Next of Kin (Casualty)
"Next of Kin" | |
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Casualty episodes | |
Episode nos. | Series 26 Episodes 15-16 |
Directed by | Simon Massey |
Written by | Patrick Homes (Part 1) Sally Abbott (Part 2) |
Produced by |
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Featured music |
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Original air dates | 3 December 2011 10 December 2011 (Part 2) | (Part 1)
Running time | 49 minutes[1][2] |
Guest appearances | |
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"Next of Kin" is a two-part episode of the British medical drama
The plot sees the show's setting, an
The show's production team worked with companies The Giggle Group and MTFX Ltd across the development of the episode. Elements of the episode were filmed and edited using computer-generated imagery (CGI) so that fire could be inputted into scenes, making it appear realistic. Massey admitted that the production team encountered multiple logistical problems with the fire scenes, in particular in a tracking shot of the ED. Stunt performers were hired for the episode and used in scenes where two characters were thrown backwards by a backdraft explosion, and where a character was thrown through a glass sign.
The episode marked the first time Casualty had filmed and aired in high-definition television (HDTV). It was promoted through three trailers and a documentary released on the show's official website. The episode rated well with 5.01 and 5.31 million viewers watching the two parts within 7 days of their original broadcast. It was also well received by television critics, who praised the drama of the fire stunt and Ruth and Jay's exit from the show.
Plot
Part one
At
Lily gives Alice her lighter and cigarettes; she has one and dies. Damon starts a small fire in her room, which Frank extinguishes. He finds Lily's lighter. Paramedics
Part two
In the basement, Lenny extinguishes a fire on Frank; the fire alarm is off. In the ED, everyone returns inside after the alarm is deemed false. Drug addict Binhead (Paul Oldham) is admitted, faking having kidney stones, but Zoe challenges him. He robs the pharmacy, where Lily finds him; he steals her lighter and locks her in a cupboard. Ruth tells Nick she is going home, but goes to her office instead to avoid Jay. He follows her and confronts her. Lenny reaches the ED and announces the fire. The department is evacuated but consultants Dylan Keogh (William Beck) and Zoe Hanna (Sunetra Sarker) stay to treat Frank in Resus. Nick demands they leave once provision is erected outside. Scarlett returns inside to find missing patients Susan Jones (Anne Rutter) and Bernard Jones (Alan Rothwell). As she tries evacuating them, an explosion rips through the department, trapping Susan. They escape with firefighter Richard Stone's (Sam Redford) help.
As Jay realises the ED is empty, the fire alarm sounds. Ruth and Jay find Lily but are trapped by the fire, so exit towards the roof through the ventilation duct. Lily warns them the fire dampers will close soon. They reach the vertical shaft and Lily climbs to the top. Ruth calls Charlie and informs him they are inside, but drops her phone down the shaft. Jay calms her when she has a panic attack and when they reach the top, they realise they misdirected Lily. As Lily tries returning, a damper separates her from Ruth and Jay. The couple reach the roof and Ruth is distressed to lose Lily, who has escaped to a locked room. Elsewhere, Zoe and Dylan try moving Frank but an explosion forces them into Resus. After noticing the fire, Binhead reenters the ED. Fire officers try stopping him but an explosion sends him flying through glass. He runs outside on fire and tries telling someone about Lily. Richard, Lily's father, recognises her lighter and realises she is inside. They call and he instructs her to climb out the window, where Ruth and Jay find her.
Fire officers warn Charlie the building's structure is unstable. Zoe and Dylan drink gin and he prepares fentanyl so they can kill themselves if they cannot escape. Zoe rejects the idea and plays music. Outside, Noel contacts their next of kin and is surprised when doctor Sam Nicholls (Charlotte Salt) reveals she is Dylan's wife. Everyone is rescued from the fire. Dylan is annoyed Sam revealed their secret. Ruth and Jay reconcile and decide to leave Holby. They announce their pregnancy, before resigning. The next day, Nick and Charlie visit the burnt ED. At the Clifton Suspension Bridge, Ruth and Jay depart in their campervan.
