Characters of Casualty
Encyclopedia
Casualty
is the world's longest-running television emergency medical drama
, first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted in the UK on BBC One
. The show's characters are all staff within the fictional Holby City Hospital, composed of doctors
, nurses, paramedic
s, and hospital management
. The only current character remaining from the show's conception is nurse Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson. The following characters appear regularly in the programme as of 2010.
Charlie is the longest serving member of the Casualty team, having appeared from 1986–2004, 2005–2007 and 2008 onwards. He is portrayed by Derek Thompson, and is described by the BBC as "the lynchpin of Holby's ED. [...] an indispensable, trustworthy and diplomatic member of the team." Series producer Oliver Kent has described Charlie as "by far our most important character" and "absolutely core to the show's success". Charlie appears in the first episodes of both Casualty spin-offs Holby City
and Holby Blue.
He has dated numerous women during the show. The most notable is Barbara "Baz" Wilder - another original character. Baz left Casualty after series 1 but returned nearly a decade later. Unhappily married, she reconciles with Charlie and gets pregnant with their son, Louis. Baz divorces her husband and marries Charlie but they separate when Baz gets a job in Canada. She briefly returns to visit her father but dies after in a road accident so Charlie gets custody of Louis.
Charlie nearly dies on several occasions, following a shooting, a hit and run involving a stolen ambulance, a pulmonary embolism, attempted drowning and a heart attack.
Charlie's son, Louis, sets him up with Maggie Coldwell. They date for a while and he proposes but she refuses, agreeing inside to stay in touch. In series 22, Charlie celebrates thirty-five years in nursing. However, he struggles with childcare issues and the news that he or Tess Bateman will be made redundant. Although Tess volunteers, Charlie is asked to leave after a fight with a patient. He returns several months later, working in the private sector. Charlie becomes a grandfather after Louis's brief relationship with Shona Wark results in a daughter. Shona, unable to cope, leaves her with Charlie and he named her Megan, after his dear friend/colleague, Megan Roach. While searching for his missing granddaughter (taken by a mentally ill patient), Charlie sees Ruth Winters's husband kissing his lover, James. Charlie debates whether to tell Ruth and confesses when comforting her. Hurt and humiliated by his deception, Ruth has Charlie transferred.
as a registrar on the show's cardiothoracic ward. He later returns as a general surgical consultant, before transferring to Casualty to run the Emergency Department
. Following Nick's 2006 departure from Holby City, the series' official website described him as: "decisive, confident, charismatic and passionate. He was constantly striving for the top and wanted to emulate Meyer
." Michael French, discussing his character shortly after the show's 1999 conception, asserted that: "Like most blokes, he sometimes treats women as playthings – if they’re willing. A little bit of hanky panky is part of the human condition, after all!" Of his decision to transfer to Casualty, French explained: "The BBC came up with the idea [...] At first, I wasn't sure about him moving away from heart surgery, but we soon thrashed some ideas around and I realised it would work. It's certainly great to play Nick again and I'm having a fantastic time on the show." Both The Guardian
and the Sunday Mirror
have likened Nick to George Clooney
's ER
character Doug Ross
- "the one everyone fancies", but while Andrew Billen for the New Statesman
agrees that Nick is "good-looking", he suggests French's playing another "love rat" character after his EastEnders
role as David Wicks
to be type casting
. More recently, Nick has been involved in a storyline where he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, but, with intervention from Zoe Hanna, he then had an operation to remove most of the tumor and then returned to the ED in a part time administrative role. After Jessica's crash on her wedding day, he was appointed Acting Clinical Lead, to take pressure off Adam. Eventually he was made permanent clinical lead again. He occasionally does emergency surgery on patients if a theatre is not available. He has 5 years to live. In Series 26 symptoms of his brain tumor came back. He worried and then had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan to check. The scan came back negative. He is considered one of the best Consultants in A&E because of his expierance and is surgical intervention skills.
Tess Bateman (played by actress Suzanne Packer
from 2003), is described by the BBC as "a traditionalist [...] dedicated [and] well-balanced". They expand: "She may be viewed as a kill-joy and inflexible but her immaculate, business-like front masks a wicked, dry, sense of humour. She's a control freak, not to be messed with.". Since Martina Laird, who played Paramedic Comfort Jones, left the show in 2006, Tess is the longest serving female character. Following her husband's paralysis and their subsequent separation, she struggles to come to terms with her son Sam's bi-polar
condition, and is reluctant to see him gain his independence. She has a strong friendship with fellow nurse Abs Denham. After budget cuts, Tess considers taking redundancy, leaving Charlie Fairhead to run the department, but these plans are stymied when Charlie temporarily leaves the department after attacking a patient. Over the course of the show, Tess has several near-fatal encounters. In series 20, she is drugged and left for dead by Sam's unstable girlfriend, Fleur. In series 22, she is injected with a paralysis drug by Bank nurse Lewis, and in series 23, she trips in a building site, impaling herself through the abdomen on a metal pole.
In Series 25, Henry tried to persuade Tess to take the blame for the death of a young boy. Angry and upset by the unfairness, she resigned from Clinical Nurse Manager and has since worked in the ED as a Staff Nurse and Ward Sister.
Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon (played by actress Jane Hazlegrove
from 2006) arrives in series 21, 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
. 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. Hazlegrove assess that this incident "dictates what happens to Dixie over the course of [series 23] - the wheels fall off." 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.
