Series 30

Series 30 is the thirtieth series of Casualty and commenced airing on 29 August 2015. It will contain 43 episodes. The series featured the arrival and departure of foundation doctor Alicia Munroe, portrayed by Chelsea Halfpenny. In December, it saw the arrival of new receptionist Jack Diamond, portrayed by Alistair Brammer. In January 2016, the series will see the arrival of a new paramedic, Mercedes Christie portrayed by Hannah Spearritt. The fortieth episode of the series will also be the show's 1000th overall. Series producer Erika Hossington has revealed that an old character will return for the occasion. In addition, she said that for the show's 30th anniversary, there will be multiple crossovers from Holby City characters, but this episode will be part of series 31.

The two-part series opener saw the guest appearance of long serving character Lisa "Duffy" Duffin (Cathy Shipton), as she returns to Holby as an agency nurse. On her return, Shipton commented "I was surprised and delighted to be asked to recreate the role of 'Duffy' to launch the 30th series – especially as Paul Unwin, one of the original creators, was not only writing but also directing." Ben Harding (Mark Letheren), a counsellor who has appeared on-off since 2007, reappeared in episode 4 as Dylan's OCD storyline continued. Sarah Jayne Dunn, who appeared for five months in the previous series as con artist and Cal's ex-girlfriend Taylor Ashbie, returned in episode 7 as well as appearing in a special episode following it.

Kerry Bennet made her first recurring appearance to the show in episode six, and along with Anna Acton and Grace Doherty, who made their first appearances in episode twelve, were part of a storyline which saw Dixie take center stage. The dramatic domestic abuse storyline conclusion saw events get out of hand and Jess and Olivia see Nikki for who she really was. After a hostage situation and dramatic fire scene, Nikki was arrested, as well as suffering severe burns. Episode sixteen saw the first recurring appearance of Cal's birth mother, Emilie Groome, portrayed by Carol Royle. It was also teased in Casualty's Christmas trailer that a few familiar faces would return, including Sam Strachan (Tom Chambers), Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and Grace Beauchamp (Emily Carey). Guy Henry will appear as Henrik Hanssen in January 2016.

Cast

 * For a listing of character appearances in this series, see Character appearances.


 * Amanda Mealing as Connie Beauchamp
 * Derek Thompson as Charlie Fairhead
 * Sunetra Sarker as Zoe Hanna
 * Chloe Howman as Rita Freeman
 * William Beck as Dylan Keogh
 * Richard Winsor as Cal Knight
 * George Rainsford as Ethan Hardy
 * Crystal Yu as Lily Chao
 * Jane Hazlegrove as Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon
 * Charles Dale as MacKenzie "Big Mac" Chalker
 * Amanda Henderson as Robyn Miller
 * Lee Mead as Ben "Lofty" Chiltern
 * Jamie Davis as Max Walker
 * Tony Marshall as Noel Garcia
 * Azuka Oforka as Louise Tyler
 * Michael Stevenson as Iain Dean
 * Charles Venn as Jacob Masters
 * Chelsea Halfpenny as Alicia Munroe (episode 4 - episode 11)
 * Chelsee Healey as Honey Wright (until episode 4)
 * Alistair Brammer as Jack Diamond (from episode 14)

Pending changes

 * Hannah Spearritt as Mercedes Christie (from episode 20)

Guest characters

 * Gregory Forsyth-Foreman as Louis Fairhead (episodes 1 & 2)
 * Cathy Shipton as Lisa Duffin (episodes 1 & 2)
 * Mark Letheren as Ben Harding (episode 4)
 * Sarah Jayne Dunn as Taylor Ashbie (episode 7)
 * Kerry Bennet as Jess Cranham (from episode 6)
 * Grace Doherty as Olivia Cranham (episode 12 - episode 18)
 * Anna Acton as Nikki Chisom (episode 12 - episode 18)
 * Carol Royle as Emilie Groome (from episode 16)
 * Guy Henry as Henrik Hanssen (episode 19)
 * Tom Chambers as Sam Strachan (from episode 24)
 * Emily Carey as Grace Beauchamp (from early 2016)

Episodes

 * See also: List of Casualty episodes

Specials
A special episode is due to air as a red button episode on 10 October 2015, straight after "Rules of Attraction".