To the MAX!

NIGEL HARMAN on the thrills of playing Holby ED's new maverick medic

- ELAINE REILLY

CASUALTY

SATURDAY, 8.40PM (WALES, 9.10PM), BBC1 DRAMA

Watch out, fans of Casualty's Dylan Keogh: there's a dynamic new doctor on the wards this week and he has a very complicated history with the recently demoted clinical lead...

Consultant Max Cristie - played by former EastEnders star Nigel Harman - makes his debut in the popular BBC1 medical drama as part of an action-packed storyline that sees him dealing with mass casualties after the train he's travelling on is derailed.

Having saved a young girl at the scene, Max then strides into Holby ED and impresses so much during the stressful shift that he's soon appointed acting clinical lead!

TV Times booked an exclusive appointment with Nigel, 49, to get his take on the show's latest rebel with a cause...

Max sounds like quite a character!

Yes, he gets stuck in, speaks his mind, and stands up for what he believes is right - which gets him into a few scrapes. Max practises medicine on instinct and is very at home with trauma surgery. He acts quickly if it means saving a life and worries about the fallout afterwards. It makes him slightly dangerous and exciting to be around.

How does he end up in Holby ED?

Max is a locum doctor on his way to another hospital when the train he's on crashes. Lots of people are injured and Max finds a young girl who is dying and performs an emergency thoracotomy. This then leads him to Holby ED because he won't leave her side. When he gets there, they're understaffed and need some help, so Max jumps in with both feet and hits the ground running!

Wait - no interview?!