With the usual chaos kicking off in the busy ED of Holby City Hospital, it’s no surprise to Casualty fans how shocking the latest stories can be when they hit the headlines.

However, it’s never easy when we have to say goodbye to some of our favourite Casualty characters — and 2023 was a year full of emotional, dramatic and unexpected farewells.

Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson), Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford), David Hide (Jason Durr) and many more all left the soap last year.

We also welcomed back a familiar face to Holby ED as Donna Jackson (Jaye Jacobs) made a long-awaited comeback.

LATEST VIDEOS FROM whattowatch

As we prepare to say another heartbreaking goodbye to more characters in 2024, let’s take a look at who is returning and the newcomers set to join Casualty…

This guide is now closed. See our arrivals and exits Casualty 2025 guide for the latest shock cast changes at Holby ED.

Who is leaving Casualty in 2024?

With the end of Breaking Point and the start of Storm Damage, Casualty has been shaken up with more exits and arrivals. Here’s the latest on who has been sauntering through the swing doors of Holby ED…

Who left Casualty in 2024?

Some much-loved characters left the soap in 2024. Some villains made their exit too!

Jamie Cleveland

After being introduced in the opening episode of 12-parter Storm Damage Jamie Cleveland was finally unmasked as an evil groomer and abuser of vulnerable teenagers – including Holby ED nurse Cam Mickelthwaite.

He left Holby permanently after he was run off the road by Bobby Morton (Ryan J Mackay), one of his devastated victims in Casualty episode Absolution and later died from his injuries.

Patrick Onley

Introduced as a strong and charming new clinical lead for the fictional emergency department in a double-bill on 23 March, Patrick Onley (played by talented Jamie Glover) proved to be a relentless bully and a danger to those in his care.

However, his ultimate fall from grace in The Last Post – the final episode of the Breaking Point 12-parter – saw him exit Holby ED in disgrace.

Speaking to us about just prior to his exit, Jamie said:

“When I first started on the show, we didn’t want to give anything away and Patrick looked like somebody completely in control, so viewers would gradually think, ‘Hang on a minute, he’s horrible!’ From the response I’ve seen on social media, that’s what has happened, and it has now calcified into something akin to hatred!”

The full Casualty interview with Jamie

In a second interview, Jamie revealed his joy when we told him that clinical nurse manager Siobhan McKenzie (played by Melanie Hill) would be the new clinical lead after Patrick’s departure.

Our Casualty exit interview with Jamie

Charlie Fairhead

Casualty icon Derek Thompson left the BBC drama after 37 years in the role of Charlie Fairhead.

After nearly four decades, Derek hung up his scrubs for good as Charlie bowed out of the soap in a huge exit storyline, which saw him nearly lose his life.

Charlie was left fighting for his life after being stabbed by a patient who was trying to steal supplies from the pharmacy in the hospital.

While his friends and colleagues pulled out all the stops to save him, Charlie’s life hung in the balance as he drifted in and out of consciousness re-living a pivotal day from his past in flashbacks.

In the flashback, a young Charlie (Jack Franklin) was seen arriving to work hungover, only to find a nail bomb had exploded and the emergency department was filling up with serious casualties.

At the end of the episode, fans were relieved that Charlie had survived the stabbing and his colleagues stood outside Holby to bid him farewell after his recovery. Charlie rode off in an old yellow car, just like the one he had in the 80s, with a sign saying “Just retired” on display.

Talking to What To Watch, Derek revealed that his final scenes were some of the best of his career as he said: “Michelle knows exactly what she’s doing. Every character is true to the moment and to themselves, but still manages to tell you something you wouldn’t have spotted easily. I couldn’t actually go through the whole 38-year history of Casualty and find a better fit. For me it’s a work of poetry and I just thought ‘This is worth leaving for’ I think my final episodes are some of the best of my career. They were an absolute joy to do.”