Jeff Collier (played by actor Matt Bardock
from 2007), is a paramedic. He becomes good friends with Dixie, 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 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. Jeff's wife leaves him and begins seeing another man. He sees his children infrequently, and offers Dixie his spare room when her house is burnt down.
In November 2009, Jeff was struck on the back of the head by Alistair MacCormack, who believed that Polly (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.
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. 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 has since made a recovery.
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. The BBC describe the character as "clever, hardworking and focused", 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. 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."
During her first few months, Ruth misdiagnoses a patient with severe stomach pains, missing a ruptured ectopic pregnancy but blames a nurse in order to preserve her reputation. Ruth is shocked when her alcoholic father is admitted as a patient. She 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 administer a patient with the wrong medication and order 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 but they can't stand each other." 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." As of Series 24, the first episodes display that Ruth and Jay are continuing their relationship - keeping it from their colleagues for her benefit, which later 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 the 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 in embarrassment she collapses, haemorrhaging. Taken into casualty, Ruth is 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, the black sheep of the family, visits and reveals that he has just been released after serving a prison sentence. Ruth is horrified when Jonathan 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 unsafe hospital annexe to enjoy in private. Tragedy strikes when young security guard, Mick, desperate to win Ruth's approval, confronts the homeless men alone but Jonathan is quick to get help. Ruth looks forward to celebrating Christmas with her brother when she notices an heirloom has gone missing from her flat. As she's 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 to work on a medical case and Ruth finally admits that she's lonely after another family disaster. Letting down her guard, she accepts Jay's comfort and the pair head home together. However this is short lived, when Ruth later admits at New Year that she terminated the pregnancy, not that she miscarried 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. But when conference organiser and big name doctor Edward takes an interest in her anyway, 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 Thurlow, it is hinted that Ruth still has feelings for Jay and that he feels the same. However Ruth's feelings are spurn when she discovers Jay is in a relationship with 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 an agreement 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 break off 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 Episode 17 Series 25, Edward's boyfriend begins working near to Ruth in the Emergency Department. This is then followed by Ruth's realisation that he is still seeing her husband. Later Edward leaves Ruth for his boyfriend.
Later in Episode 21 Series 25, Ruth is sectioned after trying to operate on someone in the on-call room.
In Series 26 Ruth and Jay reunited and in episode 13 Ruth discovered she was pregnant
Mackenzie "Big Mac" Chalker (played by actor Charles Dale
from 2007) is the department porter. The BBC describe him as "lonely" and "vulnerable" stating that he "hates himself" and "spends his days loathing the world and his nights gorging on comfort food, escaping into James Bond
films." An episode of series 23 devoted to the character sees him assume a vigilante role on the city's Farmead Estate. 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." Describing Mac's personality, Dale appraised that Mac is "deeply introverted" and struggles to accept that his colleagues actually like him. 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." Mac is a British Sign Language interpreter, which according to the website is because his mother Vera was profoundly deaf.
Zoe Hanna (played by actress Sunetra Sarker
from 2007) is a Consultant in the Emergency Department. Prior to appearing in Casualty, Sarker had played a guest role in spin-off show Holby City. Sarker describes Zoe as: "strong, cheeky and rebellious", as well as "very selfish, very righteous, very rude and self-centred". She has an affair with Orthopaedic Consultant Sean Anderson, unaware he is the husband of her colleague and friend, nurse Jessica Harrison. In series 22 episode 29, she is promoted to Clinical Lead of the department, over colleague Maggie Coldwell. When Maggie appears at a tribunal for negligence, hospital manager Marilyn Fox asks Zoe to lie in court, condemning Maggie. She blackmails Zoe, threatening to expose her affair with Sean. Zoe disregards her threat, clears Maggie's name, and admits to the affair herself. Zoe is dismayed when she discovered she cannot have children. She becomes close to Abby, a patient of hers who is being abused by her husband and his father. She takes in Abby and her daughter Sharice, and when Abby and her husband are both killed in a fight, begins fostering Sharice. She takes steps towards adopting her, however comes to realise that she is struggling to balance her work and childcare, and allows Sharice to live with her maternal grandparents.
Sarker commented that although Zoe initially began fostering Sharice out of guilt, as the story progressed, she adapted to the role more easily than she had expected, and: "underneath all the Zoe layers, I think there's quite a decent human being. She's just layered by a lot of selfishness, a lot of righteousness, a lot of pigheadedness, and those traits don't lend them to being a mother very easily. I think that once she's peeled off a few of those layers, she's quite liking being a mum." Having given up Sharice, Zoe then embarks on a relationship with department head Nick Jordan. Sarker explained that Zoe and Nick have a very interesting dynamic" and that: "You can see that they're very similar people which would make them allies or enemies. [...] Zoe's the first female to meet Jordan's professional standards. She's no pussycat and Jordan knows that. He's got a certain amount of respect for her, as she has for him." Characterising the relationship, Sarker explained: "They've both been single for a very long time through their own choices and neither of them feel any pressure or expectations, which is a good combination for something to happen. I think this is the grown-up version of a flirtation. It's a bit more factual with these two; there isn't much softness or gooeyness to them. They are more like steel on steel!"
