He added that he believed they would make an appearance on the show. When he joins "Holby City", Fletch is billed as "a proud and protective single dad to four beautifully demanding kids". Walkinshaw told "What's on TV" reporter Victoria Wilson that Fletch's children are his "happy place" and they mean "absolutely everything" to him. He explained that Fletch's children give him the confidence to do what needs to be done. He added that while Fletch's decision are not always the best, they are done for good reason. Fletch's backstory states that he was a car mechanic running his own business until the Great Recession, when he was forced to close his garage. At the time, Fletch and Natalie were expecting their third child and needed financial support. After being supported by the nursing staff in the ED while his daughter was born at the hospital, Fletch decided that he would join the nursing profession. The show spoke to the Royal College of Nursing, who told them that many people decide to become ED nurses in later life. A BBC Online contributor dubbed Fletch "a little older than your average band 5 nurse". Fletch makes his first appearance in the twenty-sixth series episode "Zero Sum Game", broadcast on 7 July 2012. His first scenes were previewed in a promotional trailer for episodes 31-42, released on 12 April 2012. When Fletch arrives, staff nurse Lloyd Asike (Michael Obiora) is assigned to be his mentor. Fletch misses his induction with Lloyd because he is fixing clinical nurse manager Tess Bateman's (Suzanne Packer) car. Lloyd is shocked when he meets Fletch as he is expecting a young nurse who will be "slightly more impressionable". Fletch's confidence surprises Lloyd, who becomes wary of Fletch. Fletch and Lloyd treat Amy Harris (Nikki Sanderson), a young woman who is suspected to be pregnant. Walkinshaw explained that Fletch views Amy as a child and wants to be "supportive". It emerges that she is not pregnant and Fletch has to tell her some bad news, which he does not like doing. On this, Walkinshaw commented, "He finds that really hard and that's something he's going to have to learn how to cope with." This experience helps Fletch understand that he cannot become emotionally involved in patient lives. Walkinshaw did not want to watch his first episode live as he struggles with nerves and was worried about the audience reaction.