Casualty series 18

Production

The series commenced in the United Kingdom on 13 September 2003 on BBC One with a two-part episode airing over consecutive days. Foz Allan serves as the series producer, while Mal Young and Mervyn Watson act as the executive producers of the series. Young, who is also the BBC Controller of Drama, commented, "Series 18 will hopefully keep surprising and gripping our audience." The series films in Bristol and marks Casualty becoming the longest running television medical drama series in the world. The opening episodes, billed as the show's "most ambitious yet", feature a double train crash. The stunt took two production teams working to film over 24 days and featured 1470 supporting artists. The episode were filmed on-location in the Nene Valley Railway in Peterborough. Actors Kwame Kwei-Armah and Ian Bleasdale, who portray paramedics Finlay Newton and Josh Griffiths respectively, enjoyed filming the stunt. Kwei-Armah compared it to the making of a "big movie". Writers created a story to raise money for the 24th Children in Need telethon, in November 2003. Featuring a cameo appearance from Lord Lichfield, the story sees staff create a charity calendar, which was later sold commercially to raise money for Children in Need.

Cast

The eighteenth series of Casualty features a cast of characters working for the NHS within the emergency department of Holby City Hospital and the Holby Ambulance Service. Twelve cast members from the previous series reprise their roles in this series. Original cast member Derek Thompson continues his role as Charlie Fairhead, a clinical nurse specialist. Having joined in the fourth series, Ian Bleasdale stars as Josh Griffiths, the operational duty manager at Holby Ambulance Service. Simon MacCorkindale plays Harry Harper, a consultant in emergency medicine and the department's clinical director. Christine Stephen-Daly portrays Lara Stone, an acting registrar, and Christopher Colquhoun appears as registrar Simon Kaminski. Louise Brealey and Zita Sattar feature as Roxy Bird and Anna Paul, both staff nurses. Kwame Kwei-Armah, Martina Laird and Matthew Wait play paramedics Finlay Newton, Comfort Jones and Luke Warren, respectively. Kelly Harrison portrays Nikki Marshall, an ambulance technician, and Sarah Manners appears as Bex Reynolds, a receptionist.

Actress Suzanne Packer joined the cast in episode one as Tess Bateman, an emergency nurse practitioner. She is billed as "a traditionalist [who] is keen to maintain the standards she was taught at nursing college". Tess' introduction reflected the rise in nurse practitioners being hired in NHS hospitals. The pair previously portrayed a married couple on Brookside, and also worked together in the play Playboy of the West Indies in 1985. The actors were excited to work with each other again and Packer felt their history aided their on-screen connection. Maxwell Caulfield was cast as Jim Brodie, a consultant paediatrician. He is characterised as a womaniser with an "air of transatlantic glamour and smooth maturity". James Redmond also joined the show as Abs Denham, a mental health nurse who is billed as charming yet "a bit of an oddball". Redmond explained that Abs is "fascinated" by people with mental health issues and wants to "champion mental health", becoming frustrated by its stigma. He added that Abs is unafraid of the hierarchy and will challenge anybody else's views. Redmond relocated to his hometown of Bristol for the role, but found moving into his family home challenging.

Leanne Wilson was introduced as staff nurse Claire Guildford, who was described as "gentle, happy glow as dependable and down-to-earth". Rebekah Gibbs joins the series from episode forty one as feisty ambulance technician Nina Farr.

The series features several recurring characters and multiple guest stars. Only Fools and Horses actress Gwyneth Strong was cast as Elizabeth, the former wife of Jim. It was confirmed in July 2003 that Charles Dale, Helen Fraser, Frank Windsor and Tracy Shaw would guest star in the series. Fraser portrays Joan, the mother of Claire's boyfriend, Keith. Wilson explained that Joan does not want to lose Claire as she sees her as a daughter.

Main characters

• Ian Bleasdale as Josh Griffiths
• Louise Brealey as Roxy Bird
• Maxwell Caulfield as Jim Brodie (from episode 2)
• Christopher Colquhoun as Simon Kaminski (until episode 46)
• Holly Davidson as Tally Harper (episodes 3−34)
• Rebekah Gibbs as Nina Farr (from episode 41)
• Kelly Harrison as Nikki Marshall (until episode 40)
• Kwame Kwei-Armah as Fin Newton
• Martina Laird as Comfort Jones
• Simon MacCorkindale as Harry Harper
• Sarah Manners as Bex Reynolds
• Suzanne Packer as Tess Bateman (from episode 1)
• James Redmond as John "Abs" Denham (from episode 5)
• Zita Sattar as Anna Paul (until episode 3)
• Christine Stephen-Daly as Lara Stone (until episode 46)
• Derek Thompson as Charlie Fairhead (until episode 40)
• Matthew Wait as Luke Warren
• Leanne Wilson as Claire Guildford (from episode 3)

Recurring characters

• Rebecca Blake as Julie Hughes (episodes 11−34)
• Tim Dantay as Adam Hughes (episodes 11−32)
• Sebastian Dunn as Merlin Jameson (episodes 2−3)
• Louis Emerick as Mike Bateman (episodes 1−11 and 24)
• Helen Fraser as Joan Jowell (episodes 5−9)
• Natalie Glover as Emma Newton (episode 40)
• Ashley Jensen as Stella Richards (episode 45−46)
• Victor McGuire as Father Frank (episodes 2−6)
• Cassie Raine as Kate Millar (episodes 31 and 39)
• Peter Silverleaf as Colin Evans (episodes 18 and 45)
• Kemal Sylvester as PC Robert Sagar (episodes 31−38)

