Casualty fans hoping for news of the show's return to screens have been told the BBC One medical drama is on another hiatus. The series made a one-week return in September to mark its 40th anniversary, and it is now off air again while Strictly Come Dancing continues its run.
Why Casualty is not on tonight
Casualty is not airing on Saturday, November 14, because it returned for one week only in September to celebrate four decades of the emergency department. As it does each autumn, the show is now pausing during Strictly's series and will return sometime next year with a brand new run.
Confirmation of the comeback came during the end credits of the 40th anniversary episodes, with the BBC One announcer stating that the 'best is yet to come'.
What the 40th anniversary brought
The anniversary double-bill featured dramatic scenes as an explosion in the city put lives at risk and left doctors facing one of their biggest challenges. Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) and Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) were left fighting for their lives after their ambulance plunged from a cliffside into a quarry.
Familiar faces including Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) and Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) returned, while Dylan Keogh (William Beck) faced the loss of ex Sophia Peters (Kellie Shirley), who died following the blast.
Teasers for the next series
Stars Melanie Hill and Neet Mohan previously shared some hints about what is to come. Hill said: 'The first episodes of the next series that we've shot, not giving anything away, but these 40th celebration episodes were massive, and you think, we cannot ever top that, but these scripts came through the door and I was like, I cannot believe the ambition of the show has just notched up because we're shooting less.'
Mohan added: 'Like Mel and Will said, the 40th is these amazing two episodes, and then we kick off the next series, with amazing episodes as well. The show has always changed and evolved, and I think that's testament to its success. And I think it flings the doors open to a whole new era, which is really exciting.'
Olly Rix told Metro that the Stevie and Flynn storyline will continue when the show returns. He said: 'Part of the fun of Flynn and Stevie's dynamic is that everybody sees it but them. They are the last to realise it. In this moment in the 40th – in a life or death situation where they realise that one half of this equation might not make it – perhaps that reorientates them going forward and makes them fully understand the depth of what is there. I'm not going to give too much away, but that's the beginning of their story, not the end of their story.'
How to watch in the meantime
While waiting for the new series, episodes of Casualty and spin-off Holby City are set to be added to Netflix from November 23. The 40th anniversary episodes, plus the whole of 2023-2025, are now streaming on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