Dr Zoe Hanna

Sunetra Sarker returned as Dr Zoe Hanna for two episodes as part of Charlie Fairhead’s exit storyline.

She announced the news on Loose Women (Friday, September 8) at the time as she confirmed: “This week, I might have gone back to a certain hospital that I used to work at called Holby City hospital. I’m going back to Casualty.”

“I’m going back for a special double episode because our lovely Charlie who has been there forever is going to leave the show. So I’m going back to make sure I get my last little moment with him.”

Sunetra played Zoe Hanna for nine years, before leaving the show in 2016 after being offered a job in Michigan. She reprised the role in 2018 and reunited with her husband Max Walker (Jamie Davis) and they both went back to the US.

PC Harry Sinclair

PC Harry Sinclair (Rod Hallett) policed the ED as part of a series of zero-tolerance policies created by Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) to protect the staff from violence.

Harry was brought in to the department on a part-time basis to prevent and intervene in incidents.

Despite being a seemingly decent police officer, he was exposed for abusing his wife Mel by his friend Charlie Fairhead and he was arrested. He was later released and resumed his policing duties, but Mel took out a restraining order against him.

He chased her down in his police car and didn’t call the emergency services when Mel was seriously injured after crashing her car into a tree. He later attended a major car pile up which resulted in a lorry carrying gas cannisters tipping over. Harry got caught in the lorry explosion when drug dealer Kyle Marsh knocked one of the cannisters over and he was rushed to hospital where he died from his injuries.

Dr Max Cristie

Casualty favourite Nigel Harman left his role as Dr Max Cristie after a year.

Max was recovering from vital kidney surgery after receiving a kidney transplant from his daughter, Jodie.

After Max had come around, he broke the news to Jodie that he had applied to work with Medics of the World and been offered a placement in South Sudan.

Jodie was furious to learn of her dad’s plans and the pair got into a heated confrontation, but Max was set on his decision.

He told the Daily Star Sunday newspaper prior to his exit: “My time on Casualty is done for the time being. I’m on screen until February and there are no plans for me to come back at the moment.”

His time at Holby ED has been nothing short of dramatic. He had a difficult feat in trying to improve the Emergency Department amid budget cuts and a huge secret revealed that new nurse Jodie Whyte was his estranged daughter.

Paige Allcott

Paige Allcott (Shalisha James-Davis) made a shock decision about her future and decided to leave Holby ED.

On Saturday, February 24, Rida Amaan (Sarah Seggari) was shaken when she overheard that Paige was doing a double shift in order to cover for Rash Masum (Neet Mohan) so he could attend his father’s funeral.

Paige prepared to leave the ED for a new career upstairs in Maxfac (Maxillofacial surgery) but unfortunately, the job fell through.

The disappointed doctor could stay on in the emergency department, but she reconsidered her options when she overheard Cam telling the other nurses that her ex Teddy Gowan (Milo Clarke) and friend Jodie Whyte (Anna Chell) are dating.

Paige told Jodie that she knew all about her hooking up with her former fiancé. But things were made even more awkward when clinical lead Max Cristie requested that she assist Paige in resus — and to make matters worse, Teddy was doing the handover.

In the end, Paige made the decision to leave Holby to work as a locum and apply for other jobs in the MaxFac.

Sah Brockner

Sah Brockner (Arin Smethurst) carried out their last shift as a paramedic after three years. Sah was the first-ever regular non-binary, transgender character on the medical drama and handed in their notice after they got a date for their top surgery.

At the beginning of the episode, they told Jan Jenning (Diane Botcher) that their surgery had been moved forward and it was sooner than expected.

Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) tried to persuade Sah to stick to their original surgery date as they were so short-staffed. However, their next callout was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The team were called to a hostel with protestors outside and Sah managed to calm down an anxious asylum seeker called Habid who had been accused of harassing someone’s teenage daughter.

However, when they managed to leave the hostel the crowd surrounded them and trapped the ambulance so they couldn’t move.

