Iain Dean

Iain Lindsay Dean (born 1983/1984) is a paramedic for the Holby Ambulance Service. He joined the service in August 2013 as a student paramedic and remained in that position until April 2014 when he left to go travelling. He rejoined in October that year following Jeff's death, after becoming a fully qualified paramedic.

An ex-corporal, Iain had previously encountered Sam Nicholls during his time in the armed forces where she worked as a medic. She had an affair with him whilst still married to Dylan Keogh, and Iain was distraught when she left the army to go to work in the same hospital as him. Since retraining as a paramedic and following Sam's departure, Iain has slowly managed to put his past experiences in the army behind him, whilst still upholding the important lessons he learned from being on the front line.

In 2015, Iain started a relationship with staff nurse Rita Freeman. Their relationship fell apart the following year after she lied to him about her ex-husband Mark threatening and hurting her. Months later, he grew close to registrar Lily Chao, and the two started seeing each other. However, when Sam returned to Holby as a paramedic, Lily grew jealous and later accepted a research post in Hong Kong to further her career. In 2018, Iain's world turned upside-down when Mia Bellis, a suicidal frequent flyer, jumped from a footbridge and caused an accident which resulted in Sam's death. He soon fell deeper into despair after Mia's boyfriend Alasdair "Base" Newman died of an overdose, and Iain was arrested for attacking his drug dealer Ross West. In March 2019, after his mother Kim told him that she didn't love him, Iain attempted suicide.

Early life
During their childhood, Iain and his sister Gemma were often neglected by their mother Kim. On some schooldays, he would wait for Kim to pick him up, but she would rarely come. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 33) Despite this, Kim took Iain and Gemma on holiday to Skegness, and the three enjoyed their time there. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 24)

Prior to joining the ambulance service, Iain Dean worked as a corporal in the army alongside Sam Nicholls. In July 2011 they were positioned at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan together which led Sam to have an affair with him whilst married to Dylan. Sam was due to leave in 2011 but the medic who was due to replace her broke his leg so she decided to stay on for a bit longer.

However, an incident occurred during a bombing where Sam mistook an injured man's inhaler for a bomb and shot him. This left her feeling guilty and she told Iain that she was going to leave after all to go and work at Holby ED. Knowing this was where Dylan worked, he realised she wanted to get back to her husband after all. (CAS: "Under Fire")

At another point during Iain's time with the armed forces in Afghanistan, he came to trust another man who was originally not a part of his squadron. One day he asked Iain to wait away from the rest of them and to trust him, which he did. However, the man then ran towards the other members revealing a bomb, blowing himself and the rest of the men up. Iain blamed himself for trusting him, and not running over to warn his fellow soldiers when he saw he had a bomb. (CAS: "Scars and Nightmares")

In April 2012 after Sam had started working at the ED, Iain was called to give a statement after she had forcibly restrained a man and he had presented with a neck injury. He had been called to give evidence against her during the GMC hearing, which brought back some painful memories for her. At some point after the date of the hearing, Iain left the army. (CAS: "Only the Lonely")

Time as a student paramedic
In August 2013, Iain began working with Jeff and Dixie as a student paramedic. It was clear that he was extremely confident and may have needed to be kept in line. However, he soon got a chance to prove his worth when the team were alerted to a terrifying bus crash. Iain managed to rescue one of the patients, Anna, just moments before there was an explosion on the wrecked vehicle. However, Iain later found himself in hot water with Jeff for not following instructions and endangering a patient. Iain also enquired to Tom about whether Sam was still single, and was surprised when he revealed that she was going out with him. (CAS: "Waiting for a Star to Fall") The following week, Jeff and Iain's relationship didn't improve as they were put together to help two brothers who were involved in a stabbing incident with a screwdriver. (CAS: "Scars")

In November, Iain was deeply affected when two police officers were involved in an attack which made him recall experiences from his past in the army. (CAS: "Badge of Honour") He was later asked to go to a hospital where his old army friend Kenny was being treated and he managed to persuade Sam to accompany him. However, they were surprised to discover that he wasn't in a veterans' hospital but a rehabilitation centre for veterans suffering from PTSD. (CAS: "Scars and Nightmares") Iain was upset when Sam got married to Tom in December and leave the ED, but it also gave him the chance to have a fresh start. (CAS: "Away in a Manger") The following year in February, Iain once again defied orders from Jeff when he ran into a burning building after a man who had gone in after his fiancée. (CAS: "Valentine's Day Mascara")

In March Beth Archer, the wife of one of his ex-army colleagues, messaged Iain to tell him that they were staying at a B&B Holby. Shortly after, Iain and Big Mac received a call out to a local B&B after a woman received burns to her hands during a fire. When they arrived, it turned out to be Beth, who injured herself trying to put a fire caused by a candle when her husband Kenny threw her coat across the room. They got her back to the ED, but Kenny was insecure and suspicious that Beth had been cheating on him. Later on, Big Mac inadvertently mentioned to Kenny that Iain received a phone call from a woman and when Kenny asked what day it had happened, it coincided with the time he suspected Beth had seen another man. He returned to the B&B with Beth and confronted her, smashing a mirror in the process and storming out leaving Beth to phone Iain for help. He arrived there to help at the same time Kenny turned up at the ambulance station in search of Iain. (CAS: "Survivor's Guilt")

Iain left a message with Big Mac to tell him he was on his way back to the station, but Kenny had accidentally knocked him unconscious by pushing him over onto the oxygen canisters. Kenny listened to the message instead and when Iain arrived, he kept them both hostage. Iain tried to explain that he wasn't having an affair with Beth but Kenny failed to believe him, and with Beth arrived at the station and revealed that they'd been together after Kenny stormed out, his suspicions only increased. When Dixie and Jeff arrived, the police were called and eventually Iain told Kenny that he was also affected by the events in Afghanistan due to the fact he felt responsible for the bomb as he didn't intervene when he saw the man with the bomb heading towards the rest of the unit. Kenny told him it wasn't his fault and that he also believed that he wasn't having an affair with his Beth. Iain opened the doors and Kenny was apprehended, and Dixie told Iain that he'd have to make a statement to the police the next day. (CAS: "Gravity") Iain departed later in March 2014 and went travelling as Big Mac had suggested. (CAS: "The Lies We Tell")

Return to the service
Iain returned to Holby for Jeff Collier's funeral in October 2014. He went to help Dixie as she had avoided the funeral by attending the scene of an accident. Together they managed to save a man before heading off to the funeral. Tamzin left later that day as a result of Jeff's death, leaving Dixie as the only paramedic. She offered Iain his old job back, to which he agreed at which point he was fully trained as a paramedic. (CAS: "The Last Call")

