Exclusive: Casualty to revisit first ever episode ahead of huge 40th anniversary
Casualty‘s ‘Lethal Legacy’ boxset kicked off last month with another huge crisis which will unfold over the coming weeks. The ED staff have been dealing with an influx of respiratory illnesses and premature births in patients, after toxic waste was found buried in the Wyvern Hill Estate.
In the latest instalment, the paramedics and the Army rushed over to the estate following an explosion, caused by the chemical barrels. Series producer Liza Mellody has explained that the storyline is a callback to the soap’s “very first episode”, which aired almost four decades ago in 1986.
“In the very first episode of Casualty, there were chemical barrels that were supposed to be destroyed, but by the end of the episode we knew that somebody had buried them,” Liza told Inside Soap for its summer preview issue.
“Cut to 40 years later, and they are buried under the Wyvern Hill Estate – there’s method to our madness!”
The producer went on to share how the storyline will be explored through Jodie Whyte, as she begins to investigate the hazardous estate.
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“Jodie is doing her best Erin Brockovich, she knows something isn’t right and she’s on a mission to find out what’s going on.”
The reference to the first episode comes ahead of the medical drama’s 40th anniversary, this September. Liza teased what’s in store for fans during the milestone event, describing it as “sensational”.
“Don’t even start me on the 40th – we’re not there yet, but it is sensational! You will not be disappointed, and we are super proud of it,” she said.
“I love my job and I love working on this show. We get to tell amazing stories and, silly as it may sound, we get to change lives. We move the dial, educate people and give them a thrill. We’ve got some lovely characters were really do put our heart and soul into this show.”