Casualty, the BBC medical drama that has gripped British viewers for four decades, holds the official title of the world's longest-running series of its kind. This week's explosive 40th anniversary episodes have seen a huge firebomb lighting up the skies of Holby.
The show, filmed at Cardiff's BBC Roath Lock Studios since 2011, is expected to move to a new fictional hospital in Wales next year.
Stars who appeared before fame
While favourite characters such as Charlie, who served three decades until his departure in 2024, and Duffy, who racked up 231 episodes, are well known, several major stars have made appearances in the programme since its 1986 launch, long before they became household names. Here are 17 notable cameos:
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- Kate Winslet – appeared in 1993, portraying Suzanne, a woman trapped in an abusive relationship, prior to her breakthrough role in Titanic. The 50-year-old later reflected that the experience taught her how to appear "natural in front of the camera".
- Tom Hiddleston – now a global star known for Thor, he played climber Chris Vaughan, who accidentally knocks a woman off her balcony while abseiling down a tower block, in a 2007 episode.
- Orlando Bloom – the Lord of the Rings actor made his professional acting debut on the programme, appearing in three episodes between 1994 and 1996 as builder Noel Harrison, who is hospitalised following self-harm.
- Minnie Driver – secured her breakthrough role in 1991, portraying Zena, an HIV positive patient who arrived at the hospital with a bleeding forehead, before films such as Good Will Hunting and GoldenEye.
- Christopher Eccleston – long before Doctor Who, he landed just his second on-screen role in a 1990 episode, portraying Stephen Hills, a man living with HIV.
- Martin Freeman – in 1998, he took on the part of robber Ricky Beck. The 54-year-old has remarked: "It was the biggest thing I'd done on TV, so I took it very seriously."
- Helen Baxendale – before Friends and Cold Feet, she featured as Emma, a member of a religious cult, who sustains injuries from a car.
- Hermione Norris – another Cold Feet star, she appeared in a 1991 storyline as a ballet dancer battling an eating disorder.
- Daisy Ridley – rising to stardom as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she first appeared in a 2013 episode as Fran Bedinfield, who suffers an injury on a fairground ride. She later reflected: "Casualty will always be my first 'Oh my God' moment as an actor...I was over the moon."
- Jonny Lee Miller – known for Trainspotting, he appeared in a 1992 episode as Matt, a teenage bully hospitalised following a fight.
- Parminder Nagra – now 50, she achieved success in Bend It Like Beckham, but earlier 1996 episodes saw her as Asha, a woman attacked by her brother for featuring in a lads mag to pay for an abortion.
- Lucy Davis – famous for The Office, she appeared in 1995 as Sarah Jackson, the friend of a woman thrown through a window during a mugging.
- Nicholas Hoult – his television debut came aged seven in a 1996 episode, playing the son of a man hurt in a garage accident, before films like About A Boy and X-Men: First Class.
- Dervla Kirwan – the Irish actress launched her career with a 1990 appearance as Anna, a woman wounded during a football match riot, before roles in Goodnight Sweetheart and Ballykissangel.
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson – prior to Kick-Ass and 28 Years Later, he appeared in a 2006 episode as teenage runaway Joey Byrne, who becomes involved in a severe accident with a friend.
- David Walliams – the Britain's Got Talent judge and children's author got a break on the show in 2003, the same year Little Britain launched.
- Ray Winstone – the big screen hardman played a prisoner in 1995. Two years later, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Nil by Mouth, and would go on to star in The Proposition, The Departed and The Sweeney.
