The thirty-eighth series of the British medical drama television series Casualty began airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2023. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of medical and ancillary staff at the emergency department (ED) of the fictional Holby City Hospital. Jon Sen and Liza Mellody continued their roles as executive producer and series producer respectively. The series also features the departure of the show's longest-serving character, Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson).
Production
The series commences in the United Kingdom on 26 August 2023 on BBC One, a week after the conclusion to the previous series. Casualty normally airs weekly on BBC One on Saturday nights, although episodes 2 and 3 will be broadcast as a double billing. It is produced by BBC Studios. The series consists of 36 episodes, a significantly reduced number from previous series due to cost inflation in the production of dramas. A publicity officer told Joe Anderton from Digital Spy that this was decided to preserve the quality of the show.
Jon Sen continues his role as executive producer; his resignation was announced in October 2023. Kate Oates, the head of continuing drama at BBC Studios, expressed sadness at Sen's decision but accredited him with "creating some groundbreaking moments". Liza Mellody serves as series producer. Filming for Casualty primarily takes place in a purpose-built studio at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, although the nature of the show means that filming also takes place on-location. On-location filming often occurs in Cardiff and other areas of southern Wales.
Cast
The thirty-eighth 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. Most cast members from the previous series reprise their roles in this series. William Beck appears as Dylan Keogh, a consultant in emergency medicine. Di Botcher portrays Jan Jenning, the operational duty manager at Holby Ambulance Service. Anna Chell stars as Jodie Whyte, a staff nurse, and Milo Clarke plays Teddy Gowan, a paramedic. Nigel Harman features as consultant Max Cristie, the department's clinical lead. Jaye Jacobs appears as Donna Jackson, the department's clinical nurse manager. Shalisha James-Davis plays Paige Allcott, an F1 doctor, and Elinor Lawless stars as consultant Stevie Nash. Kirsty Mitchell portrays Faith Cadogan, an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP), and Neet Mohan appears as Rash Masum, a clinical fellow. Eddie-Joe Robinson and Sarah Seggari play staff nurses Ryan Firth and Rida Amaan, respectively. Arin Smethurst and Michael Stevenson feature as paramedics Sah Brockner and Iain Dean, respectively. Original cast member Derek Thompson continues his role as Charlie Fairhead, a senior charge nurse and emergency nurse practitioner. Charles Venn portrays paramedic Jacob Masters, and Barney Walsh plays staff nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite. Additionally, three actors appear in a recurring capacity: Zoe Brough (relative Natalia Malinovsky), Stirling Gallacher (Ffion Morgan, a police officer), and Robert Pugh (relative Gethin West).
Jacobs departed the series in episode five at the conclusion of her character's story. Her departure had not been announced prior to transmission. The following episode features the exit of Pugh when his character Gethin kills himself. Thompson's departure was announced on 30 May 2023. He is the show's longest-serving cast member, having appeared in over 900 episodes over 37 years. The character departs at the conclusion of a "gripping" storyline suggested by Thompson which plays out across series 38. Sen praised Thompson for his creation of "an iconic character who is woven into the fabric of British TV history". He added that both Charlie and Thompson would be missed by the show. In a statement, Thompson thanked Pete Salt, the inspiration for his character, for his support in establishing the character of Charlie.
The return of Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) was announced on 8 September 2023. The character returns as part of Charlie's departure, six years after her last appearance. Sarker expressed her excitement at reprising the role.