Casualty Spoiler Christmas 2024

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Casualty has announced that there will be an exciting new Christmas special airing this year, after the show?s autumn break.

After tonight?s double episode to mark the series finale (September 7), it will be a while before we see the show on our screens again.

Last year, Casualty took a break of over three months during the autumn, and it went off air until January 2024.

It has now been confirmed that there will be a similar break this year, but the show will return slightly earlier ? and will launch with a special festive episode this December.

This was revealed with a specially-filmed cryptic trailer that was shown at the end of the series finale on BBC One this evening, which can be viewed here.

Casualty have said that the Christmas special will "celebrate the gift of giving" and the episode will be told in an "innovative, format-breaking way".

More details about what viewers can expect from the intriguing festive instalment of the show will be announced closer to the time.

The current series, ?Storm Damage?, concluded with an exciting double episode, where Siobhan finally discovered that it was none other than Stevie that her husband Rich was having an affair with.

Siobhan was devastated by her colleague?s betrayal, and she told Stevie that although she would stay professional at work, they were no longer friends.

Also in the finale, Bobby confronted Cam at the hospital after causing Jamie?s death and wanted to know whether he showed any remorse in his final hours.

Cam eventually allowed Bobby to leave as there would be no justice if he went to prison for his actions, and it seems like both men will be able to start rebuilding their lives after Jamie?s abuse.

Plus, romance is officially in the air, as Dylan took his chance at Sophia?s leaving do to confess his feelings for her ? feelings that are reciprocated. The status of their relationship remains unknown, but the episode ended with them sharing a kiss.

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Casualty has shared some first-look images for the show's upcoming festive special, which will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this December.

The innovative standalone episode, announced in September, is titled 'All I Want for Christmas', and is presented as a tribute to the miracle of blood.

The special is set on Christmas Day in the Emergency Department, where the team continues to treat patients.

However, things are made more difficult when there is an emergency blood shortage at the hospital.

Stevie fights to save lives in the ED, while Iain puts his own life on the line to ensure that the hospital doesn't go without a supply of blood.

Casualty's newest instalment will be format-breaking, in line with other memorable episodes ? such as the celebration of 75 years of the NHS, which aired last year.

The upcoming special will feature real-life testimonies from contributors who have been directly impacted by UK blood donation, plus interviews with key workers who help run the country's blood service.

The Christmas episode, written by Erin Kubicki and directed by Steve Hughes, will include several guest stars alongside the regular cast, including former Coronation Street and Hollyoaks actor Lucy-Jo Hudson, and Poldark and The Crown's Tristan Sturrock.

Also appearing are Breathtaking's Joseph Charles, Waterloo Road's Katy Carmichael and DI Ray's Valerie Antiwi, alongside Zoe Brough, who plays Faith's daughter Natalia.

"We're so excited for viewers to see this incredible Christmas special, which genuinely made me gasp," said Rebecca Ferguson, commissioning editor for BBC Drama.

"It's tense, thrilling and super-charged with emotion."

Roxanne Harvey, executive producer for BBC Studios Drama Production, added: "We're so proud of this life-affirming episode.

"Beautifully told, with ambitious production values and outstanding performances, this is entertaining, thought-provoking drama at its very best."

Fans won't have long to wait for more Casualty after the Christmas special, as the next series will kick off later in December.

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The BBC has confirmed the release date for Casualty's Christmas special.

The anticipated festive episode, titled 'All I Want for Christmas' will air on Saturday, December 21 at 9.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

Viewers can expect a chaotic Christmas for the doctors and nurses, with the Emergency Department experiencing an emergency blood shortage at the hospital, making it even harder to treat patients.

In a similar format to the Casualty special celebrating the NHS's 75th anniversary, this year's Christmas special will feature real-life testimonies from contributors who have been directly impacted by UK blood donation.

The episode will also include interviews with key workers who help run the country's blood service.

