Casualty@Holby City Halloween 2005

Infobox Television episode
Title =Teacher's Pet/Crash and Burn
Series =Casualty


Caption =Comfort's ambulance is hijacked by youths
Season =20
Episode =9a/b
Airdate =24 October 2005 part a 25 October 2005 part b
Production =504
Writer =Jason Sutton
Director = Rob Evans
Photographer =
Guests = James Gaddas James Anthony Pearson Jason Maza Anthony Shuster Ricci McLeod Kate Scott Red Madrell Rege Page Robert Craigs William Ingham
Alex Varney Rebecca Clarke Simon Frost Ade Sapara Nikki Amuka-Bird Tricia Kelly John Betts
Iain Fletcher
Episode list =List of Casualty Episodes, Series 20
Prev =For Better or Worse
Next =Big Bang TheoryInfobox Television episode
Title =Test Your Metal/Great Leap Forward
Series =Holby City


Caption =Comfort is rushed into theatre having been stabbed.
Season =8
Episode =2a/b
Airdate =26 October 2005 part a 27 October 2005 part b
Production =265
Writer =Suzie Smith
Director = Rob Evans
Photographer =
Guests = Ian Bleasdale^C Martina Laird^C Matthew Wait^C James Anthony Pearson
James Gaddas Kate Scott Ade Sapara Nikki Amuka-Bird Jason Maza
Louis Mahoney Anthony Shuster
Episode list =List of Holby City episodes, Series 8
Prev =The Outsiders
Next =Crimes and Misdemeanors

Casualty@Holby City Halloween 2005 refers to the third "Casualty@Holby City" crossover of BBC medical dramas "Casualty" and "Holby City". The crossover special totals four half hour episodes, first broadcast daily during the week beginning 24 October 2005. The episodes concentrate on the theme of youth violence, beginning with a paramedic demonstration visit to a struggling secondary school on Holbys notorious Farmead Estate. During the course of the crossover, two female students fall victim of an acid attack, a group of youths steal and joyride an ambulance, Paramedic Comfort Jones is stabbed, and the school's headmaster is murdered. The first two episodes were produced by regular "Casualty" crew members, and the second two by "Holby City". The special was generally well received in the press, however attracted the lowest ratings of any "Casualty@Holby City" crossover to date.

Plot

Teacher's Pet

"Teacher's Pet" begins with Paramedics Josh Griffiths and Comfort Jones giving a demonstration in Holbys Farmead Secondary school. The pupils are rowdy and non-co-operative, and Headmaster Carl O'Leary is forced to apologize for their behaviour. As the paramedics prepare to leave, Comfort inadvertently walks in on teacher Nick Bond kissing one of his sixteen year old pupils, Emma. As the school's Halloween disco gets underway, Emma and her friend Shania are talked into bobbing for apples by fellow pupil Adrian. Unknown to them, Adrian has spiked the bobbing water with acid, and both are badly burned. As they receive emergency treatment, Emma calls out for Nick, leading her boyfriend Kris to discover her infidelity. He and his friends attack their teacher, leaving him badly beaten. Comfort and fellow paramedic Luke Warren begin to transport him to Holby City Hospitals Emergency Department when Kris's gang hijack the ambulance, kicking Luke out, and taking Comfort and Nick hostage. Meanwhile, the ED tackle cases of a Parkinsons sufferer, and a sword swallowing gone wrong.cite episode |title=Teacher's Pet|episodelink=Casualty%40Holby_City_Halloween_2005 |series=Casualty@Holby City |serieslink=Casualty@Holby City |network=BBC |airdate= 2005-10-24]

Crash and Burn

"Crash and Burn" picks up with Comfort in peril as the youth gang joyride in the ambulance, while Kris continues his assault on Nick. When Comfort tries to intervene, he attacks her as well, despite being called off by his friends. Josh catches up with them and forces the vehicle to slow, but the boy at the wheel loses control and crashes into a nearby car. The car's occupants are distinguished poet Edgar Muzenda and his wife Moji. Edgar suffers from cardiomyopathy and needs treatments following the crash. When transferred to the Emergency Department, Moji discovers that she is pregnant. Adrian arrives at the hospital, concerned about the condition of Emma and Shania. When Carl suspects he may have been behind the acid attack, he panics and threatens the staff in Resus with a small vial of acid. Carl tackles him and no one is injured. Although Comfort initially appears only superficially wounded from the attack in the ambulance, after having a cut to her head stitched, she is later found collapsed and barely conscious in the department staff room.cite episode |title=Crash and Burn|episodelink=Casualty%40Holby_City_Halloween_2005 |series=Casualty@Holby City |serieslink=Casualty@Holby City |network=BBC |airdate= 2005-10-25]

