TV Times – 10 August 2019

MEDICAL ETHICS

Connie was massively

conflicted with the arrival of

retired cardiothoracic surgeon Alfred Maxwell

(Michael Byrne) to the ED. Suffering from motor

neurone disease, he implored her to help him die.

As they grew closer, Connie found it harder to resist

his request. When Alfred eventually passed away,

Connie was arrested on suspicion of causing his

death, until Charlie later proved her innocence.

‘That is probably my favourite storyline,’ says

Amanda. ‘It was so brilliantly written. It was

a tender and heart-breaking story.’

terrified’

10 TV TIMES

FIRST

IMPRESSIONS

On Connie’s first day

as an ED consultant

she proved her mettle

by rescuing a man

injured above a stage

• upstaging everyone
  else in the process!
  ‘I was hanging from
  the lighting rig of the
  Motorpoint Arena
  Cardiff,’ recalls Amanda. ‘It was about 100ft up,
  and I absolutely loved it! It reminded me of my
  days in [Sky One military drama] Strike Back.
  The stuntwoman said to me, “Thanks very much


• I’ve put on about 2st because I’ve sat eating
  biscuits while you did all the stunts!”’

PH

OT

OS

:^ A

MA

ND

A^ M

EA

LIN

G,

BB

C

‘Connie’s

I

t’s no secret that Casualty fan

favourite Connie Beauchamp is

about to leave the ED for a little

while. Star Amanda Mealing, who

plays the clinical lead, is taking a

well-earned break after months of gruelling

storylines that have seen Connie attacked,

develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

and become addicted to anti-anxiety pills.

This Saturday, Connie’s most dramatic

storyline to date reaches an explosive climax

during a special feature-length episode.

Will Connie be exposed for framing doctor

Archie Hudson (played by Genesis Lynea) and

nurse Lisa ‘Duffy’ Fairhead (Cathy Shipton)

for her recent medical mistakes?

Here, Amanda, 52, who is always a joy

to interview, joins TV Times for an exclusive

chat about her exit storyline and to share her

all-time favourite Connie moments so far...

This week, hospital CEO Henrik Hanssen

(Guy Henry) launches an investigation into

the ED’s over-prescription of benzodiazepines

• the drug Connie is addicted to...
  Connie knows she’s in hot water now with
  trouble-shooter Ciaran Coulson [Rick Warden].
  Last week, doctor Will Noble [Jack Nolan]
  spotted her medication. That was the turning
  point because, until then, she’d been able to keep
  her self-medicating a secret. Ciaran’s had a
  dig around, found an over-prescription on this
  drug and now has the ammunition he needs.
  Connie’s terrified. If she gets caught, her entire
  career is over. Work is her life; it’s like breathing
  to her. She’ll do anything to save herself!

Connie’s already blamed colleagues

Archie and Duffy for her previous errors.

How drastic are her next actions?

Connie knows she’s in trouble, so she uses

all her powers, intelligence and experience

against everyone else and for herself. It’s just

so sad. Love her, hate her – or love to hate her

• we’re seeing someone who’s broken and in
  a desperate state. It’s horrible.

How did you initially feel about Connie’s

behaviour due to her addiction?

It’s one of those things... I was really against

the Duffy element of this story. Duffy’s such a

loved character. I was nervous something like

this would be unforgivable. But hopefully what

we’ve done is to show the chaos of PTSD and

addiction, and how lost Connie is. I hope there

will be some understanding and sympathy for

the fact that Connie in her right mind would

never, ever, do this and that she is remorseful.

What can you tell us about how a terrified

Connie ends up leaving the hospital?

She completely breaks down and finally confesses

to Charlie Fairhead [Derek Thompson]. She’s

just praying that Charlie, being the wonderful

person he is, will make everything okay. She’s

ostracised everyone and he’s the last person left.

The big question is, does Charlie forgive her?

It’s been intense to film, but this feature-length

episode is like Casualty: The Movie!

ELAINE REILLY

FINALE DRAMA

Casualty

SATURDAY / BBC1 / 8.40PM

Casualty legend

Amanda Mealing on

Connie’s exit storyline

2014 2015

CASUALTY

ABROAD

This was an action-packed year for the medic –

who can forget Connie and Charlie’s adventures

in Romania? The pair rescued Charlie’s drug addict

son from ruthless gangsters, ultimately cementing

their friendship. ‘When we were filming, the

conditions were absolutely freezing,’ says Amanda.

‘But I’d love to do something like that again!’

2015

MY FAVOURITE CONNIE MOMENTS...

CASUALTY IS PREVIEWED ON PAGES 32-