"Exile" is the thirty-second episode of the twenty-ninth series of the British medical drama Casualty. It was written by Kelly Jones, directed by Steve Hughes, and produced by Jonathan Phillips. "Exile" first aired on 16 May 2015 on BBC One in the United Kingdom. The plot sees Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) travel to Bucharest to help Charlie's son Louis (Gregory Foreman), who has become a heroin addict and is planning on selling his kidney to pay his debts.
Executive producer Oliver Kent initially had doubts about taking the show away from its regular setting, as he thought it might appear "odd". Unlike other episodes, "Exile" only follows one story, as opposed to multiple plots. Producers decided that Louis would be central to the story, as putting him in jeopardy meant Charlie had to come to his rescue. The producers also wanted to send Charlie and Connie on a metaphorical rollercoaster, before reaching pivotal points in their story arcs. Kent hoped "Exile" would become "a talking point" among viewers in the future. The episode was filmed on-location in Romania in late 2014, marking the first time an entire episode of Casualty has been filmed abroad.
Scenes from the episode were first seen in an April 2015 trailer for the show, while two 30-second trailers were released shortly ahead of its broadcast. "Exile" was seen by 5.28 million viewers, making it the 12th most watched programme on BBC One for the week ending 17 May 2015. It received positive reviews from critics, with Alison Graham of Radio Times calling it "a positive thing for the characters" and Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap branding the plot "a heart-wrenching story".
Plot
Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) travel to the Bucharest University Emergency Hospital to visit Charlie's son Louis (Gregory Foreman) who has been beaten up. At the hospital, Louis's doctor Alex Anghelescu (Florian Ghimpu) tells Charlie that Louis's injuries are extensive, but not dangerous. Louis is surprised by Charlie's appearance and his girlfriend Sofia (Crina Semciuc) admits that she called him. Charlie tells Louis he brought the money Sofia asked for, assuming it is for hospital fees. Connie checks Louis over and questions Alex about his treatment. He tells her that Louis is addicted to heroin, and Charlie overhears. He returns to the ward to find Louis has gone. Alex believes Louis is staying at an old warehouse, which is home to many other drug addicts, and offers them medical kits, so they can treat those inside and ask for information. Charlie tries to stop Louis from leaving with drug dealer Cristian Vaduva (George Pistereanu), but Connie pulls him out of the way of the car.
Charlie and Connie go to the warehouse, where they find many homeless people sheltering in a series of tunnels. Charlie meets Razvan Ionesco (Mihai Gruia Sandu), who tells him that Cristian arranges for people to sell their kidneys in order to pay their debts. Charlie becomes frustrated and argues with Connie, questioning why she pulled him away Cristian's car and her reasons for coming to Romania. He calls her a glory hunter, as she has put her ambition before her own daughter. Connie replies that he has done the same. Charlie reports Louis's disappearance to the police, and learns he was arrested for drug offences at a nightclub. Charlie is given another address for Louis and he finds Louis's possessions at a nearby flat. He then goes to the nightclub, while Connie visits Alex and they have sex. Cristian checks on Louis, who assures him that he will pay his debt by donating his kidney.
Charlie confronts Cristian at the nightclub, but he is thrown out. Cristian hits Sofia when she tries to go to Charlie's aid. The following morning, Connie finds a beaten Sofia on Alex's doorstep. She calls Charlie, who meets them at Alex's house. Sofia explains that Louis was already using heroin when they met and that he is at a clinic outside of the city. Connie interrupts the operation in time and finds Alex performing the surgery. Charlie pushes Alex away, causing Alex to cut a blood vessel. Connie helps to stop the resulting bleed. Alex explains that he works for Cristian and was given no choice about the surgery. With Cristian on his way, Charlie gets Louis into a car, while Connie stays behind to look after Sofia. Cristian shoots at Charlie's car and attempts to run him off the road. Charlie drives into Cristian's car, causing it to flip over, and Charlie drives away.