BBC drama Casualty has been keeping us entertained for the last 40 years, and during that time, Holby City Hospital has seen many a famous face pass through its doors.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Casualty is airing two special episodes tonight, with the cast promising ‘apocalyptic’ levels of drama.
Casualty is the world’s longest-running medical drama, so we wouldn’t expect anything less from its double-bill.
Not wanting to miss out on the celebrations, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and look at some of the biggest names who got their start in Casualty.
Christopher Eccleston – Doctor Who and Lucan
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Episode – A Reasonable Man – 1990
He was once the nation’s favourite Timelord, travelling through time and space alongside Billie Piper in the first series of the revived Doctor Who, but fifteen years prior, Christopher Eccleston popped up in Casualty!
It is listed as his second television credit on IMDB, making it one of the earliest roles in his illustrious career.
He played Stephen Hills, a patient with HIV, and delivered a powerful performance that now gives viewers an insight into people’s attitudes towards the disease in the early 90s.
Alfred Molina – Raiders of the Lost Ark, Spider-Man 2 and The Da Vinci Code
Episode – Jump Start – 1986
Tony Award-winning actor Alfred Molina has a list of television, film and stage credits stretching from the present day all the way back to 1978.
After numerous high-profile projects, including a role in Raiders of the Lost Ark, he starred in the fourth episode of Casualty, playing Harry Horner, a smarmy reporter on the hunt for a life-and-death story.
He’s since gone on to appear in films like Spider-Man 2 and The Da Vinci Code, TV shows like Law & Order spinoffs Special Victims Unit and Trial by Jury, as well as having an illustrious West End and Broadway career.
Jerome Flynn – Ripper Street and Game of Thrones
Episode – Living in Hope – 1991
Jerome Flynn is probably better known as sellsword Bronn in the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones, but in a Casualty episode that centred on conflict in marriage, Jerome played a husband whose ambitions led to his wife collapsing.
It was early on in his career, and he has since gone on to have roles in Black Mirror, Ripper Street and John Wick: Chapter 3.
Julia Sawalha – Absolutely Fabulous
Episode – Living in Hope – 1991
Featuring in the same episode as Jerome Flynn, Julie appeared in the medical drama playing a domestic abuse victim called Nikki Watson, who was admitted to the ED with concerning injuries.
At the time, she was a series regular in CITV drama Press Gang.
This was just one year before she would become a huge hit in the Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley sitcom vehicle Ab Fab. Julia, playing Saffy, would continue in the series for two decades as well as reprising the part for the 2016 big screen spin-off.
Hermione Norris – Spooks, Cold Feet and Innocent
Episode – The Last Word – 1991
Another episode in 1991 saw Hermione Norris play Abby Larwood, a ballet dancer who had fallen ill after some shocking career advice.
This wasn’t her only appearance in the drama, however, as she also popped up in a 1994 episode titled The Facts of Life, playing the role of Bobbie Croft.
She would later land the part of Karen Marsden in ITV drama Cold Feet, which, following a successful pilot, aired 9 series between 1997 and 2020.
Minnie Driver – Good Will Hunting and Tarzan
Episode – The Last Word – 1991
Also appearing in the same episode as Hermione was Minnie Driver.
She played Zena Mitchell, a patient admitted with cuts and a cold who was convinced she had something else wrong with her aside from her obvious symptoms.
Casualty was only her third IMDB credit, and she has since gone on to have countless roles in film and TV, including Good Will Hunting, which saw her nominated for an Oscar.
Kathy Burke – Absolutely Fabulous, The Harry Enfield Show, Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie and countless documentaries
Episode – Facing Up – 1991
1991 was certainly quite the year for famous faces in Casualty as Kathy Burke also featured in an episode.
When a loaded gun fell into the arms of a child, Kathy gave quite the performance as Lorraine McCullier.
She was just about the become one of the biggest faces of the 90s in a number of comedies, including French & Saunders.
Jonny Lee Miller – Trainspotting
Episode – Tender Loving Care – 1992
Before starring in Danny Boyle’s hit movie Trainspotting, and its sequeltwo decades later, Jonny Lee Miller popped up in Casualty playing lovesick teenager Matt.
