| Series Number: | 38 |
| Bgcolour: |
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| Num Episodes: | 36 |
| Episode List: | List of Casualty episodes |
The thirty-eighth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2023. 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 and Liza Mellody continued their roles as executive producer and series producer respectively. Series 38 consists of four mini-series: Driving Force, A History of Violence, Breaking Point and Storm Damage. The series also features the departure of the show's longest-serving character, Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson).
The series commenced airing in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2023 on BBC One, a week after the conclusion to the previous series.[1] Casualty normally airs weekly on BBC One on Saturday nights,[1] although episodes 2 and 3 were broadcast as a double billing.[2] Episode 30 was broadcast on BBC Two due to the coverage of the UEFA Euro 2024 on BBC One. It is produced by BBC Studios.[3] Casualty operates its series by splitting them into mini-series of 12 episodes, focusing on a single main story arc in each mini-series.[4] Series 38 features four mini-series; the first, Driving Force, continues from series 37.[5] A History of Violence and Breaking Point were the second and third mini-series, followed by Storm Damage, which continued into the following series.[6]
The number of episodes produced per year was reduced to thirty-six, with a regular transmission break implemented in the autumn months, due to cost inflation in the production of dramas. A publicity officer told Joe Anderton from Digital Spy that this was decided to preserve the quality of the show.[7] The reduction in episodes meant that the show took a mid-series break after the broadcast of episode 6, at the conclusion of the Driving Force mini-series. The BBC's website promoted each mini-series as a separate series.[8]
A promotional trailer for A History of Violence was released on 23 September 2023, with confirmation that the series would return to broadcast later in 2023.[9] In December 2023, it was confirmed that the show would return to transmission on 30 December with a new mini-series.[10] The mini-series, A History of Violence, was promoted in a trailer released on 7 December 2023.[11] The following mini-series, Breaking Point, received a promotional trailer released on 20 March 2024.[12] The final mini-series, Storm Damage, was previewed in a clip released to the show's Instagram account on 30 May 2024.[13] An official promotional trailer was then released on 12 June 2024.[6]
Jon Sen continues his role as executive producer until the end of the Breaking Point mini-series; his resignation was announced in October 2023. Kate Oates, the head of continuing drama at BBC Studios, expressed sadness at Sen's decision but accredited him with "creating some groundbreaking moments".[14] Following Sen's departure, no executive producer is credited for the Storm Damage mini-series. Liza Mellody serves as series producer.[15] Filming for Casualty primarily takes place in a purpose-built studio at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, although the nature of the show means that filming also takes place on-location. On-location filming often occurs in Cardiff and other areas of southern Wales.[3]
The thirty-eighth 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.[16] Most cast members from the previous series reprise their roles in this series. William Beck appears as Dylan Keogh, a consultant in emergency medicine.[17] Di Botcher portrays Jan Jenning, the operational duty manager at Holby Ambulance Service.[17] Anna Chell stars as Jodie Whyte, a staff nurse, and Milo Clarke plays Teddy Gowan, a paramedic.[17] Nigel Harman features as consultant Max Cristie, the department's clinical lead.[17] Jaye Jacobs appears as Donna Jackson, the department's clinical nurse manager.[17] Shalisha James-Davis plays Paige Allcott, an F1 doctor, and Elinor Lawless stars as consultant Stevie Nash.[17] Kirsty Mitchell portrays Faith Cadogan, an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP), and Neet Mohan appears as Rash Masum, a clinical fellow.[17] Eddie-Joe Robinson and Sarah Seggari play staff nurses Ryan Firth and Rida Amaan, respectively.[17] Arin Smethurst and Michael Stevenson feature as paramedics Sah Brockner and Iain Dean, respectively.[17] Original cast member Derek Thompson continues his role as Charlie Fairhead, a senior charge nurse and emergency nurse practitioner.[17] Charles Venn portrays paramedic Jacob Masters, and Barney Walsh plays staff nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite.[17] Additionally, two actors appear in a recurring capacity: Zoe Brough (relative Natalia Malinovsky),[18] and Robert Pugh (relative Gethin West).[2]