The 2024 special sees former Coronation Street and Hollyoaks actor Lucy-Jo Hudson in a guest star role, in addition to Tristan Sturrock of Poldark and The Crown fame. Other guest stars includes Waterloo Road's Katy Carmichael, Breathtaking's Joseph Charles, and DI Ray's Valerie Antiwi.

Casualty fans won't have long to wait for new episodes following the 2024 Christmas special, with the BBC additionally confirming the date and time of the first episode in the new series.

'Off Duty' is the name of the new 10-part boxset which kicks off in December. The premiere episode, titled 'Public Property' will air on Saturday, December 28 at 9.15pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The episode synopsis teases: "Jodie?s actions causes a disastrous ripple effect, Stevie faces hostility when she puts her personal issues with Siobhan aside, and trainee Indie and Jan collide."

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This year, Casualty is airing its first Christmas episode since 2019, and the BBC medical drama is taking the opportunity to do something different with its comeback festive offering.

The standalone episode, titled ?All I Want for Christmas?, is all about the miracle of blood, and is set on Christmas Day in the ED when there is an emergency blood shortage. As the team continues to treat patients, Iain puts his own life on the line to save the day.

What sets this Christmas special apart is, similar to the episode which marked the 75th anniversary of the NHS last year, Casualty has put the spotlight on real voices once again.

There are testimonies from people who have been directly impacted by UK blood donation, as well as key workers who run the country?s blood service. Every story being told on screen has a real-life parallel, which adds another poignant layer to the episode.

Ahead of this festive treat, which will air on Saturday, December 21, Digital Spy got to catch up with cast members Elinor Lawless (Stevie Nash), Michael Stevenson (Iain Dean), Melanie Hill (Siobhan McKenzie), Charles Venn (Jacob Masters) and Barney Walsh (Cam Mickelthwaite).

The actors spoke about celebrating Christmas in the ED, dramatic action sequences and the message behind this special episode ? as well as what their characters might wish for this festive season?

What was it like to get into the festive spirit in the ED?

Elinor: It felt like a real honour. You grow up with these Christmas specials, so to be part of one, and to know that you?re going to be part of a household?s Christmas is really exciting. They brought a huge snow machine onto set, and once they brought that out, it just felt like we were ready to play, which was great.

Michael: Because it?s a Christmas special, we?ve gone all out on the production values. So, the amount of snow that they brought in was just brilliant. And it automatically made you feel cold! Whether it was a mild night or not, the fact that you were stood in snow meant you automatically felt cold.

Casualty has become known for its format-breaking episodes ? what did it mean to have real-life stories behind every aspect of this special?

Elinor: When we were sent the episode, that was the first time we got to hear those stories. It?s very humbling to realise the real fine line, in this particular show, between the drama played out on screen and the drama played out in everybody?s everyday lives. To hear the stories of people we?ve never met and how their lives have been changed for the better because of strangers... I think the message is definitely one of hope.

Elinor, Stevie doesn?t seem like a big fan of Christmas. Why do you think this is?

Elinor: I think actually, she?s a secret Christmas fan. Christmas was a time for her where she felt part of something. And I think as she?s gotten older and as she?s distanced herself from family, I think she misses that feeling. Stevie clings to an idealised version of Christmas. And I think she works on Christmas Day and buries herself in her work because it?s too painful to face the fact that it?s not like that anymore.

Melanie, what was it like to play clinical lead Siobhan, who is at the helm of the ED during a busy time of year like Christmas?

Melanie: I think she thrives on all that, because obviously her private life isn?t going very well at the minute. All her life, she?s very much been a workaholic, so I think she?s right where she needs to be. Obviously, the episode starts with a massive catastrophic event that happens and [the team] are up against it. But it?s Siobhan?s job to keep everyone going and just be the calm, central focus for the whole unit, looking after everybody and making sure everything?s going to plan.

The paramedics respond to a serious pile-up during the episode. What was it like to film those dramatic scenes?