Noel Garcia (portrayed by actor Tony Marshall from 2008) is the department receptionist. He is described by the BBC as "the practical joker of the bunch", who believes he is only working on the reception as a stop-gap before his big break. 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, and admitted to being nervous about joining, but commented: "it is such a well run show that on my first day, I felt like I'd always been here." His character Noel knew his father was in a care home but discovers at the end of 2009 that he has serious dementia.
Jamshid "Jay" Faldren (portrayed by actor Ben Turner
from 2008) is a nurse, described by the BBC as "a young Charlie Fairhead". Despite being a "prankster" and a "restless soul", Jay is "a brilliant nurse. Potentially, one of the best to ever step through the doors of ED." 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." However, Jay then falls for doctor Ruth Winters, and "everything change[s]". 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." 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. Series 23 saw him out in 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 5 "Not Forgotten" in which Jay grew annoyed and gave her an ultimatum. She decided to g public with a kiss in front of her colleagues. There 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 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 3 that Polly likes him, he kisses her. They started a relationship in episode 8 although Polly claimed that they had already been in a "relationship" for a "couple of months" Will Polly and Jay last or will his relationship with Ruth rekindle?
His nan, Maryam Shakiba, played by Souad Faress
, appeared in Series 25, episode 10 "Hands On" in which she believes Jay is a doctor, so he manages to persuade Ruth to perform a job swap...
Lenny Lyons (played by Steven Miller
) was one of eight new Foundation House Officer
Year 2 doctors joining the department at the start of Series 24. He was tutored by Nick. He appears insensitive and unsuited to working as a doctor, but deep down he harbours secrets about his past. He grew up in a children's home, which his childhood friend Davey later went back to and torched. Lenny always puts his foot in it, and is constantly getting dismissed from resus after inappropriate behaviour. He grew a close friendship with Yuki and helped Yuki grow a relationship with colleague May. Lenny was a foster child and never knew his father but saw his mother rarely, in series 25 episode 1, Lenny got a memo from his mother but chose to ignore it. But after a massive tragedy he was appointed as the one who spoke to relatives, and realised it was time to see his mother, unfortunately when he rung up he found out the memo was actually from a staff member trying to inform him that his mother had died two weeks earlier 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, however 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 going to come 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 anyway. She is later attacked by the driver after being diverted to a quiet place, out of sight of the city instead of her home address.
Dylan Keogh (Played by William Beck Since 2011) is a shambolic 20-something who joined in 2011 as the trust doctor. It was Miriam Turner who brought him in as she trained both him and Nick Jordan.
Dylan lives on his own with his dog Dervla in a house-boat.
Dylan also blames himself for the death of Ambulance Technician Polly after she was stabbed by a mentally unstable woman who blamed Dylan for the scaring on her face when he had to pull her out of a near igniting bus with a rail stuck in her face.
, Jack Dedman and Gregory Foreman from 1996–1998, 2003–2004, 2006 and 2007 onwards) is the son of Charlie Fairhead and Baz Wilder. Born in 1996, he later joins his mother in Canada after she and Charlie split up. He returns in series 18, along with Baz and her new husband,who she was unhappily married to, but was in the process of divorcing and leaving him for good for Charlie. After Baz dies in a car accident, Charlie wins custody of Louis. In series 21, he accuses Charlie's friend Josh Griffiths
of hitting him. When Josh is stabbed at Christmas and is in critical condition, Louis admits that he lied. Louis returns in series 22 played by 19-year-old Gregory Foreman. The rapid ageing of the character was criticised on BBC TV observation show Points of View
. He becomes a troublemaker, getting a tattoo and smoking marijuana at school. Charlie is invited to travel the world with love-interest Maggie Coldwell, but declines as Louis still relies on him. Foreman has assessed: "Louis is a typical teenager [...] he gets into a bit of trouble and is a bit of a bad boy - but not that bad when it comes to the crunch." In Series 24, Louis had a brief relationship with Shona Wark, the troubled sister of a patient. After they slept together once in the on-call room, Shona came back a few months later announcing she was pregnant. He has not been seen since.
Sarah Evans (played by actress Julia St. John
from 2006) is a Consultant Neurosurgeon in Holby City Hospital, and Trust Doctor Ruth Winter's boss. She appears occasionally in the Emergency Department as a surgeon. She was the consultant who interviewed Ruth for her ST1 surgical rotation after the completion of her Foundation Training in the Emergency Department. She did not approve of Ruth's relationship with Staff Nurse Jay Faldren and was instrumental in splitting them up, citing that Ruth's attentions "would be divided". She then treated a comatose Jessica after the accident at the lake on her wedding day and later had her life saved by none other than Ruth. It has been revealed that in an upcoming episode, she will meet Ruth in the psychiatric ward, where it will turn out she has OCD.
James Molloy (Played by Travis Oliver
from 2010) is Edward Thurlow's surgical trainee and boyfriend who appears from time to time. We first meet him when Edward was caught kissing him in a cupboard by Charlie Fairhead. He introduced himself to Ruth Winters after having beat her to the surgical trainee position much to the slight consternation of Edward. As of yet, it is uncertain how he really feels about Edward's impromptu marriage to Ruth. James is assigned to treat a patient with Ruth and is bullied terribly by her, not only leading to the patient dying, but also to Edward leaving her for him.
