Dr Bea Kinsella (Michelle Fox)
Casualty will be welcoming its newest recruit tonight (February 3) as junior doctor Bea Kinsella turns up in the ED for her first shift.
Bea is feisty, confident, and the polar opposite of her friend and fellow F1 Rash Masum, but it soon becomes clear that she's hiding a very big secret.
Digital Spy recently chatted to actress Michelle Fox – who plays Bea – to get all the gossip on what's in store for Bea after her arrival.
How has your time been at Casualty so far?
"It's been really, really great. Casualty is like a big family and it's different to anything else because it's so long-running so people get to know each other quite well. It's been really chilled out and exciting. Everyone has been really, really nice to me.
"I started filming at the start of October so I've been there about four months now. It's been a long time waiting for this episode to come out!"
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Bea Kinsella in Casualty
© BBC
What was your first day on set like?
"It was really interesting actually. I didn't actually meet anyone on first day on set – I think my first day filming in the hospital was the following week. I was shooting on location by myself, so I got to know the crew first and got the ins and outs of what was going to happen. But my first couple of days filming are actually not in this first episode – they are in the next episode. There was a lot of me filming in the darkness, a lot of me in bed, and a lot of cheeky scenes. It was fun.
"The first time I was in the hospital, I had a big scene where I had to do a lot of medical stuff really fast. Bea's very, very confident and she knows exactly what she is doing – which is actually very hard to play because I don't know anything about medicine. The on call doctor has been really helpful, but it was still nerve-wracking."
How are you finding the complicated medical scenes?
"It can be hard sometimes. I think it's probably easier to play someone who is quite nervous and unsure so you have more time to think. The character of Bea is ultra confident in what she is doing. She just reels it all off, she knows her stuff and she's been studying for years and years. So I really did need to know exactly what I was doing.
"I do try to sit down and go through everything but sometimes there is not time to do as much as you'd like – you need to think on your feet. I've done a lot of work with prosthetics which has been fun. I like blood and gore, which is good as there has been a lot of work with that."
How would you describe Bea?
"She's very confident, she's very chatty and she's got a big mouth – which gets her into a lot of trouble. She's got a bit of a wandering eye which also gets her into trouble as well. She wants to portray someone who is very confident, very happy and knows exactly what she's doing, but she has a lot to hide. I think people think they know a lot about her but they don't really know anything. As the episodes go on, she finds it more and more difficult to hide who she is. She likes to hide behind her emotions, but as the stress of the job gets worse, she finds that increasingly difficult."
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Bea Kinsella in Casualty
© BBC
Do you think viewers will warm to her?
"I think so. I think there will be a lot of people who like her and a lot of people who hate her – especially at the start. But I think you'll see as time goes on that she's a really good person and she just doesn't know how to be friends with people, so she ends up messing up a lot. But just like the other characters do, I think viewers will end up warming to her eventually."
Lucy Rafferty told us last year that there would be more to Bea than meets the eye. Can you tell us anything about that?
"Well I think in the first couple of episodes you see the Bea that she wants everyone to see. She always tries to bounce back – even when she gets into trouble. But she's an extremely emotional person and there is a lot more to her. She likes to bottle it all up inside and she doesn't tell a lot of people about herself. No one really knows about her background and she comes across as if it's just her by herself. I don't think anyone realises just how soft she is on the inside because she really rallies to try and not let people see that. The jokey, jovial stuff we see between her and Rash is something she hides behind."
Bea is the polar opposite of Rash, who is very unsure of himself and his abilities. What is their friendship like?
"Yes, I think she is literally the exact opposite of him! They are basically like night and day, and as time goes on, you'll really see just how night and day there are. But interestingly, they both end up really helping each other. Rash helps Bea not be so hard and flippant all the time, and she helps Rash become the doctor she knows he can be. She helps him get over his nerves and all his anxiety, so they are really good for each other. It's so sweet and it's a real brother and sister relationship. I think they really need each other."
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Bea Kinsella and Rashid Masum in Casualty
© BBC ALISTAIR HEAP
She's obviously a very good doctor, but she finds herself getting into trouble in her first episode. Could her bedside manner be something that trips her up?
"Yes. She learns from this quickly, but she's got a big mouth. She just wants to get on with the job and she believes people get too wrapped up in emotions. The thing is, everyone thinks she has a bad bedside manner, but when she's one on one with patients, she's actually very good. This is all tied up with her back story again.
"She has a lot of scenes with Dylan and also Ethan. With Ethan, I think he's quite intimidated by her as she's a very different doctor to the one he is. But with Dylan, he helps her realise that if you push everyone away then you end up by yourself. I think that's two quite nice relationships there."
Could there be any potential love interests?
"Perhaps, very much perhaps! She is out and proud right from when she comes into the ED. Her wandering eye with the ladies gets her into a lot of trouble and she is very adamant that she doesn't want a relationship, or anything like that. Obviously Rash is the complete opposite so it takes a lot of talks between them for her to realise that she needs to stop and take other people's feelings into account. But yes, maybe. I can't really say too much at the moment!"
Have you been told much about the long-term plans for her?
"I've been told a bit, but on a need-to-know basis really. But even just with the stuff we've filmed so far, you'll see Bea do a complete 180. The person you see in the first episode is not the person you will see in 15 episodes time. It's a baptism of fire and the character you meet now is not the one we see weeks down the line."
We know that she's going to be striking up a friendship with Alicia as well. What has that been like to play?
"It's been great and Chelsea Halfpenny and I are really good friends, so that's been lovely. There is obviously a lot of focus on her relationships with Ethan, Dylan and obviously Rash to start with – whereas with Alicia, it's more of a slow burn. It's an unlikely friendship as Bea relates to men better than women and Alicia is one of her only female friends. They are both there for each other when they need it and they both help each other, but it won't be what people expect."
Do you have an idea of how long you'd like to stay for?
"It's all under wraps at the moment, but what she does have coming up is really good. They've written really well for her. I'm very excited about the future."
Digital Spy
