Barbara 'Baz' Wilder

''Casualty'' is a British medical drama television series that has been broadcast on BBC One in the United Kingdom since 6 September 1986. The series was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin and focuses on the fictional lives, both professional and personal, of the medical and ancillary staff at the Accident and Emergency Department of the fictional Holby City Hospital, currently based in the equally fictitious city of Holby. It is the longest-running primetime and emergency medical drama television series in the world. It was primarily filmed in the city of Bristol until 2011 when it began filming at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, where it has remained since. The show has aired thirty-eight full series with over 1000 episodes and is currently airing the thirty-ninth series. Brock and Unwin devised the serial after being inspired by the "comedy and heroics" of life in the National Health Service (NHS) and tackled a string of controversial topics through the show. A spin-off series, ''Holby City'', began airing from 1999 and follows patients' stories after they are transferred to the hospital's surgical wards. The show was cancelled in 2022 and concluded the following year. A police procedural spin-off, ''HolbyBlue'', began airing from 8 May 2007, running for two series before being cancelled due to poor viewing figures.

The serial features an ensemble cast of regular and recurring characters, beginning with ten main characters in its first series. Since the show's inception, characters have been written in and out of the series. Having appeared in nearly 900 episodes between the first episode and series 38, the show's longest-serving character is nurse Charlie Fairhead, portrayed by Derek Thompson. Additionally, ''Casualty'' features a number of guest artists in each episode as well as recurring characters who appear in story arcs. Many regular cast members in the show have made prior, minor appearances as both patients and staff members in both ''Casualty'' and ''Holby City''. In 2004, casting directors hired Susan Cookson for the regular role of Maggie Coldwell after a recurring part as anaesthetist Julie Day between 1998 and 2000. Characters from ''Casualty'' have appeared in spin-off series ''Holby City'' and ''HolbyBlue'' and vice versa. Although most characters only guest star, some have become regular cast members. Jaye Jacobs joined ''Casualty'' as Donna Jackson in 2023, following a twelve-year stint in ''Holby City''. Amanda Mealing joined ''Casualty'' as Connie Beauchamp in 2014, following a six-year stint in ''Holby City''. Nick Jordan actor Michael French has had stints in the main cast of both ''Holby City'' and ''Casualty'', and Clive Mantle reprised his role as Mike Barratt in ''Holby City'' in 1999, two years after leaving ''Casualty''.

Present characters

Regular characters

Recurring characters

Former characters

Regular characters

Recurring characters

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

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External links

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''Casualty'' characters and cast
at the Internet Movie Database

{{Holby, Casualty

Casualty (TV series) characters
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Characters