That December, Iain attended a call out with Dixie, Ash and Charlie to the scene of a chandelier collapse at a church. (CAS: "Solomon's Song") In February 2015, Dixie and Iain attended a call out to a caravan hanging loosely off a cliff. With a boy still trapped inside, Iain climbed in to rescue him, much to Dixie's annoyance due to the fear that he would die like Jeff. (CAS: "Something to Live For") In April, Iain applied for a new job opening of a rapid respondent. (CAS: "Something Borrowed, Something Blue")

In September 2015, Iain was accused of assault by a traffic warden who fell over at the back of the ambulance whilst him and Dixie were on a call out. The case was resolved in the ED as Rita discovered that traffic wardens couldn't clamp cars on private property and therefore the man took back his threats to go to the police. (CAS: "Objectum Sexual")

Relationship with Rita
At the beginning of October, Iain and Dixie were required to attend a HART training course. As the anniversary of Jeff's death approached, Iain attempted to keep Dixie's mind off of it. After returning to the ED after their respective shifts, Iain and Rita shared a kiss outside The Hope & Anchor following flirtation in the previous weeks. (CAS: "All the Single Ladies") The following week, Iain and Rita had a moment alone in cubicles when he was injured during a collapse at an office in a warehouse. (CAS: "Rules of Attraction") Later in the month, Dixie opened up to Iain about her rejection from the adoption board and asked him to keep quiet about it from other members of staff. (CAS: "Flutterby") He also learned of when Dixie and Rita kissed back in 2013. (CAS: "One Shot")

In November, Dixie and Iain attended the scene of an accident in a woodland where a patient had fallen down a deep hole. Upon arriving there, they realised it was Jess Cranham from HART who had fallen and was accompanied by her partner Nikki and daughter Olivia. Iain was able to use a harness to lower himself into the hole to rescue Jess. Dixie later became worried upon discovering that Jess was taking antidepressants but Iain was convinced that it was just down to her jealousy of Jess being in a relationship. (CAS: "Strangers")

In December, Iain and Dixie didn't help matters in the busy ED when the ambulance skidded on its side outside the ED. Connie and Jacob were among many to help all of those involved. (CAS: "Maybe This Year") Later in the month, Iain was flirting with Rita over text when he accidentally sent a flirtatious text to Robyn, shocking her. (CAS: "Home for Christmas")

In January 2016, Iain and Dixie helped Jess and her family after an accident in the house caused by Nikki. Soon after, Nikki became infuriated and a fire was started when she threw a lit birthday cake across the room. Dixie and Iain managed to get them all out safely and back to the ED. (CAS: "Lie to Me") The following week during a black alert, Dixie and Iain were called out to the scene of a car accident to find that Jess was also there on the job. They worked together to save the couple in the car before it exploded, but Dixie was still annoyed at the fact they were still going ahead with the investigation after she filed a complaint against her. (CAS: "Black Alert")

Later in January, Dixie and Iain attended the scene of Noel's attack in the park. They accompanied them back to the ED and were concerned for both him and Big Mac who was with him at the time. At the end of their shift, Dixie made Iain clean the ambulance in his underwear due to the fact he couldn't cheer her up but he instead just wore an apron and was embarrassed to discover that several other members of staff had also arrived and seen him. (CAS: "Shame") After Dixie's departure at the end of January, (CAS: "The Good Life") Iain got Scott "Rocker" Rosher from HART to come in and cover to help out. However, he soon became angry when Rocker began flirting with Rita, and ultimately Iain phoned Rocker's boss at HART and asked for him to be placed elsewhere. (CAS: "Step Right Up") Later in the month, Iain attended the scene of a pride festival with Lily and were required to help after part of the staging collapsed injuring a teenager. (CAS: "Fatal Error - Part Two")

In March, Iain finally found a permanent replacement for Dixie, a newly qualified paramedic Jez Andrews. On their first day, they were travelling with Cal, Ethan and Emilie to a place more comfortable for her to spend her final days. However on the way down a country lane they asked Iain to stop the ambulance and whilst he and Jez were distracted outside, Cal and Ethan hijacked it to take Emilie to her favourite holiday destination. Iain blamed Jez initially, but when a dangerous driver caused Iain to jump out of the road and injure his ankle, he was thankful to have Jez there to give him a piggyback until they were able to get a ride with some women back to the ED. (CAS: "High Tide")

At the beginning of April, Iain and Jez attended a call out to an unstable building where Connie and Jacob had become trapped in the basement that was quickly filling with sand. Iain eventually convinced the fire chief to let them in to help, fearing for their lives. Eventually, they broke through the wall freeing them just in time. (CAS: "Buried Alive")

Mark and break-up with Rita
Later in the month, Iain became confused when he saw Jez kissing a man outside the ambulance station but then continued to flirt with women all day. Towards the end of the shift, Iain confronted Jez but he turned the joke around on Iain by starting to flirt with him. At The Hope & Anchor, Jez told Iain that it was a joke, but that he was bisexual but questioned why he should have felt the need to reveal his sexual orientation as Iain didn't. Whilst Iain was distracted with Jez's personal life, Rita had her own issues when her ex-husband Mark returned to the ED following a car crash. Although Iain attempted to help, Rita told him her day was too long to explain, so he remained oblivious to her day's events. (CAS: "Survivors") The following week when Rita noticed her ID badge had gone missing and suspected Mark, she told Iain about Mark being there the previous week. He told her to get him if she was worried again. (CAS: "A Clear Conscience")

At the end of the month, Iain confronted Mark outside the ED and told him that he would get his old army friends to sort him out if he kept bothering Rita. Despite her earlier instructions to Iain not to intervene, Mark told her that he came to apologise and walked off. Although Rita was thrilled that Iain had got Mark away, he was left wondering whether he still wanted to be with her. (CAS: "Tangled Webs We Weave") In May, Rita continued to text Iain constantly throughout his shift. Jez tried to make Iain realise that it may not be the best thing for him, but after his shift, Rita confronted him in the pub which resulted in Iain deciding to keep quiet. (CAS: "Chain Reaction")

Later in May, Iain offered Rita his spare room for a while until she was able to get settled somewhere. However, he soon realised that she was becoming controlling and he felt as though she was running his life. He spoke to Jez who advised him to break up with her before it's too late but he dismissed him and argued that it wouldn't be that simple. At the end of the day, Iain told Rita that he was going to the pub although she thought they'd be going straight home. Just as Iain left, the nurse whom he'd been flirting with earlier went over and kissed him before they left together, leaving Rita heartbroken. (CAS: "This Life")