With the hospital unable to red card Habid on the new security system without his date of birth, Sah took matters into their own hands and put their foot down on the accelerator to disperse the crowd.

Back at Holby ED, Sah voiced their concerns that the new system is endangering the paramedics and said to Jan that they were taking the surgery date and putting themselves first.

Jan promised Sah that the door would always be left open should they choose to return. So could we see Sah return at some point in the future?

Ryan Firth

• Who is nurse Ryan Firth in Casualty?

Eddie-Joe Robinson joined Casualty last year as “ambitious and glory-hungry Ryan Firth, Mr Popular at school who soon gets a wakeup call working in a busy ED.”

However, his time in Holby came to a brutal end after he was attacked by a deceased patient’s relative and was left fighting for his life. The traumatised nurse sustained serious injuries and felt that he could not continue working in such a dangerous environment.

Actor Eddie-Joe Robinson told What To Watch that he was originally in the dark about how his exit would play out. He said: “I knew I was going to be leaving, but you’re always wondering how you’re going to leave.

“While I was on the show there were a couple of other people that left at a similar time and it’s a point of real speculation of how your character is going to exit, so I was really excited to find out.

“When I saw what it involved, I was even more excited because it’s really high drama and going out with a bang.”

Who is returning to Casualty in 2024?

Blake Gardner

The last time the character was seen on the show, his father Jacob Masters was blindsided by the arrival of his mother,  Blake’s grandmother, Omo (Ellen Thomas) at the ED. In recent months the nurse-turned-paramedic has been seen frantically searching for his son, after the troubled young man left his own son, Carter, at the hospital. When Blake returns, Jacob will be tested like never before.

Blake’s mother Elle Gardner was played by Jaye Griffiths from 2016 until 2019, but it is currently unknown if she will also be returning to BBC’s medical series.

Who else returned to Casualty in 2024?

A much-loved character made a short but sweet return to the ED…

Dr Zoe Hanna

Dr Zoe Hanna returned to Casualty for a special two-part farewell to Charlie Fairhead.

Talking to What To Watch, Sunetra revealed how she felt about being part of Charlie’s exit storyline. She said: “What an honour. When I got the call asking if I’d like to be part of Derek’s exit episodes it was bittersweet because I don’t like the thought of the Casualty without Charlie. It honestly chokes me; he’s been the throughline since the show started in 1986. I really hoped I’d be one face among many, but to be singled out as the doctor involved in looking after him when he gets injured, I was thrilled to be there for him.”

Who is arriving to Casualty in 2024?

With the beginning of new box set Storm Damage and the release of its trailer, not one, but THREE new characters arrived on Casualty:

The opening episode of Storm Damage, Sinking Ships – Day 1, heralded the beginning of psychiatric nurse Sophia Peters (Kellie Shirley), firefighter Rich Walker (Michael Keogh) and board member Jamie Cleveland’s (Ryan Hawley) time on Casualty…

Jamie Cleveland

Emmerdale star Ryan Hawley made his presence felt as enigmatic new character, Jamie Cleveland during the Storm Damage boxset. It turns out he shares a past with Cam. The nurse is shocked to see him at Holby ED and quickly learns that Jamie has been newly appointed to the Holby Hospital board.

Speaking to WTW Barney Walsh revealed: “Jamie is someone who was a kind-of mentor to Cam growing up, and it’s very interesting for Cam to see him again. We will allude to Cam’s past and explore the reasons why he’s such a shy, timid character as well as his struggles as a Band 5 Nurse.” The full interview is available here

Ryan Hawley is probably best known for his role as Robert Sugden in Emmerdale. His other credits include the 2008 Survivors reboot, Father Brown, Silent Witness and All Creatures Great and Small.

Rich Walker

Michael Keogh is introduced as MARRIED firefighter Rich Walker- who may or may not be keeping a secret. Will Stevie’s moral barometer prove faulty as she gets to know Mr McMysteryMan, Rich? And will a shocking connection burn them both?

