Ethan Hardy faces his toughest challenge yet – will he come out fighting?
Running the ED is a non-stop battle for inexperienced acting clinical lead, Ethan Hardy.
This week his boss, Darwin clinical lead, Jac Naylor, tells Ethan in no uncertain terms that he needs to weed out the writer of anonymous blog, Rage in Resus. If not, hospital CEO, Serena Campbell, is going to fire him!
We talked to George Rainsford, who plays Ethan, and asked him, will we see a new, tougher side to the stressed out medic?
Here George reveals how Ethan’s feelings about the clinical lead position and Connie Beauchamp have changed since he first took on the role…
How has Ethan’s frame of mind changed since he first accepted the role of acting clinical lead?
"Ethan accepted the job quite happily. He was friendly and chipper at the start and trying to do things in his own personal way. But a lot of pressure was put on him quite quickly – particularly from the hospital management, which you usually don’t really see in Casualty."
It seems like he’s in an impossible situation?
"The board are trying to hit estimated targets that are practically impossible. Ethan can’t keep everybody happy. He finds the whole thing overwhelming!"
He’s become increasingly unpopular with the ED team since he cut annual leave too…
"It doesn’t go down particularly well! The board were specifically asking for savings to be made so Ethan tried to come up with various plans to best save money, which has put extra pressure on the staff."
This week pressure increases as the anonymous blog Rage in Resus viciously attacks his running of the ED. How does this affect Ethan?
"Something gets written that undermines his management and it’s suddenly a big thing he has to deal with. Acting clinical lead isn’t something Ethan’s naturally good at. But he certainly gets better at it!"
Sounds like fighting talk! Has he recovered from his recent scathing confrontation with Connie?
"Connie tries to make out she knows everything that’s going on in the ED, but she doesn’t actually. Their relationship is really difficult because it was left in such an uneasy, strange way. Connie’s pushed Ethan out of her sphere since she misread a moment with him in London. He’s trying to work his way back in with her but, at the same time, he’s trying to run the ED on his own to show he’s capable."
Will Connie (Amanda Mealing) and Ethan ever rekindle their complicated friendship?
"It’s difficult. I think they do care for each other – they have been through a lot together. She knows his secrets and he gets her. But because it’s Connie, one moment he’s in and the next he’s not! He never really knows how to be with her."
It’s such a shame he can’t turn to her for help…
"When Ethan was suddenly handed the responsibility of running the ED he wanted to impress her – but he doesn’t want to take her help. In future episodes I think they can rekindle their friendship and find respect for each other again. It’s not all bleak!"
It sounds like the experience of running the ED may really change Ethan?
"Ethan is good with patients and, to a point, he’s good with people. He’s certainly not good at being in charge. It’s not a version of Ethan we’ve seen a lot of. It’s definitely interesting to watch!"
Tune into Casualty on BBC1, Saturday 10 March at 8.10pm, when Ethan is faced with an enormous ethical dilemma involving Alicia, who is the anonymous author of Rage in Resus.