Rita ignored him the following week, although he tried to talk to her. However, after her shift, she returned to her car to find that someone had slashed all of her tyres which resulted in her going straight back to Iain for support. He offered to make sure she got home safely. (CAS: "The Best Day of My Life") The police phoned Rita the following week to inform her that Mark wasn't responsible for slashing her tyres, and also presumably told her who was. Despite this, she told Iain that it was Mark. They later shared a kiss and walked home together. (CAS: "You Make Me Sick")

Towards the end of the month during a night shift, Rita went looking for Iain at the ambulance station. As he went to get away, he walked into some equipment and injured his genitalia and was admitted to the ED where Rita treated him. Intimidated by the large needle she was holding he told her that he did want to be with her after all which left her feeling delighted. However, after their shifts, Rita went to see Iain whilst he was recovering in the staff room at which point he told her he didn't want a relationship anymore. Although she accepted it well to his face, she was secretly distraught. (CAS: "History Repeating")

By the beginning of July, Rita continued to ignore Iain and in doing so, accidentally banged her eye on a parked car's wing mirror after she ducked to hide from him. When Louise noticed her black eye, she informed her that Mark was responsible and although Iain knew, he hadn't done anything about it. The lies eventually got back to Iain, who drove off after Mark. When Rita heard about this, she stopped him outside the ED and admitted to her lies in front of Iain and other staff including Louise. Iain was furious with her, and told her that she needed help, labelling her as insane. (CAS: "What Lies Beneath")

She took the following week off work to Iain's relief. (CAS: "Where the Truth Lies") She returned to work midway through the month and was met with an overwhelmingly bad response from her colleagues. She attempted to talk to Iain, but he ended up shouting at her in reception and told her to leave. After a chat with Charlie, she eventually decided to do exactly that. Iain had a chat with Jez who persuaded him to cut Rita some slack. Rita confronted Iain once again in reception, and they shared a friendly goodbye. (CAS: "The Fear")

Helicopter crash and aftermath
In August on the day of Charlie's anniversary party, Iain and Jez attended a call out to an accident where Steph Sims had been hit by a car and were able to resuscitate her. They brought her into the ED and Jacob recognised her and made the paramedics take him to the scene after Jez described the state of Steph's car. They arrived at the scene and Jacob got them to keep driving and they eventually reached tyre marks on the road at which point they discovered the scene of Connie's car crash. Jacob rushed over to Connie but Jez and Iain couldn't find Grace in the car. They eventually found her and she was suffering from breathing difficulties. Iain requested an air ambulance and helped Grace to leave a voice message for Connie on her phone. Iain accompanied Grace in the helicopter. However, it was hit by a drone just as it was approaching the ED and it crashed outside causing severe damage and blocking the entrance. Iain managed to climb from the helicopter and tried to help the wounded, but Lily later insisted that he take it easy and get a head scan. He ignored her instructions which annoyed her as she didn't want him getting more injured. Later on, Lily informed Iain that his scan showed no significant head injury. (CAS: "Too Old for This Shift")

In the weeks following the crash, Iain found his injuries affecting his work but decided to ignore his symptoms. When Iain and Jez attended a call out to the scene of a lightning strike injury, he accidentally hit the patient's wife with the ambulance door when he didn't hear her. At the ED, she presented with a broken rib and pneumothorax which Lily was left to treat. She later visited Iain at the ambulance station and he let her give him another examination, after which she discovered that he had a perforated eardrum. She advised him to take some time off work to recover from his injuries before he began having other accidents. (CAS: "Strike Three")

He took just over a week off work to recover, by which time he was fit to work again. The day after returning to work, he comforted Lily after she was humiliated after turning up to Alicia's birthday party in fancy dress. (CAS: "Party Pooper") In the following weeks, Iain confronted Alicia for lying to Lily, although he wasn't aware that her intentions were never malice, she was simply trying to deter Lily from going. Later in the day, Alicia dropped Lily a hint that she thought Iain liked her. (CAS: "Too Much Love Will Kill You")

Reuniting with Gemma
In January 2017, Iain was shocked when his estranged sister Gemma turned up. His shock turned to horror upon learning that it was the day of their grandfather's funeral and that Gemma was on day-release from a young offenders institute. Gemma admitted to Iain that she'd hit her support worker over the head with a pan which was why she was in the ED when Jez discovered that she'd called the ambulance. Gemma made a run for it to go to the funeral but had a pneumothorax. Iain and Jez were able to track her down and take her back for treatment. Meanwhile, Lily discovered that the support worker, Belle, had been abusing Gemma and she called the police, also condemning Gemma's actions. The police took Gemma away shortly after they returned, and Iain was angry with Lily for calling them. (CAS: "Little Sister") Lily attempted to reconcile with Iain the following week, but he refused to when she made a blunt comment about Gemma. (CAS: "Crazy Little Thing Called Love") The next day, they made up when Lily got a visiting order for Iain to go and see Gemma. (CAS: "The Stag, the Dog and the Sheep")

Later in February, Gemma failed to show up for Iain's scheduled visit, having been released the day before and not let him know. However, upon returning home the next day, she found their mother Kim's house trashed. Kim and Gemma attempted to flee the men whom she owed money to, but in the scuffle, Kim fell down the gap between the stairs in the flats. Iain was shocked to find them on the call out and Kim was admitted to the ED. Lily discovered that Kim had cirrhosis of the liver from excessive drinking, but Iain was preoccupied with finding Gem even when his mother went into surgery. Gemma called him saying she was in danger, and Iain and Jez rushed over to the flat where they discovered the two men attempting to get to her. Eventually, they reached a compromise that Iain would pay off Kim's debts, and they both headed back to the hospital. Whilst their mother recovered, Iain offered up his spare room to Gemma. (CAS: "Binge Britain")

The following week, Iain was shocked when Gemma attempted to run away and take some of his possessions. However, he was intent on getting her a job and asked the manager of the ED's coffee shop. Although she told him that Gemma would have to apply like all other applicants, Iain later saved her from sinking in a bog and she reconsidered giving Gemma the job. However, when the manager told Gemma that she'd have to fill in an application form, Gemma wasn't happy and stormed off. Nevertheless, Iain managed to convince her to give Gemma the job anyway. (CAS: "Slipping Under")

In April, Gemma convinced Iain to let her spend the day observing with them in the ambulance. When Gemma reversed a car from on top of a patient, freeing her, Iain was furious. Although Jez helped him realise that Gemma prevented them from having to call the fire crews, Iain was angrier at Gemma ignoring his instructions. However, she redeemed herself later that day when she helped to catch a snake which had got loose in the ambulance. (CAS: "Sleeping With the Enemy") Later in the month after some edited photos of Alicia were posted online, Iain discovered that Gemma was responsible for posting them. She claimed that it was out of jealousy, which resulted in Iain telling her to move out. Lily went to meet with Gemma in the car park later to provide support, but Gemma accidentally ran her over. (CAS: "Reap the Whirlwind - Part One")