Test Your Metal

As "Test Your Metal" begins, Comfort is rushed into theatre and operated on by Diane Lloyd, Ric Griffin and Matt Parker. They discover that during the attack, Comfort was evidently stabbed, though manage to stabilize her condition. Kris arrives at the hospital and becomes angered when Emma reveals she is leaving him for Nick. She also mentions that Adrian was behind the attack on her, prompting Kris to makes his way to the Intensive Care Unit, where he finds Adrian at Nick's bedside. He discovers that Adrian's motivation for the attack was a crush on their teacher, and threatens him with a blade. Elsewhere, Edgar's heart condition is treated by Connie Beauchamp, who commends a risky but pioneering procedure.cite episode |title=Test Your Metal|episodelink=Casualty%40Holby_City_Halloween_2005 |series=Casualty@Holby City |serieslink=Casualty@Holby City |network=BBC |airdate= 2005-10-26]

A Great Leap Forward

"A Great Leap Forward" begins with Carl and Diane talking Kris into surrendering his weapon. Carl agrees to let him speak with Emma once more before involving the police, and Emma reveals that the headmaster had known about her affair with Nick all along. Feeling betrayed, Kris attacked Carl in the toilets, and left him for dead. Up on Darwin ward, Edgar receives his operation, and tells Moji of his plans to return to Africa. She reveals her pregnancy to him, and tells him she will not return to the country which saw him imprisoned and her badly beaten. However, when a mutual friend from their home country reveals that his family have been murdered, she agrees that they should return and fight for stability. Although Carl is quickly discovered by Adrian, and rushed into theatre by Diane and Matt, he passes away during surgery. Now wanted for murder, Kris makes his way up to the hospital roof, but is eventually talked down by Josh. As the episode ends, Matt apologises to Diane for his uncertainty throughout the tough day, and she agrees to be his mentor.cite episode |title=A Great Leap Forward|episodelink=Casualty%40Holby_City_Halloween_2005 |series=Casualty@Holby City |serieslink=Casualty@Holby City |network=BBC |airdate= 2005-10-27]

Production

The first two episodes of this crossover were produced by the "Casualty" team, on its Bristol set, while the second two episodes were produced by the "Holby City" team, in Elstree, London. In fact, no actual crossover of characters from the two shows occurs in the first two episodes, which feature solely regular "Casualty" cast, and guests.cite news|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0537114/|title="Casualty @ Holby City" Teacher's Pet (2005)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=2007-09-23] cite news|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0537113/|title="Casualty @ Holby City" Crash and Burn (2005)|publisher=IMDb|accessdate=2007-09-23] In reporting the announcement of the Halloween crossover, both The Stage and The Guardian commented on the BBCs attempt at reviving its reputation of commissioning top quality dramas::"The two hit shows joined together last month for a joint venture to promote organ donation with the DoNation season. The joint episode will air in the week beginning October 24, the same week the Corporation launches its adaptation of Dickens’ classic Bleak House starring Gillian Anderson and Charles Dance. EastEnders is also set to receive a boost with the Mitchell brothers returning to screens.:BBC1 controller Peter Fincham said: “We have got three very different dramas playing this week that emphasise the breadth and depth of what we have to offer. Changing the scheduling of established favourites and the format for presenting period drama is exactly what I want BBC1 to be doing, challenging our audiences with top quality programming.”cite news|url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/9693|title=Holby’s hospital dramas to unite against violence|publisher=The Stage|date=16 September 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10] cite news|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/bbc/story/0,,1571141,00.html|title=Casualty and Holby reunited for youth violence special|publisher=The Guardian|date=16 September 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10]