Production
Background
"Today's announcement places BBC Wales at the heart of BBC drama network production. We have already established a first-class drama production base in Wales and Casualty provides a springboard for further creative and talent development."[3]
—BBC Cymru Wales Controller Menna Richards on the move to Cardiff (2009)
In October 2008, it was reported that Casualty could be relocated from its current production base in Bristol to a new filming studio in Cardiff.[4] This was confirmed on 26 March 2009 as part of the BBC's mission to expand production across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Production was scheduled to move in 2011 after twenty-five years in Bristol.[5] Menna Richards, the BBC Cymru Wales Controller, hoped that the move would create "a springboard for further creative and talent development".[3] Piers Wenger, the head of drama at BBC Cymru Wales, reiterated this and added that Casualty is a key element to the expansion of BBC Cymru Wales.[3] John Yorke, the BBC Controller of Drama Production and New Talent, opined that the move was "incredibly exciting" and would secure the show's future as "one of Saturday night's favourite dramas".[3] In January 2011, it was confirmed that the new studio would be located at Roath Lock drama village.[6]
The show's move faced opposition from multiple sources. Caroline Norbury,
Development
"Next of Kin" is a celebration for both the show's twenty-fifth anniversary, which was reached in September 2011, and the final episodes filmed from Bristol.
The episode is directed by Simon Massey, who expressed his "enormous pride" to have worked on it.[11] In a behind-the-scenes video for the show, he commented, "I gave my heart and soul to this job for a number of months and it was absolutely fantastic."[11] Patrick Homes wrote the first part of the episode and the second part was written by Sally Abbott. Abbott felt "lucky" to write the episode and speaking in 2014, she admitted that people talk to her about the episode weekly.[14] Abbott sought the cast's opinion on the script and spoke to them on-set, before rewriting any agreed suggestions. Sunetra Sarker suggested that her character Zoe Hanna could play music from her phone when she is trapped in Resus and believes she will not escape, which Abbott then wrote into the script.[14] "Next of Kin" was produced by Rebecca Hedderly.[1] Casualty's production team worked in conjunction with The Giggle Group, a film and animation studio, from the conception stage of the episode. The company's managing director, Steve Garratt, discussed how to achieve the fire stunt with Massey and the show's writing team. These discussions included whether it would be possible to remain on the show's set.[11]
The episode features the departures of
For their final episodes, writers created a new challenge for the couple when Ruth becomes pregnant.[16] The pair previously encountered this in series 24, but Ruth terminated the pregnancy behind Jay's back. Turner thought that this reduced the "excitement" Jay feels for this pregnancy.[16] He added that Jay finds fatherhood "a scary prospect" as he is worried about Ruth.[16] Likewise, Ruth is scared about the pregnancy and the effect her bipolar disorder may have, so she pushes Jay away and ends their relationship. Discussing Ruth's feelings, Taylor commented, "She just freaks out. Ruth has always felt she's not good enough for Jay".[16] Jay is disappointed with Ruth's choice and decides to fight it. He then goes to her office and announces that they won't leave until it is sorted. During this time, a fire breaks out in the hospital.[16] Turner and Taylor explained that Jay first realises that there is a fire and that the hospital has been evacuated, leaving Ruth and Jay "stranded" and unable to escape.[16]
Writers introduced guest character Lily Stone, portrayed by Eleanor Rowe, into Ruth and Jay's escape story. Lily features across both parts of the episode with her own story.[16] Ruth, Jay and Lily decide to escape the fire by crawling through the air conditioning ventilation system with the intention of reaching the roof. Taylor told Sarah Ellis of Inside Soap that it becomes "a fight for survival. It's life-and-death".[16] After encountering obstacles en route, they reach the roof. Turner pointed out that Jay immediately becomes "very protective" of Ruth.[16] He thought that Jay would forgo his own life to ensure Ruth was safe. At one point, Ruth is left in danger and asks Jay to leave her and save himself; Jay tells Ruth that he would never leave her. Turner called this a "touching moment", but warned that they could not leave the situation alive.[16] Their fate was embargoed until the episode's broadcast, where it was revealed that they survived the fire.[16][17]
"Next of Kin" served to develop the show's characters, especially
The episode also set up new stories for the show. During part two, it is revealed that Dylan and Sam Nicholls (Charlotte Salt) are married.[13] Both characters had been introduced to the show across 2011 but their connection was not revealed until that point.[13] Salt was informed about the connection during her audition process and performed a screen test with Beck.[20] Beck learnt about the twist prior to Salt's casting.[21] Salt hoped the twist was a surprise for viewers. She added that Dylan and Sam are both complex characters, which allows the story to run for an extended period of time.[13] Beck did not want the twist to overshadow the main story about Ruth and Jay, which he thought was "so wonderful, lovely and so moving".[21] On how the twist was delivered, he commented, "It was nice to play in a way that wasn’t unrealistically overdramatic."[21]
Filming and post-production
Filming for the episode took place in August 2011.
