Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford)
Casualty adds a new regular to its cast this weekend as George Rainsford makes his first appearance in the role of doctor Ethan Hardy.
Ethan's first episode sees him team up with Lily Chao (Crystal Yu) to treat a teacher named Alice, who is admitted to the ED following an incident at a shopping centre.
Later this month, fans will also be introduced to Ethan's brother Caleb (Richard Winsor), another new recruit at the hospital.
Digital Spy recently chatted to George to hear about Ethan's arrival and what's to come.
How is your time on Casualty going so far?
"I'm having a great time. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful, particularly with getting to grips with the crazy schedule and the labyrinth of corridors! I was a little nervous about joining such a well-established show, but everybody has really helped with that.
"It was great that everyone was so welcoming. All of our dressing rooms are on the same corridor and between scenes we run lines and catch up. It's really nice."
How did the part come about?
"I had two auditions - one in London and then we had a screen test in Cardiff, where the show is filmed. I screen tested with Richard Winsor who's playing my brother Cal on the show, and I think there was a chemistry straight away. That was really nice and I'd hoped that it would go my way, but you never really know. Once I found out that I did have the role, I was really relieved and happy."
How would you describe Ethan?
"The first time you meet Ethan, he's juggling ongoing care with his mum who is ill, as well as his first day at Holby. He's in a stressful situation and he copes with that by making slightly awkward jokes. He's just trying to get through the day, I suppose! Personality-wise he's quite serious, focused and cautious, but that can mean that he can be a little awkward socially."
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Ethan and Lily treat a teacher named Alice
© BBC / Alistair Heap
Ethan and Lily treat a teacher named Alice
How good is Ethan at his job?
"Ethan is a very good and hardworking doctor. He's gentle with his patients and very thorough, but sometimes his methodical nature when it comes to medicine can mean that he slightly oversees the human aspect of particular cases. His brother Cal is very instinctive, while Ethan always tends to play by the rules."
Can we expect brotherly loyalty or tension between Ethan and Cal?
"I think at heart there's a brotherly love there, but on the surface there's a complicated family history. As they're so different personality-wise, there's lots of conflict and drama coming up as the series goes on."
Is Ethan single when he joins the hospital?
"He is, yes. I'd like to think that at some point he will find his match, but as he can be socially awkward, finding somebody who's suitable could be a slow process!"
You mentioned Ethan's jokes, so will he be providing some comedy in the show?
"I don't think Ethan is an out-and-out funny character, as he's actually very serious - but because he can be awkward, people might find that funny!"
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George Rainsford as Ethan Hardy in Casualty
© BBC / Warren Orchard
George Rainsford as Ethan Hardy
What is Ethan's first episode like?
"He's thrown straight in at the deep end as he's dealing with a complicated case involving a lady who has been mugged in a shopping centre and ends up at the ED. I can't give too much away, but it all unfolds from there!"
Does Ethan make a lot of friends at the hospital?
"I think he's definitely got some allies. It takes him a while to get to know people because he's quite reserved and shy, but in Lily he sees someone who has similar social difficulties and he can relate to that. I think there'll be a strong bond there."
How are you finding the complicated medical scenes?
"It was certainly one aspect of the show that I was nervous about, because I wanted to make sure we were delivering a realistic depiction of medical procedures. Fortunately we've got an excellent team of advisors and nurses who are on hand to help us. They make sure we're doing everything in the right way and also pronouncing everything in the right way, so hopefully there'll be a good result."
Have the producers told you about the long-term plans for your character?
"We get told what's coming up a little bit in advance and I've already filmed a good 15 episodes now. Without giving too much away, there is a lot of drama coming up - particularly in relation to Ethan's brother Cal…"
Call The Midwife star George Rainsford joins Casualty
Read our spoiler for Saturday's episode of Casualty
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Casualty airs on Saturday at 9.20pm on BBC One.
Casualty star George Rainsford reveals Ethan gossip after Scott Ellison baby twist
"His relationship with Leigh-Anne gets complicated and dangerous."
Casualty kicked off a big new story for doctor Ethan Hardy tonight (April 7) after he helped deliver Scott Ellison's baby.
Ethan had no idea who his troubled patient Leigh-Anne really was when she first came into the ED, but later discovered that she's actually the girlfriend of Cal's murderer – Scott. Future episodes will see Ethan grow even closer to Leigh-Anne, whilst continuing to harbour his darkest secret about leaving Scott to die.
Digital Spy recently caught up with George Rainsford – who plays Ethan – to hear his thoughts on the Leigh-Anne story and get the gossip on where it's heading next.
What was your reaction when you found out about this story?
"Well, I actually spoke about it with the writers when the story was mentioned to me originally. I was a little bit concerned that it would be another load of episodes where Ethan was being pushed into that emotional place again. But we talked about turning it into a positive thing for him and him trying to do something good for this person.
"So, he really tries to help her, like with her housing situation – which is all very unfortunate as she was kicked out before she gave birth. He also tries to help by offering to pop round after the baby's birth. Unfortunately, for Leigh-Anne – who is already quite suspicious of men and people at the hospital – she gets a little bit suspicious of his untoward behaviour, which is why she tells him to do one."
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Ethan Hardy helps a pregnant patient in Casualty
© BBC
Is Ethan's determination to help Leigh-Anne and Keegan all driven by guilt over what he did to Scott?
"It definitely starts off very guilt-driven, but hopefully what we've tried to explore is a genuine connection between them. They have both suffered similar experiences in losing somebody, primarily. Obviously, those two losses are connected and that's the complicated bit. They start to have a weird understanding of each other but then the relationship takes a few wrong turns and enters into the realms of inappropriate."
