Casualty (series 2)
Encyclopedia
The second series of the British
medical drama
television series Casualty
commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One
on 12 September 1987 and finished on 19 December 1987.
. However, accompanying the publicity for the start of the new series were comments by producer Geraint Morris
that there would be no more programmes, stating quite unequivocally that: "We felt it should end on a high after thirty episodes."
Once again as the characters of Holby's A&E department battled to save their night shift on screen, off screen a similar battle was being waged - and won. After six weeks on air, the critics were finally warming to the series and there were no longer any Government complaints about content. Following the dramatic episode Cry For Help, in which Paramedic Sandra Mute is stabbed the programme seemed to secure audiences of more than 10 million and therefore a sense of security to the programme.
An example of the series' now infamous tendency to bare similarity to real life events came during an episode where the team had to dig out bodies from a house bombed in an IRA
attack. Just hours after being screen, an IRA bomb ripped through Enniskillen
. It seemed that the writers had put their fingers on the country's pulse without exaggeration and from that point onwards no one dared to call it far-fetched again.
Ewart Plimmer (Bernard Gallagher
), nurses Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson), Megan Roach (Brenda Fricker
), and Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (Cathy Shipton
), paramedic
s Sandra Mute (Lisa Bowerman
) and Andrew Ponting (Robert Pugh
), receptionist Susie Mercier (Debbie Roza) and porter Kuba Trzcinski (Christopher Rozycki).
Joining the regular cast were administrator Elizabeth Straker (Maureen O'Brien
), senior house officer
Mary Tomlinson (Helena Little
), student nurses Karen O’Malley (Kate Hardie
) and Cyril James (Eddie Nestor
), paramedics Shirley Franklin
(Ella Wilder) and Keith Cotterill (Geoffery Leesley). Nigel Anthony
and Sonia Woolley had recurring roles as Ted Roach and Ros Plimmer respectively.
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United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
medical drama
Medical drama
A medical drama is a television program, in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment.In the United States, most medical episodes are one hour long and, more often than not, are set in a hospital. Most current medical Dramatic programming go beyond the...
television series Casualty
Casualty (TV series)
Casualty, stylised as Casual+y, is a British weekly television show broadcast on BBC One, and the longest-running emergency medical drama television series in the world. Created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, it was first broadcast on 6 September 1986, and transmitted in the UK on BBC One. The...
commenced airing in the United Kingdom on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
on 12 September 1987 and finished on 19 December 1987.
Production
While the first series of Casualty had been filmed in London, a permanent place for the Set had now been found - a warehouse in BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. However, accompanying the publicity for the start of the new series were comments by producer Geraint Morris
Geraint Morris
Geraint Morris was a Welsh film and television director and producer.His first contribution to film directing came in 1971 when he directed The Onedin Line...
that there would be no more programmes, stating quite unequivocally that: "We felt it should end on a high after thirty episodes."
Once again as the characters of Holby's A&E department battled to save their night shift on screen, off screen a similar battle was being waged - and won. After six weeks on air, the critics were finally warming to the series and there were no longer any Government complaints about content. Following the dramatic episode Cry For Help, in which Paramedic Sandra Mute is stabbed the programme seemed to secure audiences of more than 10 million and therefore a sense of security to the programme.
An example of the series' now infamous tendency to bare similarity to real life events came during an episode where the team had to dig out bodies from a house bombed in an IRA
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
attack. Just hours after being screen, an IRA bomb ripped through Enniskillen
Enniskillen
Enniskillen is a town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is located almost exactly in the centre of the county between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,599 in the 2001 Census...
. It seemed that the writers had put their fingers on the country's pulse without exaggeration and from that point onwards no one dared to call it far-fetched again.
Cast
For series 2, the majority of the original cast remained unchanged. Continuing into Series 2 were consultantConsultant (medicine)
In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
Ewart Plimmer (Bernard Gallagher
Bernard Gallagher
Bernard Gallagher is a British actor known for appearances in television soap operas and dramas. He was born in Bradford, West Yorkshire.Gallagher has appeared in many television series including Crown Court, Heartbeat, The thin blue line and Casualty.- External links :...
), nurses Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson), Megan Roach (Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker
Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress of theatre, film and television. She had appeared in more than 30 films and television roles...
), and Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (Cathy Shipton
Cathy Shipton
Catherine Ellen Shipton , is an English actress.-Biography:Born to Irish parents, she was the seventh and second girl of nine children, where only four of her brothers survived. Shipton was raised as a Roman Catholic, and was educated in a convent in South London...
), paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s Sandra Mute (Lisa Bowerman
Lisa Bowerman
Lisa Bowerman is a British actress.Bowerman trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and was a regular in the first two series of BBC medical drama Casualty playing Sandra Mute, the show's first female paramedic. Her other television work includes: Dodgem, The Count of Solar, Grange Hill, The...
) and Andrew Ponting (Robert Pugh
Robert Pugh
Robert Pugh is a Welsh film and television actor.Pugh was born in Cilfynydd and graduated from Rose Bruford College in 1976. In 2007, he co-starred alongside Genevieve O'Reilly and Geraldine James in ITV1 drama The Time of Your Life, where he played a parent whose 36-year-old daughter was...
), receptionist Susie Mercier (Debbie Roza) and porter Kuba Trzcinski (Christopher Rozycki).
Joining the regular cast were administrator Elizabeth Straker (Maureen O'Brien
Maureen O'Brien
Maureen O'Brien is an English actress of Irish descent and author best known for playing the role of Vicki in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, although she has appeared in many other television programmes as well.She played the part of Vicki in 38 episodes of Doctor Who from 2...
), senior house officer
Senior house officer
A senior house officer is a junior doctor undergoing training within a certain speciality in the British National Health Service or in the Republic of Ireland. SHOs are supervised by consultants and registrars, who oversee their training and are their designated clinical supervisors...
Mary Tomlinson (Helena Little
Helena Little
Helena Little is an English actress who is best known for playing Mary Tomlinson in Casualty and she has also been in The Bill, Boon, Juliet Bravo, Between the Lines, A Touch of Frost, Peak Practice and Dangerfield...
), student nurses Karen O’Malley (Kate Hardie
Kate Hardie
Kate Hardie is a British actress, who has appeared in a number of film and television roles.-Biography:Hardie's stage name is derived from those of both her parents: Jean Hart and comedian turned naturalist Bill Oddie.-Career:...
) and Cyril James (Eddie Nestor
Eddie Nestor
Eddie Nestor is an English actor, stand up comedian, TV and radio presenter, who is best known for his starring roles in The Real McCoy and Desmonds, as well as playing a small role in Trainspotting.He hosted...
), paramedics Shirley Franklin
Shirley Franklin
Shirley Clarke Franklin is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia from 2002 to 2010...
(Ella Wilder) and Keith Cotterill (Geoffery Leesley). Nigel Anthony
Nigel Anthony
Nigel Anthony, is a British theatre and television actor, who has also worked notably in radio with many broadcasts to his credit He is married to the actress Kate Binchy and is also an accomplished drummer with a wide knowledge of jazz.His theatre work includes The Taming of the Shrew, Happy...
and Sonia Woolley had recurring roles as Ted Roach and Ros Plimmer respectively.
Episodes
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External links
- Casualty series 2 at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Casualty series 2 at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...