Casualty is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 6 September 1986 on BBC1. 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 ten main characters in its first series, all but one – Charlie Fairhead have since left the series. 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.
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.
The thirtieth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 29 August 2015, and concluded on 30 July 2016. The series consisted of 43 episodes, including the broadcast of the show's 1000th episode on 25 June 2016. Erika Hossington continued her role as series producer, while Oliver Kent continued his role as the show's executive producer. Seventeen cast members reprised their roles from the previous series with five actors, including three long-serving cast members, departing during this series. Chelsea Halfpenny appeared in the serial between September and November 2015 as F2 Alicia Munroe, reprising the role as a main cast member in July 2016. Alistair Brammer joined the cast for a four-month guest stint as receptionist Jack Diamond in December 2015. Three new regular cast members joined the serial in spring 2016: Lloyd Everitt as paramedic Jez Andrews; Jason Durr as staff nurse David Hide; and Jaye Griffiths as consultant Elle Gardner.
The thirty-first series of the British medical drama television series Casualty commenced airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2016, and concluded on 29 July 2017. The series consisted of 44 episodes, including the show's feature-length thirtieth anniversary special episode, "Too Old for This Shift". Erika Hossington continued her role as series producer, while Oliver Kent continued his role as the show's executive producer until the end of the series. Seventeen cast members reprised their roles from the previous series with original character Lisa "Duffy" Duffin returning to the series as part of the show's thirtieth anniversary. Rik Makarem appeared in the series between October 2016 and January 2017 as first year foundation doctor (F1) Sebastian Grayling. This series also featured the death of regular character Caleb Knight, who has appeared since series 28.
"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.
The thirty-second series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 19 August 2017, and concluded on 4 August 2018. The series consisted of 44 episodes. Erika Hossington continued her role as series producer, however, following her resignation in August 2017, was replaced by Lucy Raffety. Simon Harper began his role as the show's executive producer. Twenty cast members reprised their roles from the previous series. Lloyd Everitt, Crystal Yu, Jamie Davis left their respective roles during the series, while Charlotte Salt reprised her role as Sam Nicholls from episode five onwards. Four new cast members also joined the drama in series 32. The series opened with a two-parter special set in northern France, which was followed by an extended 70-minute special episode. It is the first series in the history of the show to omit episode titles.
The twenty-first series of the British medical drama television series Holby City began Airing on BBC One on 2 January 2019 in the United Kingdom. The series consists of 53 episodes. Kate Hall acts as the series producer for episode one and was replaced by Jane Wallbank from the following episode; Simon Harper is the executive producer. The series is billed as an anniversary year for the drama as it celebrates twenty years since its launch. The series also features a crossover episode with sister show Casualty, an episode written by the show's co-creator Tony McHale and the show's 1000th episode, due to be broadcast in November 2019. Thirteen actors reprise their roles from the previous series and former cast members return for guest stints throughout the series. Three new regular characters were also introduced, while Nic Jackman was promoted to the main cast in his role as foundation doctor Cameron Dunn.
The thirty-fourth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2019, one week after the end of the previous series. The series consists of 43 episodes. Lucy Raffety continues her role as series producer, while Simon Harper continues his role as the show's executive producer; this is Raffety's final series as producer, and she was replaced by Loretta Preece. Production on the series was postponed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which also resulted in multiple transmission breaks. A single episode was also pulled due to comparisons between its content and the pandemic; the episode was broadcast as the final episode of the series at a later date. The theme of the series is reflecting how the National Health Service (NHS) is "under pressure", with elements focusing on "the hierarchy of pressure on the doctors". The series is also promoted through multiple trailers.
The twenty-second series of the British medical drama television series Holby City began on BBC One on 7 January 2020 in the United Kingdom. The series consists of 44 episodes. Jane Wallbank is the series producer, and Simon Harper is the executive producer. The series features an episode dedicated to Holocaust Memorial Day, a topical last-minute insert about the COVID-19 pandemic and a COVID-19-themed episode. Production for the drama was suspended between March and July 2020 due to the pandemic, which led to two transmission hiatuses during the series. Fifteen regular cast members reprised their roles from the previous series, four of which depart during the series, including long-serving cast members Hugh Quarshie and Rosie Marcel. Guy Self returns for a short stint and Raf di Lucca appears in a single episode, having been previously killed-off. The series also features the introduction of the show's first regular transgender character, Louis McGerry, and a guest appearance for actor and television personality John Barrowman as Drew Nicholson-Heath.
