BBC Casualty star's life saved by person's kind act after health discovery
The dedicated medics of Holby City Hospital are making a dramatic return this festive season in a Christmas special of Casualty that's taking a fresh twist. The episode is all about the vital need for blood donations, featuring gripping tales of patients in dire need of transfusions and also paying homage to the real-life stories behind them.
Elinor Lawless, who portrays Stevie Nash in the hit BBC series, shared how the narrative resonates personally with her: "I had a congenital heart condition when I was a kid," she told The Mirror's We Love TV. "I had open heart surgery when I was seven and because of that, I can’t give blood and it bothers me."
"It’s something so beautifully straightforward that we can do for each other and in that situation I was relying on other people to do the thing that I can’t do. I’m here because somebody decided to go to a blood bank that day - that’s just mind boggling."
READ MORE: Jeremy Kyle breaks silence on show axe - 'I'm not going to spend my life apologising'
READ MORE: Pop icon labelled 'gentleman loved by many' dies after wife's tragic Covid death
Now as a mother, the 42 year old actress admits the fear of her young son Joe, eight, ever needing blood strikes a chilling chord. "I have a little boy and the idea of losing a loved-one simply because there’s not enough of the thing that would make an instant difference - that’s stuff of horror," says Elinor. “I’m grateful that people are doing this up-and-down the country and this episode is a vehicle to help give a message gently, but also to say thank you without shoving it down people’s throats."
Casualty's Christmas episode, set on December 25, follows Siobhan, Dylan, Iain, and the team as they deal with multiple emergencies requiring blood, including a road traffic accident and a young girl awaiting a cancer diagnosis. The storyline also explores the real-life issue of contaminated blood, as Siobhan, Cameron, and Stevie treat a patient who refuses a transfusion due to concerns about infected blood, inspired by the true story of Andrew Evans, who contracted HIV from a transfusion in the 1980s at the age of five.
Barney Walsh, who plays Cameron, found filming the scenes emotional, saying, "The patient we had in the bed didn’t want blood and it was running dry. To see the dramatization intercut with case studies of how this affects real life and see first-hand the impact that giving blood does make, it is a real honour to be a part of that"
Melanie Hill, who plays Siobhan, added, "It was really horrible when he was refusing the blood and the supply was going down - it was just that jeopardy. It’s Christmas Day and the emotions are heightened but as far as Siobhan is concerned, it is another day and we have to get on with it and try not to panic because this happens quite regularly."
Casualty's Christmas special airs Saturday 21st December at 9.20pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
