Casualty series 1

The first series of the British medical drama *Casualty* premiered on BBC One on 6 September 1986 and concluded on 27 December 1986. The show was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, with Geraint Morris serving as producer. Before the series aired, Brock and Unwin visited the Bristol Royal Infirmary, where they met charge nurse Pete Salt, who became the series' medical advisor. The first series consisted of fifteen episodes, each with its own title, broadcast weekly on Saturday nights. It introduced ten main characters, each assigned different roles in the A&E department. By the end of the series, two actors—Julia Watson (Baz Samuels) and George Harris (Clive King)—did not return for the second series; Watson later came back to the show in 1995 during Series 9, Episode 20.

The concept for *Casualty* emerged when Brock and Unwin were both hospitalized for separate reasons and became "deeply concerned by what they saw." They pitched a document to the BBC in 1985. Unwin later told *Radio Times* that their pitch "read like a manifesto," opening with the line: "In 1948, a dream was born – a National Health Service. In 1985, the dream is in tatters." He described himself and Brock as "left–wing and passionate," adding that they "knew what stories there were to tell." After the show was commissioned, the BBC paired them with producer Geraint Morris. One reason for producing *Casualty* was to help boost the BBC's declining ratings during peak Friday and Saturday evening slots between 1984 and 1985. Before scripting the first series, Brock and Unwin visited a hospital in Bristol, where they met charge nurse Pete Salt, who was appointed medical advisor to guide the team on medical accuracy.

The first series featured ten main characters, all introduced in the first episode. The fifteenth episode marked the final appearances of Baz Samuels and Clive King, with their departures explained in the second series. The other eight characters continued into series two. Seven notable actors appeared in guest roles: Graham Cole played a junior doctor in episode one; Michael Garner played PC McMorrow in episode four; Alfred Molina played journalist Harry Horner in episode four; Vas Blackwood appeared as Bob in episode four; Stella Gonet played specialist registrar Clare Wainwright in episode seven; and Perry Fenwick played patient Marvin Osborne in episode nine.