Michael Keogh made his TV debut in Cutting It in 2002. Since then he’s starred in Coronation Street, Waterloo Road, Emmerdale, Doctors and Peaky Blinders.

Sophia Peters

Kellie Shirley also joined the Casualty cast in Storm Damage as Psych Liaison Nurse Sophia Peters, and she is set to be a regular presence on the wards of Holby Hospital. She may also be a regular presence in Dylan’s thoughts, as it sounds like she’s going to get under his skin!

Speaking to WTW about her new role, Kellie revealed: ”

“Dylan and Sophia spar a lot to begin with because his manner riles her — he really gets on her nerves because he’s so abrupt and rude with no filter! But then Sophia sees another, more vulnerable side to him. She starts to think differently and you see the relationship blossoming. Also, the fact that he’s at the top of his game and is a surgeon who’s really good at his job is sexy and an aphrodisiac for her!”

Our interview with Kellie Shirley in full

Kellie Shirley is best known for her roles in EastEnders and In the Long Run. Her other credits include The Office, Call the Midwife, The Dumping Ground, Death in Paradise and Biff & Chip.

Who else arrived to Casualty in 2024?

When Breaking Point kicked off on 23 March, 2024, some new faces were introduced to Holby ED, including the arrival of three new characters, with one replacing Max Christie as Clinical Lead:

Nicole Piper

Actress and comedian Sammy T Dobson joined the cast of Casualty as Junior Doctor Nicole Piper.

It was revealed by the show that: “Sammy’s character, Nicole, is the epitome of work hard, play hard and often the loudest in the room, full of vibrance and humour.

“Nicole is a late starter in her chosen career – coming from a working-class background she’s found it hard to find the funds to afford medical school– but she’s finally made it, and now she’s on the cusp of achieving her dream.”

Speaking of her new role Sammy said: “Joining Casualty has felt like a dream. To become a piece of such a well-regarded part of BBC history is incredible but to get there and find everyone to be so genuinely lovely, welcoming and committed to making the best show possible is just wonderful.”

Patrick Onley

Jamie Glover took on the role of Holby’s newest Clinical Lead, Patrick Onley after Max Cristie left the show.

Patrick is a tenured and respected trauma surgeon turned ED Consultant. Charismatic, affable and old-school, Patrick has always been able to charm his way through anything.

Patrick appreciates precision, process and order. Operating as if he’s in complete control of everything. With his straightforward but personable bedside manner, one wouldn’t even question his capabilities as a doctor.

Doctor Dylan Keogh (William Beck) has been embroiled in a bitter feud with clinical lead Patrick as he tries to save the future of Holby ED from a major scandal under his leadership.

Dylan and Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) have joined forces to try and prove that Patrick is a danger to patients, but the sleazy boss won’t go down without a fight and has some tricks to try and discredit them.

On joining Casualty, Jamie said: “Having been a fan of the show since its very first inception (yep, I’m that old) it is a real honour to be joining the incredible team at Casualty.

“I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to be working with such a dedicated, skilful group of people who care so passionately about the minutiae of each episode as well as the show’s wider impact.”

Tariq Hussein

Manpreet Bachu was cast as Junior Doctor, Tariq Hussein.

Having recently moved back to the UK after spending three years in Australia, Tariq is a loveable rogue who is determined to climb the ranks as an NHS doctor and get involved in the most exciting and challenging medicine along the way.

Tariq Hussein is the cousin to Holby’s resident doctor, Rash Masum (Neet Mohan). Although close in age the pair couldn’t be more different. Tariq is the reckless ‘ying’ to Rash’s careful ‘yang’. Although there’s mutual admiration between them, competition has always been at the heart of their relationship.

Manpreet said: “Joining Casualty is both an honour and an absolute privilege. I’m thrilled to be a part of such an iconic show, the warm welcome and love from everyone has made this experience truly amazing. I can’t wait for the fans to witness Tariq’s unique journey unfold.”