Causalty Spoilers 4th Sepember 2010

[Perdita]

Saturday 4 September
Time to be confirmed BBC ONE


BBC website



Michelle Collins guest stars as the distraught mother of Simone, a young victim of a college shooting incident, in this feature-length first episode of the new series of the long-running medical drama.

Holby City's laid-back staff nurse Donna is catapulted into the Emergency Department (ED) to help out during the traumatic events, while new nurse Mads joins the team as its latest regular. It's her first job since leaving Pakistan and Mads tries her best to understand instructions but struggles with the stronger regional accents, causing serious problems later on.

Jeff and Dixie treat Maria, who has an injury to her arm. Jeff and Maria flirt and arrange to meet later at Holby College where she works. Dixie pales as she realises what's happened – it's not a serious wound, but Maria has been shot.

A jogger is also brought into the ED. It soon becomes clear that both the jogger and Maria have been shot with ball bearings fired from an air rifle. The staff begin to worry – could the shootings be linked? Noel is further concerned when he finds sinister footage on the internet suggesting worse is to come...

The incident comes to a head at Holby College, bringing terror right into the heart of the fully stretched ED. Seen through the eyes of the team in the emergency department and the victims' traumatised families, the incident tests the team's courage, expertise and, ultimately, the strength of their bonds with each other.

[Perdita]

FORMER EastEnders actress Michelle Collins has defended Casualty's shocking new storyline where she plays the mum of a girl caught up in a Columbine-style shooting.

The BBC1 drama's new series kicks off with a plot where two teenage boys embark on a killing spree in their high school.

It is based on the 1999 massacre in Colorado where 12 students and a teacher were killed.

But Michelle, 49, who appears in the first seven episodes starting on Saturday, insisted the issues had been tackled sensitively.

She said: "It's not like anything Casualty has done before. The producers have been very careful to make sure it doesn't come across as gratuitous.

"It happened in real life. We delve into why they did such a horrendous thing."

Michelle plays Camille, whose teenage daughter goes to the same school and is the object of one of the killer's affections.

[Abigail]

Silent Witness did a similar storyline in the last series. Don't see the issue myself as long as its presented in the right context and not glorified.

[parkerman]

Casualty had a long break between seasons...er...

[Abigail]

Three weeks has been the average the past couple of years. It used to be July to September years ago but its been cut down a fair bit for some reason.

[parkerman]

It was only off the air for one week this time!

[Dallas]

I hope it's handled well as it could be fantastic! By the look of the preview clips of the first few episodes of the new series it's looking good. Lots of accidents which is what Casualty used to be (AND STILL SHOULD BE) about.

I'm looking forward to seeing Michelle Collins and Micheal French acing alongside each other for the first time since their EastEnder days

[Perdita]

BBC medical drama Casualty kicks off its 25th series tonight with a feature-length episode focusing on a college shooting incident.

When two separate patients are admitted to the Emergency Department with gunshot wounds caused by ball bearings fired from an air rifle, the staff begin to worry that the shootings could be linked - but confirming their suspicions proves a difficult task.

Later, Noel is concerned when he finds sinister footage on the internet suggesting that much worse is to come…

When the incident comes to a head with a shooting spree at Holby College, the team in the Emergency Department face their most challenging day yet.

Tonight's edition - airing from 8.45pm on BBC One - features the first appearance of former EastEnders star Michelle Collins, who has a multi-episode guest stint as the mother of a girl who is injured at the college.

The feature-length instalment also stars Jaye Jacobs as Donna Jackson, who crosses over from Holby City.

[Dallas]

Didn't like it. The whole thing was not terribly well written IMO which came as a surprise as Mark Catley is normally so damn good!!

I think more of the physiological side of the killings from the killer's point of view would have enhanced the story...i don't know it just seemed all over the place at times and sooo cliched!

Plus Lenny irritates the hell out of me! Never in Casualty's history has there been such an unprofessional, self obsessed, cold hearted mouth piece of a doctor in that ED. It's just so un-believable that someone like him could work in casualty department. And the whole mother dying thing is an insult to us the viewers. We're supposed to suddenly forgive him for being such a prick!

However on the up side there was lots of Charlie (even though i think he might have over stepped the mark a bit with new nurse Mads) the acting was superb - even though i hate Lenny, the actor who plays him is brilliant. I like the new nurse, just hope she doesn't start a string of affairs and turn into a selfish un-professional like most of the rest of them these days.

It was an interesting subject to tackle and I honeslty thought they'd pull it off but they didn't IMO. Shame

[Dallas]

Didn't like it. The whole thing was not terribly well written IMO which came as a surprise as Mark Catley is normally so damn good!!

I think more of the physiological side of the killings from the killer's point of view would have enhanced the story...i don't know it just seemed all over the place at times and sooo cliched!

Plus Lenny irritates the hell out of me! Never in Casualty's history has there been such an unprofessional, self obsessed, cold hearted mouth piece of a doctor in that ED. It's just so un-believable that someone like him could work in casualty department. And the whole mother dying thing is an insult to us the viewers. We're supposed to suddenly forgive him for being such a prick!

However on the up side there was lots of Charlie (even though i think he might have over stepped the mark a bit with new nurse Mads) the acting was superb - even though i hate Lenny, the actor who plays him is brilliant. I like the new nurse, just hope she doesn't start a string of affairs and turn into a selfish un-professional like most of the rest of them these days.

It was an interesting subject to tackle and I honeslty thought they'd pull it off but they didn't IMO. Shame