Fire scenes could not be filmed at the main studio because it is not fireproof and has ventilation issues. It is also not permitted to film any naked flames at the studio. Producers had to find a way around this, so that they could achieve their goal.
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) was used to digitally input the "elements" - debris, dust, explosion and flames - into the scene via the blue screens. Elements were filmed on the replica set, although some parts of the episode, including air explosions, were filmed at the main studio.[11] The CGI process was documented in a video by The Giggle Group.[25][26] Mark Turner, from special effects company MTFX Ltd, explained that CGI had to be used due to the limitations that the set's design offers.[11] Whilst the production team aimed to film as much flame in the primary shot as possible, they added in more elements during post-production to make the stunt appear realistic.[11] Garratt noted that they want the stunt to "feel like a raging inferno".[11] Massey explained that different aspects of smoke were layered onto the scenes in post-production. He commented, "These were small details but they made all the difference."[11] CGI was also used to digitally add fire to characters, since there was restrictions on the level of danger actors could be exposed to.[11] On how much was filmed through CGI, Mantock quipped, "there comes a point where [I ask myself] am I going to be lying in a heap of rubble today?"[11]
One shot featured in the second part of the episode was a
The nature of the episode meant that stunt performers had to be hired to protect the cast from any danger. This was arranged by Julian Simpson, the show's stunt co-ordinator.[11] The final scene of part one uses stuntmen, who double for Miller and Sean Blowers (fire officer Frank Molloy). In the scene, Lenny opens the storeroom door - where the fire is located - and a ball of flame measuring at 3–4 m (10–13 ft) explodes as a result of the backdraft.[11] The explosion consists of compressed air and soft materials, which are designed not to hurt the actors. The stunt performers wore burn suits to protect them from the flames.[11] When the explosion occurs, Lenny and Frank are thrown backwards by the force of the explosion; the stuntmen portraying them were attached to drift wires and pulled backwards through the shot. Turner (MTFX Ltd) opined that it was "the most ambitious" aspect of the episode.[11]
A stunt performer was also used in one of the final scenes as guest character Bin Head (Paul Oldham) is thrown through a glass sign in the ED following an explosion in the department.[11] Although the explosion was as "substantial" as earlier ones in the episode, it was created using only a canister expelling air.[11] When the explosion goes off, the stuntman standing in for Oldham was pulled back by an attached wire, designed to portray the blast of the explosion.[11] Massey noted that the challenge of the sequence was having the explosion blast through the glass. The sequence had to be stitched together during post-production.[11]
At the conclusion of filming the episode, props from the show's time in Bristol, including the
Promotion and broadcast
External videos | |
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"Casualty Video Clip: Ruth's dilemma" A preview clip for part one | |
"Casualty Video Clip: Ruth and Jay trapped!" A preview clip for part two |
On 21 November 2011, the show released a promotional trailer advertising "Next of Kin" and the two episodes prior to it.[28] A 36-second trailer for part one of the episode was released on 26 November.[29] Part two was promoted with a 33-second trailer released on 3 December.[30] A documentary exploring the creation of the episode was released on 8 December 2011.[31]
Both episodes premiered on
Reception
