Casualty series 30

The thirtieth season of *Casualty* began airing on BBC One on 29 August 2015 and concluded on 30 July 2016. It contained 43 episodes, one of which was the programme's 1000th episode, broadcast on 25 June 2016. Erika Hossington stayed on as series producer, and Oliver Kent remained executive producer. Seventeen actors from the prior series returned, while five—including three long-time cast members—left during the run. Chelsea Halfpenny appeared as F2 Alicia Munroe from September to November 2015, returning as a main cast member in July 2016. Alistair Brammer joined for a four-month guest stint as receptionist Jack Diamond in December 2015. Three new regulars arrived in spring 2016: Lloyd Everitt as paramedic Jez Andrews, Jason Durr as staff nurse David Hide, and Jaye Griffiths as consultant Elle Gardner. The first two episodes were written and directed by co-creator Paul Unwin, who also contributed to a major storyline revealing that brothers Cal and Ethan were adopted. The annual Christmas special received mixed reviews from journalist Matt Baylis, who praised the show's ability to reinvent itself despite its long run but felt the episode was let down by fine details. Throughout the season, Hossington and Kent teased the thirtieth anniversary episode, hinting that "something major" would happen to a lead character with long-lasting consequences. During series thirty, *Casualty* won Best Drama at the Inside Soap Awards. It was also shortlisted for Best Drama at the 2016 National Television Awards but lost to *Downton Abbey*. On 14 February 2016, the BBC reported that *Casualty* was the sixth most-loved programme on BBC iPlayer. The show was nominated for TV Soap of the Year at the 2016 TRIC awards but lost to *EastEnders*. However, it received the TRIC Special Award in September 2016 in recognition of its thirtieth year on air. Oliver Kent continued as executive producer, and Erika Hossington remained series producer. The series comprised 43 episodes. As the show built toward its thirtieth anniversary, Hossington stated in an interview that the special episode would do something "no other show has done before," noting they had considered live episodes but decided against them because they had been done. Simon Harper, producer of *Holby City*, announced plans for a crossover event with the sister show to celebrate the anniversary.