'I Thought They Might Kill Me Off!'

As Casualty celebrates three decades of medical emergencies, Cathy Shipton tells us how it changed her life

- Katherine Hassell

When Cathy Shipton looks back over the past 12 months on Casualty, she must feel distinctly dizzy. We’re nearing the end of the show’s 30th anniversary year and, for Cathy, who’s played nurse Duffy on and off since the first episode, the current season has been an amazing rollercoaster ride.

First came the nerveracking birthday edition involving a spectacular helicopter crash, then in January, the show snatched Best Drama at the 2017 National TV Awards from the likes of Game Of Thrones and The Night Manager. Shortly afterwards, Duffy was dressing up in a bridal gown to walk down the aisle with long-term love interest Charlie Fairhead after decades of ‘will-they, won’t-they?’ drama. And now, as the celebratory year draws to a close, she’s preparing for the show’s finale to be screened this summer – a fly-on-the-wall episode, filmed in one take on one camera, showcasing an hour in the life of the department.

‘When they say, ‘Action!’ we’ll film non-stop with no cuts,’ says Cathy. ‘I’m too excited to be nervous, but ask again next week! The story involves two teenagers who visit the ward to see whether they want to be medics, and Duffy gets assigned to look after them.’ Naturally. So what could go wrong?!

We caught up with Cathy just as she was using a break in filming. Despite the passage of three decades, she remains remarkably unchanged from the young woman who first donned Duffy’s uniform in 1986.