Characters of ''Casualty''
Casualty is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 6 September 1986 on BBC One.[1] The series was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin. It is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, in the equally fictitious city of Holby, and features occasional crossovers of characters and plots with spin-off show Holby City. Casualty follows the professional and personal lives of the doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospital management and patients at Holby General. It features an ensemble cast of regular characters, and began with 10 main characters in its first series, all but two – Charlie Fairhead (played by Derek Thompson) and Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (played by Cathy Shipton) – have since left the show.[2] Many main characters have been written in and out of the series since. In addition, Casualty features guest stars each week, as well as recurring guests that take part in story arcs that span a portion of a series or multiple series'.
Main characters
A
Jez Andrews
Jeremy "Jez" Andrews, played by Lloyd Everitt, made his first screen appearance on 12 March 2016.[3] The character and Everitt's casting was announced on 29 January 2016,[4] whilst further details announced on 24 February 2016 with the casting of David Hide (Jason Durr) and Elle Gardner (Jaye Griffiths).[5] Executive producer Oliver Kent described the three castings as "wonderful" and said their storylines would be "brilliantly vibrant, bold and gripping".[5] Jez is characterised as a "young, ludicrously handsome and very openly bisexual" paramedic.[4]
| “ | Cheeky, easy-going and full of banter, Jez is a fresh-faced, newly-qualified paramedic with bags of energy. Jez doesn’t take life too seriously, which means he gets on well with everybody and loves a good flirt. It's just a shame that this enthusiasm isn’t always applied to his job... Like a distracted puppy, Jez can be difficult to control in a perilous situation, much to Iain's frustration. | ” |
| — A reporter from the Casualty website on Jez (2016)[6] | ||
Kent teased the dynamic between Jez and his paramedic colleague, Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), calling it "fun" and "unlike anything we’ve seen before".[4] Tasha Hegarty of Digital Spy described Jez as "Iain's new partner in crime".[3] It was announced that Jez would "fail to impress" Iain with his "cheeky banter and lax attitude" upon his arrival, and would struggle to replace Iain's former colleague, Dixie Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove).[5] Kent also revealed that a "big" friendship would be established between Jez and Max Walker (Jamie Davis).[4] Everitt had already filmed his first scenes when his casting was announced and revealed that his favourite thing to film had been a scene where he rescued a girl from falling from a cliff, "I actually felt it was a real life situation and that excited me."[5] Of his casting, Everitt said, "I feel honoured to be joining such a successful show and look forward to bringing a different essence to a programme that's synonymous with British culture and television. It's actually the first programme I remember watching when I was a child at my Nan's house - there's a great beauty to that."[5]
Jez arrived and tried flirting with Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) until his colleague, Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), revealed she was the department's clinical lead. Jez and Iain escorted Emilie Groome (Carol Royle) to a hospice, where she would spend her final days. They stop the ambulance during the journey whilst her sons and doctors, Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) and Caleb Knight (Richard Winsor), treat her. Jez allows Cal to steal the ambulance so he can take Emilie to the seaside. Jez then spends the rest of the day trying to impress Iain with his banter whilst they search for a lift back to the hospital. Jez finally wins Iain over and they receive a lift back to the hospital. Jez installs a basketball hoop in the ambulance bay and befriends Max Walker (Jamie Davis), who often spends time playing basketball with Jez. Max and Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) then begin renting a room to Jez.
Jez went on a night out with Isaac Mayfield, after he had a row with boyfriend Dominic Copeland resulting in a one-night stand. This eventually leads to Mayfield physically, sexual and emotionally abusing Copeland in sister show Holby City, resulting in his dismissal. He later pursues Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka) and, although she tells him she is uncomfortable knowing he has been with both men and women, he eventually wins her over and the two go on a date. He later expresses concerns to Iain that he thinks Louise expects too much after she invites him to an expensive restaurant. He bails on their date, wanting to avoid being embarrassed because he can't afford any of the food and hooks up with a guy. To his horror, Jez wakes up in the young man's bed and discovers that he is Elle's son. He is injured after falling from Elle's drainpipe in his attempt to hide from her. Her son later visits the hospital to give Jez his ID which he had left behind, leading Elle to find out about them sleeping together. Although angry at first, Elle eventually calms down and tells Jez to use the front door next time he wants to stay over.
When Roy Ellison is brought into the ED following a fight, he abuses Jez in the ambulance for being black and "queer". Jez later reveals that he knows the man Roy was fighting with from bars in town. He tries to support Mickey Ellison after discovering that he is gay and helps him apologize to the man his father beat up. He encourages Mickey to come out and provides reassurance when Roy rejects him. After his father dies, Mickey goes to see Jez at the ambulance station and the two share a kiss.
Linda Andrews
Linda Andrews, played by Christine Tremarco, made her debut appearance in the twentieth episode of the twenty-fourth series, broadcast on 16 January 2010.[7] Linda was originally introduced to aid the departure of Jessica Harrison (Gillian Kearney), who she trained to be a nurse with.[8] Linda told Jessica that she is moving to America and "almost flippant remarked" that Jessica join her, which she agreed to.[8] Tremarco reprised the role as a regular cast member in 2011 and Linda returned to the hospital as a clinical nurse manager, but was later demoted to staff nurse.[9] She was billed as a "fun-loving nurse" who is "determined to become more sensible."[9] Tremarco said she was "delighted" to be invited back to the show, adding that it was "so exciting joining a long-running show" and how "everyone has given me such a warm welcome".[9] To prepare for the role, Tremarco observed a real nurse, who "was incredibly helpful" because she is a "squeamish person".[9] Tremarco described Linda as "a party girl" with an "attitude that she’s young free and single".[10] She added that she was "fun and outgoing", but had "a heart of gold" and would "do anything for anyone."[10]
The show introduced Linda's family in 2012, beginning with her "recovering drug addict" sister Denise Andrews (Kate McEvoy) who hasn't had "any contact in years". Of Denise's introduction, producer Nikki Wilson said, "Denise suddenly arrives with two kids in tow, and leaves them with Linda. So party girl Linda finds herself responsible for two children - which will affect her working life in a big way."[11] Wilson also teased a possible romance between Linda and Lenny Lyons (Steven Miller), noting that they have a "really sparky relationship".[11] The character departed from the series in the thirty-fifth episode of the twenty-seventh series, broadcast on 11 May 2013.[7] The exit had only been revealed through advanced spoilers beforehand.[12]
Martin Ashford
Martin "Ash" Ashford, played by Patrick Robinson, is introduced in the first episode of series 5, first broadcast on 7 September 1990. Ash left on 24 February 1996, but returned on 21 February 1998 for two episodes. It was announced on 3 February 2013, that Robinson has returned to Casualty and would make his first appearance on 9 February 2013.[13] He would be filling the gap left since Michael French's departure as Nick Jordan. Speaking of his return, Robinson said; "It's fantastic to be back! Recreating a character that has moved on and changed so much is incredibly challenging and this feels like a totally new job. But to be back working with Derek Thompson, I feel like I've come home."[13] Executive producer, Jonathan Young added; "We're thrilled to have Patrick back. Ash was a hugely popular character and reuniting him with Charlie will reignite a friendship that we hope will delight viewers old and new. With many years of nursing under his belt plus a stint working as a doctor in America, Ash brings a unique perspective to the ED that will challenge Zoe but charm the rest of the team."[13]
Ash joined the hospital as a staff nurse and was promoted to senior staff nurse in series 7. When Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (Cathy Shipton) left the hospital, Ash became a charge nurse later on. He was suspended from the hospital when a racist thug that threatened him with a knife accuses him of assault, but was acquitted when Matt Hawley (Jason Merrells) admits he overheard the man threatening Ash. Ash continued his role of charge nurse until his departure. Ash returned to the ED in 2013 as a locum consultant, who was eventually given a permanent place within the hospital.
During his original stint in the ED, Ash had friendships with Kelly Liddle (Adie Allen) and Charlie Fairhead (Thompson). He is devastated when Kelly commits suicide and becomes Charlie's 'right-hand man'. When Ash returned to the ED in 2013, he renewed his friendship with Charlie, whilst also befriending clinical lead Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) and later, staff nurse Rita Freeman (Chloe Howman). Ash has also been involved in several relationships. He was shown to be living with his girlfriend, Nikki Wyatt, in series 7, but they separated when she had an abortion. Ash was later shown to have feelings for his new flatmate Mie Nishi-Kawa (Naoko Mori), but she left Holby before their relationship could develop. Ash married the hospital's PR officer Laura Milburn (Lizzy McInnerny) in the series 10 finale and they left Holby together following this. During his 1998 return, Ash confirmed he and Laura had a daughter and were separated.
His 2013 return brought him into conflict with Zoe upon his return, but they later became friends. He quickly made an impression on his colleagues when he attended a motorbike crash on the way to his first shift. Zoe left Ash in charge of the emergency department when she became ill and he took to the challenge well. Ash's daughter, Ella Ashford (Tahirah Sharif) was introduced in April 2013 when she was admitted into the ED. Ash is shown to deeply love Ella, despite her troublemaking attitude. He does later recognise Ella's faults and begins punishing her for her irresponsible actions. Ash later discovers that Ella had an affair with her maths teacher, resulting in his decision to have Ella stay with him permanently. Ella later steals ketamine from Ash's emergency medical equipment and when she shows no remorse for her actions, despite her boyfriend dying under the influence, Ash reports her to the police who arrested her.
Ash was assigned F2 doctor Lily Chao (Crystal Yu) as a mentee in August 2013 and becomes disgusted by her bedside manner. Ash warns Lily about her behaviour when she performs a life-threatening operation on a patient in cubicles. When a pregnant woman with down's syndrome is admitted, Lily and Ash are tasked with treating her. Lily becomes attached to the patient and performs another risky operation on her without permission. Ash is furious with her and informs her that her patient died when she had, in fact, gone to the maternity ward. When she discovers the truth, Lily files a formal complaint against Ash and despite persuasion from Zoe to rethink her decision, she decides to make the complaint. They later attend a meeting with the hospital's CEO Guy Self (John Michie) who decides that Lily should not have performed the operation without the permission of Ash or Charlie and Ash is given a written warning for his behaviour.
Ash becomes a support for Rita when her paedophile husband is admitted into the ED, resulting in her to begin excessive drinking. When he discovers Rita drinking at work, he sends her home but is left with the choice of telling her boss the truth. Ash (along with colleagues Lily, Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing), Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer) and Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford)) are involved in a road collision, where Ash becomes trapped in the vehicle. He insists his colleagues are to be saved before himself and following that, paramedics Jeff Collier (Matt Bardock) and Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove) attempt to rescue him from the vehicle. They discover metal stuck in his leg which Jeff resolves to pull out in order to stop Ash from bleeding out. This allows Dixie and firemen to retrieve out of the vehicle, but as they get to the ambulance, the vehicle explodes with Jeff inside. Jeff's death began affecting Ash, who develops survivor's guilt which has serious effects on his work. Dixie blames Ash for Jeff's death and after a series of arguments, Dixie tells Ash that he should have died in the explosion and not Jeff. Ash continues to react angrily when a Jehovah's Witness refuses to receive a blood transfusion and when two teenagers constantly put themselves in danger. Ash's boss, Connie, demands he attend counselling which he doesn't enjoy. The counsellor, Ben Harding (Mark Letheren), suggests that Jeff chose to save Ash because he believed Ash was worth saving prompting him to turn his life around and honour Jeff's wishes by correctly doing his job. He also talks to Dixie who apologises for blaming Ash. However, Ben's words cause Ash to become obsessed with saving lives to honour Jeff and is eventually convinced to take leave from work. Off-screen, Ash chooses to resign from his job in order to concentrate on Ella who had been released from prison.
Lloyd Asike
Lloyd Asike played by Michael Obiora is a staff nurse who first appeared on 20 August 2011, alongside Scarlett Conway (Madeleine Mantock). Lloyd and Scarlett's casting were revealed in an interview that Digital Spy published with executive producer, Oliver Kent on 6 July 2011. Lloyd left Casualty on 8 June 2013 after deciding to retrain as a doctor.
Upon his arrival, Lloyd was mentored by Jay Faldren (Ben Turner) and it slowly becomes clear that Lloyd has feelings for Scarlett and following the massive fire at the hospital, he admits his feelings to her and they begin a relationship. Their relationship ends abruptly when she hands herself in for throwing a brick at a police officer during the Holby Riots. His mum, Florence and sister, Shelia appear towards the end of series 26.
In an interview with Digital Spy in 2011, producer Oliver Kent announced the casting of Michael Obiora as Lloyd Asike. Obiora's casting was announced at the same time as Scarlett Conway (Madeleine Mantock). He said, "We're bringing in two new nurses at the start of the new series - Lloyd Asike and Scarlett Conway. We're very excited about the castings. Lloyd is played by the brilliant Michael Obiora, who viewers will probably know from Hotel Babylon, EastEnders and Grange Hill. He's phenomenal."[14] In 2012, producer Nikki Harris spoke to Inside Soap about whether Lloyd was going to have a relationship with Scarlett. She said, "I couldn't possibly say yet - just keep watching! What's interesting about the pair of characters is the question of identity. Lloyd is from a very strong, cultural black background and is very rooted in his origins, whereas Scarlett was brought up in a white family. So we're really interested in exploring the two differences in indentity between the two."[11]
B
Mike Barratt
Mike Barratt, played by Clive Mantle, made his first appearance during the seventh series. Mike was a consultant, who formed a relationship with staff nurse Rachel Longworth (Jane Gurnett). He became a popular member of the cast and was branded a "heart-throb".[15] Mantle left at the end of series eleven, but briefly returned during the following series.[15] Of his decision to leave the show, Mantle said "I didn't want to see the audience always expecting him to be there and perhaps taking less notice of him. I've had a great time, but I'm frightened that, if I stick around too long, I'll end up unable to do anything else."[15] The character later appeared in sister show Holby City between 1999 and 2001, as a consultant general surgeon.[16] Mantle reprised his role for the 30th anniversary episode "Too Old for This Shift", which aired in August 2016.[17]
Tess Bateman
Tess Bateman, played by Suzanne Packer, is a ward sister who first appeared on 13 September 2003. From her arrival until 2005, Tess was an emergency nurse practitioner and following that, she was promoted to clinical nurse manager for six years, until 2011. In May 2011, Tess resigned from her position and resumed the role of ward sister, but was later reinstated. Tess continued in the role until January 2015 when she resigned to help set up a new health centre as a secondment, returning as a ward sister shortly after. Packer chose to leave the role in 2015, with Tess departing on 22 August 2015. Tess left Holby to live in Leeds with her son and grandson. Packer reprised her role for the 30th anniversary episode "Too Old for This Shift", which aired in August 2016.[17]
Connie Beauchamp
Constance "Connie" Beauchamp played by Amanda Mealing, originally appeared in Casualty's spin off show, Holby City, in the role of Cardiothoracic Consultant and Clinical Lead of Holby's Darwin Cardiothoracic Ward.[18] Connie later went on to become Director of Surgery and Medical Director of Holby City Hospital. During this period, she appeared in the first two crossovers between Casualty and Holby City, featuring the casts of both shows,[19] and made a guest appearance in the Casualty episode shown 9 September 2007.[20] She departed from the show in its thirteenth series, resigning from her post.[21] Her return was announced on 23 July 2013[22] and she arrived in Casualty on 29 March 2014.[23]
Big Mac
Mackenzie "Big Mac" Chalker played by Charles Dale first appeared on 24 November 2007.[24][25] He was a porter until October 2013,[24] when he applied to become an emergency care assistant. However, he quit this role in November 2014 and applied to be a healthcare assistant instead. He hasn't changed his job role since.[24] Dale's departure was announced on 7 June 2016, after eight and a half years on the show. Big Mac's exit airs on 11 June 2016 when he decides to leave Holby.[26] Dale since revealed he would return for a cameo appearance in the show's thirtieth anniversary specials.[27]
Big Mac is a veteran of the Falklands War of 1982, where many of his fellow soldiers were killed while he survived.[2] This has led to him experiencing intense feelings of guilt. The BBC describe him as "overly sensitive" and "just a little bit grouchy".[24] An episode of series 23 devoted to the character sees him assume a vigilante role on the city's Farmead Estate.[28] Dale states that the episode causes Mac to realise: "it's time he stood up for himself and that he can't run from things that happened in the past all his life."[29] Describing Mac's personality, Dale appraised that Mac is "deeply introverted" and struggles to accept that his colleagues actually like him.[29] He explained that although Mac occasionally acts pompously, this approach is "a mask that he puts on to keep people at distance when he gets afraid or embarrassed". He expanded that Mac has: "been scared to go out and he's terrified of life. But because of people in the hospital he's slowly discovering it."[29]
Mac has a budding friendship with Noel Garcia (Tony Marshall) and Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka). When paramedic Dixie Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove) mentioned to Louise and Mac that they were looking for a new Emergency Care Assistant, Mac showed interest and Louise completed an application on Mac's behalf. Mac was given the job and spent a day training Max Walker (Jamie Davis) to be a porter in the ED. He has also supported paramedic Iain Dean through traumatic events.
In September 2012, Mac became the centre of a big storyline which saw him suffer a major heart attack.[30] Mac survived the heart attack, and according to Dale, the storyline gave Mac "a new lease of life.".[31] Later in March 2014, Mac was held hostage alongside Iain and attacked in the ambulance bay by one of Iain's army colleagues, Kenny Archer.[32] Mac made a full recovery and returned to work. In October 2014, following the death Jeff Collier (Matt Bardock), Mac asks for a transfer back to the ED, where he becomes a healthcare assistant.
Noel was attacked in January 2016 and whilst the attack took place, Mac hid in a nearby toilet. Noel is left seriously injured, but recovers and is left under the impression that Mac fought the attacker off. Subsequently, Noel does various good gestures for Mac including buying Mac a new motorbike. Mac continues to live with the guilt of his cowardice, whilst the attacker Mercedes Christie (Hannah Spearitt) regularly visits Mac and blackmails him in return for drugs. The investigating officers discover the truth and Mac is publicly taken away for questioning, causing him to be remonstrated by several members of the ED staff. Noel discovers the truth and ends their friendship, moving out of their apartment. The two men bicker needlessly at work until Jack Diamond (Alistair Brammer) and Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) lock them in a room together. Mac explains that he panicked and now felt deeply ashamed about his actions. Noel forgives him and agrees to move back in.
Mac realises that Mercedes is a deeply troubled woman and is sympathetic towards her. When Mac loses his pain medication, he grows irritable and steals painkillers from a pharmacy order he is asked to make. Mercedes catches him doing so and steals the drugs for herself. When the pharmacy reports a stock inconsistency, the suspicion of theft is raised and Mac is unable to complete Mercedes' demands, causing him to feel trapped. He tearfully confesses everything to Noel, who promises to support him and scares Mercedes away from Mac, reminding her that she risks the custody of her child (Toby Murray). Mac is recommended to a support group, but he is too ashamed to attend and quickly re-offends, stealing a patient's tramadol tablets. Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) discovers this and when Mac breaks down and explains everything to Charlie, he offers to hide the drugs. Charlie hides the drugs in his locker, but an investigation into the missing drugs begins. Elle Gardner (Jaye Griffiths) discovers the drugs and reports her findings to clinical nurse manager, Rita Freeman (Chloe Howman), under the impression they belonged to Charlie. Charlie keeps his promise and is suspended, leaving Mac feeling guilty and Elle ostracised from the staff. Noel informs Mac that he knows they were Mac's drugs and orders him to tell the truth, but he avoids doing so.
Mac has a terrible day which sees him treat a girl who he discovers is being abused by her stepfather. The stepfather plays the victim by claiming that the girl is harassing him. When the truth is revealed about the abuse, the stepfather drags the girl out the ED, but Mac steps in and bravely takes a beating in order to protect her. Mac then confesses that he stole drugs and when Rita informs him he will be suspended, Mac decides to resign. He then says goodbye to his colleagues and leaves. Before he leaves, he attends a NA meeting with Charlie, where he relays his story and thanks Charlie for what he did, before leaving Holby.
