Casualty planning riot storyline

A forthcoming storyline on BBC One’s Casualty will involve a riot, it has been revealed.

‘We’re building up to a major storyline about the effects of riots at the end of the current series of Casualty,. That’ll be interesting after what happened in real life last summer.’ – Nikki Wilson, series producer, speaking to Inside Soap

Producers on the long-running medical drama are planning to explore the issues surrounding riots in a forthcoming storyline. However, the storyline was reportedly conceived before the riots that broke out in London and other cities such as Birmingham and Salford, over several nights, last Summer.

Casualty recently returned from its Christmas break with its first episode produced at its new home in the Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff. The newly built studios are also home to Doctor Who, Upstairs Downstairs and the Welsh language soap Pobol Y Cwm.

Casualty moved to Cardiff last year following the BBC’s decision to relocate production from Bristol where it had been filmed for 25 years.

To cover the move the Accident and Emergency Department of Holby City burnt down (once again) allowing the introduction of new sets, in the dramas new Welsh home, as well as new opening titles and logo. The first Cardiff produced episode, which aired on Saturday evening, was seen by over 6 million viewers which represents Casualty’s highest ratings for some months.

‘We actually planned the story ages ago, before all of that [real riots in London], so it’s been useful to use true events as research for the plot. Our original idea was for it to be a protest march that got out of control, but that’s changed slightly as a result of what took place in London and elsewhere back in the summer.’ – Nikki Wilson, series producer, speaking to Inside Soap