Relationship with Lily
Shortly after the accident, Gemma requested an ambulance, after having fled the scene. Iain and Jez were shocked to find Lily in the car park. They took her into the ED, and her scan came back clear, much to everyone's relief. Whilst Lily was recovering, Iain told her that once she got better, they'd make a proper go of a relationship. Iain was furious when he discovered that Gemma was responsible for Lily's crash. He was willing to see if Lily would lie to the police to spare Gemma, but Gemma soon realised that she couldn't get out of what she'd done and decided to hand herself in. Iain and Gemma shared an emotional farewell, as she handed herself in. (CAS: "Reap the Whirlwind - Part Two")

Lily returned to work in May following her accident, but Louise soon realised that she'd only done this so she could be closer to Iain. Despite this, she reassured him that she was ready to return to work. (CAS: "End of the Road") A few weeks later, Lily had to step outside the ED for a break. Iain asked her again if she was ready to return to work, but she assured him that she was okay once again. (CAS: "Swift Vengeance Waits") Later in June, Iain and Lily ended up missing Cal's funeral and having sex in the hearse. (CAS: "Don't Stand at My Grave and Weep") Towards the end of the month, Iain and Lily clashed over the treatment of an elderly couple who had attempted suicide. They ended up having an argument in the ambulance station and throwing various hurtful insults at each other. (CAS: "It Had to Be You") In July, Iain tried to calm Jez after an incident involving a baby and a house fire. Jez had been left feeling guilty for not knowing there was a baby inside but Iain insisted that he wasn't to know. Despite Iain's attempts to lighten Jez's mood, he was clearly still upset and wracked with guilt. (CAS: "One") The following week, Iain took Robyn and her daughter Charlotte into the ED after Denise Ellisson threw a Molotov cocktail through their window. The next day, Iain was bewildered when Jez told him that he didn't want to leave with Mickey and offered him a lift to Holby International Airport to be with him. After Jez reunited with Mickey, Iain said farewell to Jez and left them to it. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 2)

In August, after Ethan couldn't go with Lily to her cousin's wedding, Iain volunteered. On their way to the ceremony, Iain lost focus on the road and crashed the car into a field of cattle. When they finally arrived on foot, Iain pretended to be a doctor to meet Lily's aunt Ling's high expectations. However, when Ling's husband Lee started choking, Iain aided Lily in performing a cricothyroidotomy, forcing them to admit that Iain was only a paramedic. At the ED, Lily got into a heated argument with Ling and admitted that she was in love with Iain. They then shared a passionate kiss in the hospital lift. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 3) The following week, Lily wanted to make their relationship public and organised a meeting in the staff room. When her colleagues appeared to be dismissive of her news, Iain told her that she did him proud. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 4)

Sam's return and break-up with Lily
In September, Iain was surprised when Sam returned to Holby as a paramedic. On their first shift together, Sam was forced to perform to clamp a patient's femoral artery at the site of a car crash. When they arrived back at the ED, Connie asked Josh to keep the pair on-site. In the staff room, Lily asked him about his history with Sam and he assured her that there was nothing going on between them. At the end of their shift, Iain was delighted when Sam chose to stay permanently; he took her and Lily to The Hope & Anchor to celebrate. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 5)

Lily soon started to become jealous of Iain and Sam's friendship. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 7) When Iain was reluctant to let her play poker with him and Sam, Lily applied for a research post. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 8) The following week, Lily accompanied Iain and Sam on the road and clashed with Sam over interfering with their work. After an interaction with Iain that restored her confidence in their relationship, Lily declined the post. However, when a misunderstanding occurred between Lily and Sam, Lily told Iain that she didn't trust him working with her, given their history. Angry, Iain broke up with her, prompting her to accept the research post which was based in Hong Kong. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 9) In November, Iain was injured when new junior doctor Rash barged into him and accidentally cut his wrist on shards of broken glass. When they arrived back at the ED, Sam got Lily to treat him, and he was shocked to discover that the research project she applied for was based in Hong Kong. After Sam encouraged him to convince her to stay, he decided to try to win her back by performing a song for her in The Hope & Anchor. However, after she was offered the chance to lead the project, she couldn't turn it down. After bidding an emotional farewell to Iain, Lily left Holby. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 11) After their breakup, Sam tried to help him. Though, when her methods included throwing his phone out of the ambulance, he was less than impressed. By the end of the day, the two made up. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 12)

Gemma's return and Ruby's arrival
In February 2018, Iain supported Gem on her first day working in the ED as a porter. Later, after a successful shift, Iain congratulated her for her good work, but Gem told him that she was planning on moving out. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 24)

In May, Iain and Sam clashed with new operations manager Jan Jenning, who didn't approve of their playful work ethic. Later, they attended an accident in a storm drain where a boy's foot had become trapped. With the water rising, they considered amputating the foot, but they were not given his consent. However, fearing that he would die otherwise, Sam decided to amputate regardless. Back at the ED, Iain and Jacob supported a guilty Sam. Shortly after, the boy's sister threatened to expose that they performed the procedure without his consent if they didn't give her money for heroin. They informed Jan about the threat, and she resolved the situation. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 35)

In July, Iain and Sam were accompanied by new paramedic Ruby Spark on her first shift. Her insistence on following the rules to the letter started to irritate them when she suggested that they were wasting time by helping an elderly woman named Daisy with her domestic chores. While treating a man on his garage roof, Iain disagreed with Ruby, who suggested calling the fire brigade, but he later apologised when it transpired that the man may have had a spinal injury. Later, they returned to Daisy's house, and Iain and Sam found Ruby trying to resuscitate her. After Ruby demanded to see her DNAR, Iain and Sam found it and got her to stop. However, Daisy was soon back in sinus rhythm, and she was taken to the ED where she later died. Later that afternoon, Ruby decided to continue working with Iain and Sam after tendering her resignation. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 41)