C
Alice Chantrey
Alice Chantrey, played by Sam Grey, made her first appearance on 1 April 2006. Alice joined the series as a receptionist and she later trained as a healthcare assistant. Grey chose to leave the series in 2010 and departed on 1 May 2010. It was announced on 16 August 2016 that Alice would guest appear in the show on 27 August 2016 for the show's thirtieth anniversary celebrations.[33]
It was announced on 3 February 2006 that Grey had been cast in the role.[34] She said of her casting: "I'm really excited to be working with such skilled and talented actors on Casualty. It's a great opportunity to learn more. At the moment my real nerves are helping me to play the part of Alice as she's an anxious character."[35] Alice is described by the BBC as "cripplingly shy" and easily intimidated.[36]
Alice is befriended by Sam Bateman, and develops a crush on senior house officer Guppy Sandhu. Alice goes as far as to pretend one of the porters is her boyfriend in an effort to draw his attention, however all this achieves is helping Sam realise he has feelings for her himself. When the department is threatened with closure, consultant Harry Harper opposes the move, and Clinical Manager Nathan Spencer persuades Alice to claim that he has sexually harassed her, in order to sabotage Harry's campaign. Realising she has been tricked, Alice drops her claim and expresses a wish to leave for the South American rain forest, but Sam persuades her to stay. Later in the series, Sam himself leaves to travel in Thailand. Alice kisses him before his departure, confessing her love for him.
Alice began a relationship with paramedic Curtis Cooper, which Grey described as "a bit of a slow burn", commenting: "They've been tiptoeing around each other for a while because they both have their own issues - Alice is a nervous character and very shy, while Curtis has a past, which he tries to keep back. Although they find it difficult to communicate they get on well and hit it off in the quirkiest way possible."[37] She assessed that Alice was initially nervous of the relationship as: "She's very naive, quite like a little girl in many ways. She's never had a proper relationship and is still a virgin. Curtis knows all this about her and is very careful with her as a result."[37] When Curtis is targeted by a local gang leader, Tony, he breaks up with Alice to protect her, as Tony threatens to kill her. When they later reunite, Alice is assaulted by Tony's girlfriend and admitted to the ED as a patient. She and Curtis become engaged, however on their wedding day, Alice is taken hostage at gunpoint on the hospital roof. Curtis tackles her assailant over the edge, and dies saving Alice. The Daily Mirror's Jim Shelley criticized Alice's relationship with Curtis, deeming it "about as convincing as Stacey Slater's with Bradley, or Corrie's Maria and Tyrone",[38] lacking in plausibility as: "Alice had gone from being so virginal and meek she was practically mute to marrying a youth the police claimed used to be 'a serious player'."[38]
Alice began to take a 'back-seat' role following the conclusion to her relationship with Curtis, appearing in few scenes per episode with minimal lines. Following the death of Adam Trueman's (Tristan Gemmill) son, he went on a downward spiral and had a one-night stand with Alice. He rejected her the following morning, devastating her. Alice remained concerned about Adam and having been hurt by Adam too many times, she gets a new job and decides to leave Holby City Hospital. Adam's ex-wife Jessica Harrison (Gillian Kearney) meets Alice before her departure, where Adam discovers them.
Lily Chao
Lily Chao, played by Crystal Yu, is a registrar who first appeared on 3 August 2013. Lily had been through several years training from her arrival until August 2015. The BBC have described Lily as an intelligent, logical, high-achiever who comes from a hard-working family that like to boast about their doctor daughter, but have never really told her they are proud of her.[39] In 2014, series producer Erika Hossington spoke to Digital Spy about a series of standalone episodes the show would produce, revealing that the first standalone would feature Lily, "The first one is a murder mystery and the character it features is Lily. That's been written by Jeff Povey. It's a great episode and it's all set at night. The hospital is empty, so it feels like a very ghostly place and that really feeds into the story that we're telling. It's brilliant and it feels very different."[40]
Lofty Chiltern
Ben "Lofty" Chiltern, played by Lee Mead, made his first appearance in the series twenty-eight episode "The Last Chance Saloon", broadcast on 1 March 2014. The character was introduced to fill the "youngish male nurse" gap left by Jamie Collier following actor Daniel Anthony's decision to leave. Mead had previously appeared on the show in its twenty-sixth series as a patient and found it an honour to be invited back. Lofty was originally a staff nurse but was promoted to senior staff nurse in 2016. The character was specifically written for Mead, which helped the writing team when writing for the character. Mead opted to take a sabbatical from the show in 2015. On-screen, while the character was left running the ED, agency nurse Diane Stuart (Catherine Skinner) died and consequently, Lofty left Holby. The character departed in the series thirty episode "High Tide", broadcast on 12 March 2016. It was announced in February 2017 that the character would be reintroduced to Casualty's sister show, Holby City, working as a staff nurse on the fictional Keller ward.
Kirsty Clements
Kirsty Clements, portrayed by Lucy Gaskell, made her first appearance during the twenty-fourth series. Kirsty was a staff nurse, who formed a friendship with consultant Adam Trueman (Tristan Gemmill). She was billed as a "fiery and vivacious mental health nurse" who would "turn the ED upside down with her dirty laugh, brilliant nursing, disregard for authority and loyalty to her patients."[41] On her casting, Gaskell said "Joining Casualty has all been a great big whirlwind, but the cast and crew have been welcoming and friendly from the moment I walked through the doors. It's been really easy to fit in and I've not once felt like the ‘new girl'."[41] The show's producer, Oliver Kent, described Gaskell as "exactly the right person to bring the human whirlwind that is Kirsty to life".[41] A BBC Online reporter described her as "a force of nature" that could diagnose better than a F2 doctor. Her backstory states that she married her "childhood sweetheart" Warren (Stephen Lord) and became pregnant at sixteen with her only child, daughter Nita (Holly Earl).[42] Kirsty was centre to a domestic abuse storyline which saw her abused by Warren. The show consulted with charity Women's Aid for the storyline. It concluded when her husband died.[43] Gaskell left at the end of the twenty-fifth series, which coincided with her pregnancy.[43]
Kirsty grows fond of Adam Trueman (Gemmill) and makes romantic advances towards him, but he rebuffs and she flees. At home, her husband Warren (Lord) is waiting for her and throws a mobile phone across the room in anger. Kirsty has difficulty sleeping and takes diazapam, but she oversleeps and as she is getting dressed, bruising is displayed on her back. At work, the effects of the drug kick in and when she takes ritalin, Kirsty reacts badly and collapses. Adam and nurse Mads Durrani (Hasina Haque) have to restart her heart and call Warren to collect her from the hospital. Adam notices the bruises on Kirsty's arms and when she returns home mid-shift to check on Warren, it becomes apparent that he is suffering from myalgic encephalomyelitis which has left him unable to work. When Adam raises his voice at Kirsty in jest, she breaks down.
Warren and their daughter Nita are left with superficial injuries after a car crash and when in the ED, Warren notices the tension between Kirsty and Adam. When Nita tells Kirsty that Warren was smashing her belongings, Adam comforts her and they kiss. Warren is diagnosed with muscular dystrophy so Kirsty decides to stand by him, but rejects her colleagues' sympathy about Warren's diagnosis. Having been attacked by Warren because of an apologetic text she received from Adam, Kirsty distances herself from Adam but eventually accepts a Christmas present from him. Following another physical attack, Kirsty decides to have an x-ray and when Adam discovers the results, Kirsty confesses the extent of her abuse. When Warren arrives at the ED, Adam hints that he knows about the abuse making Kirsty panic. Despite being offered a home for her and Nita, she returned to Warren where she was attacked again.
When Kirsty calls in sick for work to spend the day with Warren, Adam becomes worried and visits their home where he warns Kirsty that Warren will "cross the line". Kirsty sends Nita to her room where she listens to Warren attacking Kirsty. Despite fleeing to Adam's house while bleeding heavily, Kirsty returns to Warren and Nita where she and Nita plan to leave while Warren is at physiotherapy. At work, she subtly says goodbye to her colleagues but confesses her plan to Adam and they share an emotional goodbye. When she returns home, Kirsty is confronted by Warren and is attacked again. Adam receives a phone call from Warren on Kirsty's phone and goes to their house where he finds Warren in a deep coma at the bottom of the stairs with Nita at his side. Warren wakes from his coma and his mother visits. She tells Kirsty that she should stay with Warren despite the abuse she has received. Warren's mother sees Adam comforting Kirsty and tells Warren that they are having an affair. When Warren is found collapsing by Kirsty, he verbally attacks her and punches her. Kirsty finds the courage to leave him and while preparing to leave with Nita, Warren dies. Adam breaks the news to Kirsty and Nita.
A new clinical lead, Miriam Turner (Cheryl Campbell), is appointed and she reconciles with Kirsty, having treated Nita following her birth. Miriam had advised Kirsty to leave Warren following his first attack on her, warning her that he would continue to attack her. They catch up and Kirsty explains that she stayed with Warren, but suffered many years of abuse and Miriam supports her. Kirsty decides to leave Holby with Nita so they can escape bad memories. They are last seen driving to Wales as Kirsty throws her wedding ring into the sea.
Maggie Coldwell
Maggie started off her career in medicine as a nurse, before retraining to become a doctor. She is highly competent, although has been held back from progressing further up the career ladder as a result of a tendency to be too outspoken with hospital management, most notably clashing frequently with Nathan Spencer. She successfully applied for the role of consultant, before Nathan claimed there was no funding to pay her post.
It was revealed that when her husband, Steve, had been sentenced to jail, she had told her children that he had died. When they discovered the truth and he was subsequently released, she allowed them to travel abroad with him to Malaysia. Paramedic Josh Griffiths was her lodger before his departure, however she has a long running romantic interest in Josh's best friend Charlie Fairhead.
Maggie's daughter Joanne returned in January 2008, and Maggie was shocked to see that she was heavily pregnant. Maggie became a grandparent in February 2008, when Joanne gave birth to a baby girl called Lana. She now shares her house with Joanne, Lana, Toby and Ruth.
At the end of the 2008 series Maggie decided to leave Holby after the shock and stress of the coroners court, where she was framed by Marilyn. Maggie returned on 28 March 2009, in series 23 episode 31, for Kelsey Phillips' leaving party. She returned again for one episode in March 2015.
Jamie Collier
Jamie Collier, played by Daniel Anthony, made his debut appearance in the seventeenth episode of the twenty-seventh series, broadcast on 5 January 2013.[44] Jamie was introduced as the nephew of Jeff Collier (Matt Bardock) and was created as one of four student nurses introduced to the show.[44] A social media account was created for each character by the show and the four characters also featured in an online 'webisode' where they interviewed "each other about their final training placement and their fears of working in a busy Emergency Department" on their mobile phones.[44] Anthony, Henderson, Devereux and Newman visited a real emergency department to prepare for the role where they were offered to observe "the majors or minors department".[44] The BBC described Jamie as "sweet, charming, caring, warm and loyal".[45] Jamie departed in the twenty-fourth episode of the twenty-eighth series, broadcast on 8 February 2014. The news had been announced by the show's executive producer Oliver Kent on 4 January 2014.[46] Davood Ghadami, who guest starred as "gay Iranian asylum seeker" Ramin in 2013, was asked to reprise his role for Jamie's exit storyline.[46] Kent commented that there was "a rather nice chemistry" between Jamie and Ramin and so the series chose to reintroduce the character for a "rather nice story."[46] Anthony reprised his role in October 2014 for Bardock's exit from the series and returned in episode six of the twenty-ninth series, which broadcast on 11 October 2014.[47]
Jeff Collier
Jeff Collier played by Matt Bardock, is an intelligent paramedic and the main protagonist & hero of the series who first appeared on 10 February 2007. It was announced on 30 June 2014, that Jeff would be leaving later in the year after seven years on the show.[48] Jeff left after being killed in an accident, where he saves the life of Martin Ashford (Patrick Robinson), on 4 October 2014. This led to the exit of Tamzin Bayle (Gemma Atkinson), the permanent return of Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) and the guest appearance of Jamie Collier (Daniel Anthony).
Jeff becomes good friends with Dixie upon his arrival, and when she is told budgetary constraints mean one of her team must be transferred, Jeff volunteers to go. He returns several months later, following the departure of Cyd Pyke. He discovers that fellow paramedic Snezana Lalovic (Ivana Bašić) is stealing hospital equipment to help illegal Serbian immigrants, and reluctantly agrees to keep it a secret when she swears not to do it again.
In November 2009, Jeff was struck on the back of the head by Alistair MacCormack (Joe McFadden), who believed that Polly Emmerson (Sophia Di Martino), who he deludedly regarded as his "girlfriend", was seeing Jeff. Alistair also thought that Jeff had got a restraining order against him, but it was really Polly, who had reported Alistair to the police. Jeff was admitted to the ED.
During a call to a college shooting, Jeff witnesses the death of a student that leaves him suffering post-traumatic stress and threatened his job. He was told that would either need to return at work during the week or have to leave his job. He got some help and returned to work.
Jeff's wife, Lucy, leaves him after finding love with another man. He sees his children very infrequently. In between part 1 and part 2 of the Holby Riots, Dixie & Jeff were in a red button special which sees Dixie encourage Jeff to speak to his children again. In need of a lodger, Jeff searches for someone to move in and when Dixie's house is burnt down, she moves in with Jeff. Dixie asks Jeff to marry her, to make her father proud. Her father is unaware that she is a lesbian but catches her kissing another woman and suffers a heart attack.
In series 27, his nephew, Jamie Collier (Daniel Anthony), joins the E.D as a student nurse and Jeff's father, Billy, dies shortly after Jamie's arrival. Jeff is a support to Dixie when her partner, Carol, dies of a brain injury. He becomes concerned for Jamie when he decides to leave Holby for Australia with new lover, Ramin but eventually decides to let him go.
In series 28, Jeff is left stunned when past and former paramedic Tamzin Bayle (Gemma Atkinson) returns. Jeff later volunteers at an activity obstacle course. He meets event organiser, Samantha Keelman (Michelle Collins), helping her when she is admitted after slipping from a rope on a different obstacles. They agree to go out on a date, Samantha is revealed to be married and stabs her husband accidentally when he finds her and Jeff in bed. She attempts to blame Jeff but her lies are discovered and she is arrested by the police. Tamzin later reveals that she had called off her wedding.
When his colleagues, Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing), Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer), Martin Ashford (Patrick Robinson), Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) and Lily Chao (Crystal Yu) are involved in a car crash, Jeff and Dixie arrive to help, successfully saving their colleagues. Meanwhile, Jeff tells his wife Dixie that he wants a divorce. In order to save Ash from bleeding out, he forcibly pulls out a piece of metal from his leg, allowing Dixie and the firemen to pull him out and carry him to the ambulance. Before Jeff can exit the vehicle, it explodes, killing him instantly as a horrified Ash and Dixie watch on.
Inside Soap described Jeff and Dixie as the 'dynamic duo'. In an interview with Inside Soap, producer Nikki Harris teased what was next for the two saying, "Dixie and Jeff were central to our opening episodes in Cardiff, as they really came under pressure with the car crash and the explosion that happened on the estate. And as we look at how the police interact with ED later on, the paramedics are going to be on the front line in terms of that, because they're sort of in between each side. So Jeff and Dixie are set to have key roles in those storylines when they play out on screen."[11]
On 28 March 2014, it was announced Michelle Collins would join the cast as Samantha Keeler, the love interest of Jeff.[49] It was revealed that as the romance with Jeff blossoms, a secret held by Samantha threatens to turn both of their worlds upside down.[49] Casualty's executive producer Oliver Kent said: "We can't wait for everyone to meet Samantha and see where her story goes over the two months she's on screen. Michelle has been absolutely brilliant and her arrival is set to have a huge impact on one of the show's most loved characters."[49]
On 30 June 2014, it was announced that Bardock would be leaving his role as Jeff after seven years in the role and that Jeff would depart on-screen in late 2014, after the conclusion of his new love interest storyline with Samantha Keeler.[48] Executive producer, Oliver Kent spoke about Bardock's departure; "Matt Bardock has given us one of Casualty's all-time favourite characters and we are sad to see him go. Jeff Collier has been an iconic action hero for seven years and we have been so lucky to have had him on our team for so long. We wish him all the very best for the future."[48] Bardock spoke about his exit from the programme on Twitter after receiving several messages from fans. He tweeted that he was overwhelmed with all the lovely comments and then thanked his fans for the 'love and support' for Jeff. He said it was a real 'gas' for seven years.[48]
Scarlett Conway
Scarlett Conway, played by Madeleine Mantock, made her debut appearance in the series twenty-six episode "Starting Out", broadcast on 20 August 2011.[50] The character and Mantock's casting was announced on 6 July 2011, alongside that of Lloyd Asike (Michael Obiora). Scarlett was billed as a "terrified ingénue", "tentative" and "newly-qualified" staff nurse.[51] The character's first scenes saw Scarlett arrive for her first shift in a "overworked ED", but she was left "horror struck" after witnessing a patient go into cardiac arrest. However, she managed to "proves her worth with a troubled teenage patient."[51] Series producer Oliver Kent said that the show was "delighted to welcome" Madeleine to the cast, adding that she was "an exciting new talent who is already proving herself alongside the more experienced heavy-hitters in the Casualty cast."[51] In a separate interview, Kent added that the role was Mantock's first job after leaving drama school and described her as "incredible".[52] Mantock left the series in 2012, having appeared on the show for eleven months. Scarlett departed at the conclusion of the twenty-sixth series, broadcast on 22 July 2012.[53]
Curtis Cooper
Curtis Cooper, played by Abdul Salis, made his debut appearance in the twenty-seventh episode of the twenty-second series, broadcast on 1 March 2008.[54] Curtis was introduced as the show's "handsome new technician" who was billed as a "baby-faced", "charming churchgoer" who is "a sweet man at first", with a "charming exterior" that covers "a time-bomb ticking away". He was teased to have a "secret past" that "comes back to haunt him".[54][55] Curtis formed a relationship with Alice Chantrey (Sam Grey), which hit turmoil when Curtis' past was explored.[37] Grey described Curtis as "a reformed bad boy" with "a past".[37] Curtis departed at the end of the twenty-third series, broadcast on 1 August 2009. Curtis was killed-off and died as a result of his injuries after falling from the hospital roof.[56] The Daily Mirror's Jim Shelley criticized Alice's relationship with Curtis, deeming it "about as convincing as Stacey Slater's with Bradley, or Corrie's Maria and Tyrone",[38] lacking in plausibility as: "Alice had gone from being so virginal and meek she was practically mute to marrying a youth the police claimed used to be 'a serious player'."[38]
D
Toby De Silva
Toby De Silva, portrayed by Matthew Needham, made his first appearance on 8 September 2007. Toby is a doctor who has just graduated from medical school. As an only child whose parents are in the medical profession, Toby was pushed into medicine.
On his first day on the show, we saw his lack of confidence which earned him the nickname Dracula. After making lots of mistakes and messing up an injection on a patient in front of his mother, Professor Camille Windsor, he decided to resign. Adam Trueman decided to give Toby another chance to prove himself by giving him a tricky procedure to do. After completing the procedure successfully, he decided to stay.
Since then Toby became more and more confident at his job and at Christmas 2007, he kissed Maggie under the mistletoe for a pound. She offered him her spare room, which he accepted, becoming her lodger. On 2 February 2008, Toby and Abs Denham found Ruth had hanged herself in her room. Toby found it hard to cope being the only F2 around and only just managed to complete a complicated procedure to save a girl's life.
After Ruth's attempted suicide, Toby got drunk at a pub with Maggie's pregnant daughter, Joanne. When she went into labour, he was forced to deliver the baby himself. The birth was successful and Toby and Joanne have since become lovers. Toby took a job in Orthopaedics with Sean Anderson as his boss. He was furious to discover Maggie had expressed serious doubts about his ability to do the job.
In November 2008, Toby discovered Ruth had spent the night with new Clinical Lead Nick Jordan and told her that Jordan was using her for a night of sex, not the whirlwind romance she believed was happening. She refused to believe him, saying that he was only saying that as he'd always fancied her. Later on, Toby went for a drink with new medical counsellor, Ben Harding, to discuss his feelings about Ruth but she found him in bed with Ben later that night which was the start of many problems to come.
Toby withdrew his statement and after arguing with Ben, embarrassed himself at the Christmas party with drink in hand. He threw away his NHS id badge but then realised he needed it to get his belongings back. He saw it and jumped into a boat, trying to retrieve it, but his foot went through the wood. He nearly drowned but luckily Toby was rescued and taken to casualty. He told his father that he was gay and told Mr Jordan that he wanted to quit immediately rather than serve his notice. This plan was derailed, following a rush of patients following a train crash, Mr Jordan said he could quit at the end of the shift. Toby was the only one able to deal with a young girl who was refusing treatment. Saying goodbye to Ruth, he tricked her telling there was a spider on her head which made her close her eyes. He took the opportunity to kiss her on the cheek before leaving. As he walked through the ED he received hugs and smiles from his co-workers. Outside, due to Toby's father, Ben met him and they walked out of the ED carpark with promises of coffee.