Rashid "Rash" Masum is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by actor Neet Mohan. He first appeared in the eleventh episode of series thirty-two, which was broadcast on 4 November 2017. Rash is introduced into the series as a junior doctor undergoing his first year of the Foundation Programme. Rash is characterised as a shy and bashful doctor; he is an eternal optimist who tries to make others laugh. Casualty's series producer Lucy Raffety billed Rash as an "innocent, cautious and nice" character. Mohan took a temporary break from the show in 2019 and upon his return writers introduced a more assertive version of the character, with his "innocence jaded".
Marty Kirkby is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actor Shaheen Jafargholi. He first appears in the thirteenth episode of the thirty-fourth series, first broadcast on 17 November 2018. Jafargholi's casting was announced on 1 August 2018 and he was invited to read for the role shortly after finishing filming on EastEnders. Marty is characterised as a young and fashionable student nurse with a "razor sharp wit". He is a confident nurse who has a blunt bedside manner and excellent clinical skills.
Jade Lovall is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, portrayed by actress Gabriella Leon. She first appears in the twelfth episode of the thirty-third series, first broadcast on 3 November 2018. Leon was cast in June 2018 alongside Shaheen Jafargholi, who portrays Marty Kirkby. The role marks the actress' television debut. Initially portrayed as lazy and idle, Jade's characterisation develops as she is shown to be an independent, caring and compassionate young woman. Jade is the drama's first disabled, and deaf, regular character; Leon is also deaf and used her personal experiences to develop her character's story. The character uses a combition of Sign Supported English (SSE) and lip reading to communicate. Producers and Leon were keen to not make her disability a defining feature of the character.
The thirty-fifth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 2 January 2021. The series consists of 30 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. Loretta Preece continues her role as series producer. Sixteen regular cast members reprised their roles from the previous series and actor Michael Stevenson returned to the serial in episode fourteen as Iain Dean, a paramedic.
Ruby Spark is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Maddy Hill. She first appears in the forty-first episode of series thirty-two, originally broadcast on 14 July 2018. The character and Hill's casting details were announced on 18 January 2018 and she began filming during the following month. For the role, the actress qualified as a Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) driver. Ruby is a paramedic and is characterised as a smart, caring and opinionated perfectionist who lacks social skills. Her near-photographic memory of procedures and medication serves as an important character point as she struggles to deviate from the rules. The character's backstory states that she has just graduated from university, adding to her over-emphasis on rules. Ruby is introduced as part of the show's increased focus on paramedics and producers wanted to explore the profession through the character.
The twenty-third and final series of the British medical drama television series Holby City began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2021. The series consists of 50 episodes, which focus on the professional and personal lives of medical and ancillary staff at the fictional Holby City Hospital. Seán Gleeson serves as the series producer. A new theme tune was introduced in the series, but was negatively received from viewers. As the series was filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic, it had to comply with safety protocols, including social distancing and reduced people on-set. Early in the series, actors Dawn Steele and Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge isolated and became a work bubble for two episodes to film close proximity scenes. The series was promoted through multiple trailers and behind-the-scenes videos.
The thirty-sixth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 14 August 2021, a week after the conclusion of the previous series. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of medical and ancillary staff at the emergency department (ED) of the fictional Holby City Hospital. Loretta Preece continues her role as series producer and Deborah Sathe is the senior executive producer. It also marked the return of episode titles after a four-year absence.
The thirty-seventh series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 20 August 2022. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of medical and ancillary staff at the emergency department (ED) of the fictional Holby City Hospital. Jon Sen continues his role as the executive producer and Liza Mellody begins her position as series producer. Series 37 marks the return to regular filming protocols after the COVID-19 pandemic. The series has been marred by scheduling conflicts, with one episode premiering on BBC Two.
