Casualty rejected 40th anniversary nostalgia and proved why it still matters

The anniversary episodes air on BBC One this evening (Picture: BBC/ Shutterstock/Getty/Metro) How do you keep a TV show alive for 40 years? Don’t look at me. It’s a dilemma that’s incredibly difficult to answer in this day and age, when we’re living in a world of streaming services, and the audience has an incredible luxury of starting a show and skipping onto another one within seconds. Tricky though the question is, BBC One’s Casualty has the answer. To celebrate four decades on our screens that have gone from tiny to ginormous, the medical drama is airing two anniversary special episodes this evening, and will successfully tell us all how it has evolved with the times without losing sight of what made it so beloved in the first place. These two instalments are directed by Steve Hughes, the same man who helped create the critically acclaimed Coronavirus pandemic special, which went on to secure major BAFTA, RTS and Broadcast Award wins. He’s also been at the helm of some of Casualty’s most dramatic episodes in recent years including the Thin Green Line, an improvised performance that focused on the intense pressure faced by Holby City Hospital’s paramedics. So yes, we are most certainly in safe hands. There is no waiting around for the drama to begin on Saturday night, as within minutes of the first instalment starting, Holby’s neighbouring hospital St James’ becomes the site of a massive explosion. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It wouldn’t be Casualty without a healthy dose of absolute chaos, after all. Ask Metro Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about – powered by Metro and trusted publications. Our ED favourites must treat an overwhelming number of patients, with most of them coming from the wreckage at St James’. With Clinical Lead Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) helping people on the ground, it’s up to Dylan Keogh (William Beck) to lead everyone back at Holby. Usually so calm and in control, Dylan faces a massive challenge when he experiences a personal tragedy right in the middle of when his team are looking to him for guidance. Whether he copes with the trauma remains to be seen, but Will Beck has already told us that if there was a ‘mental health A&E, Dylan would be airlifted’ amid this situation. Yep, things are looking bleak. Elsewhere, new consultant Rash Masum (Neet Mohan) has his first shift in his new role. Seriously, talk about bad timing. He spent what felt like forever on his journey to becoming a consultant, becomes one, and then the universe throws him one of the biggest catastrophes that Holby City Hospital has seen in a very long time. An explosion at a neighbouring hospital brings chaos to Holby (Picture: BBC) But where there’s chaos, there’s order. Amid the pandemonium, Clinical Nurse Manager Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill) is the support. Whether it’s creating new instructions for new patients, or simply handing her colleague a bottle of water to ensure they don’t end up on the never-ending list of patients, Siobhan is the safety net. One of the most impressive things about the anniversary is the way Casualty blends the past with the present, and even the future. There are nods to the show’s outstanding history, but the balance is perfect. The reminders of Casualty’s past make you feel warm inside, but you can’t feel it for very long, because another patient has been brought in with horrific injuries, and then you discover someone’s life is in severe danger. Buckle in, because you’re on a rollercoaster of emotions as soon as the BBC Continuity Announcer tells you that Casualty is starting. The episodes also mark the start of a new era for the show (Picture: BBC STUDIOS/ALISTAIR HEAP/MATT BURLEM) The secret to the show’s success, among many things, is reinvention. Just like another show on the BBC, Casualty has spent years developing and regenerating again and again. Some aspects of today’s show didn’t exist 10, 20 years ago – and that is incredibly important. This continuous evolution is exactly what keeps audiences hooked, proving that change isn’t just necessary for survival, it’s the oxygen that keeps the show alive. The anniversary definitely doesn’t hold back when it comes to explosions and danger. At the heart of everything that’s going on though, are emotional stories about very real people. These plots are reminders of what has always made Casualty so synonymous with the NHS: beneath all the spectacle, it is ultimately a show about people. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video It wouldn’t be Casualty without a healthy dose of absolute chaos (Picture: BBC) A triumph of this milestone is how it lays the foundations for Casualty’s new era. The episodes celebrate where the show has come from, while keeping its eyes firmly on where it’s going to go next. Rather than relying on nostalgia alone, these anniversary celebrations balances four long decades of history with a clear vision for the next chapter. They could’ve just stood still to celebrate a legacy but no – all of the doors flings open for future storylines, telling us that Casualty is still evolving all these years later – and ready for many more. 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