In its original broadcast, part one of "Next of Kin" received an overnight rating of 3.84 million viewers, equivalent to 15.1% of the total audience.[32] This figure later rose to 5.01 million viewers within seven days, a decrease of 210,000 viewers from the previous episode, "The Ties That Bind".[33] In the week ending 4 December 2011, part one was the twentieth most-watched programme on BBC One.[33] The final part of "Next of Kin" received an overnight rating of 4.3 million viewers in its original broadcast, an increase from part one. This equated to 16.2% of the total viewing audience.[34] Viewership increased further to 5.31 million viewers within seven days of its original broadcast.[33] The episode was the fifteenth most-watched programme on BBC One within the week ending 12 December 2011.[33]
Maisie Lillywhite from
References
- ^ a b c Writer: Patrick Homes; Director: Simon Massey; Producer: Rebecca Hedderly (3 December 2011). "Next of Kin: Part One". Casualty. BBC. BBC One.
- ^ a b Writer: Sally Abbott; Director: Simon Massey; Producer: Rebecca Hedderly (10 December 2011). "Next of Kin: Part Two". Casualty. BBC. BBC One.
- ^ a b c d Sweney, Mark (26 March 2009). "BBC confirms Casualty will move from Bristol to Cardiff". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "BBC confirms Casualty move from Bristol to Cardiff area" (Press release). BBC Press Office. 26 March 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "BBC Wales drama village name unveiled as Roath Lock". BBC News. BBC. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Wales Online. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "MP protests over TV Casualty move". BBC News. BBC. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Bardock, Matt; Thompson, Derek; Wynn, Al; Garratt, Steve; Massey, Simon; Miller, Steven; Turner, Mark; Mantock, Madeleine (8 December 2011). Casualty: Fire at Holby City ED! (Documentary). Bristol, UK: BBC Online. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Williams, Lisa (10 January 2012). "New blood in Casualty". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Writer Sally Abbott interview". Holby.tv. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Ellis, Sarah (3–16 December 2011). "'Ruth and Jay might not make it out alive...'". Inside Soap. No. 48. pp. 44–45.
- ^ The Free Library.
- ^ a b c d e Griffin, Cheryl (15 January 2012). "Madeleine Mantock interview". Holby.tv. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Griffin, Cheryl (15 January 2012). "Michael Obiora interview". Holby.tv. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Griffin, Cheryl (3 January 2012). "Charlotte Salt interview". Holby.tv. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d Griffin, Cheryl (3 January 2012). "William Beck interview". Holby.tv. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
- ^ Bristol Live. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
- ^ "First Cardiff produced Casualty episode to air in January". ATV Today. 13 December 2011. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ a b c "Casualty (BBC One)". The Bottle Yard Studios. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ Hunter, Amy (11 June 2019). "10 Films and TV Programmes filmed in Bristol". Studio Giggle. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "A Guide to Good Green Screen". Little Black Book. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- BBC Media Centre. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ "Casualty Video Clip: Preview Eps 13-16". BBC Online. BBC. 21 November 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Casualty Video Clip: Ruth's dilemma". BBC Online. BBC. 26 November 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Casualty Video Clip: Ruth and Jay trapped!". BBC Online. BBC. 3 December 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ "Casualty: Fire at Holby City ED!". BBC Online. BBC. 8 December 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ Ellis, Sarah (31 December 2011 – 6 January 2012). "Casualty". Inside Soap. No. 52. pp. 32–33.
- ^ Bullimore, Emma (4 April 2020). "From forgotten loves to forbidden flings - Casualty's 9 best romances". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 June 2022.