Is Ethan going to become romantically involved with her? We've obviously seen them kiss in Casualty's spring trailer...
"Yes, there is definitely that possibility. It's not straight-forward – it is Casualty after all! But there is a friendship and a mutual understanding, and then there are a few other complications that come from that."
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Does he regret leaving Scott to die the way he did?
"Yes, he does. He explored turning himself in for a long time and it was Connie who convinced him that the best thing to do would be to turn his life around and do some positive things, which would alleviate the guilt and not put his life to waste. And that is certainly how the thing with Leigh-Anne starts."
At the moment Leigh-Anne has got no idea of Ethan's real connection to Scott. Surely it's only a matter of time until the truth comes out?
"Yes! Ethan is playing with fire as well because Alicia knows too. She doesn't know what happened at the end with Scott but she obviously knows that he was Cal's killer. So if Leigh-Anne was to tell somebody that her ex was Scott then there would be a number of people at the hospital who would be very alarmed by what Ethan is doing. Him trying to pursue this relationship with Leigh-Anne is definitely dangerous. And obviously Connie knows too!"
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Connie Beauchamp heads to London with Ethan Hardy in Casualty
© BBC KIERON MCCARRON
Connie's going to be returning soon – so what can we expect to see from her and Ethan after the events in London?
"The Connie situation is very difficult for Ethan as I think he saw a lot more of her that loads of people in her life haven't. In a weird way, she holds that against him because he's seen her at her most vulnerable. We haven't actually done a lot of stories together of late. Amanda [Mealing] was obviously away directing the wedding episodes for a bit, but I'd like to do more with her. She's great to work with."
Where does the stuff with Leigh-Anne leave Alicia? Does he still have feelings for her?
"The thing with Alicia isn't going away. Obviously it all went wrong before due to Cal's death and Ethan's determination to get revenge. It was all around the same time, so there is definitely some unfinished business there."
Would you like them to get back together?
"Well as long as it provides interesting stories then I am happy to do anything. I think with any continuing drama, you have to find interesting ways to tell stories and if they are just happy in a relationship then viewers would get bored. I think them getting back together is potentially where a lot of the audience would like it to go – that's the feedback I get on Twitter anyway."
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Ethan Hardy and Alicia Munroe in Casualty
© BBC ALISTAIR HEAP
Do you think Ethan makes a good clinical lead?
"No! [laughs] I don't think he does, but it's difficult as you want to defend your character. When I was told that he was going to step in and become clinical lead for a bit, I knew I had to play what was written. So we saw him struggle and all these things were introduced to put even more pressure on him – like requests from the board to cut costs and then this Rage in Resus blog. He had all sorts of things to deal with, which he handled really badly. "
Are we going to see him make a success of it eventually or is it simply not meant to be?
"Well unfortunately, just as he starts to find his feet again, another thing happens – which is again to do with the whole Leigh-Anne situation. Basically, he's very distracted by her and all the stuff with Scott and he ends up behaving badly again with one of the doctors. This prompts him to realise that it's not really the job for him.
"It's a shame as I was quite hopeful that he would get the chance to prove himself in a position of power, but it doesn't get to that stage. I think he realises that he is a better doctor and person dealing with patients rather than the admin and managerial things he has to deal with whilst being the boss."
Do you agree with some of the bold decisions he's made whilst being in charge?
"I think he was in a no win situation really. He was told to cut costs where there wasn't an opportunity to and it just increased the pressure on the staff. What is good though is that it's a genuine depiction on what the hospital staff are dealing with on a daily basis in the NHS and I think that's what our producers were hoping to portray really – the crisis that's going on and that the people who are really getting it in the neck are the staff.
"But within that, Ethan does just find it hard to be authoritative. It's not something that comes easy to him and people aren't always natural managers, are they?"
Do you think Cal's death has changed him? Would you like to see the old Ethan return?
"Fundamentally, I think he is still the same person but he's had to work through a lot of big problems in the last year. I do feel hopeful for a future where he gets back to being the Ethan that he was before all the Cal stuff."
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Charlie Fairhead and Ethan Hardy in Casualty
© BBC
Has it been challenging to play everything that's happened to him in the last year?
"It's been challenging and emotional. In parts, I have genuinely found it stressful. The workload is already pretty massive at Casualty – if you are busy on a story then you are doing 12-hour days and then you have to go home, learn lines and also think about how you want to do them. There were definitely periods where there was a big workload and that was difficult.
"But that is what you want as an actor – a big story and challenging things to do. I've also got to work with some really good actors, like Amanda, Chelsea [Halfpenny] and, of late, Cassie Bradley – who plays Leigh-Anne. She is brilliant and she's a returning character too that's a really good story."
How do you feel about Casualty being nominated for a BAFTA?
"We are very, very excited to be nominated for a BAFTA. It's brilliant and a real testament to lots of big stories this year and for everybody down in Cardiff. It's brilliant and we are very excited."
And finally, what did you mean in your tweet the other day? Are you taking a break from Twitter or taking a break from Casualty?
"I felt really guilty about that. I actually got a call from my agent and then I got a call from the press at Casualty checking that they hadn't missed anything. All I meant by it is basically what I was saying to you just now – that when you are in Casualty it is so all encompassing. So I've hit a slightly quieter period, which means I won't be in Cardiff for a while and I've taken a break from Twitter because my Twitter feed is about Casualty. But I do apologise if it was misleading. "
Casualty continues on Saturday, April 14 on BBC One.
Digital Spy