Toby made a brief reappearance at the end of episode 3 of series 24 when he is seen to openly kiss the medical counsellor, Ben Harding and then they both head into the pub to join the rest of the team from the just-finished shift. He is welcomed with open arms by his ex-colleagues and offers some friendly advice to the new F2 doctors.
Iain Dean
Iain Dean, played by Michael Stevenson,[57] first appeared in the red-button special Under Fire, credited as Corporal Dean.[58] Iain was introduced as a former army colleague of Sam Nicholls who he had an affair with in Afghanistan.[57] Iain made a Casualty debut on 28 April 2012 for one episode.[59] Stevenson returned to Casualty in April 2013 on a six-month contract, with Iain returning on-screen on 31 August.[60] Iain's return saw him join the paramedic team as a student paramedic. Stevenson's contract ended in autumn 2013 and Iain's exit scenes aired on 22 March 2014.[61] It was announced on 19 May 2014 that Stevenson had returned to Casualty as a regular character and that Iain's return scenes would air in the sixth episode of series 29.[62] These scenes aired on 11 October.[63]
Iain first appears in the red-button special Under Fire as the army colleague of Sam Nicholls. The special explores their relationship and the work they do in Afghanistan. When Iain appears in Casualty, he is seen to give evidence at the hearing of Sam, after she restrained a patient from attacking Dylan Keogh. Iain is not seen again following his brief appearance at court until August 2013. Iain returns as the new student paramedic, working alongside Dixie Dixon and Jeff Collier. It becomes clear to the pair that Iain is overly confident and will need to be kept in line. He continues to try and prove himself to Jeff and Dixie, but receives backlash when he fortunately manages to rescue a woman from a bus crash seconds before it exploded.[60]
Iain returned on 6 October 2014, following news that Jeff had died in an explosion. He immediately returned for his funeral and helped Dixie grieve. A struggling Dixie decided to work instead of go to Jeff's funeral and in a bid to change her mind, Iain decides to go with her. They successfully help a homeless man who has been dumped in landfill. Iain talks to Dixie and they rush to the funeral, where they are in time for Dixie's reading. Iain arrives at the wake to celebrate Jeff's life. He follows Dixie and Tamzin Bayle to the ambulance shelter where Tamzin reveals she is leaving Holby following the wake. Following this, Dixie offers Iain his old job as a paramedic. He accepts with delight. In October 2015 Iain begins a relationship with Rita Freeman after a one-night stand. However, this ended in 2016 after she pretended her ex-husband was stalking her and had punched her in the face, when in fact it was herself who did it.
In March 2014, Stevenson spoke of how "lucky" he felt to have been able to have multiple stories, having only been introduced as part of one storyline, "I’ve been dead lucky. I went in to serve one storyline and ended up with stories of my own! I’ve been so lucky to come straight into the love story with Sam and then for this other storyline to develop."[64] He also went on to speak of how he was aware of Iain's history upon his casting as well as how his character was not intended to be as central as he was.[64] In August 2014, series producer Erika Hossington discussed Iain's return with Digital Spy, "We will see the return of Michael Stevenson as paramedic Iain, and he's coming back into the show as a regular character. It's going to be fun establishing his partnership with Dixie, and especially seeing how Dixie copes with the change after she and Jeff were such a strong team."[65]
Abs Denham
John "Abs" Denham, portrayed by James Redmond, made his first appearance on 4 October 2003. Redmond chose to leave the role in 2008, with Abs departing the show on 18 October 2008, after five years on-screen. It was announced on 16 August 2016 that Abs would guest appear in the show on 27 August 2016 for the show's thirtieth anniversary celebrations.[33]
Abs' first day at work was particularly memorable. He discovered that an escaped psychiatric patient had stolen his identity and was posing as him within the Emergency Department. Although the impostor successfully fooled Clinical Nurse Manager Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer), the matter was eventually sorted out and the genuine Abs was able to start doing his job.
Abs entered into a short lived marriage with Ellen Zitek (Georgina Bouzova), the half-sister of his love interest Nina Farr (Rebekah Gibbs). Ellen lied to him over the course of many months about the danger she faced in her home country, and Abs agreed to get married simply to help her get a visa. It eventually became clear however, that Ellen's motives had not been genuine, and she was acting simply out of malice toward Nina. She left for a short period, during which Abs reunited with Nina - however, they were soon harassed by a loan shark to whom Ellen owed £15,000. Abs struggled to keep up with the payments, and not only got beaten up but had items repossessed. However, after being beaten up himself, the loan shark was fatally injured and Abs was free of Ellen's debt. Immigration officials also informed him that they would not be investigating his marriage to Ellen any longer, leaving him free to enjoy his time with Nina.
Once Ellen returned, Abs demanded a divorce. However, she soon revealed she was suffering from cancer, and although both Abs and Nina supported her throughout, several months later she was killed in an unrelated incident, run down by a motorbike, leaving Abs a widower. His relationship with Nina disintegrated during this period, with him first reacting poorly to the revelation she had once had relationships with women and identified as bisexual. He then became jealous of her relationship with Greg Fallon (Kip Gamblin), and eventually Nina decided to leave Holby.
In a special Comic Relief episode written by Richard Curtis, Abs was participating in a sleep-a-thon and was taken hostage by Megan Roach's (Brenda Fricker) grandson who crashed his camper van. Abs was unhurt but for a minor cut on his head. He was shot on New Year's Eve 2007 while out at a night club with Kelsey Phillips (Janine Mellor) but he escaped with just a minor injury to his arm. In protest of Charlie Fairhead's (Derek Thompson) redundancy, he called an unofficial work-to-rule, but after a patient died as a result, he realised he'd taken things too far and called it off. In March 2008, Abs attended his brother's funeral. At the funeral, he was reunited with his old friend Stacey. However, when his friend's drunken behaviour ended in a violent punch-up, Abs was forced to talk to Stacey about the dangers of alcoholism. Later, he revealed to his mother that he wanted to open up a clinic to treat alcoholism.
Jack Diamond
Jack Diamond, played by Alistair Brammer, made his first appearance during the thirtieth series. Jack was a receptionist, who formed a friendship with receptionist Noel Garcia (Tony Marshall). The character was first previewed in the 2015 autumn trailer, which was released on 18 September 2015, where a receptionist character called Jack was revealed.[66] Brammer's casting was announced by executive producer Oliver Kent in an interview with Radio Times, where he billed Jack as "flamboyant and outrageous and waspish".[46] Brammer confirmed on Twitter that he was only contracted on the show for six months and he left after appearing in fifteen episodes.[67]
Dixie Dixon
Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon played by Jane Hazlegrove, is an Operational Duty Officer and Paramedic who first appeared on 30 September 2006.[68] Dixie temporarily left the show on 3 May 2014, when she was given three-month suspension for taking a patient out of hospital without permission.[69] She returned on 30 August 2014, at the beginning of series 29.[70] On 5 May 2015, Dixie made a guest appearance in Holby City on the AAU ward, where she reunites with Adrian Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) and helps him with his ongoing issues.[71][72] It was announced in January 2016 that Hazlegrove had left her role of Dixie after almost 10 years with her final scenes airing on 30 January 2016.[4]
She first appeared as a paramedic having transferred from another hospital alongside close friend, Cyd Pyke. When senior paramedic Josh Griffiths takes a six-month sabbatical to travel the world, Dixie becomes Operational Duty Officer. She forges a friendship with new recruit, Jeff Collier, to whom she admits she is a lesbian.[68] Believing Cyd's life is in danger, following a venomous snake bite, Dixie confesses her love for her friend. When Cyd recovers, their friendship is strained by this and she transfers to another hospital. In series 23, Dixie accidentally runs a girl over whilst driving the ambulance. Dixie requires counselling after the accident. The victim's family burn her house down in revenge, and she moves in with Jeff. Dixie asks Jeff to marry her, to make her father proud as he is unaware she is a lesbian. Her father, who is on his deathbed, catches Dixie kissing another woman and suffers a heart attack.
In between part 1 and part 2 of the final two episodes of Series 26, Dixie & Jeff were in a red button special which saw Dixie encourage Jeff to speak to his children again.[73][74] In 2013, following the prison riots, Dixie becomes romantically involved with Carol Walcott,[75] the prison officer. They begin a relationship but Dixie later finishes it. Weeks later, they reunite but Dixie doesn't want to tell Jeff. Dixie drops Carol off at a meeting and promises her that she will tell Jeff. While Carol is at the meeting, she falls and hurts her arm and head. She does not tell anyone she has hurt her head though. She gets treated and Zoe Hanna and Tess Bateman pick up on their romance. While being taken up to x-ray, Carol collapses, begins to slur words and vomit. She is revealed to have had a serious brain injury. Dixie tells Jeff about Carol and he tells her that he will always be there for her. Dixie then comes into the ED to find Carol and Zoe informs Dixie that Carol died on the way up to theatre. Dixie is full of grief and in shock. She locks herself in her office but confides in Rita Freeman and later Jeff.
In April 2014, a patient is admitted to the ED after becoming involved in a motorbike crash. Dixie bonds with the patient, who is later revealed to be called Leo Wren, and helps him when he discovers that he could have his leg amputated. He later begins to recover slowly. Upon discovering his mother is dying, Dixie sets out on a mission to reunite them before her death, despite knowing the consequences for this. Max Walker helps Leo escape the hospital to the camper van Dixie has borrowed from a patient. Lofty Chiltern goes with Dixie & Leo to collect his mum, Scarlet (Amanda Ryan) from the place she is staying. Her carer initially insists she would like to stay in her room and she confirms this when she appears. Despite what she originally decided, Scarlet later decides to go to the beach with Leo, Dixie & Lofty. Her carer also comes with them and is constantly worrying about her but Dixie tells him to relax and enjoy the beach. Scarlet goes waterskiing and then enjoys herself on the beach with Leo. They share memories and he is left devastated when they have to return to the hospital. On their journey back to the hospital, Leo starts to suffer pain and upon their arrival in the hospital, he is straight away sent to resus. Meanwhile, Lofty is told off by Charlie Fairhead and Tess but is let off because he swapped his shifts with Robyn Miller. Dixie, however, is told by Zoe that she will be sanctioned for her actions. The following week, Dixie is seen discussing her upcoming meeting which decides her future as a paramedic with Jeff, Max, Louise Tyler, Noel Garcia & Big Mac. Big Mac later suggests they role play the meeting to which Jeff thinks is stupid but Dixie likes the idea and they go through with it. While on her way to the meeting, she spots someone in need of help after they fell onto a metal spike. She leaves for her meeting as soon as Jeff & Big Mac arrive and is very late. The ambulance trust suspend Dixie for three months and everyone says goodbye to her in the pub later on.[69]
Dixie returned on 30 August 2014 in the middle of Jeff's struggles with his girlfriend, Samantha Keelman (Michelle Collins) after her husband discovered that they were seeing each other.[70] Following Samantha's arrest and departure, Jeff asks Dixie for a divorce, which he intends to do after they return to the ED following a car crash involving Connie, Ash, Tess, Ethan and Lily.[76][77] After saving Ash's life, the car explodes immediately killing Jeff as a horrified Dixie watches on helplessly.[77] She returns to the ED alone and tells everyone of Jeff's fate. Tamzin begs Dixie to go and get Jeff but failed, before breaking down in her arms. Dixie and Iain's working relationship encounters some problems; the two fall out after Iain repeatedly puts himself in harms way to save patients, which following Jeff's accident, Dixie finds unacceptable. Meanwhile, she continues in her efforts to adopt a baby. Unfortunately, the adoption committee adjudged that she was still mourning Jeff and thus had emotional difficulties, and her application was refused.
Dixie's latest storyline began airing October 2015, which saw her meet paramedic Jess Cranham (Kerry Bennett) whilst taking part in a HART training course.[78] However, a new dimension was added to the storyline when Jess was later found down the bottom off a deep hole in the middle of woodlands. Her partner, Nikki Chisom (Anna Acton) is present along with Jess's daughter, Olivia (Grace Doherty), at the time of the incident, causing Dixie to become concerned for the welfare and safety of Jess and Olivia. Dixie is later reported by Jess after interfering in their relationship. Hossington revealed that Dixie would play a major role in a domestic abuse storyline,[79] which will climax on 9 January 2016 where events take a dark and potentially deadly turn.[80]
Inside Soap described Dixie and Jeff as the 'dynamic duo'. In an interview with Inside Soap, producer Nikki Harris teased what was next for the two saying, "Dixie and Jeff were central to our opening episodes in Cardiff, as they really came under pressure with the car crash and the explosion that happened on the estate. And as we look at how the police interact with ED later on, the paramedics are going to be on the front line in terms of that, because they're sort of in between each side. So Jeff and Dixie are set to have key roles in those storylines when they play out on screen."[11] In 2014, series producer Erika Hossington spoke to Digital Spy about the future plans for Dixie, saying that she and Jeff would be at the focus before his departure, "The other main characters we'll be focusing on over the next few months are Jeff and Dixie. I know the fans are really keen to know whether Dixie returns from her suspension before Jeff leaves, and I can confirm that she does - it would have been a huge letdown to the audience if she hadn't!"[65] Hossington continued to say that following Jeff's departure that Dixie would establish a partnership with Iain, "It's going to be fun establishing Iain's partnership with Dixie, and especially seeing how Dixie copes with the change after she and Jeff were such a strong team."[65]
Lisa Duffin
Lisa "Duffy" Duffin Fairhead, played by Cathy Shipton, is one of the show's original characters and currently is a senior ward sister and senior midwife.[81] Shipton remained on the show until December 1993, but returned for a guest appearance in February 1998.[82] She reprised her role permanently in September 1998, but left the role for the second time in April 2003.[82] Shipton made five guest appearances between September 2006 and June 2016, before returning to the main cast in August 2016.[82] Her storylines included being raped, her relationship and later marriage to Andrew Bower (William Gaminara/Philip Bretherton), an affair with Max Gallagher (Robert Gwilym) and her long-standing enduring friendship and currently married to Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson).
Duffy is first seen in Series 1 as a friendly and youthful nurse, but whose passion for her profession is demonstrated through her strong determination to keep the night shift open at the hospital. Her confidence drops when she is raped. In Series 2, her rapist is admitted to casualty and dies. Also in this series, Duffy enjoys a relationship with Peter Tranter (Eric Deacon), but breaks up with him after discovering he has HIV. In the first episode of the following series, Peter's sister informs her that he has died in a car accident, which upsets her.
By series 4, Duffy has been promoted to Sister and is dating registrar Andrew Bower (William Gaminara). She soon falls pregnant with his child, but when he is offered a new post elsewhere and asks her to leave with him, she turns him down. Her child, Peter, is born before the beginning of series 5, and she struggles to be a single mother for her son, even bringing him into work on one occasion, and relying on her mother Kate's (Doreen Mantle) assistance.
Her firm commitment to her role is highlighted in series 6. She is tough on young new student nurse Kelly Liddle (Adie Allen) (although later feels guilty when the stressed nurse commits suicide) and dumps her new boyfriend Paul (William Armstrong) when her tries to persuade her to give up her nursing career.
In series 7, Duffy fears she has got cervical cancer, but these concerns are later found to be unfounded. After the scare, she decides to get in touch with Andrew again. She invites fellow nurse and old friend Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) to spend Christmas 1992 with her family, and they kiss under mistletoe. In the New Year, she is annoyed that she had not known that Andrew would be returning to the hospital as a locum. When Andrew returns, he picks up Peter, initially unaware that he is his son. Later, Duffy and Andrew get back together, and on the last episode of series 7, the controversial episode "Boiling Point", she reveals to her colleagues that they will be getting married in the morning. However, celebrations are put on hold when rioting youths cause mayhem, setting the A&E alight. A distraught Duffy, who feels that the end is now nigh for the department, is comforted at the end of the episode by Charlie.
In series 8, Duffy and Andrew are now happily married and trying for a second child. Eventually, she discovers she is pregnant and decides to give up her job. She does not tell Charlie, but leaves him her resignation letter. In her final episode, she makes up with Charlie, who was initially hurt by her decision, and she is thrown a small leaving party. Although she favours Adele Beckford (Doña Croll) for her old job, Martin "Ash" Ashford (Patrick Robinson) takes over her role. Her second son, Jake, is born some time after her last appearance.
Alongside former colleagues Ash, Megan Roach (Brenda Fricker) and Mike Barratt (Clive Mantle), Duffy returns in 1998 for Charlie's wedding with Barbara "Baz" Hayes (Julia Watson) at the end of series 12. Andrew is not present, and Duffy reveals her marriage problems to Charlie.
After nurse Mark Grace (Paterson Joseph) is seriously injured in a car accident at the beginning of series 13, Charlie gets in touch with Duffy hoping for her to come back to the hospital, despite Ward Sister Eve Montgomery's (Barbara Marten) reservations. Duffy returns in episode 4, initially as an agency nurse, before securing a full-time position. During the series, her marriage is on the rocks; Andrew has been having an affair.
In series 14, bed manager Adam Osman (Pal Aron) is applying for a nursing position, but, after discovering he is HIV positive, is faced with lukewarm support from Duffy, following her own experiences of the virus in the past. Duffy grows closer to consultant Max Gallagher (Robert Gwilym), after asking him to fix her car. When Eve leaves, the Sister post becomes vacant. Duffy decides to apply and before her interview Charlie warns Max not to be biased towards her. In the interview itself, Max is deliberately hard on her, which both Charlie and Duffy pick up on. She later questions Max on this, who admits he was in fact biased towards her, but did not want Charlie to think there was something between them. They kiss, unaware Charlie is watching them. Charlie is off with them both, and Duffy tells Andrew she is having to work late when Max asks her round for the night. Max later offers her concert tickets. Duffy realises Charlie knows about their affair, but is angry when he criticises her. Nevertheless, she declines Max's invitation to the concert. When Max asks her out for drinks, she decides to end their fling, concerned about her family. However, later she is irritated when she discovers Max is dating nurse Tina Seabrook (Claire Goose). Duffy also falls out with new registrar Patrick Spiller (Ian Kelsey), whose arrogant attitude aggravates the staff.
At the beginning of series 15, Duffy struggles to lead the department, following Charlie's pulmonary embolism at the end of the previous series. In November 2000, she returns from a weekend away with Andrew (now played by Philip Bretherton) who has told her that he will be joining the department as a locum. Duffy confronts Max about why he did not tell her sooner, and fears that the three of them working together may be difficult. Later, it is Duffy's 40th birthday, and Charlie leads the staff's celebrations. Andrew begins work at the department, and Duffy continues to be uneasy about his presence. She then finds out that she is pregnant, and confides in fellow nurse Colette Kierney (Adjoa Andoh). She is not keen for another child and fears Andrew's reaction. However, after he treats a pregnant woman, Duffy decides to tell him. He does not react positively, though, and relations between the two deteriorate. At one point they argue and Duffy asks Andrew if he wants her to have an abortion. She then is found by Colette in the toilets, bleeding and fearing she is having a miscarriage. She is admitted, and Andrew shows his support for both his wife and unborn child. She discovers from Charlie that Andrew has rejected a permanent consultancy at Holby - Andrew justifies it, saying he prioritises his marriage over his job. The couple's relationship thaws and they are both very happy. Duffy persuades Andrew to accept the consultancy and leaves to go on maternity leave. At the end of the series, anaesthetist Tom Harvey (Kieran Forsyth), who has taken senior house officer Holly Miles (Sandra Huggett) prisoner, bumps into Andrew in the hospital car park and pushes him down some steps. Andrew dies in resus, and Duffy is informed by Charlie about what has happened. Her cries are heard throughout the department.
Charlie visits widowed Duffy in the first episode of series 16, when she goes into labour. She will not go to hospital because Andrew died there. A few weeks later, she comes in with her new son, Paul. When she returns to work, she is annoyed at the changes Colette has made in her absence and at the fact that she did not know that Charlie was dating CEO Jan Goddard (Judy Loe). She struggles to cope as a single mother to her three boys, still devastated by Andrew's death.
