Casualty fans were left fuming at the BBC over a detail at the end of the soap’s 40th anniversary special, as a character died in heartbreaking scenes. The medical drama, which first premiered in 1986, celebrated its milestone anniversary on Saturday night (September 6).
It was a frantic evening with St James’ Hospital exploding in the opening minutes. It was then up to Holby ED to treat a staggering amount of patients, showcasing how NHS medics deal with major catastrophes. Poor Dylan (William Beck) was stunned to see his ex Sophia (Kellie Shirley) brought in with severe burns.
Sophia’s tragic return
Sophia’s return to the soap ended in tragedy, with her dying as a result of her burns sustained in the fire. This led to Dylan suffering a breakdown and struggling to lead his team through the crisis. At one point, Dylan carried a bag which potentially contained a bomb outside the hospital. Thankfully, it turned out that the bag was harmless and that the explosion was in fact an accident.
If that wasn’t dramatic enough for one evening, Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) and Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) found themselves trapped in an ambulance that fell off a cliff. Flynn bravely got his colleague out of the vehicle, only to find that she had stopped breathing.
Stevie survives and fans react to the credits
As fans were fearing another favourite would be killed off, Stevie pulled through by the end of the episode following hard work from the Holby team. In a nod to the special occasion, Stevie told Flynn in her hospital bed: "They do say life begins at 40."
Making fans across the nation smile, the original theme music was brought back for the credits. During the credits, BBC One's continuity announcer informed viewers of the soap’s future. They said: "For 40 years, Casualty has been the beating heart of our Saturday nights. The best is yet to come, with some exciting changes ahead. Don't miss the new era of Casualty, coming next year to BBC One and iPlayer."
Following the episode, many rushed to X, previously known as Twitter, to praise the return of the old theme song. However, some were not impressed that it was cut off by the announcer.
@AndyGibsonTV said: “WHY DID @BBC CONTINUITY HAVE TO RUIN IT?! What planet is @BBCOne's announcer on to think it appropriate/acceptable to interrupt such a nostalgic moment for @BBCCasualty fans with words that could've been said at the end?” @paxangloceltae added: “The only negative here was the BBC having its continuity announcer speak over Ken Freeman’s masterpiece, tsk tsk.”
@thetvroom wrote: "Nice touch by the @BBCCasualty team using the old music and logo at the end of tonight's double episode. Not so nice touch BBC Presentation having the announcer yap over most of it!!!"
@MattOfficial92 commented: “Tonight’s ending to #Casualty40 was a lovely hit of nostalgia with the original credits and theme tune.. but I’m very intrigued with this ‘new era’ of Casualty next year.”
@RyanSoapKing25 posted: “A huge congratulations to everyone involved in front and behind the camera. The longest running medical drama in the world still going strong 40 years later and tonight's episodes will go down in history!”
