The BBC One medical drama Casualty will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special double-bill airing on September 5. The first episode is scheduled for 8pm, followed by the concluding part at 8:50pm.
As the world's longest-running medical drama, the show has delivered powerful storytelling and ambitious television moments for decades. The anniversary storyline promises drama on an unprecedented scale, described as unlike anything Casualty has tackled before.
Explosion at St James Hospital
The biggest development from the recently released trailer is confirmation that neighbouring hospital St James will be the site of a massive explosion. As Holby is thrown into complete chaos, paramedics head over and are forced to search through the rubble for bodies at the devastated hospital.
As a result of being the only hospital in the city, Holby City Hospital will be forced to deal with an influx of casualties from St James, on top of their own patients.
Dylan's Personal Ordeal
Dylan Keogh (William Beck) can be seen looking heartbroken in the trailer as he faces a very personal situation. The exact nature of the ordeal is not yet known, but it will happen right when he is trying to lead the staff of Holby ED through their darkest hour. At one point, he is surrounded by what appears to be police officers.
Teasing the drama, star William Beck told Metro: 'I think he finds himself in an impossible position in the sense that there's an internal explosion that occurs, a controlled explosion that cannot be contained.'
'He's in a workplace and he's in a position of authority and, more importantly, he's in a position where this cannot be happening. He knows that. He doesn't know who to tell, it's all happening too quickly. If there was a mental health A&E, Dylan would be airlifted.'
'Those characters like Siobhan and Rash, the story is the support network. That's what the show is and always has been about. But, this is hopefully visually arresting.'
Danger for Stevie, Flynn and Paramedics
The trailer confirms that Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) is not at Holby City Hospital when the explosion takes place, but is actually near St James. Whatever happens to Flynn, he will end up with Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) at some point, as they are caught in a situation that forces them both to fight to survive.
In the first teaser trailer released a couple of weeks ago, there was a brief shot at the end of what appears to be an ambulance underwater. This increases the chance that paramedic favourites Jan Jennings (Di Botcher), Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), Jacob Masters (Charles Venn), Teddy Gowan (Milo Clarke) and Indie Jankowski (Naomi Wakszlak) will get caught up in life-threatening danger.
These anniversary episodes will demonstrate the ambition, storytelling and emotional impact at the heart of the series, while signalling an exciting new chapter for the show.