At the beginning of series 17, Duffy is upset to discover she has received a life policy cheque because of Andrew's death. However, Charlie encourages her to take it, for her children's sake. Duffy clashes with locum SHO Heather Lincoln (Nicole Faraday) and is supportive of imprisoned SHO Lara Stone (Christine Stephen-Daly). Duffy's mother Kate (now played by Rosalind Knight) has breast cancer and later dies. Duffy finds comfort in new security guard Ryan Johnson (Russell Boulter). Ryan begins courting Duffy and they kiss. Word of their new relationship spreads around the department. Before Christmas 2002, Duffy ask Ryan to move in with her. In the New Year, they are thinking of going into business together and Ryan proposes to her, which she later accepts. Ryan later ploughs ahead with the business and Duffy agrees to write a cheque to him. Duffy hands in her resignation and the staff bid her farewell the week after, Charlie declaring her to be the "queen of the cubicles". Colette takes over her job. Ryan goes missing and when questioned by police, Duffy realises she does not know very much about her fiancé. She later finds he has emptied their joint bank account. She is forced to put her house on the market and takes on agency work. When she is unable to find a home, Charlie offers to house her and her sons. In April 2003, Ryan returns. Duffy is livid when she sees him, but he pleads with her. While admitting that he is a con man, he says that he loves her. He desperately tries to win Duffy back, and eventually she realises that she still loves him. She agrees to leave with him for a second time, on the condition that this is his last chance, and everything they own is signed in her name only. Charlie clearly feels that Duffy is making the wrong move, but they make up and she kisses him before she leaves for New Zealand.
Duffy next appears in the opening two episodes of series 21, in 2006, as part of Casualty's 20th anniversary celebrations. Charlie, paramedic Comfort Jones (Martina Laird), nurse John "Abs" Denham (James Redmond) and SHO Gurpreet "Guppy" Sandhu (Elyes Gabel) head to Cambodia where Duffy has set up a clinic for local people. Charlie does not take to her new partner Mike Hornsey (John Bowe) especially when he refuses to carry out an operation, claiming he has had a drink. When Charlie rings back to the UK to check up on Mike's background, he discovers that he had been struck off, but later Mike tells Charlie and Guppy that he was struck off because he helped his mother die. Duffy is upset that Charlie went behind her back, but they eventually make up.
Duffy is not seen again until the opening two episodes of series 30, which were especially written by Casualty co-creator Paul Unwin. She moves back to the UK from New Zealand and takes up a position as an agency nurse, her children now having grown up. Her first placement happens to be at Holby City, where none of the staff know who she is. She is horrified that the first time she sees Charlie again he has collapsed with a heart attack, caused by his rescuing Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) from drowning in freezing water. She finds it difficult to concentrate on her work as her old friend repeatedly undergoes CPR, which is eventually successful. The next morning she visits Charlie on the ward and sees his son Louis (Gregory Foreman) again. In his dazed state while he suffered his heart attack, Charlie thought Duffy was the "angel of death". Also in her brief return to the hospital, she is instrumental in encouraging former nurse-turned-receptionist Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka) to return to the profession.
Duffy returned in June 2016, working as an agency midwife at Holby City. Duffy was called to the ED by Elle Gardner (Jaye Griffiths) to help a pregnant lady with a serious clot in her lung. Duffy reconciled with Charlie and Louise, reassuring the latter that she could work with pregnant ladies again. She appeared again for Charlie's party to celebrate thirty years of working at the hospital. She stays to help when a helicopter crashes into the ED reception. Duffy decided to accept an offer to work in the emergency department as a sister following a shift working as an agency nurse.
Development and reception
| “ | For Lisa Duffin, better known as Duffy, Holby ED has always held a special place in her heart. From her first days as a newly qualified ED nurse 30 years ago until today she’s never lost her compassion – for Duffy the patient ALWAYS comes first. [...] Duffy is a trained Midwife and is fantastic with children of all ages. Her wealth of experience, calming nature and genuine care for her patients shines through in her work. | ” |
| — A reporter from the Casualty website on Duffy (2016)[83] | ||
Shipton was cast in the role of staff nurse Duffy, having originally been considered for the role of receptionist Susie Mercier. Shipton revealed in 2016 that upon receiving the job, she was "flying about, doing the job, learning and lines and trying not to bump into the furniture".[84] Shipton revealed that "in the early days" of appearing on the show, many young children would recognise her in the supermarket because of her portrayal of Duffy.[84] She also stated that a nurse working on the show told her that she became a nurse because of her portrayl of the character.[84] It was announced on 24 August 2015 that Shipton had reprised her role of Duffy, nine years following her previous appearance. Duffy returned in a "two-part story" written and directed by Casualty co-creator Paul Unwin in September 2015.[81] Shipton said she was "surprised and delighted" to be reprise her role and described the scenes as "tear-jerkers".[81] Shipton added that she was "proud to be playing Duffy again" because Duffy "seems to have a real and lasting connection with the public."[81] Series producer Erika Hossington said the show "loved having her [Shipton] back" and hinted that fans should "watch this space", following her guest appearance.[85] It was confirmed on 12 March 2016, in the Spring trailer, that Shipton had reprised her role again, but it was unconfirmed whether she would be joining the main cast.[86]
The show celebrated its thousandth episode in June 2016, which saw Shipton return for a further guest appearance. Duffy's appearance saw her reveal that she had left her husband and was working in Holby as an agency nurse.[87] It was announced on 7 June 2016 that following a "positive" response to her 2015 guest appearance, Shipton would be returning as a regular cast member in August 2016.[87] Shipton expressed her "thrill" to return, commenting that "the future looks very exciting for Duffy both professionally and personally".[87] She added that she was "excited" to be working with "such a talented and creative team of actors, writers, directors and producers."[87] Executive producer Oliver Kent said that the show's team were "incredibly excited that the fabulous Cathy Shipton has agreed to bring Duffy back to the Emergency Department."[87] He also expressed his excitement at having Duffy reunited with Charlie on-screen.[87] Shipton said that being asked back to the show was "a no-brainer" and it is "very exciting" to be part of the show's team.[88] Fans expressed their delightment about Duffy's return, with many praising the show for reintroducing the character. One fan commented that it was "so great to see Duffy back".[82]
Shipton confirmed in June 2016 that Duffy would form a friendship with Elle Gardner (Jaye Griffiths), which she described as "very interesting".[84] She revealed that their friendship wasn't written to be a friendship, but the producers were "so pleased with how it crackled as a paring", adding it was "good" to have relationships between "strong women".[84] Shipton later mentioned in an interview with Elaine Reilly of What's on TV that she hoped the pairing between Elle and Duffy was "going to be developed."[88] In addition, Shipton confirmed that Duffy would reginite a friendship with Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka), commenting that they would develop a "mother/daughter" relationship as Duffy "mentored" Louise.[84] Shipton teased that Duffy could develop a personal respect for Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) to match the professional respect she currently holds for her.[88] She also mooted a possible romance for Duffy and Charlie, adding that "maybe they’ll be the couple that finds each other."[84] She added that both she and Thompson and Duffy and Charlie were "enjoying working together again" and said that "it could be game on" for Duffy and Charlie's relationship if we discover "the nuts and bolts of Duffy’s relationship with her partner".[88] Duffy later asks Charlie to marry her, after it becomes clear to her that her marriage to Ryan is beyond repair following a date with him.
Madiha Durrani
Madiha "Mads" Durrani played by Hasina Haque, joined the cast of Casualty as a new nurse from Pakistan.[89] She works in Resus and in CDU, has a very good friendship with Dr Yuki Reid. She made a New Year's resolution to make friends with all the staff; this soon ended in an uproar between Dr Winters and Staff Nurse Dhurani. She was persuaded by Zoe to join the gang at the pub even though she is Muslim. ‘Mads’ has recently had feelings for Lenny and asked him on a date although she did not turn up. Lenny was disappointed but still continued flirting with her in the ED. As they are just about to kiss they get interrupted and later Mads leaves for her brother's wedding in Pakistan and Lenny is too late to wave her off. It is later revealed that she becomes engaged during the wedding.
In the episode on 21 May 2011, it is possible that she is kidnapped by a taxi driver after Lenny rejects 'Mads' outside a bar. When she was kidnapped, it was revealed a taxi driver either raped or attempted to rape her but later came to the hospital with wounds around his face. 'Mads' caused the wounds herself while trying to fight him off and that day, swore she would be loyal to her religion and wear the hijab (scarf) on her head. On the day, she wore her hijab for the first time, she met a woman that had brought in a patient. They soon became friends.
In one episode, her new friend had brought her daughter in as she was feeling sick. She treated her and saw her friend's husband, the taxi driver that tried to rape her. Lenny thinks that Ash should tell the police because he thinks that he was attacked and so Ash does. But when the police officer asks him what the attacker looked like, he said that it was a man. Mads then later tells Lenny about the attacker and how she got into that taxi outside the pub when Ash attacked her. Shocked, Lenny tries to console Mads when 2–3 days later an explosion at Holby airport brings Mads and Ash face to face again. Ash was arrested for trying to flee the country on his brother's passport and assaulting Mads. Mads said that she was free and then takes her hijab (head scarf) off and says that just because she doesn't wear it doesn't mean she is not a Muslim and Lenny agrees. He then confesses his love for Mads, but she does not say anything. In series 26, she left to get married in Pakistan.
E
Polly Emmerson
Pauline "Polly" Emerson, portrayed by actress Sophia Di Martino from 2009 to 2011, is an ambulance technician. She's described by the BBC as: "a superhero; she wants to save the world. The only problem is Polly is young, idealistic and needs to learn that the world is a complicated place and not everyone wants to be healed."[90] Di Martino had previously appeared in supporting roles in both Casualty and spin-off Holby City. She auditioned three times for the part, and had to cease studying for her Masters degree in Applied Theatre when cast.[91] She commented on her casting: "I feel very lucky to be joining such a long-running and well-established drama. I'm looking forward to Polly bursting onto screens, and hope viewers find her as much fun as I do." Series producer Oliver Kent added: "Sophia is a brilliant actress and we're very excited that she's joining us. We can't wait for the audience to see her - they're going to love her."[92] Di Martino describes Polly as "very optimistic. She sees the best in everyone. She's fun, opinionated, brave and sometimes gets a little bit too close to her patients."[91] After the suicide of homeless man Alistair MacCormack, who was infatuated with Polly, Polly was suspended while a full inquiry into his death was undertaken, after evidence given against her by Alistair's best friend, Abe, who believed that Polly should lose something that she really loved - her job - as revenge.
Polly, despite Abe's threat, keeps her job. It's revealed that she is in love with Jay and has a short fling with him. He quickly ends it, as he wishes to only be friends and because he still has feelings for Ruth. She leaves in series 25 to become a counsellor after admitting that she would rather be helping those with psychological problems rather than physical. On her last day at Holby, she is accidentally stabbed by a former patient, Hannah Fleet, and isn't found until a long time after. Despite Nick Jordan's best efforts to save her, the time of death is announced. It later emerged that Polly spent a lot of time trying to help and mentor Karl, a troubled local teenager.
F
Charlie Fairhead
Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson, is a senior charge nurse and the longest serving cast member of Casualty.[2] He was the first character to appear on 6 September 1986, which was the first episode of the show, before making his first departure from the show in series 18, he later returned for thirty episodes in series 19 before making a permanent return in the following series. Thompson departed the programme in series 22, episode 17 before returning eleven episodes later. He has since remained in the show. Charlie has also appeared in occasional Holby City episodes from its debut in 1999 until 2012. He also appeared in an episode of HolbyBlue in 2007.[93]
Jay Faldren
Jamshid "Jay" Faldren, portrayed by actor Ben Turner, first appeared on 25 October 2008 as a staff nurse. In his time on the show, Jay was involved in a relationship with Ruth Winters (Georgia Taylor) and developing a brain tumour. Turner and Taylor left their roles in October 2011 and on 10 December 2011, following the revelation that Ruth was pregnant and being involved in the blaze that ripped through the ED, they left Holby to begin a new life. Executive producer Oliver Kent revealed that Turner had filmed scenes to appear in the feature-length special celebrating thirty years of Casualty, "Too Old for This Shift", which airs on 27 August 2016.[94]
Jay was described by the BBC as "a young Charlie Fairhead",[95] that, despite being a "prankster" and a "restless soul", was a brilliant nurse. Potentially, one of the best to ever step through the doors of ED."[95] Jay believes he is "God's gift to women" and has three rules of romance: "never lie, never make a promise you can't keep, and always stay for breakfast."[95] However, Jay then falls for doctor Ruth Winters, and "everything change[s]".[95]
Turner had previously guest-starred in Casualty as a male rape victim, and believes that this role aided his casting as Jay, explaining: "They sort of had me in mind and because the last story I did on Casualty was quite strong in terms of storyline, they really liked it and when I auditioned they were in full praise of that previous episode."[96] He visited a real hospital as research for the role, to gain an understanding of what the job is like for real-life medical staff.[97]
Jay began a relationship with Ruth Winters, after meeting her alone at a bar in "True Lies". Although rejected, the doctor later asks him to be her "plus one" to the surgeons dinners. He accepted and they attended together, which resulted in them getting closer, and eventually starting a relationship. In series 24, they continued in their relationship, though kept it secret until episode five "Not Forgotten" in which Jay grew annoyed and gave her an ultimatum. She decided to go public with a kiss in front of her colleagues. Their relationship then ended when Ruth took an abortion pill behind his back. They got back together in the Christmas episode "Tidings Of Comfort and Joy" but quickly ended once more when Ruth came clean to Jay and told him that it was really an abortion and not a miscarriage. Episode 42 "Die and Let Live" saw Jay through one of his worst days, as he is told that the drugs trial he was part of for money could have landed him with the "crypto virus". The moment the blood test results put his mind at ease however, Nick Jordan delivers the bombshell that Ruth was getting married that very day. He ran through the streets of Holby to plead his undying love to her, but was too late, as she was already married. Single at the start of series 25. Ruth tells Jay that she is leaving the ED, so when Jeff tells Jay in episode three that Polly likes him, he kisses her. They started a relationship in episode eight although Polly claimed that they had already been in a "relationship" for a "couple of months". His nan, Maryam Shakiba, played by Souad Faress, appeared in series 25, episode ten "Hands On" in which she believes Jay is a doctor, so he manages to persuade Ruth to perform a job swap.
Adrian Fletcher
Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher played by Alex Walkinshaw, first appeared on 7 July 2012, in the role of a staff nurse. Fletch later went on to become a senior staff nurse. His storylines have included an affair with Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer), the subsequent break up of his marriage to Natalie Fletcher (Claire Cage) and financial issues following a gambling spree. On 1 April 2014, it was announced that Walkinshaw had left the show and that he would be reprising the role in the show's spin-off series, Holby City.[98] He departed Casualty on 29 June 2014, after following the conclusion of his affair storyline with Tess and arrived in Holby City in August 2014. On 28 June 2016, it was announced that Walkinshaw would make a guest appearance in Casualty to celebrate its thirteith anniversary. Fletch appears on 27 August 2016 in the premiere of series 31.[99]
Rita Freeman
Rita Freeman (previously Richie) played by Chloe Howman, is the clinical nurse manager who first appeared on 10 August 2013. Rita originally joined the ED as a staff nurse; later promoted to senior staff nurse in November 2014; and promoted to her current position of clinical nurse manager in January 2015. Howman left the show in 2016 and Rita departed on 16 July 2016, after less than three years on the show.[100]
The BBC have described Rita as an excellent nurse who doesn't put up with any nonsense – junior doctors have been known to shake in her wake and patients do exactly what they're told. Not only is Rita straight-talking and direct, but she is an empathetic, kind nurse who will go to any lengths to help a patient. From her first appearance onscreen, Rita made a huge impact and she has since become a valued and important part of the Casualty team.[101]
Rita was late for her first shift as Holby's new nurse due to contending with an injured neighbour whose hoarding has got out of control. She makes a strong first impressions on paramedics, Dixie Dixon and Jeff Collier as well as senior nurse, Fletch. Rita was given the task to teach Lily Chao a better bedside manner. Rita also becomes a shoulder for Dixie to cry on following her girlfriend's death and confides in her. While on a night out, Dixie and Rita kiss but are interrupted when they find a girl who has just been raped. She later uncovers the identity of the girl's rapist and has him arrested. Robyn told Rita about a man, who she found ironing his shirt in her house, and her worries about him. Rita said that she would be happy to ring the police for her and advised that Robyn should let her do so. The man was later revealed as Ben Chiltern and he began working at the ED as a nurse, where he was given the nickname, Lofty. Rita and clinical lead, Zoe Hanna treat prisoner, Frankie, who has taken several iron tablets and caused himself a kidney failure. He has only done this to receive attention from his mum who hasn't seen him since his imprisonment. Frankie flirted with Rita and when she says no to his advances, she reveals it is because her husband is dead. In July 2014, it was revealed that Rita's husband was in fact alive and was refusing to divorce her. Following Fletch's departure, the senior nurse position became vacant, leading to Rita applying for it and being successful. It was shown recently that Rita has been battling an alcohol addiction.
In the beginning of 2015, after her daughter Grace leaves for New York, Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) blames Rita, as Grace went missing at the same time Rita's convicted sex offender husband returned to the hospital. Connie promises Rita that she will make Rita leave within six months. In May 2015, however, a patient of Connie's, Alfred Maxwell, an MND sufferer dies, and Rita accuses Connie of his euthanasia, hiding vital evidence that suggests otherwise from the police. Charlie however finds out, and the case is dropped. Rita began a relationship with Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) after numerous cases of flirting and a one-night stand.
Rita's former husband, who she left because he had a paedophilic relationship, shows up injured to the ED once again with the girl he exploited in tow. He has continued to pursue a relationship with her, and now she is of legal age. Rita tries to stay strong; she realises the girl is deluded in her devotion to him and tries to reason with her and tell her that she has been exploited, but after this puts the girl at risk once she tries to cut herself off from the case. However, the girl locks herself away in Connie's office and requests specifically that Rita coax her out; subsequently, Rita is intimidated by her former husband.
Rita tells Ian she loves him, and begins to take the relationship more seriously. Ian does not feel the same way and breaks up with her. They have a one-night stand soon after, but he tells her this was a big mistake and they break up once more. Rita, who was already vulnerable, is left heartbroken. She is so desperate to have him back that when asked about an injury to her eye, she explains it was her ex-husband, when in truth she hit it against a car's wing mirror while spying on Ian. Rita treats a patient who lies about her own injuries to her friend to gain her sympathy; the lies spiral out of control and she ends up making her injury potentially disabling. After this, Rita goes to come clean, only to catch Ian as he is off to teach her ex- a lesson. She tells him the truth; he brands her insane and tells her she should just leave the ED immediately. She gets the cold shoulder from everyone when she next returns to work, particularly from Louise, who cannot understand why she would lie about being abused. Although she manages to reconcile with both Ian and Louise, Rita realises she is out of control and has been making the same mistakes over and over. She takes her holiday leave and decides to go travelling, and cannot promise Charlie that she will return.
In 2014, series producer Erika Hossington spoke to Digital Spy about plans for Rita, saying that Rita will face a "tough" time and "We've also now found out more about Rita now that her secret has been revealed, and that will certainly play out for quite a few months. Rita is going to face a really tough time and she'll be pushed to her emotional limit. You'll have to watch and see whether she comes out of the other side."[65] Hossington praised Howman's acting and commented that she has "risen" to the challenge of Rita's new storyline.[65]
G
Max Gallagher
Max Gallagher is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Robert Gwilym. He appeared in the show from the first episode of its thirteenth series, broadcast on 5 September 1998, until series sixteen, episode 36, broadcast on 18 May 2002. His storylines involve dealing with his son, Frank (Tobias Menzies), who is a heroin addict and is murdered in series 14, and being suspended for supplying his partner's son with methadone, as a result of which he is ultimately forced to resign.
Noel Garcia
Noel Garcia played by Tony Marshall is a receptionist who first appeared on 5 January 2008.[102] His storylines have included discovering his father had serious dementia,[102] discovering Honey is his daughter and a friendship with Big Mac and Louise Tyler. Noel lives with Big Mac, who is also his best friend.[102]
The BBC described him as "the practical joker of the bunch".[102] Noel is "very much a people person", and "the Laurel to Big Mac's Hardy". Marshall was cast in the role having been out of work for six months. In 2014, series producer Erika Hossington discussed plans for show and its characters with Digital Spy revealing that Noel would have a big storyline, "We've got a big story coming up for Noel. Noel's story involves Chelsee Healey's character Honey Wright and it's nice because we've not done a story with Noel for a long time."[103]
In series 27, Louise Tyler joined reception as manager. Noel tried to become friends with her but she wanted to stay professional. After Louise and Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) help Noel when he was made homeless, Louise and Noel became friends. Noel also became friends with the new porter, Max Walker. Noel and Louise were on-hand to support to Big Mac after he was held hostage by Iain Dean's unstable army colleague, Kenny.
