Casualty series 18 | |
---|---|
Series 18 | |
No. of episodes | 46 |
Release | |
Original network | BBC One |
Original release | 13 September 2003 – 28 August 2004 |
Season chronology | |
The eighteenth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2003, and concluded on 28 August 2004. The series consists of 46 episodes, which focus on the professional and personal lives of medical and ancillary staff at the emergency department (ED) of the fictional Holby City Hospital. Foz Allen serves as the series producer, while Mal Young and Mervyn Watson act as the executive producers of the series. Twelve regular cast members reprised their roles from the previous series and six actors joined the cast during the series. Original cast member Julia Watson, who portrays Baz Wilder, also returned.
The series begins with a two-part episode airing over consecutive days, and features a double train crash. The stunt was filmed at Nene Valley Railway over 24 days and involved two production teams and 1470 supporting artists. A story was also created to raise money for 24th Children in Need telethon, in November 2003, and features a cameo appearance from Lord Lichfield. Series 18 of Casualty marks the show becoming the longest running television medical drama series in the world. The serial was nominated for Best Continuing Drama at the 2004 British Academy Television Awards during the series. In a 2011 poll run by the show's website, to celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary, the opening episode of the series was voted the best ever episode.
The series commences in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2003 on BBC One with a two-part episode airing over consecutive days. [1] Foz Allen serves as the series producer, while Mal Young and Mervyn Watson act as the executive producers of the series. [1] Young, who is also the BBC Controller of Drama, commented, "Series 18 will hopefully keep surprising and gripping our audience." [1] The series films in Bristol and marks Casualty becoming the longest running television medical drama series in the world. [1] The opening episodes, billed as the show's "most ambitious yet", feature a double train crash. The stunt took two production teams working to film over 24 days and featured 1470 supporting artists. [1] The episode were filmed on-location in the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough. Actors Kwame Kwei-Armah and Ian Bleasdale, who portray paramedics Finlay Newton and Josh Griffiths respectively, enjoyed filming the stunt. Kwei-Armah compared it to the making of a "big movie". [1] Writers created a story to raise money for the 24th Children in Need telethon, in November 2003. Featuring a cameo appearance from Lord Lichfield, the story sees staff create a charity calendar, which was later sold commercially to raise money for Children in Need. [1]
The eighteenth series of Casualty features a cast of characters working for the NHS within the emergency department of Holby City Hospital and the Holby Ambulance Service. [2] Twelve cast members from the previous series reprise their roles in this series. Original cast member Derek Thompson continues his role as Charlie Fairhead, a clinical nurse specialist. Having joined in the fourth series, Ian Bleasdale stars as Josh Griffiths, the operational duty manager at Holby Ambulance Service. Simon MacCorkindale plays Harry Harper, a consultant in emergency medicine and the department's clinical director. Christine Stephen-Daly portrays Lara Stone, an acting registrar, and Christopher Colquhoun appears as registrar Simon Kaminski. Loo Brealey and Zita Sattar feature as Roxy Bird and Anna Paul, both staff nurses. Kwame Kwei-Armah, Martina Laird and Matthew Wait play paramedics Finlay Newton, Comfort Jones and Luke Warren, respectively. Kelly Harrison portrays Nikki Marshall, an ambulance technician, and Sarah Manners appears as Bex Reynolds, a receptionist. [3]