Professor Henry Williams (played by Tom Chadbon
from 2008) is Holby City's Director of Critical Care and a Consultant Anaesthetist, who is in charge of the hospital's Emergency Department, effectively being Clinical Lead Consultant Adam Trueman's superior. He appointed Adam, though was quite skeptical 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.
Henry is known to be not sympathetic as he once forced Adam to work on his wedding day.
Not much of him as an anaethesist has been seen.
from 2010) is the Hospital's main inspector. Robert started inspecting the Hospital after an incident caused by F2 May Phelps, and ever since has been around. Robert is also looking up on the late drugs cover up involving Lenny Lyons and Yuki Reid.
Edward Thurlow (played by Stephen Billington
from 2010) is Holby City's Clinical Director of Neurosurgery. He arrives as the host of a lecture that Ruth was preparing a presentation for which she later messes up. After apologising for his manners, he takes her to dinner. He shortly moves on to become Ruth Winters new husband, although Ruth is disappointed with his lack of affection for her. Charlie has also found Edward in a cupboard kissing another man. It has also transpired that the man he was kissing turned out to be someone called James, Edward's boyfriend. Edward has recently struck a deal with Ruth to stop seeing James in order to preserve his reputation. Finally though, Ruth has enough and suggests they go their separate ways but Edward is terrified of being ridiculed and persuades her to continue with their sham of a marriage. Finally though, after witnessing Ruth harangue James, Edward has enough and finally finds the courage to leave her for him.
Omar Nasri is one of four new staff who started at the start of Series 26
as a new paramedic along with Tamzin Bayle. He made his debut on 13th August 2011.
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
is the world's longest-running television emergency medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
, first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted in the UK on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
. The show's characters are all staff within the fictional Holby City Hospital, composed of doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, nurses, paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s, and hospital management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
. The only current character remaining from the show's conception is nurse Charlie Fairhead, played by Derek Thompson. The following characters appear regularly in the programme as of 2010.
Charlie Fairhead
Title: Senior Charge NurseCharlie is the longest serving member of the Casualty team, having appeared from 1986–2004, 2005–2007 and 2008 onwards. He is portrayed by Derek Thompson, and is described by the BBC as "the lynchpin of Holby's ED. [...] an indispensable, trustworthy and diplomatic member of the team." Series producer Oliver Kent has described Charlie as "by far our most important character" and "absolutely core to the show's success". Charlie appears in the first episodes of both Casualty spin-offs Holby City
Holby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
and Holby Blue.
He has dated numerous women during the show. The most notable is Barbara "Baz" Wilder - another original character. Baz left Casualty after series 1 but returned nearly a decade later. Unhappily married, she reconciles with Charlie and gets pregnant with their son, Louis. Baz divorces her husband and marries Charlie but they separate when Baz gets a job in Canada. She briefly returns to visit her father but dies after in a road accident so Charlie gets custody of Louis.
Charlie nearly dies on several occasions, following a shooting, a hit and run involving a stolen ambulance, a pulmonary embolism, attempted drowning and a heart attack.
Charlie's son, Louis, sets him up with Maggie Coldwell. They date for a while and he proposes but she refuses, agreeing inside to stay in touch. In series 22, Charlie celebrates thirty-five years in nursing. However, he struggles with childcare issues and the news that he or Tess Bateman will be made redundant. Although Tess volunteers, Charlie is asked to leave after a fight with a patient. He returns several months later, working in the private sector. Charlie becomes a grandfather after Louis's brief relationship with Shona Wark results in a daughter. Shona, unable to cope, leaves her with Charlie and he named her Megan, after his dear friend/colleague, Megan Roach. While searching for his missing granddaughter (taken by a mentally ill patient), Charlie sees Ruth Winters's husband kissing his lover, James. Charlie debates whether to tell Ruth and confesses when comforting her. Hurt and humiliated by his deception, Ruth has Charlie transferred.
Nick Jordan
Nick Jordan (portrayed by actor Michael French in Casualty in 1998 and then from 2008 onwards) originates in Holby CityHolby City
Holby City, stylised as Holby Ci+y, is a British medical drama television series that airs weekly on BBC One.The series was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a spin-off from the established BBC medical drama Casualty, and premiered on 12 January 1999...
as a registrar on the show's cardiothoracic ward. He later returns as a general surgical consultant, before transferring to Casualty to run the Emergency Department
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
. Following Nick's 2006 departure from Holby City, the series' official website described him as: "decisive, confident, charismatic and passionate. He was constantly striving for the top and wanted to emulate Meyer
Anton Meyer
Anton Meyer is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Holby City, played by actor George Irving. He appeared in the series from its first episode, broadcast on 12 January 1999, until series four, episode 46, broadcast on 20 August 2002. His role in the show is that of consultant...
." Michael French, discussing his character shortly after the show's 1999 conception, asserted that: "Like most blokes, he sometimes treats women as playthings – if they’re willing. A little bit of hanky panky is part of the human condition, after all!" Of his decision to transfer to Casualty, French explained: "The BBC came up with the idea [...] At first, I wasn't sure about him moving away from heart surgery, but we soon thrashed some ideas around and I realised it would work. It's certainly great to play Nick again and I'm having a fantastic time on the show." Both The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and the Sunday Mirror
Sunday Mirror
The Sunday Mirror is the Sunday sister paper of the Daily Mirror. It began life in 1915 as the Sunday Pictorial and was renamed the Sunday Mirror in 1963. Trinity Mirror also owns The People...
have likened Nick to George Clooney
George Clooney
George Timothy Clooney is an American actor, film director, producer, and screenwriter. For his work as an actor, he has received two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award...
's ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
character Doug Ross
Doug Ross
Dr. Douglas "Doug" Ross is a fictional character from the television series ER, portrayed by George Clooney. George Clooney's removal from the main cast opening credits was in the 16th episode of season 5.-Plot details:...
- "the one everyone fancies", but while Andrew Billen for the New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
agrees that Nick is "good-looking", he suggests French's playing another "love rat" character after his EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
role as David Wicks
David Wicks
David Wicks is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Michael French. He originally appeared between 1993 to 1996...
to be type casting
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
. More recently, Nick has been involved in a storyline where he was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, but, with intervention from Zoe Hanna, he then had an operation to remove most of the tumor and then returned to the ED in a part time administrative role. After Jessica's crash on her wedding day, he was appointed Acting Clinical Lead, to take pressure off Adam. Eventually he was made permanent clinical lead again. He occasionally does emergency surgery on patients if a theatre is not available. He has 5 years to live. In Series 26 symptoms of his brain tumor came back. He worried and then had an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan to check. The scan came back negative. He is considered one of the best Consultants in A&E because of his expierance and is surgical intervention skills.
Tess Bateman
Title: Clinical Nurse ManagerTess Bateman (played by actress Suzanne Packer
Suzanne Packer
Birth Name: Suzanne JacksonBirth Date: June 20th 1958Birth Place: Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.Suzanne Packer is the stage name of a Welsh actress who is best known for playing the role of Tess Bateman in the long running television series, Casualty...
from 2003), is described by the BBC as "a traditionalist [...] dedicated [and] well-balanced". They expand: "She may be viewed as a kill-joy and inflexible but her immaculate, business-like front masks a wicked, dry, sense of humour. She's a control freak, not to be messed with.". Since Martina Laird, who played Paramedic Comfort Jones, left the show in 2006, Tess is the longest serving female character. Following her husband's paralysis and their subsequent separation, she struggles to come to terms with her son Sam's bi-polar
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
condition, and is reluctant to see him gain his independence. She has a strong friendship with fellow nurse Abs Denham. After budget cuts, Tess considers taking redundancy, leaving Charlie Fairhead to run the department, but these plans are stymied when Charlie temporarily leaves the department after attacking a patient. Over the course of the show, Tess has several near-fatal encounters. In series 20, she is drugged and left for dead by Sam's unstable girlfriend, Fleur. In series 22, she is injected with a paralysis drug by Bank nurse Lewis, and in series 23, she trips in a building site, impaling herself through the abdomen on a metal pole.
In Series 25, Henry tried to persuade Tess to take the blame for the death of a young boy. Angry and upset by the unfairness, she resigned from Clinical Nurse Manager and has since worked in the ED as a Staff Nurse and Ward Sister.
Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon
Title: Operational Duty OfficerKathleen "Dixie" Dixon (played by actress Jane Hazlegrove
Jane Hazlegrove
Jane Hazlegrove is an English actress.Jane is well known for portraying Lisa Shepherd in Families, Yvonne Bradley in London's Burning, Sue Clayton in Coronation Street in 1985 and has appeared in Jonathan Creek, The Bill, Doctors and Holby City. She is currently playing Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon in...
from 2006) arrives in series 21, having transferred from another hospital alongside close friend, Cyd Pyke. When senior paramedic Josh Griffiths
Josh Griffiths
Josh Griffiths was one of the longest-serving fictional characters in the popular BBC drama Casualty, played by Ian Bleasdale since 1989. He worked for the fictional Holby Ambulance Service.-Storylines:...
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
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
. Believing Cyd's life is in danger, following a venomous snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
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. Hazlegrove assess that this incident "dictates what happens to Dixie over the course of [series 23] - the wheels fall off." 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.
Jeff Collier
Title: ParamedicParamedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
Jeff Collier (played by actor Matt Bardock
Matt Bardock
Matthew Arthur "Matt" Bardock in Coulsdon, Surrey is an English actor.-Early life:Bardock attended Woodcote High School in Coulsdon, Surrey, where he was a keen drummer, and was a member of the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain before training at the Guildhall School of drama-Career:Bardock...
from 2007), is a paramedic. He becomes good friends with Dixie, 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 is stealing hospital equipment to help illegal Serbian
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
immigrants, and reluctantly agrees to keep it a secret when she swears not to do it again. Jeff's wife leaves him and begins seeing another man. He sees his children infrequently, and offers Dixie his spare room when her house is burnt down.
In November 2009, Jeff was struck on the back of the head by Alistair MacCormack, who believed that Polly (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.
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. 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 has since made a recovery.
Ruth Winters
Ruth Winters (portrayed by actress Georgia TaylorGeorgia Taylor
Georgia Taylor is an English actress, known for her role as Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street and currently for playing Ruth Winters on Casualty. She was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester....
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. The BBC describe the character as "clever, hardworking and focused", 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. 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."