In December 2014, Honey Wright tells Noel that she is his daughter.[104] Noel later tells Big Mac that he isn't ready to be a dad, but works through his issues. He is devastated when Honey leaves for Manchester in February 2015, but is delighted when she returns in July. He is left further devastated when Honey leaves again in September.[105]
Noel is set to have another very big storyline which is set to begin airing 23 January 2016, titled: "Shame".[106] He will be viciously attacked and mugged, before regaining consciousness back in the hospital.[107]
In March 2017, Noel made a cameo appearance in Casualty spin-off show, HOLBY City
Elle Gardner
Elle Gardner, played by Jaye Griffiths, will made her first screen appearance on 7 May 2016.[5][108] The character and Gardner's casting was announced on 24 February 2016,[3] alongside those of Jez Andrews (Lloyd Everitt) and David Hide (Jason Durr).[5] Executive producer Oliver Kent described the three castings as "wonderful" and said their storylines would be "brilliantly vibrant, bold and gripping".[5] Elle is characterised as a consultant who "struggles to juggle" her "chaotic" family with the "pressures" of her job as a consultant.[109] She is billed as "a little out of practise", but when she uses her instincts, she acts "brilliantly", which wins her colleagues over.[5] Griffiths said it was "great" to return to Cardiff, having filmed in the city for her 2015 role in Doctor Who. She went on to describe the cast and crew as "extremely welcoming" and promised "powerful storylines" for Elle.[109]
On her first day, she ran over Vince Callaghan (Andrew Knott) and then alongside Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker), treated Vince after being taken hostage and beaten up by Shelle Jones (Kelli Hollis). Elle also has a close relationship with Henrik, the hospital's CEO, and he also asks her to keep a close eye on the department and report anything negative. She also went to school with Jacob Masters (Charles Venn), but didn't hit it off well with Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing), Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) or David. With Holby under intense media scrutiny, Elle finds some missing drugs in Charlie's locker and immediately reports them to Rita. Rita is obliged to inform Connie and Charlie is placed on immediate administrative leave, but since he is especially well-loved and trusted in the department Elle's decision draws the ire and mistrust of the whole staff, including even Jacob. She realises she has to work hard to regain their trust; in Casualty's 1000th episode, Elle does everything to save a pregnant woman who is reluctant to receive treatment having experienced a miscarriage. Her efforts are sadly in vain and the mother is lost, but afterwards several members of the team come to comfort her and accept her apologies. CEO Henrik Hanssen later promotes Elle Gardner to clinical lead.
After already drawing her ire by taking over her job, Elle finds herself relentlessly targeted by Connie after she discovers that Elle made a judgement call on the day of the helicopter accident that may well have worsened her daughter Grace's condition. Connie accuses her of incompetence, intimidates her and extracts complaints from patients, leading to a formal hearing. Grace sustains a serious neck injury at the hearing after excusing herself to the bathroom and smashing a mirror after seeing her reflection. Elle is first on the scene and reacts quickly to minimise the damage before paramedics arrive. When the hearing proceeds, Connie acknowledges her actions had been a result of grief and the charges against Elle are lifted. Elle herself feels unsuited to the role of Clinical Lead and wishes to focus on patients, so she tells Connie she can have her old job back.
Elle is furious at her son Kalen when she believes he has brought a girl back to their house, believing him to be too young to be having sex and adding that it sets a bad example for his brothers. She later finds out that Kalen actually slept with Jez after he hands her his ID at the hospital. She confronts Jez in the ED, angry that he has slept with her son. Although blindsided by her Kalen's coming out, she is supportive and reconciles with Jez, jokingly telling him to use the front door next time he wants to stay over rather than climbing the drainpipe.
Sebastian Grayling
Sebastian "Seb" Grayling, played by Rik Makarem, made his first appearance on 29 October 2016.[110] Makarem's casting was announced on 31 August 2016, after he was seen in the show's Autumn trailer.[111][112] Sebastian is a new F1 doctor, who will clash with Dylan Keogh (William Beck).[112] Dylan initially offers to be Sebastian's placement mentor, but the pair do not get off to a good start when Sebastian almost hits Dylan's dog with his bike.[110]
Seb's father, Archie Grayling, makes frequent visits to the ED as a surgical consultant. The father and son have a negative relationship; Seb is easily frustrated as his father walks in on him treating patients and criticises his work. Dylan, himself having been bullied by his own father, notices this and supports Seb. Dylan is strict and demands precision, consistency and assertiveness, but he is fair, and Seb tries hard to earn his respect. While treating a woman for a fall, her friend falls ill due to talking too much asprin and dies, despite Seb's attempts to save her life. Seb blames himself, but Dylan assures him he did everything right and there was nothing more he could have done. Seb then gets drunk at the staff Christmas party and tracks Dylan down in his houseboat. He makes a move on Dylan, who rejects his advances. The next day, Seb tries to apologise, and they agree to continue as normal. While treating a young boy, Seb fails to check his abdomen which leads to complications; Dylan tells him that further inconsistencies will force him to fail Seb. Seb is hurt and angry and tells Elle that Dylan tried to kiss him on the houseboat instead of the other way around.
Seb composes a formal complaint about Dylan and tells the same lie to Louise, who gossips to the rest of the staff. They are unconvinced until they see a photo Max accidentally took of a shirtless Seb hugging Dylan. Elle is concerned once she sees the photo and shows Dylan. In front of the rest of the staff, Dylan confronts Seb. Seb repeats his claim that Dylan tried to kiss him. Dylan insults Seb over his insecurity and inexperience, ending up looking like the guilty one, leaving Elle no choice but to open a formal investigation. The next day, Seb has a patient in resus suddenly aggravate an injury and lose his pulse, which makes Seb freeze up completely. Dylan is looking on and has been asked to keep his distance, but instead he steps in and shakes Seb out of his panic, monitoring him through the cardiac massage and saving his patient. Seb rescinds his complaint and Dylan recommends him for a place at another hospital, believing Seb would benefit from being separated from his father.
Josh Griffiths
H
Zoe Hanna
Zoe Hanna is played by Sunetra Sarker and first appeared on 29 December 2007.[113] Zoe was initially a consultant in emergency medicine, but was promoted to a senior consultant in 2011. Zoe was made acting clinical lead in 2008, following the departure of Harry Harper, but the role is later given to Adam Trueman. Zoe was promoted to trauma lead in 2010 and when Nick Jordan went on leave in July 2012, she was made acting clinical lead. This was made a permanent role when Nick left in February 2013. Zoe began a relationship with the new porter Max soon after Max started as the hospital porter.[114] Zoe stood down from Clinical Lead in June 2014 giving the role to Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing),[115] and at the end of series 28 she handed in her resignation.[116] She returned on 25 October 2014 along with Dylan Keogh. Soon after her return, she rekindled her romance with Max and he proposed to her. She was initially skeptical as she didn't think that she could give him what he wanted, as she couldn't have children,[113] but he persuaded her that he wanted to marry her and they got engaged. On the night before their wedding she slept with another man who she had met during her hen party.[117] She didn't tell Max until after the wedding, even giving him the man's watch which had been left on her bedside table to cover up her mistake. After getting married to Max, Zoe has no choice but to admit her mistake to Max. Afterwards she flees onto Dylan's boathouse. However an explosion on the boathouse throws Zoe into the lake.[118][119] She survives and back at the hospital kisses him and tells him she still loves him. He ends their relationship and later, in the pub, asks for a divorce. They remain separated to this day but continue to be "friends".[113]
Ethan Hardy
Ethan Hardy, played by George Rainsford, first appeared on 11 January 2014 as a specialist registrar of Holby City Hospital.
Ethan and his brother, Caleb, were introduced alongside each other. The brothers and their castings were announced on 4 September 2013.[120] It was announced that former Call the Midwife star, George Rainsford and that Richard Winsor would be playing Caleb.[120] The BBC said of Ethan and Caleb, "He is studious witty whizz kid, who is the total opposite to his, pure adrenaline junkie, brother and both characters will have a big impact on the emergency department."[120] Casualty's executive producer, Oliver Kent, said: "The arrival of Ethan and Caleb will instantly change the dynamic of the ED. Whilst very different characters, one thing they will have in common is an ability to charm, so expect sparks to fly. We can't wait to start filming and are thrilled to have George and Richard join the team."[120] Rainsford appeared in an episode of Holby City as Ethan in June 2016.[121]
Harry Harper
Harry Harper played by Simon MacCorkindale, first appeared on 8 June 2002, in the role of the emergency department's clinical lead and a consultant in emergency medicine. Harry's storylines have included developing an anti-depressant dependency, relationships with Ellen Zitek (Georgina Bouzova) who later dies and Selena Donovan (Liz Carling), beginning a new career as a member of parliament and returning to the department. MacCorkindale took a six-month hiatus from the show during 2008, with Harry departing in February and returning in August. When he learned he had terminal lung cancer, MacCorkindale chose to leave the series permanently. He returned from his hiatus to film his final scenes and his final appearance was in the series twenty-two episode "Thicker Than Water", broadcast on 8 March 2008. He had appeared in 229 episodes across his tenure on the show.[122]
Jessica Harrison
Jessica Harrison, played by actress Gillian Kearney, arrives in Casualty as an agency nurse but later becomes a Staff Nurse.
She had a one-night stand with Adam the night before her first shift and is shocked to realise that she will be working with him. They discuss having a relationship and she isn't keen but they eventually begin an affair, despite Jessica being married to Orthopaedic Consultant Sean Anderson and they have two children, Amelia and Lucas. Jessica ends the affair, feeling guilty that Lucas was injured while she was with Adam. She is shocked to discover Sean is having an affair too - with Zoe Hanna, and that she's expecting her third child. Unsure who is the father, she assumes it is Sean's, only telling Adam when she is admitted to the ED, following an accident at home. Unfortunately Sean guessed he might not be the baby's father on seeing Adam's reaction to Jessica's news. Devastated, he took Amelia and Lucas to Saudi Arabia for his new job as planned and told Jessica that she could only join them after she'd had an abortion but Jessica refuses, moving into a flat on the Farmead Estate after being evicted from the marital home.
Shortly after Harry's birth, he is rushed to the ED with breathing difficulties. Worried he might not live, Jessica tells Adam that he could be Harry's father and they reunite, naming their son Harry Adam Trueman. Desperate to see her other children, Jessica lies to Sean and his mother, Maureen, that Harry is Sean's son and receives her passport and a ticket to Saudi Arabia, as she knew he would. Despite Adam's anger, she takes Harry to Saudi Arabia but promises that they will return. Two weeks later, she returns with all three children.
Adam is initially furious but on calming down, asks her to divorce Sean, marry him and have a DNA test that confirms Adam is Harry's father. Jessica is furious with Adam when he calls Sean regarding Amelia and Lucas but agrees he can have access. She and Adam forgave each other and they decide to move in together and get engaged, planning to marry at the New Year. However, Jessica and Adam were not pleased to see Sean return to work at Holby City Hospital but accepted it. Sean tries making peace, realising he has behaved badly. Adam agrees to a fresh start but Jessica isn't as forgiving. Sean, however, has not given up hope of winning her back but is shocked by how much watching her with Adam and the children hurts.
On their wedding day, Adam is called back to the ED, following a minibus crash. They married in the hospital chapel and were returning to the venue to sign the papers but crashed en route. Adam's car sank into a lake with him, Jessica and Harry inside. All 3 were pulled from the water alive but Harry died. After 2 weeks in a coma, Jessica wakes up. However, she and Adam drift apart, and, feeling that she cannot stay with him and the memory of Harry, she and the children go to America with an old friend. Jessica returns to Holby at the end of "New Beginnings" after Alice calls her, worried about Adam's mental health. Initially Adam is hostile to her but after being sealed in the ED, worried about a possible anthrax scare, they reconcile. Back at Adam's house, Jessica seems happy to stay until she finds Harry's feeding spoon in a kitchen drawer. Unable to take any more, Adam insists Jessica make a decision about staying or leaving there and then.
In 2016, Kearney described filming the scenes in which Adam and Jessica's car submerged into a frozen lake as "the biggest thing" she has been involved in.[123] She recalled that she had a "fear of water beforehand", before stating how "exciting" filming the scenes was because "it's so big budget and it's weird to see".[123]
David Hide
David Hide, played by Jason Durr, made his first screen appearance on 30 April 2016 as a staff nurse.[5]
The character and Durr's casting was announced on 24 February 2016,[3] alongside those of Jez Andrews (Lloyd Everitt) and Elle Gardner (Jaye Griffiths).[5] Executive producer Oliver Kent described the three castings as "wonderful" and said their storylines would be "brilliantly vibrant, bold and gripping".[5] David is characterised as a "shy, withdrawn, and socially awkward" nurse.[5] He was billed as someone who "goes about their work efficiently and quietly", with another side to his personality that would "love to be able to unleashed", but comes "at a price".[5] Durr said he felt "delighted and thrilled" to be joining the "iconic" show in its thirtieth year,[5] and described David as "intriguing".[124] Durr confessed that despite being in a medical drama, he had "a huge phobia of needles and blood" and was hoping his new role would overcome his "life long fear".[5] Durr's wife revealed through Twitter that he had begun filming on 14 January 2016.[125] In the build up to the announcement of his casting, Durr had been tweeting various pictures linking to hospitals including a nurse uniform and an ambulance.[126]
David was characterised as a "shy, thoughtful and withdrawn man who struggles with the social complexities of the world" by the BBC website.[127] They described him as "a good and diligent nurse, who follows instructions well and goes about his job efficiently and quietly."[127] They concluded that David would "love to be different" and "unleash the bold, confident side of his personality", but he is "too afraid of the consequences".[127] Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap described David as "an oddball" with "a troubled past".[128]
David's family was introduced in September 2016, with Harry Collett and Lorraine Pilkington cast as David's son, Ollie, and former wife, Rosa, respectively. In an interview with Ellis, Hide described David's relationship with Ollie as "wonderful", adding that he "loves him more than anything else in the world".[128] He explained that there has been distractions in David's life which have prevented him from seeing "as much as Ollie as he wants to." David's absence from Ollie's life have created issues, which Hide said needed to "be dealt with".[128] Rosa disapproved of David and Ollie's relationship due to her dislike of David's past behaviour, which she revealed in the middle of the ED. Hide believed that David did not "feel great" about Rosa's outburst, but said that David "strives to deal with it" and "tries to be positive".[128] Hide, Collett and Pilkington filmed a stunt which saw Ollie left trapped in a car engulfed in flames and Hide described the scenes as "a joy to do" because it forces David "to step up, which is difficult for him".[128]
During his first shift, David managed to impress consultants Connie Beauchamp and Dylan Keogh (Amanda Mealing and William Beck), despite having previously concerned Dylan by his lack of speech. David dislikes people calling him 'Dave' and is frustrated when consultant Elle Gardner repeatedly does this, but charge nurse Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) reassures him that she is only messing with him. David worked with Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) on various patients and begins to warm to her and so, he is devastated when he overhears Robyn saying how hard he is to work with. They worked together and brought a couple together, leading them to create a mortality café. David baked a cake for the café and he and Robyn launched it in their local pub. Robyn met Glen Thomas (Owain Arthur) and David discovers that Glen had been lying about having a wife and confronted him where Glen was forced to admith the truth to Robyn. David comforted Robyn and was shocked when Glen was admitted to the ED with a stage 4 brain tumour that he didn't want to tell Robyn about. However, David informed Robyn and they reunited.
After supressing his emotions for so long with his bipolar medication, lithium, David comes off his meds so he can live his life. He becomes manic quickly hallucinating a very odd psychiatrist and buying a sports car in which he takes Robyn for a drive in and she goes into labour. David proceeds to try to deliver the baby in a graveyard at night while it is raining. This doesn't go well and leads to the baby having serious medical complications in her early life. David is taken to a psych ward for a few episodes but re-joins the ED staff soon, back to his normal shy, self. He fixes his friendship with Robyn and continues working in the ED alongside his co-workers who are now aware of the extent of his manic episodes.
J
Comfort Jones
Comfort Jones, played by Martina Laird, made her first appearance in the sixteenth series episode "Holding the Baby", broadcast on 15 September 2001.[129] Comfort is a paramedic. She was married to fellow paramedic Finlay "Fin" Newton (Kwame Kwei-Armah) until his death. During her time in the show, she battled alcoholism and depression. She was stabbed twice, suffered a miscarriage and discovered Fin was a bigamist.[129] Laird decided to leave the show in 2006 and filmed her final scenes in July.[130] Of her decision to leave, she stated "It was a tough decision but we're always happy to take up new challenges. I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such wonderful people and play such a great character for five years."[130] The character departed in the twenty-first series episode "It's Now or Never" on 18 November 2006.[129] Laird reprised her role for a guest appearance in the 30th anniversary episode "Too Old for This Shift".[17]
Nick Jordan
K
Tom Kent
Tom Kent played by Oliver Coleman, is a Paediatrician who first appears on 7 January 2012 and last appears on 14 December 2013.
On 30 September 2011, it was announced that Oliver Coleman was joining Casualty as Tom Kent, a new pediatrician. Coleman's casting was announced the same time as Sam Nicholls (Charlotte Salt) his now off screen wife. The BBC said, "Oliver (28) takes the role of pediatric specialist doctor Tom Kent. Gentle, calm and a brilliant children's doctor, Tom finds his maturity at work doesn't always carry over into his private life." Series producer Nikki Wilson said of his casting: "Charlotte and Oliver are incredibly talented, much sought-after actors and we're delighted to welcome them to the new Casualty set in Cardiff. Both new characters are set to inject a shot of excitement into the emergency department and, as ever, both will have an air of intrigue about them."[131]
In 2012, Casualty producer Nikki Wilson teased the characters upcoming storylines and introduction to the show saying, "Tom's a bit of a commitment-phobe, and we're currently working on his storylines to get to the bottom of why that is - there are some very interesting ideas! Tom is bringing a great new energy to the team of doctors - he's a bit of a gentle giant and is great with kids. In fact, the way he connects with children is set to be a key feature in the stories in which he'll be involved."[11]
Tom becomes romantically involved with Sam Nicholls in series 27, where the couple end up kissing after a night out in the pub. Over time, their relationship grows closer, and Tom announces that he wants a committed relationship with her after he gets jealous when another doctor asks her out. A speech exclaiming his feelings towards her and a kiss in the middle of the E.D convinces her that she really loves him. Tom then struggled through a drug addiction due to panic attacks, but Sam helped him through it and he promised to stop taking the drugs. After a short row where Tom hit Sam by accident, Sam forgave him and the two made up, leaving the series 27 finale with a kiss. The couple have returned to their 'happy-in-love' stage, and their relationship grows ever closer. In series 28, Tom decides he wants to propose to Sam but his proposal plan was ruined by Robyn and Iain. Sam hastily proposes to Tom herself, to which he accepts. Sam and Tom marry and leave Holby together for an 'extended honeymoon' and fresh start.
Dylan Keogh
Dylan Keogh, played by William Beck, made his first appearance on 12 March 2011. Dylan is a Consultant in emergency medicine.[132] He was married to fellow doctor Sam Nicholls (Charlotte Salt) and developed a friendship with Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker).[11] Dylan departed in 2012. On 16 August 2014, it was announced that Casualty were reintroducing a character from the past, but they initially kept the identity of said character a secret.[103] It was later revealed that Beck had reprised his role and Dylan returned on 25 October 2014.[133][134][135]
Caleb Knight
Caleb "Cal" Knight played by Richard Winsor, first appeared on 18 January 2014. Caleb and his brother, Ethan Hardy, were introduced alongside each other. The brothers and their castings were announced on 4 September 2013.[120] It was announced that former Call the Midwife star, George Rainsford and that Richard Winsor would be playing Caleb.[120] The BBC said of Caleb and Ethan, "He is a pure adrenaline junkie, who is the total opposite to his,studious witty whizz kid brother and both characters will have a big impact on the emergency department."[120] Casualty's executive producer, Oliver Kent, said: "The arrival of Ethan and Caleb will instantly change the dynamic of the ED. Whilst very different characters, one thing they will have in common is an ability to charm, so expect sparks to fly. We can't wait to start filming and are thrilled to have George and Richard join the team."[120]
L
Lenny Lyons
Lenny Lyons played by Steven Miller, first appeared at the beginning of series 24, on 12 September 2009 - alongside Yuki Reid (Will Sharpe), May Phelps (Laura Aikman) and Heather Whitefield (Georgia Moffett). Miller left the show in 2012, with his departure broadcast on 8 June 2012. Miller reprised his role for the 30th anniversary episode "Too Old for This Shift", which aired on 27 August 2016.[136]
He was tutored by Nick and appears insensitive and unsuited to working as a doctor, but harbours secrets about his past. He grew up in a children's home that his childhood friend, Davey, later torched.