Jacobs departed the series in episode five at the conclusion of her character's story. Her departure had not been announced prior to transmission.[19] The following episode features the exit of Pugh when his character Gethin kills himself.[20] Thompson's departure was announced on 30 May 2023. He is the show's longest-serving cast member, having appeared in over 900 episodes over 37 years.[21] The character departs at the conclusion of a "gripping" storyline suggested by Thompson which plays out across series 38.[21] Sen praised Thompson for his creation of "an iconic character who is woven into the fabric of British TV history".[21] He added that both Charlie and Thompson would be missed by the show. In a statement, Thompson thanked Pete Salt, the inspiration for his character, for his support in establishing the character of Charlie.[21] Charlie's exit features in episode 18.[22] Harman's departure from the show was officially confirmed by Sen in October 2023. Sen praised the actor, calling him "a brilliant addition to the show".[23] He acknowledged that Harman was only contracted for a limited time, so explained that he wanted his stories to be "as explosive as possible".[23] Three characters made unannounced departures during series 38. Robinson left his role as Eddie-Joe in episode 8; he was excited about his exit story.[24] The following episode features Smethurst's departure as Sah.[25] James-Davis made her departure from her role as Paige in episode 15.[26] Glover made his departure from his role as Patrick in episode 30, his departure had not been announced prior to transmission.[27]
The return of Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) was announced on 8 September 2023. The character returns as part of Charlie's departure, six years after her last appearance. Sarker expressed her excitement at reprising the role.[28] Zoe returns in episode 17 and 18. On 6 March 2024, Ian Bleasdale was confirmed to be reprising his role as Josh Griffiths in episode 18 as part of Charlie's exit.[29]
Melanie Hill joined the cast in series 38 as Siobhan Mackenzie, the department's new clinical nurse manager. Siobhan is billed as a "hardworking", experienced and "no-nonsense" nurse who will use her knowledge to support the department in its time of crisis.[30] Hill was excited to be playing Siobhan, who she dubbed "a supremely competent manager, who is firm but fair and expects nothing but the best from her nursing team".[30] Sen expressed his joy at Hill's casting and called himself "a huge admirer of her work".[30] Actress Adesuwa Oni was cast in the series as staff nurse Ngozi Okoye. The character and Oni's casting was announced in December 2023. Ngozi's backstory states that she has recently relocated from Nigeria.[31]
On 7 February 2024, it was announced that three new characters would join the series. Jamie Glover was cast in the role of Patrick Onley, a trauma surgeon and the department's clinical lead. He was excited about joining the show and to work with "such a dedicated, skilful group of people".[32] Manpreet Bachu and Sammy T. Dobson join the show as junior doctors Tariq Hussein and Nicole Piper, respectively. Tariq is also established as Rash's cousin.[32] Both actors spoke of their delight to join the show, with Dobson commenting, "To become a piece of such a well-regarded part of BBC history is incredible".[32] Tariq appears from episode 15,[33] Patrick from episode 19, and Nicole from episode 20.[34] Glover departed the show at the conclusion of the mini-series, in episode 30. The actor enjoyed his stint on the show and felt he and the production team managed to avoid Patrick becoming a "pantomime villain".[35] Kellie Shirley joined the main cast from episode 31, as part of the Storm Damage miniseries; she portrays Sophia Peters, a psych liaison nurse.[36]
The series features several recurring characters and multiple guest stars. Connor Curren continues his guest role as Ashley Morgan into the series, having first appeared in series 37.[1] Kriss Dosanjh guest stars in the series as Ashok Masum, the father of Rash. The character is used to explore the topic of dementia.[31] Dosanjh's guest stint concludes in episode 14 when the character is killed off.[37] The casting of Kate Williams in the recurring role of Stella Lawson was announced on 26 August 2023. Stella is the mother of Max and grandmother of Jodie who is admitted to the ED as a patient. Williams described her as "very direct, very opinionated, and quite loud" and was excited to portray a "feisty senior" in the show.[2] Angus Castle-Doughty's casting in the role of Kyle was announced on 6 March 2024. He appears in episode 17 as part of Charlie's departure from the show.[38] Annette Badland guest stars in episode 18 as Shirley Baldwin, a charge nurse who appears in a flashback. Erin Zammitt of Digital Spy wrote that Badland would "play an important role" in the episode.[39] Peter Salt, a medical advisor who was the basis for the character of Charlie, makes a cameo appearance as a nurse in episode 18.[22]
Ryan Hawley joins the cast in the semi-regular role of Jamie Cleveland, a board member with a connection to Cam, in episode 30.[36] In the same episode, Michael Keogh began appearing as firefighter Rich Walker, who stars in a story with Stevie. Tom Mulheron reprises his recurring role as Luka Malinovksy, who is Faith's son, in episode 31.[40]
Casualty won the British Academy Television Award for Best Soap at the 2024 British Academy Television Awards.[41] At the 29th National Television Awards in 2024, Casualty was nominated for Best Serial Drama, and Lawless, Mohan and Walsh were nominated for Best Serial Drama Performance.[42]
Digital Spys Erin Zammitt praised the Breaking Point mini-series, and the story arc format as a whole for the depths it allows themes to be explored. Zammitt described the series' focus on staff mental health as "important television", relating this to the struggles faced by real NHS workers. She complimented the focus on Rash and Neet Mohan's performance, as well as the story's efforts to follow Rash's journey beyond his breakdown and the series' awareness of systemic failures. Zammitt also noted the impact of the series showing Dylan's struggles, due to audiences having known him as "confident and focused" for more than ten years on-screen.[43]