Casualty (stylised as CASUAL+Y since 1997) is a British medical drama series broadcast on BBC One.[3] Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it first aired in the United Kingdom on 6 September 1986. The show was originally produced by Geraint Morris and has been a staple of British television ever since. Casualty is recognised as the longest-running primetime medical drama series in the world.[4][5]
Initially, Casualty aired during the autumn for its first six series, before increasing to 24 episodes annually by 1992. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the episode count expanded further, and by 2004, the series was running 48 episodes a year, with breaks around Christmas and major events like sporting competitions and the Eurovision Song Contest. In 2020, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television led to a temporary autumn break, but the series resumed its year-round schedule in the following two years. From 2023, Casualty introduced a regular autumn break due to rising production costs, settling on a schedule of 36 episodes per year.[6]
The show is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, focusing on the staff and patients in the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department. It shared a close connection with its former sister programme, Holby City, a spin-off that aired from 1999 until its cancellation in 2022.[7]HolbyBlue, a police drama set in the same universe, also spun off from Casualty and aired between 2007 and 2008.
Creation
The series Casualty was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin.[8] According to writer Susan Wilkins, the show was conceived as a response to the political climate of the Margaret Thatcher era. Unwin, reflecting on its origins, stated that as young socialists, they aimed to create a "television revolution" that would be feminist, anti-racist, pro-NHS, and anti-Conservative.[9]
Production
Location
Casualty and Holby City are both set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, located in the fictional county of Wyvern in the southwest of England.[10][11] From the show's inception until Series 26, episode 16, exterior shots of the city were filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks such as the floating harbour and Clifton Suspension Bridge.[12][13] Allen House, part of the Ashley Down Centre campus at City of Bristol College, served as the location for most exterior shots of the hospital's A&E entrance from 1986 until 2002. In 2002, a new exterior set was constructed at Lawrence Hill Industrial Park, Bristol.[14][15]
Casualty's exterior shots were mainly filmed outside Brunel House and Allen House on College Road in Bristol until production moved in 2011 to Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff.[16][17] Episode 16 of Series 26, which depicted a fire destroying the hospital department, was the last episode filmed in Bristol, and the first episode filmed in Cardiff aired on 7 January 2012 as an 80-minute special.[18][19] Most exterior scenes of Holby City are now filmed in Cardiff and the surrounding South Wales area. Additionally, railway scenes are filmed at various preserved railways, including the West Somerset Railway, Avon Valley Railway, and Barry Tourist Railway. For the premiere of Series 33, filming took place in Bristol and Yate in May 2018.[20]
Casualty has predominantly been broadcast on Saturday nights since its inception, although it briefly aired on Fridays during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first two series featured 15 episodes each, while Series 3 had 10 episodes—one of which was postponed following the death of guest star Roy Kinnear. Series 4, 5, and 6 consisted of 12, 13, and 15 episodes, respectively. The Series 6 finale episode, which centered around a plane crash, was postponed due to its proximity to the anniversary of the Lockerbie disaster.
In September 1992, Casualty returned to Saturday nights with a series length extended to 24 episodes per year and aired in a pre-watershed slot around 8 pm. The move sparked controversy due to the graphic and controversial storylines.[21] In 1997-98, the episode count increased to 26 for Series 12, including two 75-minute specials. Subsequent series saw further increases: 28 episodes for Series 13, 30 for Series 14, 36 for Series 15, 40 for Series 16 and 17, and 46 for Series 18. By 2004, Casualty had transitioned to an almost year-round format, with 48 episodes per series from Series 19 through 25. This number dropped to 42 for Series 26, attributed to the show's production move from Bristol to Cardiff.[22]Series 27 saw an increase to 44 episodes, with Series 28 returning to 48 episodes.[23][24]
The 1,000th episode aired on 25 June 2016, followed by a feature-length 30th anniversary episode on 27 August 2016 as the Series 31 premiere.[25] For the Series 31 finale, co-creator Paul Unwin wrote a special episode filmed entirely in one take using a single camera, five boom operators, and 40 microphones.[26]
Production was temporarily halted on 17 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with filming resuming in September 2020. When the show returned in January 2021, episodes were shortened to 40 minutes instead of the usual 50.[27][28]Casualty typically airs for 50 minutes between 20:00–22:00 on BBC One, with the schedule sometimes shifting due to special events like the Eurovision Song Contest or sporting events. Occasionally, if an episode is split into two parts, part one airs on Saturday and part two on Sunday. The show is also broadcast across Europe via BBC Entertainment.
