‘We are thrown into a nightmare'

Amanda Mealing on Casualty returning to take on the pandemic…

- Hannah Davies

After taking a break for COVID-related reasons, BBC1’s ever-popular medical drama Casualty finally returns to our screens this Saturday… and no one could be more delighted than Holby legend Amanda Mealing.

‘We just want to film, we just want to work and it breaks our hearts when fans have been asking, “When are you back?”’ explains Amanda, 53, who plays steely Connie Beauchamp, as TV Times catches up with her for an exclusive video chat.

‘So it’s nice to finally be able to say, “Yes, we’re back,” and hopefully this opening episode will be worth the wait!’

The new series dives straight in at the deep end as the whole ED is plunged into a COVID nightmare.

The exhausted staff, including Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford), David Hide (Jason Durr) and Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson), battle to save lives, to the point where one of the regulars succumbs to the deadly virus, leaving clinical lead Connie at breaking point.

Here, Amanda reveals how filming the harrowing scenes took a physical toll on her, and what Connie’s New Year’s resolutions should be…

How does the drama play out in this week’s emotional opener?

The ED is thrown into the nightmare of the pandemic, so it’s about highlighting the sacrifice and the endurance of our real-life NHS staff. Connie is actually the perfect character to show just how much this monster took out of our front-line workers. Because she’s always immaculate and in control, to see her utterly broken, vulnerable and in despair is powerful. Patient after patient are dying in front of her and she can’t find a solution.