Actress Suzanne Packer joined the cast in episode one as Tess Bateman, an emergency nurse practitioner. She is billed as "a traditionalist [who] is keen to maintain the standards she was taught at nursing college". [3] The character and Packer's casting details were announced on 24 April 2003. [4] Tess' introduction reflected the rise in nurse practitioners being hired in NHS hospitals. [3] For the role, Packer relocated from New York City to Cardiff, where her family are based. [3] Louis Emerick was cast in a recurring role as Tess' fireman husband Mike Bateman. [3] His casting was announced on 17 June 2003 and he was initially hired for four episodes. [5] The pair previously portrayed a married couple on Brookside , [5] and also worked together in the play Playboy of the West Indies in 1985. [3] The actors were excited to work with each other again and Packer felt their history aided their on-screen connection. [3] [5] Maxwell Caulfield was cast as Jim Brodie, a consultant paediatrician. He is characterised as a womaniser with an "air of transatlantic glamour and smooth maturity". [1] James Redmond also joined the show as Abs Denham, a mental health nurse who is billed as charming yet "a bit of an oddball". [3] Redmond explained that Abs is "fascinated" by people with mental health issues and wants to "champion mental health", becoming frustrated by its stigma. [3] He added that Abs is unafraid of the hierarchy and will challenge anybody else's views. [3] Redmond relocated to his hometown of Bristol for the role, but found moving into his family home challenging. [3]
Leanne Wilson was introduced as staff nurse Claire Guildford, who was described as "gentle, happy glow as dependable and down-to-earth". [3] Wilson explained that Claire is strong, confident in her decisions and excited about her work. The character quickly features in a story about the end of her relationship with Keith, her boyfriend of six years. Keith is not ready to end the relationship and becomes scary, not accepting her decision. [3] The character of Tally Harper was reintroduced to the main cast, with the role recast to actress Holly Davidson. Tally is the "troublesome" eldest daughter of Harry, who the actress called "feisty and independent". [3] Tally cares for her younger siblings, following the recent death of their mother. Davidson explained that Tally resents her father for not coping with her death well. The actress drew on her own parents' divorce to play the death of Tally's mother. [3] One story for the character sees her become romantically involved with Simon, against the wishes of Harry. [3] The series also features the return of original character Baz Wilder, portrayed by Julia Watson. [1] The character was killed off after eight episodes. [6]
The series features several recurring characters and multiple guest stars. Only Fools and Horses actress Gwyneth Strong was cast as Elizabeth, the former wife of Jim. [3] It was confirmed in July 2003 that Charles Dale, Helen Fraser, Frank Windsor and Tracy Shaw would guest star in the series. [1] Fraser portrays Joan, the mother of Claire's boyfriend, Keith. Wilson explained that Joan does not want to lose Claire as she sees her as a daughter. [3]
During series eighteen, Casualty was nominated for Best Continuing Drama at the 2004 British Academy Television Awards. [7] The opening episode was rated the best ever episode in an online poll ran by the show's website for its twenty-fifth anniversary in September 2011. On a shortlist of ten episodes, it received 18.5% of total votes. [8]
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | UK viewers (millions) [9] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
401 | 1 | "End of the Line – Part One" | Euros Lyn | Ann Marie Di Mambro | 13 September 2003 | 9.17 |
402 | 2 | "End of the Line – Part Two" | Ian White | Danny McCahon | 14 September 2003 | 9.05 |
403 | 3 | "Breathe Deeply" | Peter Cregeen | Chris Ould | 20 September 2003 | 9.50 |
404 | 4 | "Perks of the Job" | Gwennan Sage | Emma Frost | 27 September 2003 | 9.51 |
405 | 5 | "Flash in the Pan" | Roberto Bangura | Jason Sutton | 4 October 2003 | 9.33 |
406 | 6 | "Against Protocol" | Dominic Santana | Edel Brosnan | 11 October 2003 | 8.89 |
407 | 7 | "Can't Let Go" | Shani Grewal | Danny McCahon | 18 October 2003 | 9.02 |
408 | 8 | "Truth or Dare" | Karen Stowe | Marc Starbuck | 25 October 2003 | 9.06 |
409 | 9 | "In the Frame" | Declan O'Dwyer | Catherine Tregenna | 1 November 2003 | 9.05 |
