22 September 2023 , 21:28
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Casualty fans have been dealt a devastating blow as the long-running BBC show has had a number of its episodes cut.
It has been claimed the medical drama has been impacted with issues including the “super inflation in drama production." This isn't the only time the beloved show has suffered in recent years, as during the pandemic, producers made the difficult decision to cut down on episodes when all TV productions were severely affected. The series which aired in 2021 had only 30 episodes.
It had been the first time this has happened to the show since 2000, as viewers are used to tuning into a number of episodes for each series. According to reports, amid the cost of living crisis, budgets have been forced up by the likes of Netflix.
The BBC show will air fewer episodesA source told The Sun: “Casualty peaked in the Noughties when it was on our screens on a Saturday night almost all year round, and that’s what many people have come to expect. The only year that saw a shorter series was 2021 because of the pandemic when all TV productions were severely affected.
Casualty returned to our screens on the 26th of August, with the latest instalment airing over last weekend. Previously, the BBC show has been off-air in the Autumn due to the busy TV schedule.
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A spokesperson said: “Our priority is always delivering quality over hours and due to super inflation in drama production, we’ve taken the decision to slightly reduce the number of episodes per year in order to maintain the quality. We’ve received no complaints from cast and crew, and it will be back on air later this year.”
In the recent episode, fans of the show were delighted when they instantly spotted a former EastEnders star on the hit BBC medical drama. During the scenes, soap viewers recognised Piper star Anna Acton from her role as DC Emma Summerhayes in EastEnders from 2014 to 2015.
On social media, one person said: "Omg it's Emma SummerHayes from Eastenders #casualty", a different account put: "That's DCI Summerhayes EastEnders fans #Casualty", to which another follower replied: "I was trying to work out where I’ve seen her before so thank you" while another fan added: "Anna Acton on #Casualty she’s been in #EE #Eastenders."
The actress previously appeared in Casualty as a character called Nikki Chisom between 2015 to 2016, as well as Alex Scotton in 2011. Since leaving EastEnders, the actress has also appeared in Doctors, Brassic and Roadkill.