Yahoo News 15 huge Casualty spoilers from the show's boss
Casualty is certainly on fire at the moment, having aired one of its most explosive episodes to date last weekend. And the good news is that it looks like the drama won't be slowing down anytime soon.
Given that the show has just kicked off its brand new series (in very dramatic fashion), we thought there was no better time to get some exclusive teasers about what's coming up over the year ahead.
Here are the 15 biggest pieces of gossip we learned in our chat with showrunner Lucy Raffety:
1. The show wants to tackle some bigger issues
If you didn't know already, the new series is set to be 'the year of the paramedics', with last Saturday's episode kick-starting this.
Over the next few months, fans will see Iain, Jan and Ruby struggle to come to terms with the death of one of their own, whilst also trying to deal with the inevitable pressures of their jobs.
Lucy said: "In this new series, Simon Harper [executive producer] and I were really keen to tackle some big issues. But not just extraordinary, heightened situations that you see on telly, but real, everyday issues that are faced by many of our viewers and people around the country.
"This year is the year of the paramedic. It's about our paramedic family as they all struggle to come to terms with what's happened and deal with Sam's death at the same time as having to deal with the pressure of a front line job.
"There is an epidemic of mental health issues in paramedics currently. Given that they are first on the scene of some quite horrific situations, it's not surprising that it takes its toll. "
2. There's a dark time ahead for Iain
Sam's death is set to have huge repercussions on the paramedic team, but unsurprisingly, it will be impacting her partner-in-crime Iain the most. As Iain comes to terms with the tragedy he feels responsible for, viewers will see a whole new side to him as he goes on a painfully dark journey.
" Iain in particular will find it very difficult", Lucy said. "He finds for the first time in his life that he can't just lock his emotions away in a box and be the smiling, happy go-lucky chap that we know so well. This time, it is all the more overwhelming, all the more challenging and he really struggles to cope. "
3. We'll be seeing a lot more from Ruby
She's only been in the show a few weeks, but new paramedic Ruby Sparks seems to have made a very big impression on viewers. And it sounds like the show is just scratching the surface with her.
Lucy said: "Maddy is such a fantastic actress and she has embraced part of Ruby. They have a symbiotic relationship, where the more we get to know Maddy, we think 'Oh yes, Ruby would do that as well!'.
"Ruby is such a naive character so I think the audience is learning with her. We are seeing what it's like to be a paramedic through her eyes. She gives us that immediate experience of what it's like to out on the rig and be part of this slightly, dysfunctional paramedic family."
4. Charlie and Duffy will have a huge storyline
They've taken a bit of a back seat since their wedding last year, but Charlie and Duffy are about to take centre stage again with one of the biggest stories of the series.
Fans will have to stay tuned to see what's ahead for our beloved Chuffy, but we can reveal that they are about to face one of their biggest challenges to date.
Lucy said: "This is a huge series for Charlie and Duffy. I am not going to say too much but they go through an incredibly tough time where their marriage is put under huge strain."
5. Jacob's past will be explored
Jacob has some emotional moments ahead over the coming weeks, as he also comes to terms with the death of Sam – who he had been dating in secret. To add to the complications, Jacob also has to deal with his son Blake's grief as well, after the youngster developed a huge crush on the popular paramedic.
However, this is just the start of some tricky times ahead for Jacob as the show is about to delve into his complicated past. We've already revealed how former EastEnders star Ellen Thomas will be taking on the role of his mum Omo – but Jacob may not be all that pleased to see her.
Lucy teased: "Jacob's past is going to come back to haunt him in the shape of his mother, who is played by Ellen Thomas. That is not exactly a happy family reunion, though."
6. There's romance ahead for Dylan
Dylan's brusque bedside manner and acerbic comments might have made him a firm favourite with fans, but haven't necessarily done wonders for his love life...until now.
When Ciara returns to the ED in this Saturday's episode, she will ignite a new fire in Dylan and he'll find himself struggling to ignore the growing chemistry between them.
"We've got a huge story coming up for Dylan", Lucy said. "We are going to be seeing Ciara return – the character he met at AA and had an instant connection with.
"She comes back into his life with all her crazy whirlwind of baggage and issues but there is such an incredible chemistry between the two of them. He will try to ignore it but she does eventually manage to break through his defences. However, that comes with its own issues as well…."
7. Sharon Gless is returning
We all love to see a familiar face pop up from now and again, so we couldn't resist asking Lucy if there were any old favourites heading back to the ED in the the near future.
"We have got no big returns at the moment", Lucy said. "We are very much looking forward. But we have got Sharon Gless making a return at some point."