Sam's death
Later that month, Iain and Ruby visited the flat of Mia Bellis - a frequent flyer with suicidal tendencies - after she claimed to have taken a drug overdose. He found no evidence to suggest that she had taken anything, and she admitted that she called the ambulance as a cry for help. Iain concluded that she wasn't at any immediate risk of harming herself and left with Ruby to tend to an incident at Alicia's house. On their way to the ED, Iain noticed Mia on the footbridge above the dual carriageway and crashed the ambulance while trying to avoid hitting her once she jumped. Iain managed to climb free from the overturned ambulance and tried to treat Mia and other people who were also involved in the crash. At the ED, as the team were about to pronounce Mia dead, he urged them to keep going, prompting Connie to throw him out of resus. Outside, Mia's boyfriend Base lashed out at Iain for not taking her call for help seriously. Later that night, Iain found Sam bleeding out in the back of an ambulance after she had been injured by shrapnel from an exploding fuel tanker. He tried desperately to save her, but she soon arrested and died. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 1)

Days later, Iain admitted to Jan that he had omitted Mia's warning from her clinical record, and was told that he could be fired. On the road, he and Ruby treated an internet prankster named Sheridan, and Iain was taken aback when he asked him about Mia's condition. Back at the ambulance station, Iain insisted to Rash that he was coping, but he begged to differ and encouraged Iain to talk to someone about his feelings. Believing that the accident was his fault, he visited Sam's body at the morgue to pay his respects and apologise. Later, Ruby considered telling the truth about their encounter with Mia, but Iain lambasted her and told her that it was Mia's fault, not theirs. Shortly after, he paid the internet pranksters from earlier a visit in resus, and Sheridan asked him again if Mia was alright. They proceeded to show him a video they recorded of Mia on the footbridge. Iain berated them for not doing anything to stop her but stopped when Sheridan admitted that he needed to tell someone about what he saw. Upon his return to the station, he revised his statement and took full responsibility for what happened. After Jan suspended him, she and Ruby helped him wash Sam's blood out of the ambulance. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 2) In September, Iain organised Sam's funeral. During his speech, Dylan interrupted him and publicly blamed him for her death. Although he initially thought that he had a point, his self-loathing soon turned to anger. Iain confronted Dylan outside the ED and, when Dylan told him that Sam deserved better than him, he punched him. Jan quickly pulled him away and Iain told her that he wasn't going to his tribunal. That afternoon, he found a young body hiding in the ambulance station. As he coaxed him out from under a table, the boy fell unconscious, and Iain carried him to resus. He subsequently decided to attend his tribunal. He acknowledged that his decisions would haunt him for the rest of his life, but he also posited that the team needed him, highlighting issues the service faced such as longer waiting times and insufficient backup. Upon hearing that Iain was allowed to keep his job, Ruby expressed her delight at them being a team again, but he rebuked her and insisted that they were not a team. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 4)

Later that month, Iain returned to work. He was called to a car park to treat a homeless man who had overdosed, and he was shocked to discover that it was Base. Once he revived him, he offered him help, but Base told him that he was a lost cause. Iain soon returned with basic supplies, including a mobile phone, but Base told him that he needed £200. Iain said no, and Base told him to get lost. Later, Base called Iain after he was beaten up by drug dealer Ross West and his men, and Iain rushed to his aid. After he cleaned him up, he gave him the money and accompanied him to confront Ross. Once Base handed over the money, Ross agreed to leave him alone. Base decided to accept Iain's help, and Iain allowed him to temporarily stay at his house. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 5)

The following week, Iain told Base that he secured him a session at rehab and promised to take him later that day. However, his plans were scuppered when Jan forced him to work with Ruby. He returned home later than scheduled and took Base to rehab. On the way, Base asked him to buy him some cigarettes; upon returning, he was nowhere to be found. At the ambulance station, Iain realised that Base had stolen the drugs bag and, when he asked Ruby not to report it missing, she asked him if he had a drugs problem and if it affected his judgement while he treated Mia Bellis. He admonished her for making such a suggestion and told her not to speak to him or get in his way. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 6) Later that month, Iain continued to give Ruby the cold shoulder as they dealt with numerous time-wasters. However, at the end of the day, he apologised to her for his treatment of her and told her that they needed to trust each other if they insisted on working together. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 7)

Emotional turmoil
In October, Iain and Ruby were called to treat a man who had overdosed in a park. Despite her telling him that they were too late, he desperately tried to resuscitate him, but he soon gave up. Back at the station, Iain smashed an ambulance window out of frustration, cutting his wrist. Ruby covered for him, but she encouraged him to be honest with her. However, they were soon interrupted as a car shot past carrying an unconscious driver and his son steering the wheel. Ruby was amazed by Iain when he managed to stop the car with their response vehicle. In her office, Jan reprimanded them for compromising two vehicles, but Ruby defended Iain and criticised her lack of compassion. After their shift, Ruby implored Iain to talk to someone about his feelings. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 8) Later that month, Iain and Ruby were sent to a burning meth lab, and Iain decided to go into the building on his own. Inside, he found Base and a young body named Harry and managed to free them. Once he handed them over to the firefighters, he briefly sat down and took off his respirator. After a short period of reflection, he left the burning building, and he was reprimanded by Jan for his reckless actions. In the ED, he began to suffer the effects of the gas and was taken into a cubicle for treatment. He soon found Base in a cubicle and told him that he owed him for saving his life. However, when Base tried to leave to pay his debt to Ross, Iain dragged him to resus to show him Harry's horrendous injuries. Shaken, Base agreed to change his ways. At the ambulance station, Iain admitted to Ruby and Jan that he had been struggling with Sam and Mia's deaths, but, after Base had agreed to seek help for his addiction, he felt that he had turned a corner. That evening, in his living room, Iain broke down and sobbed. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 11)

In November, Iain continued to experience mental health problems and found himself shopping at 3 am. At work, he treated the victim of a hit-and-run and noticed a mysterious woman lurking nearby. As Ruby put the patient in the back of the ambulance, Iain froze at the wheel, forcing her to snap him back to reality. At the ED, he found the woman waiting outside, and she admitted that she ran the man over. He asked the victim if she could speak to him, and Iain was horrified to learn that he had accidentally run over and killed her daughter a year prior. She soon entered resus, and, despite Iain's fears, the two came to an understanding. Later, Ruby asked Iain if he was alright, and Iain told her that he needed to keep working as a paramedic to overcome his grief. Shortly after, Iain spotted a woman who looked like Mia and had flashbacks of the crash in July. Realising that he needed help, he contacted the wellbeing team, (CAS: Series 33, Episode 12) but he became exasperated when his counselling session was delayed. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 13) Later that month, Iain was reminded of the crash again when he treated a patient who looked similar to Mia. Ruby expressed her concerns to him about his mental health, but he assured her that he was alright. Later that day, Iain went to visit Base at his new house and found Ross trying to make a deal with him. After forcing him to leave, Iain told Base that he needed to leave his past life behind him. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 14)

