Raffaello "Raf" di Lucca is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor Joe McFadden. He first appeared in the sixteenth series episode "Prince Among Men", broadcast on 28 January 2014. Raf is a Registrar General Surgeon, who joined the Acute Assessment Unit staff. He was introduced along with two other regular characters by the show's executive producer Oliver Kent in a bid to "shake things up". McFadden's casting was announced in September 2013, and he began filming the following month. He initially received a one-year contract with the show. To help him prepare for the role, McFadden watched open-heart surgery. McFadden departed in the nineteenth series episode "Group Animal, Part Two", broadcast on 7 December 2017, and returns for a single episode in th