Training schemes
In February 2024, BBC Studios launched two new training schemes for aspiring writers and directors—The Casualty Directors' Scheme and The Writers' Studio: Casualty—based within the Casualty production team. These initiatives will give eight successful candidates the opportunity to direct or write an episode of the long-running drama. Executive producer Roxanne Harvey expressed enthusiasm for the launch, highlighting the importance of these training programmes to "sustain the high quality of our iconic drama."[29]
This section's factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. The reason given is: current cast list is partially outdated.. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(June 2024)
The first three series of Casualty were released on DVD (Region 2, UK) by 2 Entertain/Cinema Club, with the third series being released to coincide with the show's 20th anniversary celebrations. In Australia, the first series was made available by Umbrella Entertainment. Currently, there are no plans for future DVD releases in either the UK or Australia.
Irish viewers can stream Casualty on the free RTÉ Player service.[41] In the United States, the series is available on Britbox, a subscription-based streaming service that specializes in British television content.[42][43]
Holby City premiered on 12 January 1999 as a spin-off from Casualty and is set in the same fictional Holby City Hospital. The series focuses on the lives and careers of the medical staff and patients on the hospital's surgical wards, addressing various clinical and ethical dilemmas. Like Casualty, the show features an ensemble cast of regular characters, including surgeons, nurses, and ancillary staff, while guest actors play the patients. Over the years, notable guest stars have included Eric Sykes, Phill Jupitus, Michael Jayston, Michele Dotrice, Ronni Ancona, Emma Samms, Lee Ryan, Nikki Sanderson, and Johnny Briggs.[44]
The series was created by Mal Young and Tony McHale, with McHale later becoming the executive producer from 2007 to 2010. He was succeeded by Casualty's executive producer, Belinda Campbell.
Reflecting Holby City's origins as a spin-off from Casualty and the interconnected premises of the two series, the BBC has occasionally aired crossover mini-dramas titled Casualty@Holby City, featuring characters from both shows.[45] Mervyn Watson, former executive producer of Casualty, explained that the idea for the crossovers stemmed from a casual suggestion made within the BBC's comedy department. The concept was embraced by the Controller of Drama, who then commissioned the crossovers with input from both shows' executive producers.[46]
Filming for Casualty@Holby City episodes is typically split between Casualty's Bristol set and Holby City's Elstree studios. Notably, a significant portion of the Christmas 2005 crossover was filmed on location in a road tunnel in Caernarfon, Wales.[47] The theme tune for the crossover episodes combines shortened versions of the Casualty and Holby City themes, a choice criticized by TheDaily Mirror as "basically both theme tunes played at once."[48]
Before the broadcast of the 2005 Christmas crossover, Watson commented on the future of the crossover episodes, stating that while they couldn't guarantee more, they would be willing to continue them as long as there was audience interest.[49] In 2007, Holby City producer Diana Kyle noted the logistical challenges of producing crossovers, given the demanding year-round filming schedules for both series.[50] Despite this, the production teams remained enthusiastic about creating further crossovers, with Casualty producer Oliver Kent reiterating in 2010 that logistical challenges, rather than a lack of interest, were the primary obstacle to producing these special episodes.[51]
In April 2006, the BBC announced the production of a new spin-off drama from Casualty, titled HolbyBlue.[52] The series centered on the police service in Holby South and aired on BBC One, with its first series occupying a Tuesday night slot, while Holby City returned to its previous Thursday 8:00 pm timeslot. The crossover between the two shows was significant, with long-running Casualty character Charlie Fairhead appearing in the first episode of HolbyBlue, and a full two-part crossover episode with Holby City airing at the start of the show's second series.[53] However, on 6 August 2008, the BBC confirmed that HolbyBlue had been cancelled after two series.[54]
In December 2006, the BBC aired Casualty 1906, a historical medical drama reflecting life in the 'Receiving Room' of the Royal London Hospital 100 years prior, before the development of modern A&E departments. Based on historical hospital records and news reports, the drama depicted the medical practices and societal conditions of the time. Following its success, a three-episode miniseries titled Casualty 1907 was broadcast in 2008.[55] While not a direct spin-off nor set in the same fictional location as Casualty, The Times suggested that the BBC leveraged the popularity of Casualty to introduce the historical drama, a sentiment echoed by The Guardian.[56] A third series, Casualty 1908, featuring Cherie Lunghi, was also commissioned. On 25 March 2009, it was announced that the BBC would produce Casualty 1909, a six-part series that aired in June and July 2009.[57]
^Kevin Rundle (writer); Steve Hughes (director); Mat McHale (producer) (2 January 2021). "Episode 1". Casualty. BBC. BBC One. Archived from the original on 2 January 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
