Casualty
Amanda Mealing on the drama to come and plans for lockdown filming
SATURDAY / BBC1
There’s a hostage situation in the ED this week and two of my favourite characters, Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing), are at the centre of the action. In exclusive interviews, Derek and Amanda reveal more about the drama to come.
CASUALTY
SATURDAY / BBC1 / 8.40PM / DRAMA
Amanda Mealing is a busy sewing bee when TV Times calls for a chat about her latest dramatic storyline in Casualty. ‘I’m sat here talking to you with headphones on, so I’ve both hands free to sew!’ explains Amanda, 53, who started making face masks during lockdown to raise money for the CARE Project in South Wales, a community charity where she volunteers*.
‘I like to be busy, so I thought
I’d make a couple of masks. But I’ve had over 300 orders, so I’m slightly busier than I anticipated! It’s raising money for this lovely charity that delivers free food, collects prescriptions and walks dogs. The community spirit is a lovely ray of sunshine.’
We can’t think of a better way to describe Amanda either: she is always an absolute pleasure to interview and she clearly loves playing clinical lead Connie Beauchamp in the hit BBC1 medical drama.
In this week’s nail-biting episode, Connie and her colleagues Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson), Dylan Keogh (William Beck) and
Faith Cadogan (Kirsty Mitchell) are taken hostage by a disgruntled dad, Mick (guest star Owen Whitelaw), who bursts into Holby’s ED with a gun and demands to see his seriously ill son.
Here, Amanda reveals how the drama might heal Connie and Charlie’s fractured friendship, and why she’s proud to be called ‘Queen of the ED’…
How does the drama unfold in this week’s episode?
It’s a big one! Charlie is in a bad way. He’s still grieving for Duffy and part of that grieving process is blaming everyone else. Charlie comes to the ED and lets Connie know exactly how he feels about her [after she let Duffy take the blame for her medical mistakes].
You’re good friends with
Derek. Does that make these scenes difficult?
Derek’s my bestie! I probably spend more time with him than anyone, and, as you know, we’re all a really close unit on Casualty. In these scenes, he’s unshaven, unkempt and looks awful. Derek does it with such conviction that I couldn’t help but react to it. It’s heartbreaking and terrifying at the same time. But, after everything Connie did, we need to see her get it full force from Charlie. It comes to a head when a gunman takes Charlie, Connie, Dylan and Faith hostage!
Are action-packed storylines like this part of why you love playing Connie?
Yes, definitely! She’s a mercurial character. She can start an episode happy and by the end is tearing someone’s head off. It’s so much fun! My favourite version of Connie is her battling in intellectual word-tennis with some powerhouse. I love the feisty, strident, one-liner Connie – that’s when she’s at her best.
Well, she is the Queen of the ED! There are fabulously strong women, past and present, in Casualty, so to be called ‘Queen of the ED’ is just awesome! It means I have to live up to it, maintain my standards – and Connie’s heels! In this hostage episode, she has to work through a lot of barriers before she can get back to being the Connie who takes charge when it’s desperately needed. She’s scared when she’s grabbed because she’s been attacked before.
Can you tease any upcoming storylines brewing on the wards? Yes! We always want to make sure there are interactions between sister shows Casualty and Holby City. So hospital CEO Max Mcgerry [Jo Martin] will pop downstairs to Casualty. And Connie will pop up to Holby City. As for Charlie, the gunman forces a big awakening for him. He and Connie are prompted to find the beginnings of a reconciliation…
Production on the show has been suspended because of lockdown. Are there plans on how it can resume filming?
We’re trying to find solutions. We’ll never leave the audience without something. Because Casualty is set in an ED, we’re in a better place than many. We can viably get away with wearing PPE, but we need protection for the rest of the crew. We’ll find a way!
Finally, how’s the sewing going? Well, I have to hand-finish them, but I’ve done six while I’ve been talking to you!
CASUALTY is previewed on pages 32-33
TO BE CALLED ‘QUEEN OF THE ED’ IS JUST AWESOME!