Sharon is reprising her role as sharp-witted brain surgeon Zsa Zsa Harper-Jenkinson following her debut last year. But fans will have to stay tuned to see what brings her back this time.
8. There are some VERY exciting Holby and Casualty crossovers comings
Ok, so no real breaking news here since these moments are always so popular with fans, but you can expect to see some VERY exciting crossovers in the coming months.
When asked if there were any more in the pipeline, Lucy told us: "Indeed. Simon Harper is very hot on crossovers and want us to do as many as we can to meld our two shows. I am not going to say too much now, but there will be some extremely exciting crossovers coming."
9. There will be more experimental episodes
Given that Casualty's "one-shot" episode went down a storm with the ratings last year, it's no surprise that the show has continued to experiment with format since. And the good news is that there are more even more plans to deviate from house style this series.
"There are a lot of episodes coming up where we break from form", Lucy revealed. "I think they work really well.
"Obviously we have to be quite careful as we don't want viewers to completely forget about the ED – all of our episodes have to be rooted there in some way, but I think the variety really helps give the programme a really brilliant energy."
10. New characters are arriving
We already know that EastEnders star Shaheen Jafargholi is coming into the showas nurse Marty – but he won't be alone. Casualty has cast Gabriella Leon in the role as another student nurse called Jade, who will be turning up in the ED alongside Marty. Oh and we could be seeing some new doctors later in the series as well.
"We have two student nurses coming in", Lucy explained. "Shaheen who plays Marty and a brilliant actress called Gabriella Leon, who is coming in to play Jade.
"They are two nurses who don't see eye to eye, but what they do bring is a whirlwind of life and fun into the ED. But it won't always be plain-sailing with them.
"We are also planning to bring some new doctors in at the end of the series."
11. Alicia's story isn't over
Alicia's harrowing rape story was one of the biggest talking points of last year and it's not over yet. Having finally decided to report Eddie to the police, Alicia now faces a tense time to see if justice is served.
But while Lucy has admitted that Eddie probably won't be facing a prison sentence, she has promised a satisfying conclusion for Alicia.
"93% of rapes don't get convicted", Lucy said. "We didn't want to show a conviction because all the evidence was circumstantial, meaning a conviction for Eddie would have been completely unrealistic. But the story is not finished yet. I think the ending for Alicia is very positive."
12. And nor is Alicia's relationship with Ethan
It's the question everyone seems to want to know: will Alicia and Ethan reunite? Unfortunately, Lucy was staying tight-lipped about the answer to this one, but she did say their story isn't over.
"Their relationship does progress, and for a time, they become close again", Lucy said. "But I am not going to tell you anything else."
And after the turbulent few years he's had, we couldn't resist asking what the future holds for Ethan now – and whether he can come back from some of the mistakes he's made.
" It hasn't been hard redeeming him", Lucy insisted. "I think the viewers know he has such a good heart. He is a person with incredibly high moral standards and a deep conscience.
"Therefore, while you may not agree with what he's done, you understand it. I think he has always been that same Ethan, but I think he'll be leaning less to the darker side in future episodes.
13. . Connie will stay at her feisty best
She's had the year from hell, but Connie was back to her cold, bold, brilliant best when she returned to work a few months ago. And the good news, that's all here to stay!
Lucy said: "I think in the past couple of years we have seen a vulnerability to Connie which has been powerful and endearing, but it's time to sharpen her up again."
But when asked if we'll be seeing Connie's daughter Grace again, Lucy added: "Not at the moment. The actress is now a mega star in Hollywood so I doubt we'll get her back. Although never say never because I know that Casualty has a fond place in her heart. You never know."
14. There could be more surprises coming up
Casualty has a rich history of keeping back secrets before transmission and it's very much the plan to keep the unpredictability going in the next series.
"The number one rule in the script office is: if you can predict where the story is going to, you change it", Lucy said.
" It is very difficult though. We do 47 episodes a year so to come up with as many stories for each episode that are that unpredictable and that twisty is a real challenge. But we want it to feel new and fresh.
"These days, there isn't a 'normal' episode of Casualty and I'm proud of that." We play around with format, with time structure, with narrative, and our writers and script team have really embraced that. The show has got a really grown up feel to it now."
15. The show is planning a different Christmas episode
Finally, with summer nearly over, we couldn't resist asking what the show has planned for the festive season.
Lucy teased: "We will be filming it in September. It's quite a different Christmas episodes to the ones we've seen in recent years." We're intrigued!
Casualty continues on Saturday, August 18 on BBC One.
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