DRAPERSTOWN’S ELINOR LAWLESS IN CASUALTY CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Casualty fans are in for a ‘life-affirming, emotionally-charged’ Christmas special with Co Derry actress Elinor Lawless at the heart of the drama.
The BBC gave viewers a sneak peak of what to expect in the ‘format-breaking’ standalone episode by unveiling several new photographs of the 2024 festive special, including one of the Draperstown woman who plays emergency department consultant Stevie Nash in the long-running, Bafta-winning series.
Entitled All I Want for Christmas, the episode will see Stevie fight to save lives as the ED is faced with an emergency blood shortage while Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) risks his own to ensure the hospital doesn’t go without.
The special will guest star Lucy-Jo Hudson (Wild At Heart, Doctors), Tristan Sturrock (Poldark, The Crown), Joseph Charles (Breathtaking, Solo: A Star Wars Story), Zoe Brough (Outrageous, Father Brown), Katy Carmichael (Malpractice, Spaced) and Valerie Antwi (DI Ray S2, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) who join the beloved Casualty regulars.
Made in Cardiff by BBC Studios Drama Productions, this innovative new special is a tribute to the miracle of blood, brought to life with all the tension and emotional depth that Casualty delivers so well.
Rebecca Ferguson, Commissioning Editor for BBC Drama, said: “We’re so excited for viewers to see this incredible Christmas special, which genuinely made me gasp. It’s tense, thrilling and super-charged with emotion.”
Roxanne Harvey, Executive Producer for BBC Studios Drama Production, added: “We’re so proud of this life-affirming episode. Beautifully told, with ambitious production values and outstanding performances, this is entertaining, thought-provoking drama at its very best.”
All I Want for Christmas will also feature real-life testimonies from contributors who’ve been directly impacted by UK blood donation, as well as interviews with key workers who form the country’s blood service.
In a recent interview with whattowatch.com, Elinor, who joined the show as Stevie in 2021, said the Christmas special was going to be ‘big’.
“I read the scripts a few days ago and they’re beautiful,” she said, ahead of the start of filming.
“There’s a lovely documentary element and it’s got real It’s a Wonderful Life vibes!”
The Casualty Christmas special airs on BBC iPlayer and BBC One this month and will be followed by the next series of Casualty from later in December. The special is written by Erin Kubicki and will be directed by Steve Hughes.