410 | 10 | "Black Dog Day" | Jeremy Webb | Robert Scott-Fraser | 8 November 2003 | 8.37 |
411 | 11 | "Falling for a Friend" | Ian White | Joe Turner | 15 November 2003 | 9.49 |
412 | 12 | "Second Best" | Marc Jobst | Gregory Evans and Julie Gearey | 22 November 2003 | 9.62 |
413 | 13 | "First Impressions" | Chris Lovett | Jo O'Keefe | 29 November 2003 | 9.44 |
414 | 14 | "Christmas Spirit" | S.J. Clarkson | Emma Frost | 6 December 2003 | 8.95 |
415 | 15 | "Never Judge a Book" | Euros Lyn | Robert Scott-Fraser | 13 December 2003 | 9.20 |
416 | 16 | "Eat, Drink and Be Merry" | Ian White | Jason Sutton | 20 December 2003 | 7.71 |
417 | 17 | "I Got It Bad and Ain't That Good" | Nic Phillips | Robert Scott-Fraser | 27 December 2003 | 8.50 |
418 | 18 | "Ahead of the Game" | Tania Diez | Chris Ould | 3 January 2004 | 9.43 |
419 | 19 | "Where There's Life" | Jane Powell | Ginne Hole | 10 January 2004 | 9.77 |
420 | 20 | "No Weddings and a Funeral" | John Greening | Richard Vincent | 17 January 2004 | 10.11 |
421 | 21 | "Emotional Rescue – Part One" | Ian White | Ginnie Hole | 24 January 2004 | 9.53 |
422 | 22 | "Emotional Rescue – Part Two" | Gwennan Sage | Stephen McAteer | 31 January 2004 | 9.62 |
423 | 23 | "Passions and Convictions" | Keith Washington | Jim O'Hanlon | 7 February 2004 | 9.26 |
424 | 24 | "Fallen Hero" | Peter Butler | David Lane | 14 February 2004 | 9.13 |
425 | 25 | "Taking Care" | Michael Buffong | Maurice Beesman and Danny McCahon | 21 February 2004 | 9.61 |
426 | 26 | "What Parents Do" | Graeme Harper | Danny McCahon | 28 February 2004 | 9.59 |
427 | 27 | "Love and Loathing" | Nic Phillips | Jason Sutton | 6 March 2004 | 8.94 |
428 | 28 | "Finding Faith" | Jeremy Webb | Catherine Tregenna | 13 March 2004 | 9.25 |
429 | 29 | "Parenthood" | S.J. Clarkson | Paul Marx | 27 March 2004 | 6.48 |
430 | 30 | "Another Perfect Day" | Declan O'Dwyer | Chris Ould | 3 April 2004 | 8.87 |
431 | 31 | "I Love You, I Hate You" | Gwennan Sage | Stephen McAteer | 10 April 2004 | 7.27 |
432 | 32 | "Forget Me Not" | Dominic Lees | Peter Mills | 17 April 2004 | 8.59 |
433 | 33 | "Lock Down" | Marc Jobst | Gregory Evans | 24 April 2004 | 7.61 |
434 | 34 | "Much Wants More" | Jane Powell | Linda Thompson | 1 May 2004 | 7.55 |
435 | 35 | "Breaking Point" | Terry Iland | Jackie Pavlenko | 8 May 2004 | 8.62 |
436 | 36 | "Don't Go There" | Robert Del Maestro | Danny McCahon | 23 May 2004 | 6.40 |
437 | 37 | "World Gone Wrong – Part One" | Gwennan Sage | Jason Sutton | 29 May 2004 | 7.95 |
438 | 38 | "World Gone Wrong – Part Two" | Gwennan Sage | Jason Sutton | 30 May 2004 | 7.59 |
439 | 39 | "The Good Father" | Sean Geoghegan | Catherine Tregenna | 5 June 2004 | 7.78 |
440 | 40 | "Dreams and Disappointments" | Marc Jobst | Jo O'Keefe | 17 July 2004 | 7.83 |
441 | 41 | "And the Bride Wore Red" | S.J. Clarkson | Stephen McAteer | 24 July 2004 | 7.69 |
442 | 42 | "A Dangerous Initiative" | Shani Grewal | Paul Marx | 31 July 2004 | 7.26 |
443 | 43 | "Inside Out" | Dominic Lees | Paul Ebbs | 7 August 2004 | 7.00 |
444 | 44 | "Who Cares?" | Nic Phillips | David Lloyd | 14 August 2004 | 6.78 |
445 | 45 | "Love, Honour & Betray" | Declan O'Dwyer | Gregory Evans | 21 August 2004 | 6.78 |
446 | 46 | "Ring of Truth" | Ian White | Danny McCahon | 28 August 2004 | 7.75 |
No. overall | No. in series | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Viewers (millions) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18x?? | Doc–1 | "Making it at Holby" | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
18x?? | Doc–2 | "Casualty Saved My Life" | TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
Casualty@Holby City (styled as CASUAL+Y @ HOLBY CI+Y) is a series of special crossover episodes of BBC medical dramas Casualty and Holby City. While Casualty was launched on 6 September 1986, and its spin-off Holby City was first aired on 12 January 1999, the first full crossover episode between the two programmes was not broadcast until 26 December 2004. As of 27 December 2005, four crossover specials have been aired, comprising nine episodes total. Although further crossovers of storylines and characters have since occurred, they have not been broadcast under the Casualty@Holby City title.
