The episode of Casualty airing tonight (December 10) might look a little different to fans of the hospital drama.
And that’s because bosses have made a major change to tonight’s episode amid the NHS strikes.
The long-running BBC medical drama is pulling off a major format change for tonight’s episode.
As a result, the hour-long special will be entirely improvised.
Casualty tonight: Major change for 60-minute special
Tonight’s episode focuses on paramedics Jan, Iain, Sah and Teddy, who are pushed to breaking point whilst working under pressure.
But despite the change in format from a fully-scripted episode, the show will stay true to its roots.
Over 36 years, Casualty has reflected the difficult realities of front-line health care workers.
This episode sheds light on the effect ambulance queues has on the hospital. It also looks at the effects on its patients and the front-line medical staff themselves.
Casualty explores reality of the NHS
Tonight’s episode follows the paramedics across four days. But it also shows the pressure and obstacles they are faced with on busy shifts.
Jan (Di Botcher) arrives back from holiday with a spring in her step.
However, she is ground down over the course of her shift and makes a terrible mistake, resulting in an accident.
Meanwhile, Teddy’s confidence is undermined on a difficult call out. And Iain and Sah both battle with intensely stressful situations.
Casualty boss Jon Sen said: “Casualty is at its best when it tells stories that truly chime with the real experience of working medics in the NHS.
“The ambition behind the ep was to tell a story that gets as close as possible to what it is like to stand in the shoes of paramedics up and down the country.
“After our extensive research, using improvisation techniques to capture the truth of the world seemed only natural. We want people to come away having a greater respect for the work paramedics do and a true appreciation of the challenges they face.”
A look at ‘the person behind the uniform’
However, actress Di told the Mirror: “I hope the viewers get battered by the episode.
“I hope they see the person behind the uniform. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”
But the director of the special episode explained how it really fell on the actors to make it all work.
Read more: Casualty spoilers: Double death as Jan and Sah caught up in horror explosion
Steve Hughes said: “The actors improvised all their dialogue and we shot everything like a documentary to give it a grounded, naturalistic feel.
“It was vital to make this episode feel as authentic as possible to highlight the challenges paramedics, and the NHS as a whole, face on a daily basis.
“It was scary for the actors at first, like they were walking a tightrope without a net, but it was also freeing and exciting to be able to use their own voices.”
The improvised episode will air tonight, Saturday, 10 December, at 8.10pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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