Stevie Nash is in the hot seat in Casualty episode Tinderbox (BBC One, 9.15pm, Saturday, December 30, 2023 — See our TV Guide for listings) during an intense life or death shift. Elsewhere, Faith Cadogan is clean after a month in rehab, while Max Cristie and Jodie Whyte face up to difficult home truths…
As an intense and unpredictable situation reaches a volatile crescendo, the ED and hospital staff face a crisis like no other… Will the department and staff ever be the same again?
Here's everything we can reveal about the explosive Casualty episode, Tinderbox…
Stevie Nash takes control
Consultant Stevie Nash effectively becomes the lead consultant at Holby ED when Casualty returns to BBC1 after a lengthy break.
In the opening scenes, the ED is in crisis with patients spending hours in ambulance queues. Clinical lead Max Cristie (Nigel Harman) is running on empty as he juggles his secret ill health and administrative duties.
When Max is called away to a budget meeting, he hands over control of the ED to Stevie (Elinor Lawless), who is ready for the challenge.
Ryan recruited
With a deadly shortage of beds adding to the ambulance backlog, Stevie recruits junior nurse Ryan Firth to act as her intermediary between the hospital wards and the carpark.
Ryan (Eddie-Joe Robinson) is delighted after Stevie gives him the made-up title of ‘Chief Triage Nurse,’ and enjoys teasing his contemporaries with his new role.
But as the shift intensifies he finds himself challenged as never before…
Charlie has the goss!
Charlie Fairhead welcomes Stevie’s intervention, disclosing that this is the worst state he’s ever seen the ED in.
It’s then revealed that Charlie (Derek Thompson) has stepped into Donna Jackson’s shoes and is currently acting as nurse manager, while she serves her sentence for dangerous driving. Given his return to seniority, Charlie is now privy to some top brass gossip and tells Stevie that the powers-that-be are sizing up for Max’s job and he reckons she could be a good candidate…
And he may be right, as Stevie proves proficient at problem solving and aiding communication and understanding between the frustrated paramedics and the overworked and harassed hospital staff.
But there is one element she hasn’t factored in. As waiting times increase, patients and their relatives become increasingly scared, upset and angry…
Patients and paramedics
Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) does his best to get patient Irene McKenna (Janie Booth, Starstruck, Lovejoy) a bed after an eight hour wait in his ambulance. But, when he’s unsuccessful, her son Ray (James Foster, Coronation Street, Screw) starts kicking off at any member of staff who will listen…
Elsewhere, Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) races father and son, Lewis and Noah Halliday, to the ED after a fishing excursion goes horribly wrong. Stevie and the team leap into action to save Noah (Dainton Anderson Archie, This Country), unfortunately given the pressure everyone’s under, deadly symptoms manifesting in Lewis (Declan Rodgers, The Deceived, Silent Witness) go undetected…
Max and Jodie heart-to-heart
Nurse Jodie Whyte fields text messages from her gran Stella Lawson (Kate Williams) while trying to treat vulnerable patient Jay Henderson (Dayo Koleosho, Strike, Damned), who is furious when his brother Andy (Anton Cross, Bodies, Foresight) turns up at the hospital.
Under pressure Jodie (Anna Chell) manages to diagnose sepsis, but fails to catch a life-threatening allergy…
When word reaches Max, he takes her to task — but Jodie isn’t having any of it, and questions him on his visible ill health.
At first Max evades Jodie’s questions. She, however, remains persistent, and he finally opens up about his kidney transplant failure.
It’s an important turning point in their budding relationship, but where will the father and daughter go from here?
Faith faces her fears
Faith Cadogan opens up in a therapy session, revealing that she is 42 days clean after spending four weeks in rehab. She’s also been asked back to work…
This is a daunting prospect for the advanced clinical practitioner, given how many of her colleagues know about her addiction problems. Making Faith (Kirsty Mitchell) even more hesitant to return is the fact she can’t remember the last time she did her job sober.
On the way home, however, a chance encounter with unconscious commuter Carla Arnold, Bridgerton, Theodosia) forces Faith to face her fears…
Faith attempts to save Carla and accompanies the young woman to the ED, where there are shocked faces all round, leaving her feeling very uncomfortable. Will crossing paths with shocked consultant (and former lover) Dylan Keogh (William Beck) push Faith over the edge?
Also in Casualty this week…
Doctor Rash Masum (Neet Mohan) is reeling when nurse Cam Mickelthwaite (Barney Walsh) reveals that a local care home is closing down and moving its residents to Essex. It turns out, this is the same care home where Rash’s father Ashok (Kriss Dosanjh) lives. Rash is left scrambling to find new accommodation for his dad and considers making a shock decision…
Faith’s daughter Natalia Malinovsky (Zoe Brough) is keeping a secret.
Nurse Rida Amaan (Sarah Seggari) is feeling the pinch financially.
And paramedic Sah Brockner (Arin Smethurst) is back behind the wheel. Does this mean they’ve had a change of heart about resigning?
Casualty episode Tinderbox airs on BBC One on Saturday, December 30, 2023 from 9.15pm. It is available on BBC iPlayer after transmission.
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