Casualty is a popular medical drama that has been airing on BBC 1 since 1986 and has recently been acclaimed as the longest running medical drama series in the world and also came second as the longest running medical soap next to American soap phenomenon General Hospital.

Casualty is a drama that revolves around the lives and stories of the patients, doctors and nurses who work and visit the emergency room of the fictional Holby City Hospital in the fictional city of Holby.

Although fictional, Casualty has always been filmed in the UK city of Bristol, and viewers will often see visible Bristol landmarks in the background of certain shots. It was announced in 2008, however, that a new set was being built in Cardiff, Wales.

As well as boasting a history of long standing and beloved characters, in 1999, a ‘spin off’ show named ‘Holby City’ was launched onto BBC 1.
A show surrounding the other sections of the hospital, new spin off show Holby City (often referred to as just Holby) covers stories on different wards, leaving Casualty to air the stories of the A & E department.

Most of the time, characters of each show are kept separate, but occasionally characters do appear in different shows, and characters are, naturally, mentioned when referring to certain parts of the hospital.

Casualty has been nominated for many awards in its long existence and has won three BAFTA awards, two Royal Television Society awards and was voted the best loved TV drama by TV Quick Magazine and readers.

Casualty will be back on screens from 12th September, 2009 when it returns from a 6 week hiatus.