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Casualty actor William Beck has said it is a real privilege to lead the audience through the show’s 40th anniversary special.
The BBC medical drama, which is the world’s longest-running show of its kind, will celebrate the milestone in September with a two-part story.
The special will see a “high-stakes major incident” throw Holby City Hospital into chaos, with Beck’s character Dylan Keogh battling personal tragedy while leading his team through their darkest hour, according to the BBC.
Beck said: “Seeing how people respond under pressure can take you by surprise.
“The opportunity to give people something that feels authentic and recognisable but also surprises them – that’s gold dust in TV.
“With Dylan, there’s a real opportunity to explore what happens when the person everyone relies on is pushed to his limits.
“I know it’s been said that Dylan doesn’t like the responsibility of leading the department, but I think he does.
“It’s a lovely opportunity, and a real privilege, to lead the audience through this story – particularly for the 40th anniversary. It really is pinch-yourself stuff.”
He said the special would be “entertaining as well as traumatic”, and would put his character at its centre “in a way that he hasn’t been before”.
Reflecting on the show’s longevity, Beck said he thought audiences enjoyed Casualty as they appreciated the NHS.
He added: “It’s a unique environment. The emergency department is somewhere that we all have experience of, most frequently when we really don’t want it.
“We’re thrown in with people who are entirely at random, which is such an amazing environment to make a drama.
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