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Casualty (tv Series)




  Network BBC 1
  Creator Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin
  Senior Cast Members Derek Thompson , Ian Bleasdale
  First Aired 1986
  Run Time 50 minutes
  Official Website http://wwwbbccouk/drama/casualty/
  Imdb Id 0096555


Casualty is a long-running BBC Television Drama series, first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted on BBC One . It was devised by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin. It is based in and around the fictional Holby City Hospital , situated in Holby, a fictional city bearing a close resemblance to Bristol , where the show is filmed. Bristol landmarks, including the docks and the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge , are regularly glimpsed in the outdoor scenes. The exterior shots of the hospital itself were formerly filmed at the city's technical college, but are now shot on a small industrial estate, not far from the interior set of the hospital itself.

The drama is mainly concerned with a group of doctors, nurses and administrators who work in the Accident & Emergency department. At the centre of the action is Nurse Manager Charlie Fairhead (played by Derek Thompson ), a dedicated and caring man frequently at odds with the demands of hospital management. This has been a recurring theme over the years, but especially in the early series, which were frequently criticised for endorsing criticisms of National Health Service management under the Conservative government of the day.

The programme has traditionally been transmitted on Saturday nights, although for a period in the late 1980s it switched to Fridays. Since the early 2000s , popularity of the show forced a switch from a traditional seasonal format to almost year-round production and transmission. During the 18th series, the run was artificially extended with Casualty being relaced in the schedule for several weeks. The 18th series had 47 episodes, but the break between the 18th & 19th series was only 1 week. A spin-off show, '' Holby City '', shows life elsewhere in the same hospital. Due to the large number of episodes, some viewers have felt the storylines are becoming increasingly repetitive and predictable, although it remains one of the most watched television shows.

In December 2004, a 2-part special Casualty @ Holby City was broadcast, with the two shows combining to cope with a petrol tanker crashing into the Hospital. Most of the filming was done on Holby City's interior & exterior sets, as Casualty is filmed in Bristol , whereas Holby City is shot at the BBC Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire. A second special (with the same name, but shot in Bristol) was broadcast in August 2005 to promote Organ Donation ; viewers were asked to choose between two patients waiting for a heart transplant.

In order to draw more viewers over Bank Holidays, Christmas etc, two-part specials are shown, where the first hour is the build-up to some major accident eg, train crash, nuclear waste spill, lorry explosion etc, which inevitably stretches the hospital to the limit and results in multiple deaths and injuries.


OPENING TITLES


Series 1 - Series 3: BBCi link

Series 4 - Series 7: BBCi link

Series 8 - Series 11: BBCi link

Series 12 - Series 14: BBCi link

Series 15: BBCi link

Series 16: BBCi link

Series 17 - Series 2?: BBCi link


CURRENT CAST




















ORIGINAL CAST














FORMER CAST

''Not included on this list are the Original Cast (see above), and those, having rejoined, now on the 'Current Cast' list''

  • Elizabeth Straker, Administrator

  • portrayed by Maureen O'Brien , ''from 2x01 to 2x15''












portrayed by Philip Bretherton , ''from 15x12 to 15x35''














  • Kate Miller, General Manager

  • portrayed by Joanna Foster , ''from 7x01 to 7x08''




  • Mike Barratt, Consultant

  • portrayed by Clive Mantle , ''from 7x09 to 8x09; from 8x13 to 9x20; from 10x01 to 10x21; from 11x01 to 11x10; 12x25 and 12x26''

  • Mark Calder, Surgical Manager

  • portrayed by Oliver Parker , ''from 8x01 to 8x18''




















  • Peter Hayes, Non-Executive Trust Board Member

  • portrayed by Robert Duncan , ''from 10x02 to 10x20''






  • Elliot Matthews, General Manager

  • portrayed by Peter Guinness , ''from 12x01 to 12x26''


















  • Dan Robinson, Directorate Manager

  • portrayed by Grant Masters , ''from 15x01 to 15x36''















  • Natalya "Tally" Harper, Administrativre Assistant

  • portrayed by Ashlie Walker , ''from 17x01 to 17x??'' (guest)

portrayed by Holly Davidson , ''from 18x01 to 18x34''



portrayed by Sebastian Dunn , ''from 18x01 to 18x03''







DEATHS


In recent years the amount of deaths has risen dramatically:

  • Series 2 - Sandra Mute (stabbed)

  • Series 3 - Ewart Plimmer (heart attack)

  • Series 6 - Kelly (suicide)

  • Series 11 - Trevor (falls to death)

  • Series 15 - Andrew (pushed to death), Tom (falls to death)

  • Series 16 - Rachel (fatal mugging), Patrick (motorway crash), Eddie (transplant op)

  • Series 17 - Jeff (heart attack), Beth (car crash), Jack Vincent (boat explosion),

  • Series 18 - Anna Paul (Train Crash) Baz Wilder (car crash), Simon Kaminski (plane crash)

  • Series 19 - Fin Newton (Murdered) Jim Brodie (hospital fire), Claire Guildford (drowns, suicide)

  • Series 20 - Paul 'Woody' Joyner (Chlorine poisoning)



DVD RELEASE


''Casualty'' is being released on DVD (Region 2, U.K.) by 2 Entertain/Cinema Club. The first series was released on 10 April 2006 . Series two is currently scheduled for release on 10 July , with the third series to follow on 11 September .


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