In December, Iain began to have nightmares about Sam's death. At work, Jan informed him that he had been consistently missing his targets and implored him to talk to her if he felt that he was struggling. On a shout, Iain and Ruby treated a teenage girl named Katie who had fallen over while trying to catch the school bus. Alicia treated and discharged her, but, as she and her father left the department, he spotted her mother, and the two started arguing. Iain and Ruby tried to deescalate the situation, but Katie subsequently collapsed and began to seize. Once she was stabilised, her blood test results suggested that she was bulimic. Iain encouraged Katie to tell her parents how she felt, but, when they continued to argue, she decided to get their attention by standing on the roof of the department. Iain persuaded her to come down, but, as she turned around, she lost her footing and fell. Later, Iain desperately tried to book an appointment with a counsellor, but he was told that there was a long waiting list. Shortly after, Ruby informed Iain that Katie survived, and he asked her if she wanted to go to the pub. That evening, at The Hope & Anchor, they drank together, and Ruby told Iain that she admired him. Iain kissed her, but she told him that wasn't what she meant and left in embarrassment. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 15) The next day, trying to avoid Ruby, he told Jan that he was ill and stayed at home. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 16) The following month, Iain and Ruby agreed to forget about the kiss. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 19) In January 2019, Base visited Iain and asked him to celebrate Mia's birthday with him. They went to a beach that she liked to visit and threw a bouquet of flowers into the sea, and Base left a giant teddy bear on the sand, knowing that she would have loved the idea of a child finding it. Base asked Iain if they could go back to his house to talk, but Iain decided to take him to the pub instead. As Iain finished his first pint of lager, a man named Gregor barged into him. Iain followed him into the toilets and demanded an apology, but Gregor dismissed him, prompting Iain to start throwing punches. As the brawl continued into the bar, Gregor's friend Caitlin tried to break up the fight, but he accidentally pushed her into a table of pint glasses. Once the paramedics arrived, Ruby was shocked to find Iain battered and bloodied. In the ED, Iain received treatment for his injuries, and Base told him that it looked like he was deliberately trying to get himself beaten to a pulp. After Base left to meet up with a friend of his, Iain was discharged. He found Gregor outside and tried to apologise for his actions, but he told him to do one. However, blood started running down Gregor's leg, and he collapsed. It transpired that he had sustained an injury to his groin while he was serving in the army. Iain empathised and assured him that people would understand if he gave them the chance. Later, Iain left the hospital and found Base waiting for him. Base told him that he was going down the same dark path as Mia, and he wanted to stop him from reaching the same point as her. Iain took offence and called Mia a selfish loser who only wanted a razor blade out of life. As Base walked away, Iain went into The Hope & Anchor to continue drinking. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 18)

Later that month, Iain had arranged to allow Marty to observe him and Ruby for a day. Marty tried to get out of observing by claiming that he had other commitments, but they forced him to come with them. On the road, they reprimanded him for his disrespectful attitude towards patients, and, when Marty told them that he didn't want to be there, an exasperated Iain left him on the side of the road. Once he and Ruby arrived at the ED, Iain complained to Louise about Marty's behaviour. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 20) Near the end of January, at a farm, Iain and Ruby treated a man named Mark who had ensnared his leg in barbed wire. When a pair of bailiffs arrived to repossess the property, Mark removed the wire from his leg and ran to his house. Iain, Ruby, Mark's pregnant wife Tilly and the bailiffs followed him, and they were horrified when he returned holding a gun. Iain tried to get Mark to put down the gun, but he fired multiple warning shots, and a stray bullet hit one of the bailiffs. Ruby hit the emergency button on her radio; Mark noticed and pointed the gun at her. However, Iain confidently asserted that Mark had used the last of his ammunition, but Mark was sceptical. Iain dared him to pull the trigger, but Mark caved and gave him the weapon. As Ruby rushed to treat the dying bailiff, Iain checked the gun's magazine and found one remaining bullet.

At the ED, he told his colleagues that he knew Mark's gun could only fire eight bullets, but Ruby was adamant that he only used seven. As Ruby was treated for shock, Jan reprimanded Iain for his recklessness. Later, he visited Ruby in her cubicle, and she told him that she found her job too hard. Iain encouraged her to persevere and gave her a hug. That evening, Iain decided to visit Base. When he didn't answer the door, Iain entered through the window and was shocked to find Base unresponsive on the sofa. He realised that Base had overdosed on heroin and called for an ambulance, but the operator told him that there were none available at that time. For half an hour, Iain desperately fought to resuscitate him, but he soon became exhausted and was forced to give up. However, he spotted Ross and prevented him from leaving. Incandescent, Iain blamed Ross for Base's death and attacked him. When Ross punched him in the face, Iain knocked him to the ground, causing him to hit his head on an iron in the process. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 21)

Jan soon arrived at the flat, and Iain was shocked when she told him that Ross was her son. On their way to the ED, he tried to tell her the truth about her son, but Jan told him to shut up. Once Ross was taken into resus and stabilised, he told Jan that Iain had been harassing Base and claimed that he attacked him. Jan confronted Iain, and, when it appeared as though she believed Ross' version of events, he stormed into resus and demanded Ross to tell the truth. When he grabbed his bag to find drugs, Iain was removed from the hospital by security. Outside, he greeted Kate Wilkinson, but she informed that she was arresting him on suspicion of assault. Iain was taken to the police station and was asked if he wanted to call his solicitor, but he asserted that he did nothing wrong. He was subsequently taken to a cell.

Later, in the interview room, Iain continued to claim that Ross was a drug dealer, but Kate told him that they found no evidence of him being one. He proceeded to tell her about the countless times he had to scrape Ross' clients off of the streets, but she reaffirmed the need for actual evidence. She asked him if there was anybody that could back up his version of events. When Iain said that only Base could have, Kate terminated the interview, and Iain was taken back to his cell. In the morning, after the truth had been uncovered, Iain was released on bail, and Kate encouraged him to seek help with his emotional trauma. He was then taken to Jan who offered to take him home. Outside, he confirmed his first counselling session and promised Kate that she wouldn't see him at the station again. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 22)

In February, Iain attended a counselling session, but he walked out when he struggled to talk about his feelings. At work he and Ruby are sent to St. Simon's House to tend to a man who had collapsed and was refusing treatment, and, knowing that his mother Kim lived there, Iain was hesitant to go. There, when they realised that the patient had suffered an allergic reaction after wilfully consuming blue cheese, the patient told them that he wanted to impress Kim; Iain advised him not to touch her with a barge pole. On their way out, they spotted Kim looking at them through her window, and Iain told Ruby that she was his mother. Ruby said that it would have been nice to have met her, but Iain begged to differ and asked her if they were on a break. However, on his break, he decided to return to St. Simon's and visited Kim. He tried to open up to her about his terrible year, but Kim was still angry at him for leaving her and Gem and told him that he wouldn't get her pity, let alone her love. Iain solemnly bade Kim farewell and left. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 24)