During her first few months, Ruth misdiagnoses a patient with severe stomach pains, missing a ruptured ectopic pregnancy but blames a nurse in order to preserve her reputation. Ruth is shocked when her alcoholic father is admitted as a patient. She 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 administer a patient with the wrong medication and order 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 but they can't stand each other." 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." As of Series 24, the first episodes display that Ruth and Jay are continuing their relationship - keeping it from their colleagues for her benefit, which later 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 the 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 in embarrassment she collapses, haemorrhaging. Taken into casualty, Ruth is 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, the black sheep of the family, visits and reveals that he has just been released after serving a prison sentence. Ruth is horrified when Jonathan 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 unsafe hospital annexe to enjoy in private. Tragedy strikes when young security guard, Mick, desperate to win Ruth's approval, confronts the homeless men alone but Jonathan is quick to get help. Ruth looks forward to celebrating Christmas with her brother when she notices an heirloom has gone missing from her flat. As she's 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 to work on a medical case and Ruth finally admits that she's lonely after another family disaster. Letting down her guard, she accepts Jay's comfort and the pair head home together. However this is short lived, when Ruth later admits at New Year that she terminated the pregnancy, not that she miscarried 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. But when conference organiser and big name doctor Edward takes an interest in her anyway, she's incredibly flattered and a little bit smitten. Ruth married Edward Thurlow, Clinical Director of Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
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 Thurlow, it is hinted that Ruth still has feelings for Jay and that he feels the same. However Ruth's feelings are spurn when she discovers Jay is in a relationship with 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 an agreement 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 break off 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 Episode 17 Series 25, Edward's boyfriend begins working near to Ruth in the Emergency Department. This is then followed by Ruth's realisation that he is still seeing her husband. Later Edward leaves Ruth for his boyfriend.
Later in Episode 21 Series 25, Ruth is sectioned after trying to operate on someone in the on-call room.
In Series 26 Ruth and Jay reunited and in episode 13 Ruth discovered she was pregnant
Big Mac
Title: PorterMackenzie "Big Mac" Chalker (played by actor Charles Dale
Charles Dale
Charles Dale is a Welsh actor who is well known for playing Dennis Stringer in Coronation Street, Gary "Chef" Alcock in The Lakes and Clive Eustace in The Eustace Bros.....
from 2007) is the department porter. The BBC describe him as "lonely" and "vulnerable" stating that he "hates himself" and "spends his days loathing the world and his nights gorging on comfort food, escaping into James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
films." An episode of series 23 devoted to the character sees him assume a vigilante role on the city's Farmead Estate. 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." Describing Mac's personality, Dale appraised that Mac is "deeply introverted" and struggles to accept that his colleagues actually like him. 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." Mac is a British Sign Language interpreter, which according to the website is because his mother Vera was profoundly deaf.
Zoe Hanna
Title: ConsultantConsultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
Zoe Hanna (played by actress Sunetra Sarker
Sunetra Sarker
Sunetra Sarker is an English actress, most notable for her role as Dr Zoe Hanna on Casualty.Sarker has a degree in Information Systems for Business with French from Brunel University....
from 2007) is a Consultant in the Emergency Department. Prior to appearing in Casualty, Sarker had played a guest role in spin-off show Holby City. Sarker describes Zoe as: "strong, cheeky and rebellious", as well as "very selfish, very righteous, very rude and self-centred". She has an affair with Orthopaedic Consultant Sean Anderson, unaware he is the husband of her colleague and friend, nurse Jessica Harrison. In series 22 episode 29, she is promoted to Clinical Lead of the department, over colleague Maggie Coldwell. When Maggie appears at a tribunal for negligence, hospital manager Marilyn Fox asks Zoe to lie in court, condemning Maggie. She blackmails Zoe, threatening to expose her affair with Sean. Zoe disregards her threat, clears Maggie's name, and admits to the affair herself. Zoe is dismayed when she discovered she cannot have children. She becomes close to Abby, a patient of hers who is being abused by her husband and his father. She takes in Abby and her daughter Sharice, and when Abby and her husband are both killed in a fight, begins fostering Sharice. She takes steps towards adopting her, however comes to realise that she is struggling to balance her work and childcare, and allows Sharice to live with her maternal grandparents.
Sarker commented that although Zoe initially began fostering Sharice out of guilt, as the story progressed, she adapted to the role more easily than she had expected, and: "underneath all the Zoe layers, I think there's quite a decent human being. She's just layered by a lot of selfishness, a lot of righteousness, a lot of pigheadedness, and those traits don't lend them to being a mother very easily. I think that once she's peeled off a few of those layers, she's quite liking being a mum." Having given up Sharice, Zoe then embarks on a relationship with department head Nick Jordan. Sarker explained that Zoe and Nick have a very interesting dynamic" and that: "You can see that they're very similar people which would make them allies or enemies. [...] Zoe's the first female to meet Jordan's professional standards. She's no pussycat and Jordan knows that. He's got a certain amount of respect for her, as she has for him." Characterising the relationship, Sarker explained: "They've both been single for a very long time through their own choices and neither of them feel any pressure or expectations, which is a good combination for something to happen. I think this is the grown-up version of a flirtation. It's a bit more factual with these two; there isn't much softness or gooeyness to them. They are more like steel on steel!"
Noel Garcia
Title: ReceptionistReceptionist
A receptionist is an employee taking an office/administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business...
