Casting
Duffy is one of ten original characters conceived by the creators of ''Casualty''Development
Characterisation
When Duffy was introduced into ''Casualty'' she was played as a "carefree" character with a "tough" and "determined" side. Writers gave her hobbies including dieting, astrology and gossiping. Duffy has a distinct appearance and style - her hair is tightly pinned up and she wears a neatly crisp ironed uniform. Shipton often carries her with a serious facial expression that "inspires confidence". The actress has stated that Duffy is a "real" middle-aged and "hard-working" mother who female viewers could relate to. Duffy does not always make the right life choices and viewers responded well to this. Shipton wanted Duffy to appear as authentic as possible. She always did her own suturing in scenes and this also made her feel like a nurse, which added to the realism on-screen. Kingsley 1995, p.76. In the first series the character was shown not taking her job seriously. She would gossip with Susie about her colleagues personal lives. She filled her time practicing for her driving test and trying out diets. She also protested against a local cinema showing adult films about nurses and succeeded at having them removed. But Duffy's behaviour was soon changed. Shipton felt that various incidents have transformed the character. She described Duffy in her early episodes as "a kidney bowl carrier, a blue flash, little more." Following being sexually assaulted Duffy dropped her "cheeky girl" mentality and gained an "emotional life". Pregnancy made the character more determined and career driven. Shipton explained that Duffy "became a sister, there was another gear change. I think lots of women who juggle a job and bringing up a child identified with her. I had the chance to show that Nurses are professionals, not dogsbodies or angels or girls desperate to find a doctor to marry them." Kingsley 1995, p.75. By 2006, Shipton viewed Duffy differently because of her life choices. She told Kris Green from Digital Spy that Duffy had moved on and made different choices. She appears a "lot lighter of spirit" which Shipton enjoyed playing. She added that "there's something quite vital and buzzy about her that you don't often see or haven't seen much of in the past." Shipton believed that in the seventeenth series of ''Casualty'' her character had been given a "new-found confidence and lease of life." She also develops a better sense of humour and "quality of survival". The actress explained that Duffy has the ability to "pick herself up" and move on, adding "she seems to live on the motto 'Hope springs eternal'". The nurse is also portrayed as "defensive in order to conceal her vulnerability" and can make rash decisions.Sexual assault
One of Duffy's earliest storylines saw her attacked and raped. The storyline began playing out on-screen when Duffy, who lived alone in a flat, ventures out on her way to work on a dark night. When she travels down a back street she is set upon and raped. Duffy decides not to report the incident to the police and later regrets her decision. She struggles to deal with the attack and confides in Susie,HIV scare
Duffy became the subject of anRelationship with Andrew Bower
In 1989, producers paired the character with Registrar Andrew Bower (Departure (1993)
In 1991, Shipton went on holiday to the Maldives and realised she did not want to play the character forever. She decided that she would stay an additional year before announcing her intention to leave. In 1992, she heard rumours that the show would be airing twice a week and she began thinking about her future again. She decided to quit ''Casualty'' and filmed her final scenes in October 1993. The actress had already been pondering a departure because she wanted to play different roles. Shipton's departure left Thomson the last remaining original cast member. Shipton had difficulty looking at Thomson on her last day, as she kept crying. She told '' Inside Soap's'' Richard Arnold that she would be happy to return to the show for guest appearances. At the time she released a statement reading "Duffy won't meet a grisly end or anything like that, so she could always come back." The character became pregnant with her second child before she left. Duffy made a "low key" departure from the show. After her husband is given a new job away from Holby, she decides to leave and start a family with him.Return (1998)
In 1998, Shipton agreed to return to the role. The actress felt strange being back on the show because the cast and the show's humour had changed. She told author Rachel Silver that "I did feel a bit left out at first but I soon got back into the swing of it." Silver 1998, p.102. Duffy returns to the hospital because "she loved it" and "knows she's good at it", she also has "enormous enthusiasm" to resume her career. She arrives to attend Charlie and Baz Hayes' (Relationship with Ryan Johnson and departure
