Casualty nurse Jodie Whyte made a strong impression during her first shift at Holby ED when she arrived late, hungover and was falsely accused of stealing. Before the credits rolled, it was revealed that clinical lead Max Cristie (Nigel Harman) is her father — a fact they both want to keep secret!
Since then the party-loving medic has knuckled down and is shaping up to become a vital part of the team.
This week the young nurse, played by The Bay’s Anna Chell, proves her worth when she (literally!) holds the hospital's future in her hands after unexploded World War Two bombs are found on a mystery patient!
Here, in an exclusive interview, Anna gives What to Watch the inside story…
Anna, how does it feel to be involved in such a big storyline so soon after joining Casualty?
“I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to do everything I have so far, from stunts to working on location, in such a short space of time. It was daunting when I first started but I feel now I’ve really found my feet. Every day is exciting — getting a new script through, the buzz on set, I couldn’t ask for greater company, and I’m learning so much.”
Is it fun behind the scenes?
"It’s so funny. We need a bloopers reel, it would be ridiculous! Sometimes if we're working and, for example, a prop falls — just the way we react to stuff like that in the moment, we're always having a laugh. It doesn’t feel like work!"
Are you even besties unless you disagree about everything? 😂 Catch #Casualty on @BBCiPlayer 💚 pic.twitter.com/LdDiEWLPZFApril 10, 2023
Can you set the scene for this week’s explosive story?
“The paramedics bring in a patient who’s in a lot of pain and covered in mud. Jodie and her colleagues get him into resus and, as they start cleaning him up they discover that he’s badly burnt. Then World War Two bombs — a couple of grenades and a glass bottle — fall out of his bag. As the episode goes on it gets more and more intense…”
How does the team react?
“They’re panic-stricken but they need to work out what to do next. When the glass bottle accidentally starts to roll off a counter, Ryan (Eddie-Joe Robinson) catches it and then discovers a crack in it. Dylan (William Beck), who has so much random knowledge, realises that when air gets into the bottle you’ve only so many seconds before it explodes. Ryan can’t deal with the pressure of holding the bomb, so Jodie takes it off him and holds it herself while she waits for the bomb disposal experts to come.”
Jodie ends up alone in resus with bomb disposal expert Jed Sharp. Was that intense to film?
“It was a big shoot with a lot of long days, but I loved the intensity of it. Ciaran Kellgren (The Ipcress File), who plays Jed is great. You see Jodie and Jed form a really beautiful relationship very quickly in a scary situation. I think Jodie struggles to trust men because of her father, Max. We see Jodie essentially putting her life in Jed’s hands. They manage to get out of resus, but then the bomb explodes. You’ll have to watch to find out what happens next…”
Will we learn more about Jodie during this traumatic event?
“Completely. It’s telling that she copes under pressure by taking the reins — she’s done this since she was a kid. In this life or death situation she’s holding that bomb and thinking about her mum [who has passed away]. She explains a little about her childhood to Jed and he uses it to try to make her comfortable while they’re manoeuvring out of resus with the bomb. There’s comedy to it, but then it’s broken by the explosion…”
Does Max factor heavily throughout all this?
“Yes, you really see what Jodie means to Max in these moments. I love working with Nige, I remember him in EastEnders, and if I have any nerves he’s always there to reassure me. He also makes me laugh a lot! It’s lovely because we’ve got a lot of vulnerable scenes together. After this episode someone starts spreading horrible rumours about Max and Jodie. The rumour situation is going to be hard for her to navigate…”
We’ve seen the new Casualty trailer. With that in mind can you tease what else the future holds?
“Coming up we’ll see Jodie attacked by a patient who hits her across the face. There's also a kiss with Ryan! After a couple of drinks, she thinks ‘why not?’ I think she wants to get one up on him!”
Is she involved in the snake storyline?
[Laughing] “Of course! That’s a really nice episode because we get to see a lot of Jodie and Cam Mickelwaith’s dynamic and relationship. It’s a fine example of Jodie getting herself into another situation, but it shows her fearlessness. I got to meet a real snake in person — I was buzzing!”
It sounds like you really enjoy playing Jodie…
“Yes, she’s strong and untouchable in a way, but she also makes mistakes. She fails beautifully but always comes back. I’m not squeamish or scared of heights or anything like that and like her I like to give things a go, so it’s fab as an actor that I’m getting to experience so much. Casualty is a great show to be part of.”
Explosive Casualty episode Keep Breathing airs on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 8.30pm on BBC One. It is available on iPlayer after transmission.
Our Full spoilers for Casualty episode Keep Breathing