Suicide attempt
In March, Iain packed all of his belongings and foodstuffs into plastic bags and boxes marked for donation, and he left a glass of water and a notepad on his coffee table before leaving for work. At work, Iain and Ruby treated a young girl named Emma who had been hit by a car. Once they arrived at the ED and handed Emma over, Ruby was visibly shaken. Afterwards, they brought in frequent flyer Luke, and Iain asked Robyn for an update about Emma's condition. Later, a woman named Steph asked them for help after her girlfriend Amy had been injured in a homophobic attack. When they returned to the ED, Ruby was devastated to learn that Emma had died. On the road, Ruby started to break down at the wheel. Once they pulled over, Iain assured her that she handled the situation with bravery and compassion, and he told her that he was proud of her. Being the only available recourse, Iain and Ruby arrived at a nightclub after its ceiling had collapsed. Inside, they found Stephen who was trapped under a concrete beam. His friend Ben tried to move the beam himself, but he only exacerbated Stephen's injuries. At the ED, Ruby reprimanded Ben for his stupidity as Iain watched with glee; she told Iain that it was good to see him back to his old self. They both struggled to keep a straight face when Luke was readmitted to the ED after he had unintentionally consumed magic mushrooms and believed that Dylan was going to embalm him. As they left the ED, they found Emma's grieving parents, and Ruby told Iain that she wanted to speak to them. At the ambulance station, Ruby suggested going to The Hope & Anchor, but Iain rejected the offer, claiming that he had "life admin" that he needed to sort out. Once she left, he turned off the lights at the station. Iain returned to the ED and found Gem and Rash as they prepared to go to the pub together. He asked her if he could borrow her spare key to his house, claiming that he had misplaced his. When he declined her offer of going to the pub, he gave her some money and saw her off, telling her that he loved her. Later, Iain returned home and, looking very forlorn, tried to write a note to Gem, but he soon abandoned the idea. He left his living room and returned with three bottles of pills. After much contemplation, Iain opened them and took an overdose. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 25)

The following morning, Ruby noticed that Iain had left his entire uniform in his locker and taken all of his photographs down. Concerned, she drove to his house and, when he didn't answer the door, kicked his backdoor open. She found him unresponsive in his living room and took him to the ED herself. Once he was taken into resus, Ruby told Connie that she believed Iain had taken an overdose. However, with no physical evidence to back up her assertions, Connie decided to treat his symptoms as those of a myocardial infarction. As Iain continued to deteriorate, Connie elected to thrombolyse him, but, just before she could perform the procedure, Ruby returned with three empty bottles of pills. Despite Gem's objections, Connie accepted the bottles as suitable proof. When Iain developed a cardiac tamponade as a result of chest compressions, Gem suggested taking him to the trauma theatre, but, as a result of the computer system being compromised by a virus, it was left inaccessible. Connie managed to secure the theatre on, and she, David and Fletch accompanied Iain in the lift. Suddenly, it ground to a halt, and they were left stranded. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 26)

Rash, Marty and Gem managed to free them from the lift, and Connie, David, Fletch and Jac Naylor took Iain to the theatre on. However, Ric Griffin soon found Sacha Levy unresponsive, and Jac decided to prioritise Sacha, leaving Connie and David to operate on Iain in the anaesthetic bay. When Xavier "Zav" Duval wasn't capable of treating Sacha, Jac persuaded Connie to switch patients with him. Zav and David discovered that Iain's right ventricle was torn, and he started to deteriorate. They desperately tried to resuscitate him, but Zav eventually decided to give up. However, Jac quickly took over and successfully revived Iain. Later that day, he was taken to ITU, and Gem sat by his bedside. (HC: "") Later that week, once Iain's sedation wore off, he refused to see Gem. After she learned from Kim that he had visited her before his suicide attempt, Gem stormed into ITU and called him "selfish". That evening, she told him that she was there for him. He apologised, explaining that he just wanted his pain to end. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 27) In April, Iain was discharged, and he returned to the ambulance station for an assessment of his fitness to practise as a paramedic. He insisted to Jan that he was coping well, but Gem rebuked him, citing his loss of appetite and lack of sleep. Afterwards, Jan informed Iain that he needed to see a therapist. Additionally, although he was not ready to go back out on the ambulances, she told him that he would be spending the next few weeks with control. Iain reluctantly agreed. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 30)

Shifts as a call handler
The following week, Iain started his first shift at the Wyvern Ambulance Service Communications Centre as a call handler. He received a call from a panicking police officer named Rox who had found three unconscious men in a warehouse. Iain guided her through administering first aid, but, when she started coughing and claimed that their lips were red, he ordered her to get out as soon as possible as he believed that the men were suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. Rox eventually managed to escape from the building, and Iain's supervisor Laura urged him to take a break. In the staff room, Iain told her that not being there to help Rox killed him, and assured her that she would soon be "shot of [him]".

At a therapy session, his therapist Claire Wakelins believed that Iain was showing signs of improvement, but he claimed that they were just signs of his medication taking effect. He told her that, most of the time, he did not want his life as he thought that his pain had gone on for too long. Claire asserted that his mental health problems stemmed from his childhood, rather than from Mia and Sam's deaths, and she posited that him trying to take his own life was not an answer but a question that needed answering in order for his life to have meaning again. She asked him if he had found a pebble, and he showed her one that he collected from Mia's favourite beach. Claire told him to come back when he was ready.

On another day, Iain answered a call from a young girl named Frankie who was trapped in a house fire with her alcoholic father and sister Storm. He instructed her to close her bedroom door, but she was worried about Storm who was apparently in the kitchen. Fortunately, to Iain's relief, she was hiding in the bedroom. She was apprehensive about helping her father, and, once Iain managed to start up a video call with her, he was disturbed by the bruising to her face. He talked her through putting her father in the recovery position, and the father started to cough. As the fire entered the room, Iain told Frankie to take Storm to the window, and the call ended as the fire service arrived. Laura told him to write a formal report if he had any concerns about Frankie and Storm's welfare.

