with her boyfriend – he has a septic tattoo. Fleur flirts with Sam, much to Tess’s disapproval. When her boyfriend dumps her, Fleur gives her number to a delighted Sam.
In S20 E2, Sam comforts his mother, Tess, after her experience at the building collapse. In S20 E3, Tess is angry that Fleur is distracting Sam at work. Tess asks Sam to go to lunch with her but he sneaks off with Fleur instead. Sam wishes he could be more impulsive like Fleur, but she tells him he will be once his medication wears off. Fleur persuades him to sell his tablets to her friends as she needs the money, and then convinces him to call in sick and take the afternoon off work. In S20 E4, Tess asks Sam to stop seeing Fleur, but on Comfort’s advice she later invites Fleur to dinner. In S20 E5, Fleur makes Sam a picnic lunch, but they argue over Comfort’s friendship with Sam’s dad and Fleur flies into a rage. In S20 E6, it is Sam’s 19th birthday and Fleur has arranged a party at Tess’s house. However, Tess is shocked to get home and find disco lights and DJ decks. When she warns Fleur that they cannot have loud music because of the neighbours, Fleur flies off the handle. Later, she pours Tess a glass of wine and apologises. Tess drinks but becomes disorientated and dizzy, collapsing on the floor. She calls out for help to Fleur, who stands above her, holding a kitchen knife. Next episode in S20 E7, Abs is suspicious when he cannot get through to Tess. He speaks to a psychiatric nurse who warns him that Fleur is extremely devious. Sam returns home and Fleur tells him Tess is drunk and passed out so she has cancelled the party. When he hears Tess fall off the bed he worries and wants to call for help. Fleur confesses she has drugged Tess and lies saying that Tess wanted to section Sam. Abs, Nina and Sarah arrive and when they force their way in, Fleur barracades her, Sam and Tess in the bedroom and tries to persuade Sam to take an overdose with her. Abs manages to gain entry to the room as Fleur tries to kill Tess. After the event, Abs tries to persuade Sam to seek help and get back on his medication. In S20 E12, Sam befriends a boy with Aspergers Syndrome, whose mother has been electrocuted. In S20 E25, Sam is shadowing Luke and Nina in the ambulance. They attend a scene at a railway where two boys, Jason and Ryan. are injured. Sam hears a noise and walks down a verge to find a third boy, Carl, (who was earlier in the department with a broken wrist) now with a broken ankle. He calls Luke on his mobile but they have already left in the ambulance. Sam treats the boy, with Luke instructing him on the phone until they come back for him. It is a life changing experience for Sam, who decides he wants to become a paramedic. In S20 E26, Sam is frustrated to learn from Comfort that he can’t be a paramedic until he’s 21. Annoyed that he can’t follow his dream, and fed up with his reception job, Sam tells Charlie he’s leaving and gives him his resignation letter. Charlie manages to calm Sam down and tells him he can be an HCA instead. In S20 E27, Sam tells Tess that he is going to be an HCA, she is concerned that he is not ready to take on such responsibility but he says he’s adamant and tells her he’s not asking for her permission. In S20 E29, Six year old Douglas is brought in after having fallen from a roof at school. He has learning difficulties and his teacher wants him to be statemented to give him extra support at school however his angry father doesn’t want his son to be treated differently or classed as stupid. Sam looks after the young boy and gains his trust – he discovers the boy jumped from the roof, trying to fly. Sam is overwhelmed by the case, frustrated that he can’t help the boy further and Tess finds him nearly in tears. Tess is concerned that Sam is not able to cope with the emotional challenges his job will entail. In S20 E31, Sam helps welcome new receptionist Alice to the job. However she’s a shy wallflower and Sam is worried she may not be cut out for the job. However she proves herself capable and Sam sings her praises to Tess. In S20 E35, following her 4-week trial in the department, Alice feels sure she won’t be asked to stay on at Holby but Sam coaches Alice on how to impress Tess and she is thrilled to learn the job is hers. Following Nathan’s needle prick injury, he is determined to find a scapegoat for the incident. In S20 E44, Nathan manipulates a confused Sam into admitting he did not dispose of the needle correctly, Charlie is furious to find a tearful Sam packing up his locker and tells Nathan he is a bully. The staff all protect Sam and Nathan is forced to back down. In S20 E45, Sam tells Tess that he is going to live at Kelsey’s and that he doesn’t want to live with his dad when he comes home. Tess is shocked and hurt but later confides in Maggie that she’s not sure herself if she wants him back either. In S20 E46, Tess is devastated when Sam tells her he’s moved out and Mike says he wants a divorce.
In S21 E13, broke Kelsey tells porter Ben that she can set him up with Alice – but he’ll have to pay her £20 for the privilege. However, Sam intervenes when he finds out what’s going on, telling Alice that Ben is not good enough for her – but it seems he may have feelings for Alice himself. In S21 E16, following Josh’s stabbing, Charlie has a go at Alice for bringing a knife into the department. Sam does his best to comfort Alice. In S21 E18, Guppy is trapped in a burning building with a patient. Following his rescue, Guppy speaks to Alice and asks her to go for a drink. Sam overhears and is not pleased. Harry is suspended after Nathan convinces Alice to make a complaint against him fro harrassment, in S21 E22, Sam finds Alice crying in the staffroom. She tells him that everyone hates her because she is the one who made the complaint about Harry. Next episode Alice comes forward to withdrawn the complaint but tells Sam she plans to resign. In S21 E24, Sam is determined to persuade Alice to stay and when he hears she would like to go travelling in the South American Rainforests, he puts a plan into action. After a collection, Sam places a number of exotic plants around the reception so she has her own rainforest and has no need to leave. Alice is overwhelmed and decides to stay at Holby.
Memorable Moments