Lenny always puts his foot in it, and is constantly dismissed from resus for inappropriate behaviour. He had a close friendship with Yuki and helped him become closer to his colleague, May. Lenny was a foster child. He never knew his father and rarely saw his mother, in series 25 episode 1, Lenny got a memo from his mother but chose to ignore it. Following a massive tragedy, he was appointed as the one who spoke to relatives, and realised it was time to see his mother but when he rang the number on the memo, he found out that it was from a staff member trying to inform him that his mother had died two weeks before in a hospice. He later began a relationship with Chrissie. However, it was later revealed that she was working undercover to get some information on Holby, following the recent College shootings.
In series 25 it is revealed that Lenny has a younger sister, Helen Lyons, who has Aplastic Anemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Lenny showed that he has feelings for Nurse Durrani and invited her out on a date but she stood him up. He then started to ignore her but his feelings grew for her and they were about to kiss. He finds out that Nurse Durrani is going to Pakistan for her brother's wedding and is quite angry. At the end of the episode, he runs out to say goodbye to her but she has already gone and she isn't due back for three weeks. Lenny is also seen as upset that 'Mads' Durrani has become engaged at her brother's wedding. He attempts to stop her entering a taxi of which she declines and gets in and she is attacked by the driver for having a relationship with a European man.
Sean Maddox
Sean Maddox, played by Gerald Kyd, made his debut appearance in the first episode of the thirteenth series, broadcast on 5 September 1998.[137] Sean was initially billed as a "sexy junior doctor", who "is young and single and he enjoys flirting with patients and nurses alike."[137] Sean later became a senior house officer. He formed a relationship with nurse Tina Seabrook (Claire Goose), but later had an affair with her best friend Chloe Hill (Jan Anderson), resulting in her pregnancy.[138] Sean and Tina departed at the end of the fourteenth series. Kyd did not want to get "too comfortable" in his role and he also disliked playing the "heartthrob", as he felt it did not suit him.[139] Kyd reprised his role in 2006 for the show's 20th anniversary and returned in episode five of the twenty-first series, which aired in October.[140]
Jacob Masters
Jacob Masters, played by Charles Venn,[141] made his first screen appearance on 18 July 2015,[142] a week later than originally planned.[141] Upon Venn's casting in the show, executive producer Oliver Kent described Jacob as: "...As Jacob, his good looks, charm and wit will certainly cause a tidal wave of testosterone in the emergency department. He's going to ruffle a lot of feathers and, no doubt, set a few hearts racing...".[141]
Jacob arrives when he brings his friend into the ED following her collapse into his garage roof. He immediately rubs members of staff up the wrong way, but manages to impress clinical lead Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing). She suggests that he speak to clinical nurse manager Rita Freeman (Chloe Howman) about applying for a senior staff nurse position. He later begins work at the hospital and bumps into Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka) who seemingly knows him. They reconciled and it is revealed they attended the same nursing school. When a hostage situation arises in the ED, Jacob is held at gunpoint along with Big Mac and Connie. Jacob manages to wrestle the gun from one of the terrorists, but when the police spring the operation he is shot in the arm, which causes major blood loss. He recovers, but is enraged when he discovers the policeman who shot him would not be punished for his mistake, since Jacob believes the decision to shoot him was racially motivated. Jacob uses his connections to have the name of the policeman in question sent to him, aware that knowing it would put his entire career in jeopardy. Connie reminds him of this, and adds she believes that the shooting was an accident. After much deliberation, Jacob throws the letter away.
Robyn Miller
Robyn Miller played by Amanda Henderson, is a staff nurse, who first appeared on 5 January 2013. She was introduced as one of four new student nurses; the others being Jamie Collier, Aiofe O'Reilly & Ally Hunter. Of the four, Robyn is the only character still present.
Robyn grew up knowing that she wanted to be a nurse. She's the oldest of four siblings and also volunteered to care for her beloved Nan as a teenager. People have always told Robyn that she's a 'born nurse'. As far as the "care" part of the job goes she's one of the best but she does worry about the academic side of the job – maths, chemistry and biology have never been her best subjects! Robyn is determinedly positive and extremely chatty. She makes friends easily and is able to charm patients and get them on side with her down to earth talkative charm. However, this can sometimes be her downfall as she loves a good gossip but isn't the best at keeping secrets![143]
When Robyn met her fellow student nurses, she instantly struck a bond with Jamie Collier and was devastated when he left. Robyn's stepbrother, Max Walker, was later introduced and he moved in with Robyn when his music career flopped. She managed to get him a job in the ED as a porter, replacing Big Mac.
Robyn was admitted in the ED as a patient when she went back home and found a man ironing a shirt he stole from Max's wardrobe. She began to chase him to the garden and over the fence where she jumped onto a rake, impaling her foot. The man, who told Robyn his name was Nigel, helped Robyn and called 999. He stayed with her as she was admitted in the ED but missed his interview at St James' Hospital. He had left his wallet behind when he left to try and save his potential job and Robyn saw that his name was actually Lofty Chiltern. He returned, after feeling too guilty, and when questioned remained adamant that his name was Nigel. Robyn told Rita Freeman about him and her worries and she said that she would be happy to ring the police for her and advised that Robyn should let her do so. Robyn was about to until Ben came clean and told him about everything, including his name and the interview. She accepts his apology and offers him a room at her house, to which he gladly accepts. Robyn also manages to get him a job at the ED, replacing Jamie. This pleases him and Robyn gives him the nickname, Lofty, due to him living in the loft of her house. Robyn "mentors" him and shows him the ropes and they both work on the same cases often, until he settles in properly.
Robyn wins the respect of the new ED consultant, Connie Beauchamp when she arrives and Connie later gives Robyn a good report back for her trauma course.
Inspired by a recent case in the ED that she worked on with David Hide, the two decide to open a mortality café event in the local pub. There Robyn meets Glen, an apparently sweet, punny man who had recently lost his wife to cancer. After an awkward start, their relationship blossoms and Robyn is visibly elated. However, David notices something suspicious and discovers that there is no record of Glen's wife; it surmises he has fabricated the whole thing to win Robyn's pity. Robyn is incensed and declares her wish to never see him again.
Some time later, Glen is admitted to the ED with several physical injuries. When some test results show unusual signs, he admits that he has a cancerous tumour on his brain, which explains why he was so desperate to make a connection with Robyn. In light of this, Robyn forgives him. Though Glen has been told the cancer is terminal, Robyn vows to stick by him and encourages him to consider his options; she begins to take notes on his symptoms and develop diet plans.
They visit Paris together and have other plans in mind, but right when Robyn is about to ask for his hand in marriage, Glen discovers he has less time than he originally thought, and has a seizure that sends him back into the ED. Though she is deeply troubled by the news, she remains optimistic and encouraging. Glen starts to think that marrying her would be cruel, considering he would leave her a widow after mere months, and that he is undeserving of her, but after a conversation with Dylan of all people, he decides to marry her, asking Dylan to tell Robyn while he is being treated. However, Glen develops complications during a CT scan and gets stuck in a lift en route to neurology. Robyn accepts his proposal over the intercom, and they prepare to get married that very same day. In the midst of all of this, Robyn is visibly tired and suddenly faints. Dylan administers a blood test on her, suspecting anemia, but it turns out she is pregnant. This leaves Robyn happier about her situation, since it means she will always have part of Glen with her. Unaware of this, Glen asks for paper on which to write his wedding vows just before the ceremony. He instead writes a letter to Robyn containing the message that he must leave her. Robyn is walked down the aisle only for David to hand her the letter, leaving her completely heartbroken.
Alicia Munroe
Alicia Munroe, played by Chelsea Halfpenny, is a junior doctor who first appeared in the series 30 episode "Cradle to Grave", broadcast on 19 September 2015. Alicia is undergoing her second year of the Foundation Programme, specialising in emergency medicine. Alicia is billed as "bright and bubbly" and Halfpenny said that "she's got blonde and pink hair, so people expect her to be a bit ditzy, but she's not."[144] The show highlighted the issue of workplace bullying when Alicia began facing constant criticism from her mentor, Lily Chao (Crystal Yu). The character departed the show after appearing in eight episodes in the series 30 episode "Avoidable Harm", broadcast on 14 November 2015. It was announced on 18 May 2016 that Halfpenny had reprised her role and would return to the series. Halfpenny said she was "so excited and humbled" to be reintroduced into the main cast.[145]
N
Sam Nicholls
Samantha "Sam" Kent (also Nicholls) played by Charlotte Salt, is a Specialty Registrar in Emergency Medicine and a former major in the Royal Army Medical Corps. The character and Salt's casting details were announced on 30 September 2011. Salt's casting was announced the same time as Tom Kent (Oliver Coleman). The BBC said, "Seen on TV screens earlier this year in Sky's supernatural series Bedlam, Charlotte (26) joins the Casualty cast as ambitious army medic, Sam Nicholls. Fast-living, fearless and fiery, Sam has a surprising link with another member of the ED team."[131] Series producer Nikki Wilson said of her casting: "Charlotte and Oliver are incredibly talented, much sought-after actors and we're delighted to welcome them to the new Casualty set in Cardiff. Both new characters are set to inject a shot of excitement into the emergency department and, as ever, both will have an air of intrigue about them."[131] The character appeared from 15 October 2011 and departed on 14 December 2013, after marrying Tom. In April 2017, it was confirmed that Salt has reprised her role, and would return to filming at the end of May.[146] Producer Erika Hossington stated that Sam would return without Tom, but viewers would learn what has happened with him.[146]
O
Aoife O'Reilly
Aoife O'Reilly played by Gemma-Leah Devereux, was a student nurse, who first appeared on 5 January 2013. She was introduced as part of four new student nurses; herself, Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson), Jamie Collier (Daniel Anthony) and Ally Hunter (Rebecca Newman). Aoife left on 27 April 2013, after it was revealed that Jamie and Robyn had been offered the permanent staff nurse roles.
Aoife was born in Dublin and is the middle child of nine children. She claims that she only became a nurse because she could never gain the qualifications of a doctor. The student nurses are given a mentor with Aoife's mentor being senior nurse, Adrian Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) A day later, Aoife is left upset when Ally resigns from her role after she realises she doesn't want to be a nurse. The relationship between Aoife and Fletch becomes a father, daughter relationship but Aoife begins to think that this will be much more. She reveals this to Fletch, who tells her where she stands. Aoife gets along well with Robyn and Jamie, even when the competition for the two permanent nurse roles heats up. She is interviewed by Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Tess Bateman (Suzanne Packer) and it goes very successful, leaving Aoife and Fletch pleased. Despite this, Jamie and Robyn are offered the role and after saying goodbye to the team, Aoife returns to Dublin.
P
May Phelps
May Phelps, played by Laura Aikman, is one of eight new Foundation House Officer Year 2 doctors joining the department at the start of series 24. Her father is Professor Eddie Lanchester, Holby City Hospital's Dean of Medicine, who offers to help her win the prestigious Fellowship award. He gave her the answers in an envelope. She pondered over what to do then threw them in a bin. However, she changed her mind and later retrieved them. Her tutor in the ED is Ruth. May left in episode 36 of series 24 after she broke a patient's neck and made Yuki believe he had done it. She later admitted to Nick that she broke the patient's neck and Yuki was innocent.
Kelsey Phillips
Kelsey Phillips, played by Janine Mellor, made her first appearance on 6 August 2005. Kelsey was a staff nurse. She is a happy go lucky girl with a penchant for gossip, matchmaking, and generally unintentionally causing trouble in the workplace. She is notoriously bad with her finances, and during series 21 was almost forced into prostitution after being threatened with eviction for falling behind on her rent. She quickly dropped the profession when her first client turned out to be Nathan Spencer. She then revealed to Selena Donovan that Nathan was her client. Then at Tess Bateman's party Stitch Lambert caused friction and Kelsey and Nathan bonded. Kelsey thanked Nathan for not exposing her as a prostitute. She also stood up to Stitch.
Kelsey and Alice Chantrey started internet dating and both got dates but it was revealed that Kelsey's date was Big Mac, of which she was unaware. Noel took her out clubbing before Big Mac arrived. Kelsey thought she had won the lottery, and made a resignation and bought a one way plane ticket to Thailand, but it turned out to be a practical joke by Jay. She decided to leave anyway, after an eventful night involving a mugging, and a quick kiss with Big Mac.
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Yuki Reid
Yuki Reid, played by Will Sharpe, is an F2 Junior Doctor. He was one of eight new Foundation House Officer Year 2 doctors joining the department at the start of series 24. He had known May since the beginning of medical school and helped her out with work, secretly smitten with her. However, May leaves the series after she frames Yuki for breaking a patient's neck, causing her to become paralysed. This resulted in Yuki running away and ending up being admitted to hospital after sleeping rough. After the breakdown of Yuki and May's relationship, he became very close to fellow F2 Lenny. Yuki and the F2s spent the majority of the series competing for the JAFA award, but on the day of the award ceremony he finds out that Lenny has been guaranteed the award in return for keeping quiet about a botched medical trial. After the reveal, the JAFA is cancelled, but Mr Jordan brings both doctors back. In the same episode, 'What Tonight Means to Me - Part One', a series of flashbacks explained that Yuki's brother had cancer and died, explaining his real reason for becoming a doctor, rather than because of his relationship with May, as previously believed.
In terms of personality, whilst he is a young, intelligent and handsome man, Yuki suffers from social anxiety, low confidence, low self-esteem, the tendency to obsess over detail and shyness. Still, he has shown that he can rise to the occasion when needed and his ability to diagnose patients is outstanding.
Megan Roach
Megan Roach, portrayed by actress Brenda Fricker, is one of the original characters of the series, making her first appearance in the first episode, "Gas", on 6 September 1986. Megan would remain as a major character until the conclusion of the fifth series in 1990 where the actress left the show. She made a one-off return in 1998 for the conclusion of the twelfth series and later would make further returns in 2007 and 2010 respectively. Megan committed suicide with the aid of Charlie and Tess to end her suffering on 7 August 2010. Her return episode was voted as the third best Casualty episode ever by fans.[147]
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Nathan Spencer
Nathan Spencer, portrayed by actor Ben Price, was installed as the new corporate director of Holby city hospital NHS trust in 2005,[148] and from the outset his unswaying mindset and failure to empathise with the human condition made him unpopular with his staff. His professional background was in banking, so his only concern was with meeting hospital targets and balancing the books. As a result, he would frequently clash with A&E consultant Harry Harper, even threatening to remove Harry from his post because he consistently refused to make any sort of (financial) compromise with patient care.
Nathan began his time at Casualty by stalking Selena Donovan. He was at one point jabbed with a needle which could possibly have been used by an HIV-positive patient. Nathan ordered a search of all clinical waste to find the needle and became more uptight than usual, with receptionist Alice Chantrey bearing the brunt of his anger. However, after being persuaded to take an HIV-test, Nathan was relieved to be given the all-clear. After starting a relationship with Selena, Nathan proposed marriage to her.
Displaying character traits of being a jobsworth and a stickler for the rules, Nathan took great pleasure in installing a large plasma TV screen in the middle of the department to enforce the "four-hour rule", a government directive in which 98% of all A&E patients must be seen, treated, and admitted/discharged within four hours of arrival. However, in blatant disregard of his own rules, on one occasion Nathan had his own mother admitted ahead of all those currently queued in the system. Harry Harper continued to clash with Nathan, so in another attempt to get rid of him, Nathan fabricated a charge of sexual harassment against him and persuaded Alice to make a complaint.[149] Harry was suspended, but Alice became suspicious and withdrew her allegation when it threatened to devastate Harry's election campaign. Nathan was forced to confess all to Selena, who ended their engagement.
When Harry was unexpectedly elected as Holby's new MP (he stood for Parliament in a bid to save the Emergency Department from closure), Nathan installed wildcard Australian Theo "Stitch" Lambert as the new consultant. When he discovered Stitch in his office taking cocaine, he was convinced to keep quiet by the threat of the ridicule which would ensue if it was revealed Nathan had made such a poor staffing choice.
Later on in the series, Selena discovered she was pregnant with his baby. She informed Nathan that she had had an abortion, however later revealed to Harry that she had not actually done so. Nathan remained unaware of this until the last episode in the series, when Selena was shot dead. The team performed a Cesarean section on Selena, delivering her and Nathan a baby daughter, Angel. Angel later died in Nathan's arms after being diagnosed with a severe E. Coli infection in the NICU and he switched off her ventilator.
Nathan left the show in episode six of series 22. He was sacked for incompetence by Harry Harper, now having quit Westminster to return as the Emergency Department's consultant manager. Despite their previous working relationship Harry found the job difficult, knowing what Nathan had recently been through.
Patrick Spiller
Patrick Spiller, played by Ian Kelsey, made his first appearance in the series fourteen episode "Free Fall", broadcast on 11 December 1999. He was introduced as a specialist registrar in emergency medicine. The character was described as "Casualty's bad boy" by Marion McMullen of the Coventry Telegraph, who deemed him "arrogant, brusque and bad-tempered".[150] Kelsey described him as "very good" at his job, but that his bedside manner becomes worse as the series develops.[150] Patrick's storylines have included attempts to advance his career and relationships with Holly Miles, Rachel James and Lara Stone. Of Patrick's relationship with Rachel, Kelsey said "Spiller and Rachel just fancy each other - it's all about sex."[151] Show producer Mervyn Watson explained the decision to pair Lara with Patrick, "I felt it would be good to bring Patrick Spiller into contact with a very worthy adversary, a woman who was his equivalent."[152] Kelsey chose to leave the series in 2001 and the character was killed off. Patrick departed the series in the series sixteen episode "Past, Present, Future", broadcast on 16 March 2002.[153]
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Adam Trueman
Adam Trueman, portrayed by actor Tristan Gemmill, is a consultant in the emergency department.
In preparation for the role, Gemmill spent 8 hours shadowing a real consultant on an ED shift as research for the role. Describing his character, he assessed: "Adam is self-confident, witty and brash, an excellent doctor who cares deeply about his job. He presents a strong exterior to the world but perhaps has issues and vulnerabilities that suggest there is more to him than you might first expect."[154]
Upon his arrival, Adam clashes with clinical lead Harry Harper (Simon MacCorkindale), however they come to appreciate one another more with time. On Harry's last day, he offers Adam his job but Adam refuses and Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) is given it instead. At a party, Adam meets Jessica Harrison (Gillian Kearney) and they have a one-night stand. He was shocked to find that she is the department's new nurse when he arrives at work the next morning. He and Jessica begin an affair, but she breaks up with him when her son Lucas is injured in a road accident while they are together.
At the beginning of series 23, following Jessica's discovery that her husband was also having an affair, Gemmill explained: "Adam is hopeful they will get together again but Jessica has a more realistic approach because obviously she doesn't want to abandon her children. She's having troubles with Sean, and she sort of more or less decides that actually 'no this is not going anywhere' and she has got to get over it, forgive Sean and move on with her life, which leaves Adam quite smacked in the face really. He has a bit of an unstable time of it."[155] Gemmill added that: "Adam's state of mind is not helped by the arrival of Nick Jordan who comes into the department as Clinical Lead and has very definite ideas of how to run the place. Adam clashes with him almost straight away and they stay at loggerheads for some time."[155]
Later in the series, Adam's brother, Alex, who was paralysed in an accident when they were children, begins to deteriorate from a resultant illness. Adam is devastated when his brother dies, and channels his anger towards Nick, who helped Alex sign an advance directive requesting not to be resuscitated. When Adam discovers Jessica's new son Harry could be his, the two renew their relationship. He is angry when she uses Harry as bait to get her other children, Lucas and Amelia, back from their father who has taken them to Saudi Arabia. They later reconcile, and Adam proposes. Although Jessica turns him down, they stay together, and a DNA test confirms Adam is Harry's father. Jessica then later accepts Adam's proposal, and a wedding is being arranged for the New Year. Adam, Jessica and the three children are now all living together, with Adam taking an active role as father. Their New Year's Eve wedding is aborted when they are called back to the ED to deal with a major accident, and have to settle for a blessing in the hospital chapel. However, returning to the wedding venue to sign the legal papers, their car skids onto an icy lake and plunges in, ultimately leaving Jessica in a coma and Harry dead.