The fourth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 8 September 1989 and finished on 1 December 1989.
The sixth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 6 September 1991 and finished on 27 February 1992.
The fifth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 7 September 1990 and finished on 7 December 1990.
The ninth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 17 September 1994 and finished on 25 March 1995.
The tenth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 16 September 1995 and finished on 24 February 1996. Notable events of the series include Ash's marriage to Laura, Baz's affair with Charlie, Baz's pregnancy, and a gas explosion.
The eleventh series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 14 September 1996 and finished on 22 February 1997. Notable events of the series include the death of Josh's wife and children as a result of a house fire, the birth of Charlie and Baz's son Louis, and the near-fatal stabbing of Jude at the end of the series.
The twelfth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 11 September 1997 and finished on 28 February 1998. The first episode was originally due to be shown on the evening of Saturday 6 September, but this was delayed until the following Thursday due to coverage of the Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales earlier on that day, as the BBC felt it would be inappropriate to air the episode so soon after such an event.
The thirteenth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 5 September 1998 and finished on 13 March 1999. It saw another increase, this time to 28 episodes, including a feature-length Christmas episode. This was the first series to be broadcast in widescreen. The series also acted as a launchpad for characters and storylines in the spin-off series Holby City, which started in January 1999.
The fourteenth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 18 September 1999 and finished on 25 March 2000. It saw another increase, this time to 30 episodes.
The nineteenth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 11 September 2004 and finished on 20 August 2005. It saw another increase, this time to 47 episodes. For the Christmas episodes of the series, two cross-over episodes with Holby City were shown, titled as: "Casualty@Holby City".
The twentieth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty aired on BBC One from 10 September 2005 to 26 August 2006. The series ran for 48 episodes, including two multi-episode crossovers with Holby City, broadcast as Casualty@Holby City.
The twenty-second series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 8 September 2007 and finished on 9 August 2008.
The twenty-fifth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 4 September 2010 and concluded on 6 August 2011. The series featured several crossovers with spin-off show Holby City.
The twenty-sixth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 13 August 2011, one week after the end of the previous series. It is the first series in the history of the show to begin without a break from the previous series and the first to begin in August rather than the traditional September launch. This series featured forty-two episodes, which was five episodes less than the previous series. Series twenty-six was the first series to broadcast in high definition, with the first high definition episode broadcast from episode 17. The episode also saw the first episode to be filmed at the new set in Cardiff. The show saw its twenty-fifth anniversary in September 2011 and in March 2012, the show aired their first ever three-part story which centred on gang violence. The series concluded with a two-part riot storyline, entitled '#HolbyRiot', which aired on 21 and 22 July 2012. The series was originally planned to finish on 21 July, but due to a postponed episode on 30 June, the finale was moved to the following day.
The twenty-seventh series of Casualty began airing on BBC One on 18 August 2012 with an episode featuring a disaster at a music festival. Filming series 26 was completed in April 2012 and filming series 27 began a week later. The first episode was in the normal format – a 50-minute episode. This season is 44 episodes, increasing from 42 for the previous one. Viewing figures for the first episode were 5.19 million viewers, continuing to be one of the most watched programmes of a Saturday night.
The twenty-eighth series of Casualty began airing on BBC One on 3 August 2013, one week after the end of the previous series. This series consisted of 48 episodes, the highest episode order since series 24. The series concluded on 23 August 2014.
Tess Bateman is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Suzanne Packer. She first appears in the series eighteen episode "End of the Line ", originally broadcast on 13 September 2003. The character is introduced as an emergency nurse practitioner in the emergency department (ED) of Holby City Hospital, but was later promoted to clinical nurse manager. For the role, Packer relocated from New York City to her hometown of Cardiff, and commenced filming in April 2003. Tess is characterised as a "traditionalist" with a good work ethic. She is highly experienced in her field and will protect her staff at all times. Packer drew on her experience as a teacher and her mother's experience as a nurse to develop the character.
Charlie Fairhead is a fictional character from the BBC British medical drama Casualty. One of the longest-serving characters of the show, spanning over 3 decades.
"Too Old for This Shift" is a special feature-length episode of the British medical drama television series Casualty. It was broadcast as the premiere episode of its thirty-first series on 27 August 2016, on BBC One, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the show. The special, which is 99 minutes long, was co-written by Matthew Barry and Andy Bayliss, directed by Steve Hughes, and produced by Lucy Raffety.