Duffy developed a relationship with hospital security guard Ryan Johnson (Return (2006)
In 2006, Shipton agreed to reprise the role of Duffy for two episodes. Duffy's return was centric to two special episodes set in Cambodia, which were created to commemorate ''Casualty's'' twentieth anniversary. Shipton was hesitant to return because it meant being apart from her young daughter for a month. She considered taking her to Cambodia but felt it was too risky. Producers needed a quick decision from Shipton because the episodes were centric to Duffy. She told she told a ''Daily Mirror'' journalist that "the pressure was on because they needed to write the script around my character and I had to make a decision." She conversed with cast members and decided to return, partly because Duffy would not be in a nurses uniform and she had become a different character in her absence. Shipton later told Kris Green from Digital Spy that Duffy's return is not a traditional one. She explained that the story "holds its own over two episodes and it's really exciting because Duffy's out in Cambodia idealistically setting up a free clinic for people living on the poverty line in a very impoverished country, so that's quite a challenge." On-screen Duffy is in the country on a medical mission and Charlie, alongside his colleaguesReintroduction (2015)
In 2015, Shipton reprised the role to help launch the thirtieth series of ''Casualty'', opening with "tearjerking episodes". The actress was happy to return because one of the show's original creators, Paul Unwin was writing and directing the episodes. She felt proud to play Duffy again due to her "real and lasting connection with the public." When she was in character wearing the hospital uniform, Shipton became emotional and felt that "it was as if time had stood still and within a couple of hours it was business as usual." The scenes featured Charlie having a heart attack and his colleagues coming together in an effort to save his life. Shipton later signed up to return to the role on a permanent basis and Duffy returned during the 1000th episode. The actress revealed that she had a positive response to her earlier return and it made a full-time return possible. Shipton said that the character had a "very exciting" future both "professionally and personally". ''Casualty's'' Executive Producer, Oliver Kent, said that he found it "completely thrilling" to have the character back. She believed that the show had regained its "dream team of Charlie and Duffy." Upon her return, Duffy reveals that she has left her life and family inRelationship with Charlie Fairhead
Duffy andDepression and dementia
In late September 2018, Sophie Dainty of Digital Spy reported that the character would be the focus of a new mental health storyline that would also affect her marriage to Charlie. Duffy attends an appointment with her GP, who diagnoses her withDeparture (2020)
On 9 October 2019, it was confirmed that Duffy would leave the series at the conclusion of her dementia storyline in 2020. Shipton filmed her final scenes that month. Executive producer Simon Harper thanked Shipton for her contribution to the show and "the British Television Drama landscape", and credited her with creating "a comforting Saturday night icon, the caring, ideal NHS nurse millions grew up with". Shipton expressed her delight at portraying the character and added, "with sadness, but a sense of completion, I say goodbye". As Duffy's dementia storyline progresses, she moves into a residential care home, as Charlie struggles to look after her and deal with her increasing violent behaviour. A show spokesperson told ''Inside Soaps Sarah Ellis that it is the last thing the couple wants, as Duffy worked in a home and did not like the conditions. She told Charlie that she never wanted to be admitted to a place like that, so he feels guilty leaving her there. Duffy's final episode was broadcast on 1 February 2020. A "disorientated" Duffy leaves her home in the middle of the night and tries to help an unconscious woman, however, recent snowfall and cold weather leaves her with hypothermia.Reception
Shipton was nominated for Best Drama Star at the 2017 ''Inside Soap'' Awards, while Charlie and Duffy's wedding was nominated for Best Drama Storyline. The following year, Duffy and Charlie were nominated for Best Soap Couple at the Digital Spy Reader Awards. In 2020, Shipton was nominated for Best Drama Star at the ''Inside Soap'' Awards. A reporter for ''References
Citations
Bibliography
* *External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duffy Casualty (TV series) characters Television characters introduced in 1986 Fictional characters with dementia Fictional midwives Fictional nurses Crossover characters in television Female characters in television