The pressure inside Holby’s emergency department is about to intensify, and for Dylan Keogh, the strain is becoming impossible to hide. With Flynn Byron receiving word that the CQC will return to reinspect the department next week, nerves are already frayed — and the fallout is felt most sharply by Matty Linklater.

Determined to present a flawless front, Flynn adopts an uncompromising approach, coming down especially hard on the junior doctor after the recent training simulation disaster. The memory of that exercise, which ended with Matty exposed to a potentially dangerous pathogen, still hangs heavily over the department. While Kim Chang tries to reassure Matty that Dylan is on his side, the reality on the floor tells a different story.

Throughout the shift, Dylan is noticeably distant. Where there was once guidance and concern, there is now a deliberate coldness. It’s not born out of professional disappointment alone. Dylan is deeply unsettled by how much he cared when things went wrong during the simulation — a reaction that went far beyond what a mentor should feel for a trainee. The closer Matty gets, the harder it becomes for Dylan to keep the line between duty and something far more personal.

Matty, already shaken by the recent crisis and Flynn’s harsh scrutiny, can’t ignore the change. He approaches Dylan directly, asking if he’s done something wrong and whether he’s lost his mentor’s respect. It’s a vulnerable moment for a young doctor still trying to find his footing in a department where mistakes carry serious consequences. For Dylan, it’s also a moment of reckoning.

Every question from Matty tightens the knot of guilt and fear he’s been carrying. The truth he’s been hiding — that he is Matty’s father — has been weighing on him for weeks, and the combination of professional pressure and personal conflict is pushing him to the edge. The CQC’s looming return only makes things worse. Dylan isn’t just worried about standards and inspections anymore; he’s worried about losing control of a secret that’s starting to affect how he treats the person at the centre of it.

The irony is painful. Dylan’s coldness, meant to protect both of them, is doing the opposite. It’s driving Matty to doubt himself and deepening the rift between them. At the same time, it’s forcing Dylan to confront a question he’s been avoiding: how long can he keep pretending their connection is purely professional?

With the department under renewed scrutiny and emotions running high, the risk of the truth coming out has never been greater. One misstep, one honest answer, or one moment of weakness could change everything — not just for Dylan and Matty, but for the dynamic of the entire team.

As Holby braces for the CQC’s return, this storyline becomes about more than inspections and performance. It’s about a man at breaking point, a secret that refuses to stay buried, and a relationship that may soon be forced into the open — whether Dylan is ready or not.