Casualty series 25

Lore & Background

The series welcomed new characters Dylan Keogh and Madiha 'Mads' Durrani, with Mads departing at the end of the series. Linda Andrews returned to the show in episode 38 as clinical nurse manager. The series also featured guest appearances from Holby City characters Donna Jackson and Henrik Hanssen, played by Jaye Jacobs and Guy Henry respectively. Hasina Haque joined as Mads, whose storylines included an attraction to Lenny Lyons and being raped by her taxi driver. Cheryl Campbell joined for ten episodes as Miriam Turner, who fought for the sole clinical lead position but eventually returned it to Nick and left.

Reader's Guide

Series 25 is notable for its high-profile character deaths and departures, including the stabbing death of Polly Emmerson and the exits of Adam Trueman, Yuki Reid, and Kirsty Clements. The series continued the trend of crossovers with Holby City, with Jaye Jacobs and Guy Henry appearing as their Holby City characters. The critical response was mixed: the premiere was praised by What's on TV and the Radio Times, though the Radio Times reviewer noted unprofessional behavior by Lenny. The holby.tv forums were extremely critical, with viewers complaining that the show was too storyline-based and lacked realism. The series also saw a change in executive producer, with Johnathan Young taking over for the final two episodes.

Did You Know?

• Jaye Jacobs guest-starred as her Holby City character Donna Jackson in the opening episode, marking her first appearance in Casualty itself.
• Polly Emmerson's exit involved her being stabbed with scissors by a disturbed patient named Liam during a confrontation unrelated to Dylan.
• Lucy Gaskell, who played Kirsty Clements, left the show due to pregnancy rather than taking maternity leave.
• The series had no Story Producer credited.