Casualty Duffy is struggling with Bill
AS HER ALTER EGO CONTINUES TO SUFFER IN SILENCE, CATHY SHIPTON ADMITS THERE ARE MORE DARK TIMES IN STORE…
In times of crisis, nurse Duffy is there for everyone. But she’s now embroiled in tough times of her own, and has never felt more alone. With her husband Charlie oblivious to how much she’s struggling, Duffy is forced closer to her former flame Bill this week. As we catch up with Cathy Shipton – who plays Duffy – she admits that it doesn’t bode well…
Sum up how Duffy is feeling.
For the past few months, Duffy hasn’t been herself. She’s gone to the doctor, who sees her as someone who works in a highpressure environment, and has diagnosed her with depression. But she hasn’t been sharing any of that with Charlie. I’m sure that if she did, he’d say, “Come on, let’s get our lives together and sort things out!”
Do you feel frustrated with her for not sharing her feelings with Charlie?
I’m sure that people must be shouting at the telly! There’s an element of Duffy that’s denying what she’s feeling, believing it’ll just go away – which is human, and I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that. But it’s good to explore. People are flawed, and that’s one of the things I love about playing Duffy.
She’s good at her job, yet she’s not necessarily good at working out what she needs.
Having played Duffy for so long, do you feel like you know her inside out?
Well, I do and I don’t. Sometimes people can surprise you! Duffy has never been good with the personal side of her life, though – she can manage for everyone else, but not for herself. As a character, she’s a coper, and she doesn’t want to add to Charlie’s burden. Recently, he came home and told her she’s his rock, and he doesn’t know what he’d do without her. That’s when she should have said, “Actually…” So they’ve both been negligent.
What’s it meant to her, having Bill back in her life?
They have a shared history – they’re childhood sweethearts. His life isn’t straightforward either, which makes it easier for Duffy to put her own problems aside and concentrate on his. So it might be bad timing from that point of view, but Bill is also someone who she’s been able to start sharing things with.
Casualty doesn’t shy away from addressing tricky issues – is that important to you?
For sure. For our guest characters, their story is done and dusted in a week. But we’re also playing out long-running stories with our long-running characters, and taking the audience along with us.
We’re not pulling any punches, and I think that’s good.
We can’t help but fear for Charlie and Duffy’s relationship. Can they cope or is worse still to come?
I can’t say too much, of course. But our producer Lucy Raffety has already gone out there to say that both Duffy and Charlie have a challenging time ahead. We’ll be exploring things that will touch a lot of people’s lives, and it’ll all be very relatable. So have the Kleenex ready!