Jessica gradually recovers but she and Adam drift further apart, leading to her departure to America with an old school friend, Linda Andrews (Christine Tremarco) which leaves Adam devastated. He becomes increasingly reckless, having a one-night stand with young vulnerable HCA Alice Chantrey (Sam Grey) and inviting himself into a patient's house after work one night. Adam then begins a false relationship with the patient's mother, hoping to relive the paternal feelings he had for his own son, Harry, and Jessica's two other children. After this relationship disintegrates, Adam spirals further into depression.
Louise Tyler
Louise Tyler (originally Tilney[156]) played by Azuka Oforka, is a staff nurse.[157] She first appeared on 1 October 2011,[156] appearing for four episodes as an ambulance dispatcher before returning as the new receptionist, drafted in to give Noel Garcia (Tony Marshall) more support following the Holby riots on 18 August 2012.[157] Louise is extremely organised, very efficient and loves to be in control. According to the BBC Louise has no problem giving a dressing down to anyone she considers lazy, a time-waster, in the wrong, or simply in her way.[157]
In her first episode, Louise fell out with the paramedic duty manager, Dixie Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove) and when she returned as a receptionist, it was shown that they had still fallen out but episodes later, Louise had to get details of a patient who was in resus however, she was scared of going in because of the blood. Dixie noticed this and helped her overcome this fear. Louise and Dixie then became friends. Louise became 'frenemies' with Big Mac (Charles Dale) and Noel and was often to be found in argument with them. She also helped Noel when he was left homeless and was support for Big Mac when he was held hostage by Iain's unstable army colleague, Kenny. In July 2015, it is revealed that Louise has history with new senior staff nurse Jacob Masters (Charles Venn), but asks that he does not reveal their past. It is later discovered that Louise was previously a nurse, but left the role. In August, original character Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (Cathy Shipton) makes a two-episode appearance, having previously appeared in the show for twelve years. Duffy inspires Louise to become a nurse again, a post she returns to.[158][159] When Duffy returned to the ED full-time in August, it was revealed that Louise had been mentored by Duffy.
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Max Walker
Maximilian Lyndsey Gerald "Max" Walker played by Jamie Davis, first appeared on 5 October 2013 as the stepbrother of Robyn Miller before joining the Holby team on 16 November 2013 as a porter.
The character and casting was announced on 19 September 2013 alongside the announcement that Lee Mead would be joining that show as new nurse, Lofty Chiltern. It was announced that Davis would be playing a "very chilled and laid back" porter.[160] The BBC have described Max as a sponge for information, that just doesn't know how to harness it all yet. They also said how he is too busy dreaming of having an extraordinary life to engage with his real one.[161] The character was also given a Twitter account, like Robyn, Jamie Collier and Louise Tyler.[162]
Max first arrives when himself and his friend are admitted into the ED. He is told by Robyn that he won't be able to play his guitar for at least 6 weeks. He asks her whether he can stay at her house to which she agrees. Robyn continues to tell Max that he needs to find a job and when he remains jobless after three weeks of staying with her, she finds him a job at the ED as a porter, replacing Big Mac.
Max also takes a shine to clinical lead, Zoe Walker and they later sleep together. He also becomes friends with Jamie and when Jamie leaves for Australia, he becomes friends with his new housemate, Lofty.
Max has also pretended to be locum doctor, Cal Knight to win a girl round. When he arrived at work, he discovered that his one-night stand works at the hospital. She told him that she was the new consultant when really she had begun working at shop located there. She arrived at reception, asking for Cal but, fortunately, Max had filled Noel Garica in on what had happened and he covered for Max. When she discovered he was actually a porter called Max, she slapped him and told him she worked at the food shop and wasn't the new consultant before going off on a date with Noel.
Max is married to consultant Zoe Hanna after they moved in together in June. However, when Zoe revealed that she had slept with someone the night before their wedding, it left their relationship in tatters. After the accident at their wedding Zoe starts to try to talk to Max but each conversation is very brief and short, later on the series Max asks Zoe for a divorce as he still hasn't forgiven her. Max agrees to be friends with Zoe and tries to move on, but they later reconcile, shortly before she leaves Holby.
Ruth Winters
Ruth Winters (portrayed by actress Georgia Taylor from 2007) is one of three new characters to join Casualty at the beginning of its twenty-second series. It was first announced on 18 July 2007 that Taylor had been cast in the role of Ruth.[163] The BBC describe the character as "clever, hardworking and focused",[164] stating that she has wanted to be a doctor since she was eight, and graduated top of her class - working hard at the expense of her personal life.[164] Taylor herself has commented: "Ruth's very responsible and articulate, and seems pretty confident. But underneath it all, she's something of a troubled soul which hopefully we'll find out later on. She's very self-critical and won't allow herself to make any mistakes. But, for a junior doctor, the whole first year in a hospital is about making mistakes and learning from it. Ruth won't accept help from anyone; she thinks she knows it all."[165]
During her first few months, Ruth misdiagnoses a patient with severe stomach pains, missing a ruptured ectopic pregnancy but blames a nurse so she can preserve her reputation. Ruth is shocked when her alcoholic father is admitted as a patient and reluctantly fakes a blood alcohol test so he will not be prosecuted for causing an accident but is devastated to realise he has manipulated her into this. Ruth goes on to give a patient the wrong medication and orders a nurse to remove another patient's neck brace, leaving them paralysed as a result. She lies about her culpability and accidentally gives a patient a morphine overdose. When a suicidal patient dies in her care, Ruth confesses her mother committed suicide when she was a child. When Ruth misdiagnoses yet another patient, resulting in his death, she hangs herself. She is in a coma for a month, but eventually recovers.
She becomes close to colleague Toby de Silva, and they have what Taylor describes as a "brother/sister relationship where they love each other [sic] but they can't stand each other."[166] Ruth sleeps with new department head, Nick Jordan, only to be rejected by him the next morning. She goes on to begin a tentative relationship with nurse, Jay Faldren. Series producer Oliver Kent commented on their pairing: "Ruth's never allowed romance into her life, but when she starts to get close to Jay, the possibility of happiness with another person suddenly presents itself to her. But the question is, will she allow herself? Or will his laddish ways get in the way? She's so obsessed with her career that she's always tempted to put that first."[89] In series 24, the first episodes show that Ruth and Jay are continuing their relationship - keeping it from their colleagues for her benefit but this annoys Jay, giving her the ammunition to kiss him in public but, when they head home, Ruth realises she has missed some pills and worries she could be pregnant. Discovering that she is pregnant, she takes a pill to terminate the pregnancy without telling Jay. On her birthday, Jay gives her a necklace for their date at the surgeon's dinner. Ruth's happiness is short-lived when senior medic Sarah Evans warns her that Jay is bad news and that she'll think twice about recommending her for the surgical training post if she continues to see him. Feeling unwell, Ruth cancels their date, but is confronted by Jay at the dinner. As Ruth leaves, she collapses and is taken into casualty. Mortified to be treated by her colleagues, she swears Tess to secrecy over the abortion pill, despite knowing that Jay is panic-stricken. When her condition stabilises, Ruth admits that she was pregnant and she and Jay share a tender moment. When Sarah Evans tells Ruth that she must remain focused if she wants to work as a surgeon, Ruth dumps Jay for the sake of her career.
Later in the series, her brother Jonathan, visits and reveals that he has just been released from prison. Ruth is horrified to see Jonathan when he turns up, looking for her help, much to Jay's surprise, who didn't realise she had a brother. Jonathan swears that he has turned over a new leaf but she sees his track marks, refuses to believe he's changed. Later, a group of hard-drinking homeless men cause havoc when they steal bottles of alcohol-based hand sanitiser and take it to an hospital annexe to enjoy in private. Tragedy strikes when young security guard, Mick, desperate for Ruth's approval, confronts the homeless men but Jonathan is quick to get help. Ruth looks forward to celebrating Christmas with her brother when she notices an heirloom is missing from her flat and plunged into a world of stolen phones, heroin overdoses and male prostitution, Ruth realises that she's likely to face Christmas alone. Days after a lonely Christmas, Ruth and Jay are thrown together on a medical case and Ruth finally admits that she's lonely. Letting down her guard, she accepts Jay's comfort and the pair go home together. However, this is short lived, when Ruth admits that she terminated the pregnancy, leading to Jay dumping her. This leads to her to build the courage to admit she loves him but he walks away anyway.
Months later, Ruth has a big presentation that goes horribly wrong. When conference organiser and big name doctor Edward takes an interest in her, she's incredibly flattered and a little bit smitten. Ruth married Edward Thurlow, Clinical Director of Neurosurgery on 26 June 2010, making Jay too late when he pleads his undying love at the register office, leaving Ruth to reveal that she has already married. Despite marrying Edward, it is hinted that Ruth still has feelings for Jay and that he feels the same. However, Ruth's feelings are spurned when she discovers Jay is dating Polly. She makes an effort with her marriage only to be neglected and ignored by Edward. While waiting for Edward to return home from work, she discovers that Edward is having a gay affair. She confronts him and makes a deal with him. For the sake of their reputations, they will stay married given that he can be with any man (except his lover) and as long as he helps her career. This agreement seems to suit them both until Ruth realises that she still loves Jay. She tries to end the marriage but Edward says that he loves her and that she is enough for him which makes her reluctant to change the situation.
However, in series 25 episode 17, Edward's boyfriend begins working with Ruth in the Emergency Department. This is followed by Ruth's realisation that he is still seeing her husband. Later, Edward leaves Ruth for his boyfriend. Later in series 25 episode 21, Ruth is sectioned after trying to operate on someone in the on-call room. She is diagnosed with Bi-polar. In series 26, Ruth and Jay reunite and in episode 13 Ruth discovered she was pregnant. In series 26 episode 16, Ruth and Jay leave together.
Honey Wright
Honey Wright played by Chelsee Healey, first appeared on 11 October 2014, in the sixth episodes of series 29 as ED's new barista. Honey began appearing in a recurring-guest capacity and was revealed as the secret daughter of established character, Noel Garcia (Tony Marshall). Honey left the show on 14 February 2015 to care for her grandmother in Manchester, after six months on-screen. In March, Healey made a return to the series, for a two-month guest return, and Honey's return scenes aired on 25 July 2015. Honey left the series again on 19 September 2015, after ending her relationship with Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) and deciding to set a business up elsewhere.
Honey was first seen in her pink car, which had eyelashes attached to the headlights, on her way to her new job in the ED. She discovers a woman that has tripped and cut open her arm and agrees to take her to the emergency department with her. She is greeted with a harsh welcome from doctor Lily Chao (Crystal Yu), who dismisses her. Later, after changing into her work attire, Honey announced herself as the new "barrister", but it did not take long for the staff to realise her mistake. Big Mac (Charles Dale) and Noel gave her a warm welcome as she began her new role. She began giving aura readings, making an impact on Max Walker (Jamie Davis) who discovers he has underlying sadness, following his split from Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker). When an elderly lady (Sheila Reid) arrives in the ED seeing angels, Honey begins to relate with her, making a connection. However, when the elderly lady stops relating to Honey, she is left upset. Honey later begins to share a bond with doctor Ethan when she gives him advice to keep for when he is feeling low. When Ethan joined his friends at the local strip club, he was shocked to discover Honey was one of the dancers. He quickly ushered his friends away, before they could discover her secret. Honey later reassured Mac when he thought he could have a brain tumour. Honey later shocked Noel when she revealed he was her father after a one-night stand many years ago. Noel reacts badly, leaving Honey devastated. Honey then tried to get Noel to be proud of her and with help from his friend, Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka), they made progress in their relationship. Honey is left annoyed when she is told she has to re-audtiton for her job as a pole dancer. As she was auditioning, Honey twisted her ankle and wanting to keep her secret discreet, called Ethan to help. At the hospital, Honey revealed she fancied Ethan who felt the same way, but before they could kiss, Noel walked in. Honey made sure her secret job stayed secret from Noel as their relationship progressed. Following their kiss, Ethan gives Honey the cold shoulder, leaving her upset. She tries to gain advice from Lily, but this works to no avail. Elsewhere, Big Mac has arranged a dinner party for himself, Noel, Louise and Honey, but Honey discovers that he is struggling financially. On Valentine's Day, Ethan writes Honey a Valentine's card. However, he is left devastated when she reveals that she is leaving for Manchester to care for her grandmother. Noel is also left in a mood by this, but Ethan makes him see sense. But, before Honey leaves, she kisses Ethan.
Five months later, in July, Honey returns to the delight of Noel and shock of Ethan. Honey later notices the growing relationship between Ethan and Lily, becoming jealous. Later, she admits to Noel that she fancies Ethan. Honey is delighted when Ethan makes his feelings regarding Lily clear and asks Noel for permission to date his daughter. Noel joyfully allows him to and when Ethan turns around, Honey is stood behind him. She accepts and kisses him. They then went out on their first date together. Ethan later takes Honey as his date to Zoe and Max's wedding. Honey later begins to receive doubts over her relationship with Ethan and informs a patient they are not a couple. Later, Ethan and Honey mutually decide that their relationship is not moving anywhere and end it. Honey then reassess her life, deciding on a career of being an aromatherapist, but was unable to commit as it would cost money. Noel, however, wanting to make up for years as an absent father, decided to give Honey the money she needed by selling his action figures. Honey then said goodbye to her friends and left Holby to set up her business.
Development and reception
On 19 May 2014, it was announced that former Waterloo Road actress Chelsee Healey had begun filming in the show as new barista Honey Wright. Honey has "big hair and a big personality", and regularly gives tarot readings and aura interpretations to staff and patients. However, it has also been revealed that Honey is hiding a big secret.[167] Executive producer Oliver Kent said: "I'm delighted that Chelsee has agreed to bring her unique combination of bounce and style to the Emergency Department. Honey Wright is like no other character we've ever featured in Casualty and I can't wait for the audience to see her and her tea trolley in action."[167] Healey also revealed that she had signed a four-month contract with the show and that she would "love" to a long term contract.[168] Series producer, Erika Hossington also revealed that Honey would be involved with established characters Noel Garcia, Ethan Hardy and Caleb Knight (Tony Marshall, George Rainsford and Richard Winsor).[169] Healey later revealed that Honey would be romantically involved with Ethan, commenting that they "form a nice bond" and that it is "something to watch out for."[170] Healey spoke of her role in October 2014, revealing that she was originally to play a nurse, but could not understand the medical terminology so was offered the character of Honey instead.[170]
In November 2014, scenes aired which saw Honey's secret pole-dancing job revealed to Ethan. Speaking of filming these scenes, Healey said that she was initially "mortified", but eventually felt they were "fun".[171] Healey also commented that she had received positive feedback since her on-screen arrival.[171] Healey continued to speak about Honey's relationship with Ethan, stating the pairing is unlikely, but they work well together - making a "natural" relationship. She spoke of how Ethan likes "her vulnerable side" and that there is "something about Ethan that Honey's drawn to".[171] Crystal Yu, who plays doctor Lily Chao, revealed that her character could become a hindrance in Honey and Ethan's relationship, teasing: "It’s interesting to see Lily’s reaction to Ethan and Honey’s romance. Time will tell if she’s jealous, supportive or even knows how she feels!"[172] Rainsford, who plays Ethan, gave his thoughts to What's On TV about what Honey sees in Ethan, stating that it could be down to her poor love life: "I think Honey’s been mucked about by men before, but hopefully she sees in Ethan a gentleman who will treat her properly."[173] Rainsford mentioned what he believed was the basis of their relationship, "The basis of their attraction is that they’re very different, but he’s got a good soul and I think that appeals to her."[173] He also revealed that he has received positive feedback, with some fans wanting Ethan to begin a relationship with Honey, whilst others want Ethan to be with Lily.[173]
Healey described her character as "out there" and compared Honey to her Waterloo Road character, Janeece Bryant, in the respect that she is "bubbly" and "speaks before she thinks."[168] Erika Hossington, the show's series producer, described Honey as "fabulous" and "a breath of fresh air" and compared Honey to The Call Centre's Hayley.[174] Honey has been described as "effervescent",[175] "adorable",[176] "dim-witted",[177] and "ditzy".[171] Rainsford described Honey as "outgoing, bubbly, gorgeous and open about her feelings".[173]
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Ellen Zitek
Ellen Zitek, played by Georgina Bouzova made her first appearance in the series nineteen episode "Out With a Bang", broadcast on 18 September 2004. Bouzova was looking for work elsewhere from acting when producers offered her the role of Ellen. She said that it was "amazing" opportunity and took the role.[178] The actress was contracted with the show for four months but this was later extended because the character became popular with viewers. Producers only ever envisioned Ellen as a "stand-in character" but she became a successful character on-screen.[179] The actress quit the show and filmed her final scenes in the latter half of 2006.[179] The character was killed-off after a motor bike collided with her.[180]
Recurring and guest characters
Denise Andrews
Denise Andrews played by Kate McEvoy, is the sister of Linda Andrews (Christine Tremarco), that first appeared on 21 January 2012 for one episode, before returning on 18 August 2012 for seven episodes. She departed on 6 October 2012.
Denise first appears looking for Linda in January 2012 with her daughter Britney (Devon Beigan) and Joe (Taylor Parry) on the run after Britney attacks a social worker. Denise leaves Britney and Joe in Linda's care and hands herself into the police for Britney's crime. Denise returns in August 2012, following her release from prison, hoping to get the cleaner's job in the ED. After successfully getting the job, Denise spends most of her day winding Linda up until she decides to return to Liverpool with her children.
Ella Ashford
Ella Ashford played by Tahirah Sharif, is the daughter of Martin Ashford (Patrick Robinson), who first appeared on 4 May 2013. After Ella stole ketamine from Martin, he rung the police and Ella was arrested on 17 May 2014. This was Sharif's last appearance on the program.
Ella, then aged approximately 16 years, first appeared while on a night out with her friend. She is hit by a police car, while the driver (Danny Midwinter) is intoxicated with alcohol. His fellow officer (Connor McIntyre) takes the blame and says he hit Ella. Ella and her friend are later caught stealing from a corner shop, so she sprays an aerosol in the owner's eyes – and when they all end up in the ED, the girl manages to convince her dad she wasn't to blame, convincing Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) that Ash is far too soft on his daughter. Ella begins getting up to her old tricks again, masterminding an off-licence robbery that ends up with four youngsters in the ED – but Ash still refuses to accept his daughter is as troubled as everyone else believes. Zoe then becomes annoyed when Ella is once again admitted to the ED because the only reason she has been admitted is for being exceptionally drunk. Despite Ash standing by his daughter, he does eventually recognise Ella's faults. Ella is not seen again until she arrives in the ED for a work placement. Lily Chao (Crystal Yu) is put under control of her by Ash. Lily becomes frustrated by Ella and tells her to help nurses, Jamie Collier (Daniel Anthony) and Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson). Jamie tells her to go and read some magazines in the staff lounge room but Lily finds her and tells her off. Ella then watches while Robyn assists a lady who is in panic because having a scan. Ella tells Robyn that if she was in the ED, having a scan like that she would want Robyn as her nurse too because she is so kind.
Ella is next seen on webchat with her friend, Millie. They end webchat and on her way to school, Millie's dad, Sacha's phone rings and it turns out to be Ella, who is secretly having an affair with him. Millie finds out and has an argument with Ella. Ash finds the girls arguing and demands an explanation. Ella reveals the truth and Millie falls out with her. Ash then tells Ella that he will speak to Laura and she will be living with him from now onwards. Ella attends a party at the house of Robyn, Max Walker (Jamie Davis) and Lofty Chiltern. She meets up with her friend, Jason who gives her drugs; Ella has an allergic reaction and has to be admitted to the ED. Ash later has Ella arrested after she stole a large amount of ketamine from his possession to take with her friends. One friend later dies from taking the ketamine. Ella is imprisoned for her crime and is released in January 2015.
