[10] From there, newcomers to television writing, script editor Jeremy Brock and theatre director Paul Unwin came up with the idea for a medical drama after both had spent time hospitalised and were 'deeply concerned by what they saw'.
Unwin, reflecting on its origins, stated that as young socialists, they aimed to create a "television revolution" that would be feminist, anti-racist, pro-NHS, and anti-Conservative.
[14] The first series of Casualty was met with controversy and discussed in the House of Commons for its negative portrayal of the NHS and depicting staff drinking on duty due to the pressures of working in A&E.
[16][17] From the show's inception until Series 26, episode 16, exterior shots of the city were filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks such as the floating harbour and Clifton Suspension Bridge.
By Series 2, a permanent interior set was built in a warehouse on Kingsland trading estate in the St. Philip's area of Bristol, close to where the exterior shots of the A&E and hospital were filmed.
[21] Allen House, part of the Ashley Down Centre campus at City of Bristol College, served as the location for most exterior shots of the hospital's A&E entrance from 1986 until 2002.
[24][25] Since 2011, Casualty has been produced at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff with a permanent base housing interior and exterior sets as well as production offices.
[40] In September 1992, Casualty returned to Saturday nights with a series length extended to 24 episodes per year and aired in a pre-watershed slot around 8 pm.
[48] For the Series 31 finale, co-creator Paul Unwin wrote a special episode filmed entirely in one take using a single camera, five boom operators, and 40 microphones.
[56] Executive producer Roxanne Harvey expressed enthusiasm for the launch, highlighting the importance of these training programmes to "sustain the high quality of our iconic drama.
[58] The current regular cast includes clinical lead Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill); consultants Dylan Keogh (William Beck) and Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless); clinical fellow Rash Masum (Neet Mohan); trainee doctors Tariq Hussein (Manpreet Bachu) and Nicole Piper (Sammy T. Dobson); advanced clinical practitioner Faith Cadogan (Kirsty Mitchell); psychiatric liaison nurse Sophia Peters (Kellie Shirley); nurses Rida Amaan (Sarah Seggari), Cameron Mickelthwaite (Barney Walsh), Jodie Whyte (Anna Chell) and Ngozi Okoye (Adesuwa Oni); operational duty manager Jan Jenning (Di Botcher); paramedics Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), Teddy Gowan (Milo Clarke) and Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) and trainee paramedic Indie Jankowski (Naomi Wakszlak) also feature prominently.
[59] A survey by Radio Times in March 2004 found that Casualty has launched the careers of more future stars than any other UK soap or drama series.
[60] Actors such as Kate Winslet, Orlando Bloom, Jodie Comer, Minnie Driver, Alfred Molina, Christopher Eccleston, Tom Hiddleston, Ashley Artus,[61] Parminder Nagra, Caryn Edwards, Sadie Frost, Ray Winstone, David Walliams, Jonny Lee Miller, Martin Freeman, Helen Baxendale, Robson Green, and Brenda Fricker[60] made appearances before achieving wider success.
[60] The series has also included guest roles by more established stars such as Marina Sirtis, Norman Wisdom, Amanda Redman, Anita Dobson, Jenny Seagrove, Rula Lenska, Prunella Scales,[62] Celia Imrie,[63] Toyah Willcox, Maureen Lipman,[64] Frances Barber, Andrew Sachs,[65] Russ Abbot, Stephanie Beacham,[66] Honor Blackman, and Michelle Collins.
The series focuses on the lives and careers of the medical staff and patients on the hospital's surgical wards, addressing various clinical and ethical dilemmas.
Like Casualty, the show features an ensemble cast of regular characters, including surgeons, nurses, and ancillary staff, while guest actors play the patients.
Over the years, notable guest stars have included Eric Sykes, Phill Jupitus, Michael Jayston, Michele Dotrice, Ronni Ancona, Emma Samms, Lee Ryan, Nikki Sanderson, and Johnny Briggs.
[77] Mervyn Watson, former executive producer of Casualty, explained that the idea for the crossovers stemmed from a casual suggestion made within the BBC's comedy department.
[86] In December 2006, the BBC aired Casualty 1906, a historical medical drama reflecting life in the 'Receiving Room' of the Royal London Hospital 100 years prior, before the development of modern A&E departments.
Based on historical hospital records and news reports, the drama depicted the medical practices and societal conditions of the time.