Casualty (television)
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Missing image Casualty.susan.cookson.arp.jpg Filming for Casualty at a school in Yate near Bristol. The actress on the right is Susan Cookson (Maggie Coldwell in the series) who joined the cast on 29th January 2005. The four males are crew |
Missing image Casualty.susan.cookson.closeup.arp.jpg Susan Cookson (Maggie Coldwell) during filming |
Casualty is a long-running BBC television drama serial, first broadcast in 1986 and transmitted on BBC One. It is based in and around the fictional Holby City Hospital, situated in Holby, a fictional city bearing a close resemblance to Bristol, where the show is filmed. Bristol landmarks, including the docks and the famous Clifton Suspension Bridge, are regularly glimpsed in the outdoor scenes. The exterior shots of the hospital itself were formerly filmed at the city's technical college, but are now shot on a small industrial estate, not far from the interior set of the hospital itself.
The drama is mainly concerned with a group of doctors, nurses and administrators who work in the Accident & Emergency department. At the centre of the action is Nurse Manager Charlie Fairhead (played by Derek Thompson), a dedicated and caring man frequently at odds with the demands of hospital management. This has been a recurring theme over the years, but especially in the early series, which were frequently criticised for their perceived left-wing politics.
The programme has traditionally been transmitted on Saturday nights, although for a period in the late 1980s it switched to Fridays. Since the early 2000s, the show has switched from a traditional seasonal format to almost year-round production and transmission. A spin-off show, Holby City, shows life elsewhere in the same hospital. Both shows are now broadcast all year round.
Current cast
- Harry Harper - Simon MacCorkindale
- Selena Manning - Liz Carling
- Maggie Coldwell - Susan Cookson
- Guppy Sandhu - Elyes Gabel
- Charlie Fairhead - Derek Thompson
- Tess Bateman - Suzanne Packer
- Claire Guildford - Leanne Wilson
- John 'Abs' Denham - James Redmond
- Ellen Zitek - Georgina Bouzova
- Bex Reynolds - Sarah Manners
- Sam Bateman (Tess's son) - Luke Bailey
- Josh Griffiths - Ian Bleasdale
- Comfort Newton - Martina Laird
- Luke Warren - Matthew Wait
- Nina Farr - Rebekah Gibbs
- Paul 'Woody' Joyner - Will Thorp
Former cast members
- Dillon Cahill - Dan Rymer
- Finlay Newton - Kwame Kwei-Armah
- Jack Vincent - Will Mellor
- Jim Brodie - Maxwell Caulfield
- Jude Korcanik - Lisa Coleman
- Patrick Spiller - Ian Kelsey
- Lara Stone - Christine Stephen-Daly
External links
- Official Casualty website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/casualty)
- Casualty forum (http://s8.invisionfree.com/CasualtyUK/)