Tamzin Bayle
Tamzin Bayle played by Gemma Atkinson is a paramedic who first appeared on 13 August 2011, alongside Omar Nasri (Dhaffer L'Abidine). Atkinson & L'Abidine's casting and characters was announced on 17 May 2011.[181] They were written out seven episodes later on 1 October 2011. It was announced on 5 May 2012 that Atkinson would reprise her role as Tamzin at the beginning of series 27.[182] Tamzin returned on 18 August 2012, but left again on 8 December 2012. Tamzin was shown in a trailer showing what was coming up on Casualty in summer 2014, indicating that she would be returning.[183] Her return was confirmed by a cast list released by Radio Times for the episode dated 24 May 2014.[184] Atkinson confirmed that she would be departing following Matt Bardock, who plays Tamzin's paramedic colleague Jeff Collier's departure and she leaves following his funeral, on 11 October 2014.
Upon her arrival, Tamzin immediately gets off on the wrong foot when she accidentally breaks fellow paramedic, Jeff Collier (Matt Bardock)'s beloved A-Team mug and the pair later put Jeff's nose out of joint when they steal their "shout". Following Omar's disagreement with Jeff about putting targets before patients, Omar is asked to leave. Tamzin decides to stick with Omar and they leave Holby City Hospital.
Less than a year later, Tamzin returns to the hospital after gaining further experience and deciding to try again at Holby. She is thrown into the deep end as she, Jeff and Dixie Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove) go to an accident at a music festival with doctors, Sam Nicholls (Charlotte Salt) and Tom Kent (Oliver Coleman). After some encouragement from Dixie, Tamzin asks Tom if he is single - which doesn't go unnoticed by Sam. Jeff and Tamzin later treat a small child called Lucy whose mother, Taylor, is struggling to cope. Consultant, Dylan Keogh (William Beck) becomes protective over Lucy and becomes angry with Taylor over her care. Tamzin steps in to defend Taylor, leaving Jeff wondering why. He later continues to become concerned over Tamzin when they attend to an injured lap dancer.
Following Dixie's three-month suspension she is called in to cover for her, to the shock of Jeff. After Jeff's relationship with Samantha ends, Tamzin reveals she has called off her engagement. He asks Dixie for a divorce, but failed. At the scene of a car crash, Jeff is killed in an explosion. Tamzin breaks down in Dixie's arms when she is told.
Tamzin is seen at Jeff's funeral and breaks down into Big Mac's arms during the service. After the service, she and Dixie share a heartfelt conversation where Dixie gives a jacket to Tamzin, before Tamzin reveals she can't stay at Holby. She then leaves and is replaced by Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson).
Grace Beauchamp
Grace Beauchamp was originally played in Holby City by twins Isabella and Scarlett Harrington Clark. Actress Emily Carey took over the role in November 2014, when the character was introduced to Casualty.[185] Grace is the daughter of Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) and Sam Strachan (Tom Chambers) and the younger half-sister of Kieron Patel.
Grace is born seven weeks premature and in the breech position. As she was starved of oxygen, she has to spend some time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After a scan shows that she has a bleed on the brain and internal bleeding, Grace is placed on a ventilator. Grace almost dies from an Intraventricular hemorrhage and has to have a blood transfusion. Connie decides to turn off Grace's life support when her ECG results show minimal brain-stem activity. When Doctor Ooma Chowdry (Sakuntala Ramanee) asks Connie if she wants to hold Grace, Connie declines, but Sam holds her and notices she is breathing on her own. Grace pulls through and Connie allows Sam increased access to his daughter. Sam ask Maddy to look after Grace and while Grace is in a room on her own, Susie Prendergast kidnaps Grace, thinking she is her baby sister. She threatens to drop Grace on her head, but Sam and Maddy persuade Susie to give her back. When Grace is 10 months old, she falls down the stairs and is badly injured. She is rushed to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and undergoes surgery for a collapsed lung and nearly dies. Grace leaves with Connie, who has decided to care for her father, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
A few years later, Grace is expelled from boarding school and returns to Holby. Her relationship with her mother suffers as Connie spends a lot of time at work. Grace's grandmother, Audrey Strachan, tells her that she is going to live in New York with Sam. Connie is against the idea, but later allows Grace to live with her father. She returns to Connie in February 2016 after nearly a year in America.
Connie places much more priority on her daughter following her return. However, Grace soon discovers her mother is in a relationship with Jacob Masters. Impatient from past experiences, Grace delivers an ultimatum and threatens to go back to America, so Connie stops seeing Jacob. Meanwhile, Grace returns to school in England and makes friends with a girl called Carmel. Connie helps Grace win over Carmel and her highly competitive mother by purposely losing at her school's sports day. As Grace's new friendship continues, her hold on her mother loosens and Connie begins seeing Jacob again in private. During a sleepover, Carmel injures her leg on a trampoline and Grace runs to her own house to get Connie. There she discovers Connie and Jacob alone together, which angers her.
At the hospital it is discovered that Carmel is malnourished and has scratches and bruising on her abdomen. Grace allows Carmel to blame her for the injuries. Jacob is convinced that Grace is lying, especially considering that she bites her nails and so can't scratch people. He coaxes the truth out of her; Carmel's mother has been psychologically abusing her daughter, and the injuries were self-inflicted. Connie confronts Carmel's mother and social services are contacted.
Following this shared experience, Grace decides to give her blessing to Connie and Jacob's relationship. The three are overjoyed, and Connie and Grace drive home together. Carmel's mother gives chase and forces them off a cliff. They are each thrown from the car but miraculously they survive. Due to the extent of her injuries and the location, Grace is airlifted to the ED. Catastrophically, a drone collides with the helicopter and it crashes into the entrance, worsening her condition. The second accident causes a subdural haematoma that sends her into a coma, and the outlook is not promising. The shock of this leaves Connie traumatised, and she spends almost all of her time at Grace's bedside. Finally, after several weeks, Connie witnesses Grace slowly awaken from her coma. Grace emerges from the coma conscious but withdrawn and nearly mute; the first word she is seen saying after she awakes is 'skate' upon seeing a snow globe.
Grace is unable to walk and can barely even eat by herself. Under her mother's care at home and through physical therapy, she slowly starts to recover, eventually regaining the ability to walk with the aid of a crutch. Connie holds Elle Gardner responsible for Grace's condition and brings her daughter along to the disciplinary hearing againstLater in January on the night before Elle's tribunal, Grace collapsed whilst trying to walk to the toilet. The following day, Connie tried to over-emphasise Grace's injuries by forcing her to observe in a wheelchair, against the advice of Sam. During the tribunal Connie embellished her version of events and slandered Elle in her speech, and Grace left the room disgusted. In the toilets, she destroyed a mirror with one of her crutches in anger before falling on the fragments suffering a tonic-clonic seizure and severing an artery. Elle soon found Grace and called for help. Connie later arrived at the scene, and was initially reluctant to let Elle treat her. Elle fitted a catheter into Grace's neck to stop the bleeding before she was rushed to the ED. Grace was taken to have a CT scan and it was revealed that she sustained no further serious cerebral injuries but she may have developed epilepsy, to Connie and Sam's horror, and she later underwent surgery.
After waking up, Grace was not communicating with Connie nor Sam. The scans confirmed that Grace has epilepsy. Sam initially thought the reasoning behind Grace not talking was due to PTSD or just as a silent protest.The following week just as Connie and Sam were preparing to take her home, Grace showed Connie her tablet screen with the words "This is all your fault," written on it, implying that she blamed Connie for what happened to her.
Mercedes Christie
Mercedes Christie, played by Hannah Spearritt, made her first screen appearance on 23 January 2016.[186] She made her final appearance on 7 May 2016.[108]
The character and Spearritt's casting was announced on 18 December 2015, with Mercedes described as "mysterious".[186] Spearritt, who was most known as a singer in the pop band S Club 7, had previous acting experience in Primeval. Following the announcement, Spearritt wrote on social network, Twitter: "I'm so happy to say i've joined the BBC Casualty as Mercedes Christie...very excited! @BBCCasualty".[187] Spearritt described Mercedes as "edgy and manipulative" and commented that she was "different" to her previous roles and "potentially a bit of a challenge".[188] Spearritt revealed that after her audition for the role of Mercedes she was "all teary" and spent days in a "self-conflicted isolation", hoping she had won the part.[188] For the role, Spearritt "grimed" herself up and bought several hair braids, nose rings, ear cuffs, "hippy-themed" earrings amongst other items. Spearritt also dyes her hair lilac weekly for continuity reasons.[188] Spearritt described her first scenes as "pretty action-packed" and "fun" to film. She also praised the cast and crew for being "warm and welcoming".[188]
Ellison family
The Ellison family consists of Roy Ellison, played by John Killoran, his wife Denise Ellison, played by Lucy Benjamin, and their sons, Scott Ellison, played by Will Austin, and Mickey Ellison, played by Mitch Hewer. Roy and Denise appeared in one episode on 30 September 2015 and were reintroduced in 2017; Roy returned on 22 April 2017 and Denise returned on 29 April 2017. Upon Roy and Denise's reintroduction, Scott and Mickey were introduced and they debuted on 22 April 2017. Roy departed on 29 April 2017 and Scott and Denise departed on 22 July 2017, whereas Hewer joined the recurring guest cast.
Producer Erika Hossington praised the Ellisons' first episode, saying, "that was a really important episode for us because it examined race and that was something else that we wanted to bring into the frame this year in terms of the way the UK has gone."[189] She revealed that the family would be reintroduced following positive fan response, which "can only mean bad things for the ED."[189] Further details surrounding their return were announced on 16 March 2017, when it was announced that Hewer would be joining the show's recurring guest cast.[190] Hewer commented, "I'm very excited for people to meet Mickey and for them to feel the difficulties that he endures in his life."[190] The show's executive producer, Simon Harper, expressed his delight at Hewer joining the cast and explained, "we met Mickey's parents in 2015, but don't judge a book by its cover. Mickey isn't necessarily cut from the same cloth in his dealings with the Casualty regulars and there will be absolutely explosive consequences."[190] The character of Scott and Austin's casting was also announced on 16 March 2017.[191]
Alison Graham, writing for the Radio Times, branded the Ellison family "Holby’s tiny band of violently industrious fascists" and called Mickey "gormless" and a "dope", quipping he is "too dumb to draw breath". She also grew bored of the storyline featuring Ethan Hardy's (George Rainsford) revenge on Scott, commenting, "There are only so many shots of Ethan looking wan and tragic that any human being can stand."[192] The critic later labelled Scott "the omnipresent Holby fascist" and noted that whenever a member of the family are admitted into the ED, the remaining members of the family "hover like moths at a barbecue".[193]
Louis Fairhead
Louis Fairhead, played by Gregory Foreman, is Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Baz Wilder's (Julia Watson) son. He was born during the eleventh series.[194] In 2015, Foreman revealed that he had been abused in the streets due to Louis' behaviour towards his father. The actor stated, "A lot of people dislike Louis because they have such an affection for Charlie. They want him to be nice to his dad rather than put him down."[195] Louis develops a heroin addiction.[195]
Sally Hodge
Sally Hodge, played by Pam St. Clement, appeared on 27 August 2016. Sally appeared as a patient, treated by Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) in the first episode of series 31, which celebrated the show's thirtieth anniversary.
Sally was admitted in the emergency department following a fall at her flat. She was treated by Lily Chao (Crystal Yu), Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka) and Charlie, the latter of whom suspected she had fractured her hip. Sally was rude to the staff, especially Charlie. Lily performed an abdominal exam on Sally and requested more tests, before concluding she had a urinary tract infection. Lily later discovered that Sally actually had a lithopaedion. She tearfully admitted to Charlie that she became pregnant whilst a teenager and self-aborted her child, while telling people she had miscarried. Sally then praised Charlie, calling him a good man, before inadvertently revealing a surprise party planned in honour of Charlie. Lily later informed Charlie that Sally had been admitted to a ward.
The character and casting was announced on 2 August 2016, with EastEnders legend, St. Clement in the role of patient Sally Hodge.[196] Sally was billed as a "grumpy, surly and crotchety" patient that "makes life hell" for charge nurse Charlie Fairhead (Thompson) because is "distrustful" of him.[196][197][198] Of her working relationship with Thompson, St. Clement said that "with a bit of luck we absolutely clicked".[198] St. Clement's character in EastEnders was considered tough, but St. Clement joked that "if Sally was walking down the same street as Pat Butcher, Pat would neatly sidestep on to the opposite pavement."[196] She described Sally as "unfortunate woman" due to her "emotional baggage" and therefore, she does not "come over as being very nice".[196] St. Clement added that Sally is a "nice, complicated character to play"[196] and that it was "a privilege to play a guest role within this incredible episode".[197] Executive producer, Oliver Kent announced his "delight" at St. Clement's casting, stating that is "fantastic" to place "two TV greats" in one episode.[197] He described the scenes that St. Clement and Thompson share as "a truly brilliant moment in the episode".[197] Elaine Reilly of What's on TV included Sally's arrival in an article stating six things she could not "wait to see" in the anniversary special, hoping that "demanding" Sally would be Charlie's "worst patient yet".[199] Justin Harp of Digital Spy described Sally as "a true badass".[196] Duncan Lindsey of Metro.co.uk described Sally as "difficult to please".[33]
Upon looking at the Twitter response to St. Clement's appearance, Radio Times said that fans "enjoyed" her appearance on the show.[200] Sharon Marshall, writing for Mirror.co.uk, described St. Clement's appearance as "gorgeous" and said it reminded her what an "awful" decision it was to kill her EastEnders' character Pat.[201]
Samantha Kellman
Samantha Kellman[202] (originally Keeler[203]) played by Michelle Collins, first appeared on 5 July 2014 as a patient and the new love interest for Jeff Collier (Matt Bardock).[48] Collins made her last appearance as Samantha on 30 August 2014.
Collins has previously appeared in Casualty as Camille Lewis, the mother of a patient, Simone (Jayne Wisener), in series 25 for four episodes.
The character of Samantha and her casting was announced on 27 March 2014. It was announced she would joining in a guest stint and her first scenes would air in July. It was revealed that Samantha will end up in hospital after being injured while trying to help rescue a competitive father, who has a heart attack after a running race with his son and the character will also be a new love interest for paramedic Jeff, who treats her at the scene. The BBC said that as the romance with Jeff blossoms, a secret held by Samantha threatens to turn both of their worlds upside down.
Speaking about the part, Collins said: "I got offered the guest role in Casualty very soon after finishing Corrie. I jumped at the chance of playing a character so different so quickly - it was exciting to be stepping into something new. Playing Stella was great fun but it was thrilling to have a challenge of an entirely different role. Londoner Samantha is nothing like Stella - I dyed my hair to leave Stella behind which fitted in well with the role. I'm pleased to be involved in another hit drama TV show so soon, even if it's just for a short while. Since leaving Corrie it's been great to get my teeth into different characters and I'm looking forward to new opportunities which have been coming my way." Casualty's executive producer Oliver Kent added: "We can't wait for everyone to meet Samantha and see where her story goes over the two months she's on screen. Michelle has been absolutely brilliant and her arrival is set to have a huge impact on one of the show's most loved characters."
Val Kildare
Valentine "Val" Kildare played by former EastEnders star, Gary Lucy, appeared in the tenth episode of series 29, which was originally broadcast on 15 November 2014. The episode was the first of three standalone episodes the show aired during the twenty-ninth series.
The casting was announced on 2 July 2014 that former EastEnders and Hollyoaks star, Gary Lucy, would be appearing in one of three upcoming standalone episodes that would air in November. Radio Times described the character as "a loveable rogue, born charmer and conman who exists very much on the wrong side of the tracks"[204] and revealed that the episode, featuring Lucy, would revolve around a murder mystery. The show's series producer, Erika Hossington, announced that established character Lily Chao (Crystal Yu) would be the main character in the first standalone episode and that the episode would air on 1 November 2014, written by Jeff Povey. Hossington continued to talk about the episode's setting, "It's a great episode and it's all set at night. The hospital is empty, so it feels like a very ghostly place and that really feeds into the story that we're telling. It's brilliant and it feels very different."[205] The character was not announced until the episode's cast list was revealed.
Yu revealed that herself and Amanda Henderson (who plays Robyn Miller) were very "giggly" whilst filming with Lucy, but she described him as a "wonderful" actor. Lucy also commented on his casting, stating: "I’m so pleased to be part of this fantastic stand-alone episode of Casualty. It’s a well-written and directed piece with a strong set of regular characters. I had huge fun playing a different character in the longest running hospital drama. Tune in to watch the mystery unfold!"[206] Spoiler pictures were released on 13 November that showed Lucy's scenes as Val. It was revealed that Val would be suspected of murder by Lily.[207]
What's on TV described Val as "dodgy",[208] "eye candy",[208] "smooth-talking",[209] and "shifty",[209] while Digital Spy described him as "mysterious".[207]
Glen Thomas
Glen Thomas, played by Owain Arthur, made his first appearance during the thirtieth series on 4 June 2016. Glen was introduced as a love interest for nurse Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson).[210] They meet at a bereavement support group, where Glen claims his wife died of a brain tumour. However, Glen later reveals that he has a glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumour, and did not want Robyn to date him out of pity. But she wants to be with him and they continue their relationship.[211] Producers worked with the Brain Tumour Charity on the storyline.[211]
Henry Williams
Professor Henry Williams played by Tom Chadbon, first appeared on 13 September 2008, at the beginning of series 23. Henry is the hospital's Director of Critical Care and a consultant anaesthetist, who is in charge of the hospital's Emergency Department.
He appointed Adam, though was quite sceptical about his ability to perform as the department's leader. Adam eventually stepped down as Lead Consultant & Clinical Lead in A&E as an Emergency Medicine Doctor and Physician.
Amira Zafar
Amira Zafar, played by Poppy Jhakra, appeared on 27 August 2016. Amira appeared as a "tricky" agency nurse in the first episode of series 31, which celebrated the show's thirtieth anniversary.[212] Jhakra revealed on 5 October 2016 that she had returned to filming for the show and would appear in episode 23 of series 31.[213] She revealed two days later that she had finished filming.[214] Despite Jhakra's statement, Amira appeared in episode 22, "You Are Your Only Limit".[215] Jhakra revealed on 21 June 2017 that she would appear as Amira in Casualty's spin-off series, Holby City.[216]
Amira arrives for an agency shift, and is rude to Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson), infuriating him. Max Walker (Jamie Davis) attempts to flirt with Amira, but she rejects him. When she attempts to apologise to Charlie, Amira is asked to leave the ED, but as she leaves, a helicopter crashes in the department's entrance. She treats Kai Swift (Raif Clark), despite the department being closed to all patients. Kai confesses to responsibility for the crash and Amira encourages him to confess. She leaves at the end of the shift, having impressed Charlie with her devotion to her work. Amira later appears at the disciplinary hearing of consultant Elle Gardner (Jaye Griffiths) to provide a statement about the care of Grace Beauchamp (Emily Carey) on the day she worked in the ED.
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- ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s18/casualty/interviews/a590766/casualty-producer-erika-hossington-shares-show-gossip-part-one.html#ixzz3pDseecre
- ↑ Casualty’s Crystal Yu: “I was very giggly in my scenes with Gary Lucy” | News | Casualty | What's on TV
- 1 2 http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s18/casualty/scoop/a609808/casualty-spoiler-pictures-gary-lucy-guests-as-secretive-patient.html#~prLPdRGpa6zd9f
- 1 2 Casualty's Crystal Yu: 'I want to see who Lily is behind closed doors' | News | Casualty | What's on TV
- 1 2 Lily smells a man-sized rat | News | Casualty | What's on TV
- ↑ Reilly, Elaine (18 May 2016). "Casualty reveal: The summer is loaded with sex, sackings and surprise reappearances!". What's on TV. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
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Charlie and Amira - Of all the days you really don't want to have to deal with a tricky agency nurse...
- ↑ Jhakra, Poppy [@UcancallmePops] (5 October 2016). "Hi ho, hi ho it's back to A&E we go!! #Casualty #BBC #giveAmiraachance" (Tweet). Retrieved 17 October 2016 – via Twitter.
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- ↑ Jhakara, Poppy [@UcancallmePops] (21 June 2017). "Guess whose back? Back Again? Amira's back, tell a friend 🤘🏽... #giveAmiraachance @BBCHolbyCity 👀💪🏼👩🏽⚕️🙋🏽👋🏽😉😘" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 June 2017 – via Twitter. zero width joiner character in
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