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Meet the nurses who went from watching Casualty to helping to write it

Winners of a BBC writing competition will use their knowledge and experience of the profession to help shape the TV show’s storylines

Winners of a BBC writing competition will use their knowledge and experience of the profession to help shape the TV show’s storylines

Pictured from left: Chris and Laura Griffiths, actor Elinor Lawless (Stevie in Casualty) and Samantha Bacchus. Picture: BBC

A district nurse who has worked for the NHS for more than 33 years, and an ex-nurse who was inspired to join the profession by BBC One’s Casualty, have won a competition to help develop the show’s storylines.

Writing duo Laura Griffiths and Chris Griffiths, along with ex-nurse Samantha Bacchus, won a BBC Writersroom competition to join the drama series’ shadow script team.

The trio will share their medical expertise with writers to help shape the storylines of the show.

Casualty played a large part in nurse’s career

Ms Griffiths has worked for the NHS for more than 33 years and is a district nurse, while Ms Bacchus was a front-line medical worker for more than 15 years, working as a staff nurse and auxiliary nurse in maternity and emergency departments, and on respiratory wards.

Ms Bacchus’s win is extra special because Casualty, which is the world’s longest-running TV medical drama, kickstarted her career in nursing.

‘I am utterly thrilled to have this opportunity to work with the Casualty team to develop an episode. I have been a huge fan since the series began and it inspired my decision to enter nursing,’ she said.

Writers look forward to ‘contributing our own perspectives’ to the show

The third competition winner, Mr Griffiths, began his career as a paramedic before retraining as an anaesthetic practitioner. Most recently, he has worked as part of a resuscitation team, attending traumas and training nurses and doctors in how to perform CPR.

Ms and Mr Griffiths said: ‘We’re delighted to have this opportunity to work with the Casualty team; their enthusiasm for highlighting the challenges the NHS and its staff face daily is fantastic, and we really look forward to contributing our own voices and perspectives.’

BBC praises nurses’ creative ambition

As part of the programme’s 35th anniversary celebrations, Casualty launched a competition to find talented new writers with direct medical experience. This was the first opportunity of its kind held for the show in 20 years.

BBC Studios script producer for Casualty Sarah Beeson said: ‘We were hugely impressed by the standard of all the applications, but Samantha, Chris and Laura really stood out to us with their authentic creative ambition and clear passion for Casualty.’


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