Matt developed feelings for his teacher and had his life turned upside down due to bullying.
Kate Winslet – Mare of Easttown and Titanic (obviously)
Episode – Family Matters – 1993
In 1993, the Kate Winslet appeared on the show playing an innocent babysitter called Suzanne, whose boyfriend had uncovered a dark web of abuse within a family.
We’re sure that walking the corridors of Holby City is her biggest achievement, followed by the Hollywood blockbuster Titanic.
Helen Baxendale – Cold Feet, Friends
Episode – Give Us This Day – 1993
Playing Emma Hayes, a brainwashed character, Helen featured in an episode that looked at the growing concern of religious cults. When Helen’s family tried to rescue her, things went terribly wrong…
She would later go on to play Rachel in Cold Feet alongside Hermione Norris, though the character was killed off in the fifth series in 2003.
She also played Ross’ British wife Emily in Friends.
Orlando Bloom – Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean (if we listed all of his credits we’d be here all day)
Episode – Another Day in Paradise – 1996
A young Orlando Bloom appeared in Casualty, playing a labourer suspiciously prone to accidents.
Surprisingly, Orlando also featured in this episode with comedian Kevin Bishop and former EastEnders star Nadia Sawalha – what a small world!
We needn’t bother listing what he went onto next, as we’d be here all day!
Martin Freeman – The Office, The Hobbit and Sherlock
Episode – She Loved the Rain – 1998
Way before Martin Freeman featured in the hit BBC One drama Sherlock, Love Actually or any of the Hobbit movies, he also made an appearance in Casualty.
He played a villain who enticed his friends into committing robberies that led to tragic consequences.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson – Kick-Ass and Avengers: Age of Ultron
Episode – Silent Ties – 2006
Playing a troubled teenager, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s character saw him involved in an accident with his best friend.
He became a huge star after playing John Lennon in the film Nowhere Boy, at the age of 19. He met director wife Sam Taylor-Johnson on set and has gone on to appear in Kick-Ass, Godzilla and 28 Years Later.
Tom Hiddleston – Loki, Kong Skull Island, and The Night Manager
Episode – The Killing Floor – 2007
Introduced in a classic Casualty way, Tom Hiddleston’s character Chris Vaughan abseiled down a building, which we all know is never a good idea in a soap.
As it turned out, he and his mates were keeping a dark secret.
Tom has since made his name as Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the Avengers and Thor movies, as well as the TV series Loki.
Will Sharpe – Too Much, The White Lotus
Episode – Series regular from 2009-10
Too Much star Will Sharpe joined the cast of Casualty in 2009, playing junior Doctor Yuki Reid.
He joined the ED along with a group of new F2 trainees and appeared in 51 episodes across series 24 and 25.
Sophia Di Martino – Loki
Episode – Series regular from 2009-11
Another Loki star, Sophia Di Martino played a young ambulance technician in Casualty called Polly Emmerson. She was a series regular between series 23 and 25.
The character was killed in 2011 after getting stabbed by a patient called Hannah Fleet.
This wasn’t her first role in the BBC drama, as 2006 saw her appear in one episode titled There’s No Place Like… as Shauna Milsom.
Daisy Ridley – Star Wars
Episode – And the Walls Come Tumbling Down – 2013
Prior to her role in Star Wars, Daisy Ridley played Robyn Miller’s (Amanda Henderson) friend, Fran Bedingfield.
Fran was a spiteful character who caused Robyn an awful lot of drama.
Michelle Collins – Coronation Street, EastEnders
Episode – In the Name of Love – 2014
Michelle Collins has appeared in not one but three episodes of Casualty.
Most notably, she played a love interest for beloved paramedic Jeff Collier in 2014.
Her first stint in Casualty saw her play Camille Lewis across four episodes in 2010.
Most recently, she appeared in a 2019 episode as Lorna Rowle.
Danny Dyer – EastEnders
Episode – Love Is – 2012
Best known for his roles in shows including EastEnders and Rivals, back in 2012, Danny Dyer appeared in Casualty playing a paramedic called Rossy, who was hiding quite the secret.
This article was originally published in August 2021.
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