It’s the medical drama that’s kept British viewers gripped for four decades – and holds the official title of the world’s longest-running series of its kind. This week’s explosive 40th anniversary episodes have seen a huge firebomb lighting up the skies of Holby.
Casualty, which has been filmed at Cardiff’s BBC Roath Lock Studios since 2011, is expected to move to a new fictional hospital in Wales next year.
While we all have our favourite characters, such as Charlie, who served three decades until his departure in 2024, or Duffy, who racked up 231 episodes, several major stars have made appearances in the BBC programme over the years since its 1986 launch, long before they became household names. Notable cameos include:
1. Kate Winslet
Prior to her breakthrough role as Rose in the box office phenomenon Titanic, the 18-year-old secured one of her earliest opportunities in a 1993 episode, portraying Suzanne, a woman trapped in an abusive relationship.
Kate, 50, subsequently reflected that the experience taught her how to appear “natural in front of the camera”, reports the Daily Star.
2. Tom Hiddleston
The 45-year-old is now a global star, renowned for his portrayal of Thor in The Avengers.
However, amongst his early work as a jobbing actor was the role of climber Chris Vaughan, who accidentally knocks a woman off her balcony while abseiling down a tower block, in a 2007 Casualty episode.
3. Orlando Bloom
The Lord of the Rings actor, who brought Legolas to life in the legendary trilogy, is now 49.
Yet he made his professional acting debut on the programme, appearing in three episodes between 1994 and 1996 as builder Noel Harrison, who finds himself hospitalised following self-harm.
4. Minnie Driver
Achieving worldwide recognition in films such as Good Will Hunting and Bond thriller GoldenEye, the 56-year-old secured her breakthrough role in Casualty back in 1991, portraying Zena, an HIV positive patient who arrived at the hospital with a bleeding forehead. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter
5. Christopher Eccleston
Long before becoming synonymous with the legendary timelord in Doctor Who, the actor landed just his second on-screen role in a 1990 Casualty episode.
He portrayed Stephen Hills, a man living with HIV.
6. Martin Freeman
Today recognised for his performance in the comedy series The Office and his starring role in The Hobbit trilogy.
However, in 1998 he was an aspiring actor taking on the part of robber Ricky Beck in the programme. The 54-year-old has remarked: “It was the biggest thing I’d done on TV, so I took it very seriously.”
7. Helen Baxendale
Before her appearance in American sitcom Friends and becoming a series regular in Cold Feet, the actress – now 56 – featured as a woman named Emma, a member of a religious cult, who sustains injuries from a car.
8. Hermione Norris
Another performer who would achieve stardom in Cold Feet, alongside television programmes such as Spooks.
Among her earliest television appearances was a 1991 Casualty storyline where she takes on the role of a ballet dancer battling an eating disorder. 9.
9. Daisy Ridley
Rising to stardom as Rey in Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2014, the actress first appeared in a 2013 episode as Fran Bedinfield, who suffers an injury on a fairground ride. She later reflected: “Casualty will always be my first “Oh my God” moment as an actor…I was over the moon.”
10. Jonny Lee Miller
Best known to many as Sick Boy from the acclaimed 1996 film Trainspotting, he’d already secured several smaller parts before appearing in a 1992 Casualty episode, portraying Matt, a teenage bully hospitalised following a fight.
11. Parminder Nagra
Now 50, the actress achieved breakthrough success as aspiring footballer Jess in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham.
However, earlier television work in 1996 Casualty episodes saw her take on the role of Asha, a woman attacked by her brother for featuring in a lads mag to pay for an abortion.
12. Lucy Davis
She famously portrayed Dawn in the television comedy The Office.
In 1995, she appeared as Sarah Jackson in a Casualty episode, playing the friend of a woman thrown through a window during a mugging.
13. Nicholas Hoult
Gaining recognition in the 2002 film About A Boy, the 36-year-old has subsequently featured in productions including Clash of the Titans and X Men: First Class.
Yet his television debut came aged seven in a 1996 Casualty episode, playing the son of a man hurt in a garage accident.
14. Dervla Kirwan
The Irish actress, now 54, would go on to secure major roles in TV’s Goodnight Sweetheart and Ballykissangel, but she launched her career with an appearance in a 1990 episode, portraying Anna, a woman wounded during a football match riot.
15. Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Prior to his film roles in Kick-Ass and 28 Years Later, the 36 year old appeared in a 2006 episode of Casualty.
As a relatively unknown 16-year-old, he portrayed teenage runaway Joey Byrne, who becomes involved in a severe accident with a friend.
16. David Walliams
The Britain’s Got Talent judge and a best-selling children’s author, David Walliams got a break on the show in 2003 – the very same year his famous sketch, Little Britain, launched onto our screens.
17. Ray Winstone
Big screen hardman Ray Winstone kick-started a pattern of tough characters when he played a prisoner in 1995.
Two years later, he was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Nil by Mouth, and would go on to star in the likes of The Proposition, The Departed and The Sweeney.
