BBC confirms huge Casualty news and it’s the end of an era

BBC confirms huge Casualty news and it’s the end of an era

Following the news BBC One medical drama Casualty has been put out to tendering, a huge change for the structure of the show has been revealed.

The competitive tender process will decide which producer makes the show, though the BBC will retain all the rights for the programme.

Casualty will also continue to air on BBC One.

The Casualty logo.

A major change is occurring (Picture: BBC)

While this development won’t impact the future of the medical drama, it will change the foundations of the series. Casualty is set in the Emergency Department of Holby City Hospital, but this won’t be the case once the new production company take over.

It means the ED will be set in Wales, rather than the fictional city of Holby.

Fletch and Jac in Holby City
Casualty will no longer be set in the fictional city of Holby (Picture: BBC)

In an official document from the broadcaster, there is hope the show will ‘evolve into Welsh portrayal while maintaining the core attraction to the loyal fan base’.

The contract asks tenderers to include ‘authentic representation of Wales and reflect the reality of the Welsh NHS’.

‘This is not about radical change of the show, although the move to Welsh portrayal will mean a new fictional hospital based in Wales, and tenderers will need to address this core change in their editorial pitch to the evaluation panel.

‘The successful tenderer will need to be able to demonstrate how to incorporate Welsh portrayal and maintain familiarity at the same time.’

Elle, Jac, Connie and Noel standing outside resus in CasualtyXHolby
Fans love it when Holby City characters crossover to the Casualty set and vice versa (Picture: BBC)
Zosia and Ollie looking at a tablet with Jac in the background in Holby City
Holby City ended in 2022 (Picture: BBC)

We currently don’t know how the move to the Welsh hospital will take place.

It means there’s a possibility the history of Holby could be eradicated altogether but on the other hand, the show could simply note that Holby is a district in Wales, therefore keeping it familiar to fans of both shows, but opening up more opportunities to explore the Welsh NHS.

The new Casualty producer is set to take over in November, with the revamped episodes airing in late 2026.

 

Following the news BBC One medical drama Casualty has been put out to tendering, a huge change for the structure of the show has been revealed. The competitive tender process will decide which producer makes the show, though the BBC will retain all the rights for the programme. Casualty will also continue to air on BBC One. A major change…