Noel Garcia (portrayed by actor Tony Marshall from 2008) is the department receptionist. He is described by the BBC as "the practical joker of the bunch", who believes he is only working on the reception as a stop-gap before his big break. Noel is "very much a people person", and "the Laurel
Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
to Big Mac's Hardy
Oliver Hardy
Oliver Hardy was an American comic actor famous as one half of Laurel and Hardy, the classic double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted nearly 30 years, from 1927 to 1955.-Early life:...
". Marshall was cast in the role having been out of work for six months, and admitted to being nervous about joining, but commented: "it is such a well run show that on my first day, I felt like I'd always been here." His character Noel knew his father was in a care home but discovers at the end of 2009 that he has serious dementia.
Jay Faldren
Title: Staff NurseJamshid "Jay" Faldren (portrayed by actor Ben Turner
Ben Turner (actor)
Ben Turner is a British Iranian actor, most notable for his role as nurse Jay Faldren on BBC's Casualty.He was educated at Dulwich College, well known for its pedigree of actors including the founder Edward Alleyn...
from 2008) is a nurse, described by the BBC as "a young Charlie Fairhead". Despite being a "prankster" and a "restless soul", Jay is "a brilliant nurse. Potentially, one of the best to ever step through the doors of ED." 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." However, Jay then falls for doctor Ruth Winters, and "everything change[s]". 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." 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. Series 23 saw him out in 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 5 "Not Forgotten" in which Jay grew annoyed and gave her an ultimatum. She decided to g public with a kiss in front of her colleagues. There 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 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 3 that Polly likes him, he kisses her. They started a relationship in episode 8 although Polly claimed that they had already been in a "relationship" for a "couple of months" Will Polly and Jay last or will his relationship with Ruth rekindle?
His nan, Maryam Shakiba, played by Souad Faress
Souad Faress
Souad Faress is a stage, radio, television and film actress. Born in Ghana to Irish and Syrian parents, she is now best known within the United Kingdom for her portrayal of the solicitor Usha Gupta, in the long-running BBC Radio 4 serial The Archers....
, appeared in Series 25, episode 10 "Hands On" in which she believes Jay is a doctor, so he manages to persuade Ruth to perform a job swap...
Lenny Lyons
Title: Junior DoctorJunior doctor
Junior doctors in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland are those in postgraduate training, starting at graduation with a medical degree and culminating in a post as a Consultant, a General Practitioner, or some other non-training post, such as a Staff grade or Associate Specialist...
Lenny Lyons (played by Steven Miller
Steven Miller (actor)
Steven Miller is an actor best known for his role as Lenny Lyons in the long-running British medical drama Casualty. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and is originally from Tillicoultry.Other TV shows he has appeared in are:Holby City,...
) was one of eight new Foundation House Officer
Foundation House Officer
A Foundation Doctor is a grade of medical practitioner in the United Kingdom undertaking the Foundation Programme - a two-year, general postgraduate medical training programme which forms the bridge between medical school and specialist/general practice training...
Year 2 doctors joining the department at the start of Series 24. He was tutored by Nick. He appears insensitive and unsuited to working as a doctor, but deep down he harbours secrets about his past. He grew up in a children's home, which his childhood friend Davey later went back to and torched. Lenny always puts his foot in it, and is constantly getting dismissed from resus after inappropriate behaviour. He grew a close friendship with Yuki and helped Yuki grow a relationship with colleague May. Lenny was a foster child and never knew his father but saw his mother rarely, in series 25 episode 1, Lenny got a memo from his mother but chose to ignore it. But after a massive tragedy he was appointed as the one who spoke to relatives, and realised it was time to see his mother, unfortunately when he rung up he found out the memo was actually from a staff member trying to inform him that his mother had died two weeks earlier 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, however 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 going to come 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 anyway. She is later attacked by the driver after being diverted to a quiet place, out of sight of the city instead of her home address.
Dylan Keogh
Title: Trust DoctorTrust Doctor
Trust Doctor or Trust Senior House Officer is a term applied to a doctor who is working in the National Health Service in a non-training post, usually at senior house officer level...
Dylan Keogh (Played by William Beck Since 2011) is a shambolic 20-something who joined in 2011 as the trust doctor. It was Miriam Turner who brought him in as she trained both him and Nick Jordan.
Dylan lives on his own with his dog Dervla in a house-boat.
Dylan also blames himself for the death of Ambulance Technician Polly after she was stabbed by a mentally unstable woman who blamed Dylan for the scaring on her face when he had to pull her out of a near igniting bus with a rail stuck in her face.
Recurring characters
List includes numorous characters such as sons, husbands, friends and characters who work in the ED and appear from time to timeLouis Fairhead
Louis Fairhead (played by Callum Ray, Liam HessLiam Hess
Liam Hess is a British actor.He is most famous for playing Louis Fairhead in the prime-time BBC TV show Casualty...
, Jack Dedman and Gregory Foreman from 1996–1998, 2003–2004, 2006 and 2007 onwards) is the son of Charlie Fairhead and Baz Wilder. Born in 1996, he later joins his mother in Canada after she and Charlie split up. He returns in series 18, along with Baz and her new husband,who she was unhappily married to, but was in the process of divorcing and leaving him for good for Charlie. After Baz dies in a car accident, Charlie wins custody of Louis. In series 21, he accuses Charlie's friend Josh Griffiths
Josh Griffiths
Josh Griffiths was one of the longest-serving fictional characters in the popular BBC drama Casualty, played by Ian Bleasdale since 1989. He worked for the fictional Holby Ambulance Service.-Storylines:...
of hitting him. When Josh is stabbed at Christmas and is in critical condition, Louis admits that he lied. Louis returns in series 22 played by 19-year-old Gregory Foreman. The rapid ageing of the character was criticised on BBC TV observation show Points of View
Points of View
Points of View is a long-running television show shown in the United Kingdom on BBC One, featuring the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and purportedly witty observations on the television of recent weeks...
