Lee Mead .. Timeline - Casualty, S30-E1 : A Child's Heart Part One

SERIES 30, EPISODE 1 - A CHILD'S HEART, Part 1

There was a huge amount going on in the first part of this double-header 30th series opener, perhaps a little too much, but it had a feel of the Casualty of old about it, which is perhaps not surprising considering it was both penned and directed by the show's co-creator, Paul Unwin.

What delighted me most about it was the significant character progression we saw for Lofty - although the depth of his concern for Charlie came slightly out of left field, the way he stepped up to the plate and showed his professionalism as a nurse is a long overdue development. And Lee handled the challenge beautifully... I'll always enjoy his comic timing, but it's a real joy to see him getting his teeth into something meatier.

Lee Mead as Nurse Lofty, BBC Casualty

Twitter lit up in the immediate aftermath of the programme with a hugely positive reaction for both the show itself and for Lee and Lofty - Lee's response was very typical of the man:

Thank you everyone. The support for the show is amazing. - I'll be telling all the crew and production team when I'm back on Tuesday too! X
— Lee Mead (@leemeadofficial) August 29, 2015

Synopsis: It's a blast from the past in the first episode of the 30th series, written and directed by Paul Unwin, as Duffy returns to Holby as an agency nurse. At Zoe and Max's explosive wedding reception Charlie jumps into the freezing water to rescue Zoe, but later suffers a heart attack and the whole team have to pull together to try and save him. Simultaneously the victim of a gunshot wound is brought into the Emergency Department, and Jacob implements a 'gun and gangs' procedure. Despite this, the team struggle to prevent gang culture from infiltrating the department, as one casualty inevitably brings on more.

Finally, there are some screencaps and, with my ever grateful thanks to the anonymous editor and my apologies to those of the cast who have hit the cutting room floor, here's the 'Meady bits' edit!

Details of all Lee's episodes can be found at HOLBY & CASUALTY INDEX.

Last updated: 30/08/2015