Too Old for This Shift

"Too Old for This Shift"
Casualty episodes
A helicopter crashes in the emergency department
Episode nos.	Series 31 Episodes 1-2
Directed by	Steve Hughes
Written by	Matthew Barry and Andy Bayliss
Produced by	Lucy Raffety Erika Hossington (series) Oliver Kent (executive)
Original air date	27 August 2016 (2016-08-27)
Running time	99 minutes[1]
Guest appearance
List Ian Bleasdale as Josh Griffiths Raif Clarke as Kai Swift Charles Dale as Mackenzie "Big Mac" Chalker Daisy Douglas as Charlotte Swift Adam Foster as Steve Swift Sam Grey as Alice Chantrey Guy Henry as Henrik Hanssen John Hogg as Harry Price Poppy Jhakra as Amira Zafa Martina Laird as Comfort Jones Tonicha Lawrence as Steph Sims Clive Mantle as Mike Barratt Rosie Marcel as Jac Naylor Steven Miller as Lenny Lyons Suzanne Packer as Tess Bateman James Redmond as John "Abs" Denham Pam St. Clement as Sally Hodge Ben Turner as Jay Faldren Alex Walkinshaw as Adrian Fletcher Holli Hoffman as Debbie Phillips
Episode chronology
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Casualty series 31
List of episodes

"Too Old for This Shift" is a special feature-length episode of the British medical drama television series Casualty. It was broadcast as the premiere episode of its thirty-first series on 27 August 2016, on BBC One, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the show. The special, which is 99 minutes long, was co-written by Matthew Barry and Andy Bayliss, directed by Steve Hughes, and produced by Lucy Raffety.

"Too Old for This Shift" explores the outcome of the cliffhanger broadcast at the end of the thirtieth series, by focusing on the events surrounding the aftermath of the collision involving established characters Connie Beauchamp (Amanda Mealing) and her daughter Grace Beauchamp (Emily Carey). The episode centres around the celebrations of Charlie Fairhead's (Derek Thompson) thirtieth anniversary of working in the fictitious Holby City Hospital's emergency department, where the show is set. It also features a helicopter crash outside the emergency department, which causes damage to the hospital.

Several actors who have previously appeared on Casualty during its thirty years on air made a cameo appearance during the special, while Ian Bleasdale reprised his role as Josh Griffiths for the entirety of the episode. The episode also marked the return of Cathy Shipton in her role of Lisa "Duffy" Duffin, following her guest appearances in the thirtieth series. The special also featured character crossovers from sister show Holby City, with Jac Naylor (Rosie Marcel), Henrik Hanssen (Guy Henry) and Adrian "Fletch" Fletcher (Alex Walkinshaw) appearing in the episode. The episode was watched by 7.20 million viewers and received mixed reviews. Fans of the show praised the episode and demanded it receive an award. Sharon Marshall of The Daily Mirror enjoyed the episode and believed it "showcased what Casualty does best", while Midlands Air Ambulance Charity branded the episode as "insensitive". On 6 November 2017, the helicopter crash won the "Best Drama Storyline" accolade at the Inside Soap Awards.