Leon Cook

''Casualty'' is a British medical drama television series that premiered on 6 September 1986 on BBC1. The series was created by Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin. It is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, in the equally fictitious city of Holby, and features occasional crossovers of characters and plots with spin-off show ''Holby City''. ''Casualty'' follows the professional and personal lives of the doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospital management and patients at Holby General. It features an ensemble cast of regular characters, and began with ten main characters in its first series, all but one – Charlie Fairhead (played by Derek Thompson) have since left the series. Many main characters have been written in and out of the series since. In addition, ''Casualty'' features guest stars each week, as well as recurring guests that take part in story arcs that span a portion of a series or multiple series.

Main characters

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Matthew Afolami

Matthew Afolami, portrayed by Osi Okerafor, first appears in the thirty-fifth series, in an episode originally broadcast on 29 May 2021. The character and Okerafor's casting was announced on 20 May 2021, alongside that of Elinor Lawless in the role of Stevie Nash. Matthew is billed as an experienced locum registrar who has worked in "trouble spots" across the world. The character shares a backstory with established character Fenisha Khatri (Olivia D'Lima); she jilted him on their wedding day, something which is explored in his first episode through flashbacks. Loretta Preece, the show's series producer, praised the relationship between Okerafor and D'Lima. Writers used Matthew's introduction to create tension between Fenisha and her love interest, Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford). Okerafor expressed his joy at joining the cast and looked forward to playing Matthew's devotion to his patients, something which he liked. Preece praised Okerafor for his talent, describing him as "handsome and debonair, sensitive and steadfast, ndpassionate and unpredictable". She added that his "beautifully layered performance" would develop the character further than being a "classic romantic leading man".

Jez Andrews

Jez Andrews, played by Lloyd Everitt, made his first screen appearance on 12 March 2016. The character and Everitt's casting was announced on 29 January 2016, whilst further details were announced on 24 February 2016 with the casting of David Hide ( Jason Durr) and Elle Gardner ( Jaye Griffiths). Executive producer Oliver Kent described the three castings as "wonderful" and said their storylines would be "brilliantly vibrant, bold and gripping". Jez is characterised as a "young, ludicrously handsome and very openly bisexual" paramedic.

Kent teased the dynamic between Jez and his paramedic colleague, Iain Dean ( Michael Stevenson), calling it "fun" and "unlike anything we've seen before". Tasha Hegarty of ''Digital Spy'' described Jez as "Iain's new partner in crime". It was announced that Jez would "fail to impress" Iain with his "cheeky banter and lax attitude" upon his arrival, and would struggle to replace Iain's former colleague, Dixie Dixon ( Jane Hazlegrove). Kent also revealed that a "big" friendship would be established between Jez and Max Walker ( Jamie Davis). Everitt had already filmed his first scenes when his casting was announced and revealed that his favourite thing to film had been a scene where he rescued a girl from falling from a cliff, "I actually felt it was a real life situation and that excited me." Of his casting, Everitt said, "I feel honoured to be joining such a successful show and look forward to bringing a different essence to a programme that's synonymous with British culture and television. It's actually the first programme I remember watching when I was a child at my Nan's house - there's a great beauty to that."

Jez arrived and tried flirting with Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) until his colleague, Iain Dean ( Michael Stevenson), revealed she was the department's clinical lead. Jez and Iain escorted Emilie Groome (Carol Royle) to a hospice, where she would spend her final days. They stop the ambulance during the journey whilst her sons and doctors, Ethan Hardy (George Rainsford) and Caleb Knight (Richard Winsor), treat her. Jez allows Cal to steal the ambulance so he can take Emilie to the seaside. Jez then spends the rest of the day trying to impress Iain with his banter whilst they search for a lift back to the hospital. Jez finally wins Iain over and they receive a lift back to the hospital. Jez installs a basketball hoop in the ambulance bay and befriends Max Walker ( Jamie Davis), who often spends time playing basketball with Jez. Max and Robyn Miller (Amanda Henderson) then begin renting a room to Jez.

Jez went on a night out with Isaac Mayfield, after he had a row with boyfriend Dominic Copeland resulting in a one-night stand. This eventually leads to Mayfield physically, sexually and emotionally abusing Copeland in sister show Holby City, resulting in his dismissal. He later pursues Louise Tyler (Azuka Oforka) and, although she tells him she is uncomfortable knowing he has been with both men and women, he eventually wins her over and the two go on a date. He later expresses concerns to Iain that he thinks Louise expects too much after she invites him to an expensive restaurant. He bails on their date, wanting to avoid being embarrassed because he can't afford any of the food and hooks up with a guy. To his horror, Jez wakes up in the young man's bed and discovers that he is Elle's son. He is injured after falling from Elle's drainpipe in his attempt to hide from her. Her son later visits the hospital to give Jez his ID which he had left behind, leading Elle to find out about them sleeping together. Although angry at first, Elle eventually calms down and tells Jez to use the front door next time he wants to stay over.

When Roy Ellisson is brought into the ED following a fight, he abuses Jez in the ambulance for being black and "queer". Jez