Series 26

Series 26 was the twenty-sixth series of Casualty and commenced airing on 13 August 2011. The series marked the end to filming the show in Bristol, with episodes airing in 2012 being filmed at BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff.

Cast Changes
Due to the move of production to Cardiff, both Series 25 and Series 26 feature an unusual number of cast changes.

Unexpectedly for viewers, Series 25 episode saw the final appearance of Hasina Haque as nurse Madiha Durrani. Mads' departure from the department went unexplained for several weeks, with only a casual reference by the characters. An explanation was finally given in, in which former love Lenny Lyons and the rest of the ED receive a letter from Mads announcing her marriage in Pakistan.

Series premier saw the arrival of two new paramedics: Tamzin Bayle, portrayed by Gemma Atkinson, and Omar Nasri, portrayed by Dhafer L'Abidine. The duo, however, did not remain on the show for long, making their final appearance in.

introduced junior nurses Lloyd Asike and Scarlett Conway, portrayed by Michael Obiora and Madeleine Mantock.

Army medic Sam Nicholls, portrayed by Charlotte Salt, first appeared in, on loan to the hospital.



Final Bristol-filmed episode saw the final appearance of Georgia Taylor and Ben Turner as Ruth Winters and Jay Faldren.

Production
Series 26 marked the start of high-definition filming of the show. From, the show was filmed in high-definition. However, it was not until that the show was broadcast in such a format.

The series also sees Oliver Kent step down as Series Producer of the show. From, he is replaced by Nikki Wilson.

Move to Cardiff


In October 2008, the BBC first announced proposals to move the production of Casualty from Bristol to Wales, as part of the BBC's plan to "achieve half of all network output outside London by 2016." . The move was met by great opposition by both fans of the show and the people of Bristol. Derek Thompson, who portrayed Charlie Fairhead, was also opposed to the move.

In March 2009, it was announced that the show would move production to Cardiff in mid-2011. Although not finalised at the time, the BBC also announced plans to develop a "sustainable centre of excellence for drama" in Wales.



Work started on the new drama village in June 2010. At the it's topping-out ceremony, it was announced that the site would be called Roath Lock. Construction of the first phase, including the Casualty lot, was completed a few months later.

Production of the show moved to Cardiff in August 2011. As filming was about four months ahead of airing, the first episodes filmed at Roath Lock commenced airing at the start of 2012. and served as transition episodes, with a fire destroying the ED. This allowed the change of set to be explained in-universe.



The new set featured a larger, more open department interior, and, for the first time on the show, an integrated exterior entrance. Previously, interior scenes of the hospital were filmed in a warehouse, while exterior scenes of the ED entrance was filmed at a separate location. The new set allows for more dynamic shots, with the camera able to follow characters in an out of the hospital without cutting.

Airing
Unlike previous series, Series 26 aired straight after Series 25, with no break between the two. Instead, a mid-season break took place, between the final Bristol-filmed episode on 10 December 2011, and the first Cardiff-filmed episode  on 7 January 2012.

Due to the London Olympic Games being aired on the BBC, Series 26 only featured 41 episodes - the least number of episodes since Series 17.