Charles: Filming those scenes was such fun. We had two days to shoot it in Newport, and when we saw that set for the first time, we were blown away by how detailed and authentic it looked. It was a major incident with cars piled up, so they recreated this tunnel, with smoke and fog.

Steve Hughes, our wonderful director, said to me, ?this is like your Indiana Jones moment!? We?re following the accident through Jacob?s eyes, and he walks through the smoke not knowing what is on the other side. Everyone brought their A game, including our supporting artists and guest actors. We were all locked in, as we knew the enormity of what we were shooting and the message the episode was conveying.

Iain later puts his own life on the line on Christmas Day in dramatic scenes when his vehicle overturns...

Michael: As we know, Iain?s been in a few scrapes here and there over the years. Often a lot of the stuff he gets himself into could be avoided, but this one is out of the goodness of his own heart. The team is crucially trying to get blood into a patient who needs it desperately, and the ED has run out. There is no way of getting the blood into the ED, so Iain steps up and plays his part. So it?s nice for him to get into a scrape where it?s for a good reason.

Was it fun to film an episode where a lot of the cast are working so closely together?

Barney: I love it when we?re all working together, and everyone is in the studio. I don?t get many scenes with Michael, for example, and we have a scene together in this episode, which was nice. It?s great when we all get a chance to come together, especially on an episode like a Christmas special, when we get to highlight important talking points around the NHS and around health at this time of year.

What did you learn while filming this special episode?

Melanie: It was a reminder to be kind at Christmas, and the fact that we should think about our NHS during the festive season. They?ve given up time with their family to look after the nation, and I think sometimes we overlook that, we?re so taken up with Christmas itself and our families. But we should really think about what?s going on in these EDs.

Barney: One thing that absolutely blew my mind when making this episode was how quickly a store of blood can be depleted. At the beginning of the episode, Cam brings down the blood and he puts it in the fridge ? and the very next afternoon, there is none left. I was speaking to our medical advisors on set about that, and it absolutely is the case that blood can go that quickly in hospitals.

What can viewers expect from Casualty?s Christmas episode this year?

Elinor: There?s a real grit and brutality to this episode. I know that our producers really wanted to get the clearance to use ?Fairytale of New York? as the soundtrack for the whole episode. That song is messy and ugly, and it?s beautiful and celebratory ? and I think that?s what this episode is striving for. It?s complex and complicated and heartbreaking, but it?s still beautiful.

Charles: It?s a Christmas special with pathos, that bridges the gap between drama and reality, and has a strong message that applies to everyone globally. There are tears, laughter, warmth and tension, with a sprinkle of community and family. It?s going to be a great episode; the audience are in for a treat. Get your popcorn, or should I say your ham hock!

What do you think your characters would wish for over the festive season?

Michael: Extra gravy! [laughs] This year in particular is Iain?s first opportunity to be part of a family and be around kids, and the extra special element to Christmas that brings. Iain?s often spent Christmas on his own, so this year particularly, he would be looking forward to sitting down and telling all the Christmas cracker jokes. That would definitely be one of Iain?s fortes, I imagine Iain probably makes his own jokes up for Christmas crackers!

Melanie: I think Siobhan would wish that she could turn back the clock, basically. Because she?s not really paid much attention to her husband, and it?s all gone very wrong. So I think she would wish to go back in time, but obviously that?s not going to happen.

Barney: After what he?s been through and the journey he?s had, I think Cam?s just grateful. It?s a time of reflection for him, and he?s just grateful to have friends around him, and to have the support of people like Siobhan. There is a world where I?d like to say maybe Cam wishes for a girlfriend, but I don?t think that?s the case! I think he?s learning what it means to be a man in his own right first.

Casualty's Christmas special airs on Saturday, December 21 at 9:20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, and the next series will begin a week later. The show now streams first on BBC iPlayer, where episodes are released at 6am on the day of transmission.