Reception

The four episodes were generally well received by the press. The opening episode was a recommended 'TV Choice' of The Daily Telegraph,cite web|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/10/24/btvmonday.xml|title=Today’s TV choices|publisher=The Daily Telegraph|date=24 October 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10] a 'Pick of the Day' of The Daily Mirror,cite web|url=http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/tv/todaystv/2005/10/24/casualty-holby-city-bbc1-7pm-89520-16285224/|title=We Love Telly: DRAMA CASUALTY@HOLBY CITY BBC1, 7pm|publisher=The Daily Mirror|date=24 October 2005|accessdate=2007-09-12] and a 'Pick of the Night' of The Evening Standard.Citation
last=Ramsey
first=Terry
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publication-date=22 October 2005
date=
year=
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periodical=The Evening Standard
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last=Moolla
first=Sarah
author-link=
publication-date=23 October 2005
date=
year=
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periodical=The People
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However, reviews were not exclusively positive. Despite recommending the episodes for viewing, The Evening Standard commented that::""If you think the title for this joint series is just Sellotaped together, wait until you hear the opening music. A shambolic combination of both series' theme tunes, it sounds like it was produced with The Big Boy's Box of Sound Mixing software by a seven-year-old on Christmas Day while playing his PlayStation with the other hand. And the plots? Well, same old, same old really."

Ratings also were the lowest of any "Casualty@Holby City" crossover to date. The Guardian wrote of the opening episode's overnight ratings::"As a warm-up for soap fans, BBC1 aired the opening salvo in another tie-up between Casualty and Holby City. In an attempt to return fire against ITV1's Emmerdale big guns, BBC1 has combined its ammunition with Casualty @ Holby City, which is running throughout the week. But Emmerdale tore strips off the Beeb's medical drama - winning 9.1 million to Casualty @ Holby's 5.2 million."cite web|url=http://media.guardian.co.uk/overnights/story/0,,1600245,00.html|title=Mitchells' return proves a happy one|publisher=The Guardian|date=25 October 2005|accessdate=2007-09-10] Once final ratings were calculated, it was revealed that the opening episode received in total 5.56m viewers,cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=69,1614,0,0,1,0|title=S20 E9 - Part 1 Casualty @ Holby City Special - Teacher's Pet by Jason Sutton - 24/10/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] the second episode 5.96m viewiers,cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=69,1615,0,0,1,0|title=S20 E9 - Part 2 Casualty @ Holby City Special - Crash and Burn by Jason Sutton - 25/10/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] the third installment 4.57m viewers,cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=79,1616,0,0,1,0|title=S8 E2 - Part 3 Casualty @ Holby City Special - Test Your Metal by Suzie Smith - 26/10/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] and the concluding episode 5.64m viewers.cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=79,1617,0,0,1,0|title=S8 E2 - Part 4 Casualty @ Holby City Special - A Great Leap Forward by Suzie Smith - 27/10/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] In comparison, the next lowest rated "Casualty@Holby City" episode was the Interactive special, broadcast two months previously, which brought in 7.32 million viewers,cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=78,1579,0,0,1,0|title=Casualty @ Holby City - Interactive Something We Can Do by Robert Scott-Fraser - 27/08/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] with every other crossover episode receiving at least eight million viewers.cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=78,1477,0,0,1,0|title=S19 E17 Casualty @ Holby City - Part One by Johanne McAndrew - 26/12/04 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=80,1479,0,0,1,0|title=S7 E11 Casualty @ Holby City - Part Two by Johanne McAndrew - 28/12/04 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=69,1636,0,0,1,0|title=S20 E17 Deny Thy Father (Part 1) Casualty@Holby City by Alun Nipper & Pete Hambly - 24/12/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22] cite web|url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=79,1637,0,0,1,0|title=S8 E11 Deny Thy Father (Part 2) Casualty@Holby City by Gaby Chiappe - 27/12/05 |publisher=Holby.tv Database|accessdate=2007-09-22]

References

H. "Holby City" character crossover.
C. "Casualty" character crossover.

External links

* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/casualty/specials BBC Official "Casualty@Holby City" specials website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/casualty BBC Official "Casualty" website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/holbycity BBC Official "Holby City" website]