Guest characters

• Peter Ash as Keith Jowell (episodes 3−9)
• Romy Baskerville as Dr. Hilary Gilmore (episodes 3 and 11)
• Tracie Bennett as Gina Driscoll (episodes 31–32)
• Emma Charleston as Nicole Bird (episode 31)
• Clare Clifford as Pauline Harvey (episodes 36−37)
• Archie Farrow as Baby William (episodes 31 and 34)
• Liam Hess as Louis Fairhead (episodes 12−25)
• Julia Hills as Caroline Miller (episodes 40−42)
• John Joseph as Terry Hollingsworth (episode 27)
• Patrick Lichfield as himself (episode 9)
• Lisa Pavitt as Lucy Brodie (episodes 13 and 18)
• Tim Plester as Derek Moberley (episode 10)
• Mika Simmons as Gemma Lynch (episode 1)
• Nicholas Tizzard as Policeman/McCormack (episode 9)
• Julia Watson as Baz Wilder (episodes 12−19)
• Nigel Whitmey as Dan Wilder (episodes 12−25)
• Kristian Wilkin as Andy Brodie (episodes 8−22)
• Frank Windsor as Kenneth Samuels (episodes 12−25)
• Susannah York as Helen Grant (episodes 35−36)

Reception

During series eighteen, Casualty was nominated for Best Continuing Drama at the 2004 British Academy Television Awards. The opening episode was rated the best ever episode in an online poll ran by the show's website for its twenty-fifth anniversary in September 2011. On a shortlist of ten episodes, it received 18.5% of total votes.

Episodes

The full script for the episode can be read on the BBC website.

Guest starring John Castle, Diana Weston and Hilary Crane

Guest starring Benjamin Morris, Emma Amos and Danny John-Jules

Guest starring Emma Amos, Sharon Duce and Danny John-Jules

Guest starring Freddie Jones, Chloë Annett and Ben Faulks

Guest starring Ray Burdis, Liam Barr and Jonathan Coyne

Guest starring Hana Iquo, Terence Beesley and Belinda Sinclair

Guest starring Chelsea Halfpenny, Daniel James and Virginia Fiol. This episode marks the TV debut of Jasmine Hyde.

Guest starring Sam Kelly, Tim Faraday and Rachel Gleaves

Guest starring Jaycob Ball, Bill Thomas and Sara Kestelman

Guest starring Amey Hutchinson, Norman Pace and Simon Kunz

Guest starring Victoria Pritchard, Marcus Smith and Julie Buckfield

Guest starring Nicholas Aaron, David Annen and Joseph Aston

Guest starring Joel Dommett, Kate Duchêne and Joseph Aston This episode sees the suspension of Paramedic, Luke Warren

Guest starring Josie D'Arby, Martin Compston and David Simeon

Guest starring Israel Aduramo, Jerome Willis and Mike Grady

This episode sees the departure of Tally Harper and the hiatus of Consultant, Harry Harper

Guest starring Hywel Morgan, Louise Delamere, Harry Landis and Tupele Dorgu

This episode sees the arrival of Executive Director, Helen Grant

Guest starring Geff Francis, Sandra Yaw and Dean Andrews

This episode sees the departure of Executive Director, Helen Grant

Guest starring Grant Gillespie, Bhasker Patel and Pip Torrens

This episode sees the return of Consultant, Harry Harper

Guest starring Robert Gwyn-Davin, Paul Amos and Peter Forbes

Guest starring Richard Ridings, Francis Magee and Paul Henshall

This episode sees the return of Paramedic, Luke Warren

Guest starring James Haggie, Jane Danson and George Harris

This episode sees the departures of Nikki Marshall and Charlie Fairhead

Guest starring Eric Barlow, Justin Salinger and Abbie Hurst

This episode sees the arrival of Paramedic Nina Farr

Guest starring Sartaj Garewal, Michael J. Jackson and Joanne Zorian

Guest starring Geoffrey Bayldon, William Petrie and Shaheen Jafagholi

Guest starring Owen Brenman, Robert Cawsey and Lynn Kitch

Guest starring Karen Archer, David Farrington and Pushpinder Chani

Guest starring Sara Hunter, Guy Masterson and Andrew Westfield

This episode sees the departure of Registrar Lara Stone and the death of Registrar Simon Kaminski

Documentaries

Main article: List of Casualty episodes

Notes

References

References

1. "IMDB Casualty Series 18". IMDB.
2. "BAFTA Television Awards - 2004 results". BAFTA.
3. "BBC One - Casualty, Casualty 25th anniversary: "End of the line" - winning video".
4. (1 July 2003). "Maxwell Caulfield, James Redmond and Suzanne Packer boost regular cast of Casualty as it comes of age". [[BBC]].
5. "Casualty - 6 September 1986". BBC.
6. (25 August 2003). "Casualty series XVIII". [[BBC]].
7. (24 April 2003). "Keeping Mum; From Brookside to Broadway, and Tiger Bay to Casualty, actress Suzanne Packer tells Joanne Atkinson about returning to live in Wales.". [[Western Mail (Wales).
8. "BBC Casualty - Characters: Nina Farr". [[BBC]].
9. "Television - Continuing Drama in 2004". [[British Academy Television Awards]].
10. (6 September 2011). "Casualty train crash voted viewers' favourite episode". [[BBC]].
11. "Top 30 Programmes". [[Broadcasters' Audience Research Board]].
12. "Casualty - Series 18, Episode 1 (Ann Marie Di Mambro)". BBC Writersroom.
13. (23 March 2004). "BBC Programme Index - Making It at Holby". [[BBC Genome Project]].
14. (15 June 2004). "BBC Programme Index - Casualty Saved My Life". [[BBC Genome Project]].