On his way home, Iain stopped at a toy shop to buy a present for Frankie. He arrived at his house as Gem was leaving for work, and he asked her to give Frankie the toy and tell Connie about her father's abuse. She told him that it was good that he cared about the sisters' plight, but he insisted that it was not that simple. Later that night, at 3 am, Iain parked on Claire's street and called her. At her house, they discussed Frankie's case, and Iain told Claire that her situation reminded him of his childhood and his relationship with his mother. Claire explained that people develop their sense of self as children and asserted that he mistook admiration for love and lacked self-belief. However, Iain dismissed her psychoanalysis and questioned why she was drinking wine at three in the morning, and she revealed that, as a former paediatrician, she knew exactly how the pain hit. Furthermore, she explained that, as he made sure that his job was everything, he was destroyed when it all went wrong. She urged him to own the fact that the frightened face he saw on the video call was his.

At the communications centre, Iain talked a woman named Jodie through helping her partner Lou deliver their child. A baby girl was born, and they decided to call her Iain. Suddenly, Lou started to give birth to another child, and Iain helped Jodie through easing the baby out. However, once the baby was delivered, the two became distressed when the baby was not crying. To Iain's delight, Jodie successfully resuscitated the baby, and the couple decided to call the boy Iain too. Once he finished the call, his colleagues gave him an ovation. In the staff room, Laura informed Iain that the men that were found in the warehouse all survived, and she praised him for his work with Rox.

That night, in his car, Iain broke down and told Claire that, after feeling normal for the first time in ages, the emptiness was starting to hit him. She encouraged him to hold onto that feeling of relief and remember that it was possible for him to feel better again. At 3 am, Gem began to panic when Iain had left his lights and radio on and woke him up. Exhausted, he told her that the pressure of her constantly checking up on him was too much, and she asked him if he had once thought about how she felt. He apologised to her and explained that, since working as a call handler, he had started experiencing emotions again, and it frightened him. He asked her about Frankie, and she told him that she wanted to meet him. Gem assured him that she was there for him, no matter how long it would take for him to recover. Two weeks after the incident at the warehouse, Iain took over a call from a woman who was contemplating suicide. He recognised her as Rox and reminded her that she saved the men's lives, but she refused to accept it. She asserted that it was too late for her, but he assured her that he knew exactly how she was feeling. When she questioned how he could possibly understand, he told her about his suicide attempt. She asked him if he was happy to be found, he claimed that he was not sure yet. Nonetheless, he urged Rox to get back to safety, but she professed that there was no going back. Iain reminded her that there was always the next day and insisted on letting the paramedics help her. Suddenly, she lost her footing and dropped the phone, leaving Iain distressed. She quickly accepted another phone and explained that, by entering the warehouse, she had blown a covert surveillance operation and risked being fired. He contended that she had pulled it together, but she also mentioned an incident involving a first repsonder who was the boyfriend of one of Iain's colleagues. He assured her that it was not her fault and reminded her that, at the warehouse, she worked with complete autonomy and risked her life to save the dying men. He promptly asked her to save her own life, but she asked him what would happen afterwards. As he started to cry, he told her that the pain would not go away instantly, and she would need to face it. He promised to help her find support and urged her to come off the bridge. As Ruby took Rox to safety, Laura informed Iain that she was safe.

Outside the communications centre, Iain struggled to contain his emotions and told Claire that he found the way whilst talking to Rox. She praised him for his work and explained to him that, once he put the phone down, he was back to himself. She assured him that he would get better and urged him to give himself time to heal. Sobbing and clutching his pebble, he asked her if he could schedule another appointment with her. By the entrance of the ED, Gem took Frankie to meet Iain, and she thanked him. He asked her how Storm was, and she told him that, thanks to him, they were both fine and informed him that they were going to live with their mother. He asked her if she was feeling safe yet, and she nodded and hugged him. After a brief moment, he reciprocated. Once Frankie returned to her social worker, Iain and Gem went back home. (CAS: Series 33, Episode 33)

Personal life
During his time in the army, Iain had an affair with Sam despite knowing she was married to Dylan. Sam ended the relationship when she left the army, leaving Iain heartbroken. (CAS: "Under Fire") Iain never truly got over her even after returning to the ED as a student paramedic in 2013, (CAS: "Waiting for a Star to Fall") and was clearly left feeling sad when he saw her marry Tom. (CAS: "Away in a Manger")

In 2015, Iain and Rita entered a relationship after kissing outside a pub one night. (CAS: "All the Single Ladies") Although they hadn't officially announced it by the new year, some staff members such as Zoe and Jack caught on by the way they had been speaking with each other at work. When Rita's ex-husband Mark returned to Holby in April, Iain tried to provide support for Rita but found it hard. (CAS: "Survivors") He eventually confronted Mark outside the ED which made her even more attached to him. (CAS: "Tangled Webs We Weave") After a chat with Jez, Iain was thinking of breaking up with her in May but he gave in to her charms. (CAS: "Chain Reaction") In June, he broke up with her which resulted in her lying to him and other members of staff in order to trick him into thinking that Mark was harassing her. (CAS: "What Lies Beneath") She was eventually caught up in her own lies and Iain was furious, but when she decided to leave the ED, they shared a kind farewell. (CAS: "The Fear")

Trivia

 * Iain's middle name is Lindsay. (CAS: Series 32, Episode 9)
 * Iain had an affair with Sam in Afghanistan. (CAS: "Under Fire")
 * His platoon was blown up by an Afghan. he trained with them and was close to them. (CAS: "Scars and Nightmares")
 * He suffered from PTSD in the past.
 * Iain loves banter and is always up for a challenge.
 * Iain and Rita were in a relationship for around nine months.
 * Iain's idea of fun is going down the pub with some friends, getting smashed and grabbing a kebab in the early hours of the morning. (CAS: "Fatal Error - Part Two")
 * He has a younger sister named Gemma. (CAS: "Little Sister")

Behind the scenes
Michael Stevenson has portrayed Iain Dean on Casualty since his first appearance in 2012. In 2012, his two appearances, one a special episode, were both guest appearances as part of Sam's storyline. However, he returned as a recurring character in the 2013 episode "Waiting for a Star to Fall" when he joined the Ambulance Service as a student paramedic. He left in March 2014 and returned that October as a fully trained paramedic, and has remained on the show since as a series regular.

Until his mental health storyline in series 33, Iain's role in the show wasn't as prominent as Dixie's was prior to her departure. Despite this, he is the only character to appear in every episode of series 30. Stevenson made a guest appearance as Iain on Holby City on 30 August 2016 alongside Lloyd Everitt who portrayed Jez Andrews. He made two additional guest appearances on the show in December 2017 and March 2019.

Appearances

 * See also: Character appearances and Category:Iain centric.

Iain made his first appearance in Casualty in the series 26 special episode "Under Fire", with his first full episode appearance in "Appropriate Force". He returned as a recurring character in the series 28 episode "Waiting for a Star to Fall". He made his first appearance as a series regular in the October 2014 episode "The Last Call". To date, Iain has had centric episodes.