The BBC has confirmed that the long-running series Casualty will be put out to competitive tender. The medical drama will undergo the same process as its sister show, Holby City, which was axed in 2022. The BBC will retain all rights for the programme, and viewers will be glad to hear that it will continue to be shown on the same channel. However, the new process means that a new producer will make Casualty, with BBC Commissioning now inviting pitches from producers. The broadcaster said on their website that the drama will continue to be filmed in Cardiff and ‘play an important role in the production ecology in Wales.’
David Pembrey, Chief Operating Officer, BBC Content, said: “The award-winning Casualty is a hugely important continuing drama which has been on our screens since 1986. We are opening it to competition as part of our ongoing commitment to delivering the very best value for audiences.”
In 2023, it was announced that the medical drama series would take an extended break from television schedules. On September 23rd, the BBC show announced: “#Casualty will return. Casualty is on a break and will be back on your screens later this year.”
According to WhatToWatch, an official spokesperson confirmed that the show would return later this year. It recently had a Christmas special and resumed on the BBC in March.
Fans have reacted with mixed comments to the enormous change. One person said on X, “They should have done this for Holby City instead of axing it outright, Holby was way better than Casualty.”
Another person also said, “All this reminds me of when ITV decided to axe The Bill. Apparently these domestic workplace dramas must be more expensive to produce than they look.”
A third person similarly commented, “An odd move, I doubt Casualty is an expensive show to make. And if that’s the case where is the money going to come from for Doccy Who? You could probably make a season of Casualty for what one episode would cost.”
In November 2024, the BBC cancelled the medical soap Doctors after 24 years. The broadcaster cited “super inflation in drama production,” which significantly increased prices.