Enjoying the best of health
BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS. McMULLEN
CASUALTY is the longest running emergency medical drama series in the world, and Charlie Fairhead and his fellow co-workers have seen some of the strangest admissions over the years.
There was a squash player who accidentally stabbed herself in the neck with her racquet, a man with shingles who thought he was giving birth to an alien, a fading rock star given an electric shock by his guitar and a holey monk who punctured himself lying on a bed of nails.
Original cast member Derek Thompson plays Charlie, the beating heart of the department, and says: “From day one of Casualty in 1986, I’ve been so proud of its true-to-life storytelling, representing everything the NHS stands for.”
Of course, Charlie himself has suffered a few medical emergencies over the last 35 years. He’s been shot in the chest, suffered a pulmonary embolism and been run over by an ambulance for starters.
The long-running BBC medical drama was launched at a time when the NHS was under increasing pressure and Casualty focused on the lives of the staff in the accident and emergency department of fictional inner-city Holby City Hospital.
It was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, who were inspired by the “comedy and heroics” of everyday life in the National Health Service. The first series consisted of just 14 episodes and a pilot with the opening episode called Gas seeing the department having to contend with a chemical spill at the docks, awkward patients and a stolen bunch of flowers.
The first series also introduced viewers to characters like Catherine Shipton as Lisa “Duffy” Duffin, Christopher Rozycki as Kuba, Julia Watson as Baz Wilder and Brenda Fricker as soothing nurse Megan Roach. Irish actress Brenda, who went on to win an Oscar in 1990 for her role in the movie My Left Foot with Daniel Day Lewis, once said: “Megan was the mother we all want. Full of love and understanding.”
Other famous faces have also made appointments over the years including Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley, X-Men’s Nicholas Hoult and Loki actor Tom Hiddleston. Good Will Hunting’s Minnie Driver played the first HIV-positive patient in 1991, Lucy Davis, of The Office fame, played a Jehovah’s Witness who refused a blood transfusion and Jonny Lee Miller appeared as teenage tearaway Matt. The late Pete Postlethwaite was a patient who was pushed around the hospital in a wheelchair by porter Jimmy, played by Soldier Soldier star, Robson Green.
Derek Thompson recalled on the BBC iPlayer series Back To Ours when future Titanic star and Oscar winner Kate Winslet played a guest role. “She was very young, she was exceptional,” he said. “She worked like hell, and when she was in front of the camera she was so relaxed, to the point that actually you’d find that those who had a great deal more experience, she’d brought their game up.”
The 35th anniversary of Casualty is being marked by the BBC with a special feature-length anniversary episode on August 14 which will see Tony Marshall, Charles Dale and Richard Winsor return to reprise their roles of Noel, Big Mac and Cal.
Richard’s Cal Knight exited the soap in 2017 when he was stabbed by Scott Ellisson, receptionist Noel Garcia, played by Tony Marshall, died at the beginning of the year in the Bafta award-winning coronavirus episode of the show, and Mackenzie “Big Mac” Chalker was last seen in the hospital five years ago when he left after admitting stealing medicine.
Tony’s son will also make a cameo appearance in the special episode, playing Rudi, a young boy who needs medical help.
Series producer Loretta Preece says: “There is a 35th-anniversary smorgasbord to offer both new and old fans of Casualty huge stunts, faces from the past, some indelible new characters and some wonderful story twists.”
The BBC series entered the Guinness Book Of Records in 2009 for being the longest-running primetime medical drama. It now runs almost year round and the success of the series led to the creation of spin-off drama Holby City in 1999 looking at life on the wards of the hospital.
The make-up department uses 15 different types of fake blood, including ones for clotting, fresh scabs, dark scabs, congealed blood, and blood for the eyes. Pus is created by mixing hair conditioner with yellow colouring. To make brain matter, the make-up department blend cotton wool, gel and fake blood. Rice pudding, apricots, apple juice, fruit salad and packet soup have all been used to make fake vomit.
The production moved from Bristol to Cardiff 10 years ago and there have been nearly 2,000 episodes over the years. TV bosses even donated some of Casualty’s real medical equipment to the NHS when filming had to stop because of coronavirus.
Casualty itself returned to the small screen in January after a five month hiatus and the prognosis for the future looks good.