Adam Postans

Returning as paramedic Josh Griffiths, he still looks the part – which means he occasionally has to convince people he is NOT a member of the emergency services.

Ian said: “I dread those calls you sometimes get. You know, ‘Is there a doctor or a nurse or anyone with medical training?’

“People look at me and expect me to respond. Maybe they should just add, ‘Is there an actor who has played any medical roles?’ I’m just an actor playing a role.

“I watch professionals and learn how to make it look right but I really don’t know what I am doing. I don’t know my aorta from elbow.”

In the feature- length special, Josh is reunited with nurses Duffy and Charlie Fairhead at a surprise party. But Casualty being Casualty, tragedy is never far away and the three amigos are soon in the action.

Ian, 64, quit the world’s longest-running medical drama in 2007 after 18 years but the show’s regular six million viewers would not let him shake-off the character.

Ian took a first aid course and shadowed real-life paramedics on emergencies but his presence did cause some confusion.

He said: “You could see patients doing a double take. They couldn’t quite work out whether it was Josh or a real paramedic.

“We had one was a person with chest pains in the ambulance and they asked for an