. He becomes a troublemaker, getting a tattoo and smoking marijuana at school. Charlie is invited to travel the world with love-interest Maggie Coldwell, but declines as Louis still relies on him. Foreman has assessed: "Louis is a typical teenager [...] he gets into a bit of trouble and is a bit of a bad boy - but not that bad when it comes to the crunch." In Series 24, Louis had a brief relationship with Shona Wark, the troubled sister of a patient. After they slept together once in the on-call room, Shona came back a few months later announcing she was pregnant. He has not been seen since.
Sarah Evans
Title: Consultant NeurosurgeonSarah Evans (played by actress Julia St. John
Julia St. John
Julia St. John is an English actress. Her television appearances include A Touch of Frost, The Brittas Empire, Agatha Christie's Poirot and Lewis.-Selected film and television roles:...
from 2006) is a Consultant Neurosurgeon in Holby City Hospital, and Trust Doctor Ruth Winter's boss. She appears occasionally in the Emergency Department as a surgeon. She was the consultant who interviewed Ruth for her ST1 surgical rotation after the completion of her Foundation Training in the Emergency Department. She did not approve of Ruth's relationship with Staff Nurse Jay Faldren and was instrumental in splitting them up, citing that Ruth's attentions "would be divided". She then treated a comatose Jessica after the accident at the lake on her wedding day and later had her life saved by none other than Ruth. It has been revealed that in an upcoming episode, she will meet Ruth in the psychiatric ward, where it will turn out she has OCD.
James Molloy
Title: Surgical TraineeJames Molloy (Played by Travis Oliver
Travis Oliver
-Biography:He was born in Belgium, but grew up near Farnham, Surrey, where he attended Frensham Heights School, at the same time as fellow actors Hattie Morahan, Tobias Menzies and Jim Sturgess...
from 2010) is Edward Thurlow's surgical trainee and boyfriend who appears from time to time. We first meet him when Edward was caught kissing him in a cupboard by Charlie Fairhead. He introduced himself to Ruth Winters after having beat her to the surgical trainee position much to the slight consternation of Edward. As of yet, it is uncertain how he really feels about Edward's impromptu marriage to Ruth. James is assigned to treat a patient with Ruth and is bullied terribly by her, not only leading to the patient dying, but also to Edward leaving her for him.
Henry Williams
Title: Director of Critical Care and Consultant AnaesthetistProfessor Henry Williams (played by Tom Chadbon
Tom Chadbon
Tom Chadbon is an English actor, who has spent the larger part of his career appearing on British television. While principally a character actor, he has occasionally had leading or recurring roles....
from 2008) is Holby City's Director of Critical Care and a Consultant Anaesthetist, who is in charge of the hospital's Emergency Department, effectively being Clinical Lead Consultant Adam Trueman's superior. He appointed Adam, though was quite skeptical 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.
Henry is known to be not sympathetic as he once forced Adam to work on his wedding day.
Not much of him as an anaethesist has been seen.
Robert Ludlow
Robert Ludlow (played by Alec NewmanAlec Newman
Alec Newman is a Scottish stage, television and film actor. He was born in Glasgow on 27 November 1974. Prior to joining the National Youth Theatre in London at age 17, he considered becoming a professional footballer...
from 2010) is the Hospital's main inspector. Robert started inspecting the Hospital after an incident caused by F2 May Phelps, and ever since has been around. Robert is also looking up on the late drugs cover up involving Lenny Lyons and Yuki Reid.
Edward Thurlow
Title: Clinical Director of NeurosurgeryEdward Thurlow (played by Stephen Billington
Stephen Billington
Stephen Billington is a British actor, best known for playing Greg Kelly in Coronation Street . He has worked with many leading film directors, including Peter Greenaway, Franco Zeffirelli, and Mel Gibson...
from 2010) is Holby City's Clinical Director of Neurosurgery. He arrives as the host of a lecture that Ruth was preparing a presentation for which she later messes up. After apologising for his manners, he takes her to dinner. He shortly moves on to become Ruth Winters new husband, although Ruth is disappointed with his lack of affection for her. Charlie has also found Edward in a cupboard kissing another man. It has also transpired that the man he was kissing turned out to be someone called James, Edward's boyfriend. Edward has recently struck a deal with Ruth to stop seeing James in order to preserve his reputation. Finally though, Ruth has enough and suggests they go their separate ways but Edward is terrified of being ridiculed and persuades her to continue with their sham of a marriage. Finally though, after witnessing Ruth harangue James, Edward has enough and finally finds the courage to leave her for him.
Omar Nasri
Title: ParamedicParamedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
Omar Nasri is one of four new staff who started at the start of Series 26
Casualty (series 26)
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. Series 26 will be the first to be broadcast in high definition from episode 15/16. It sees another reduction in episodes, the second lowest since 2003...
as a new paramedic along with Tamzin Bayle. He made his debut on 13th August 2011.