Casualty EXCLUSIVE: Nigel Harman on ‘dangerous’ doctor Max Cristie

“Yes, he’s very front footed! Max gets stuck in, speaks his mind, and stands up for what he believes is right, which gets him in a few scrapes. He practises medicine on instinct and is very at home with trauma surgery. He acts quickly if it means saving a life and worries about the fallout afterwards. It makes him slightly dangerous and exciting to be around!”

“Max is a locum doctor for hire on his way to another hospital when the train he’s on comes off the rails and crashes. Lots of people are injured, Max finds a young girl who is dying and performs an emergency thoracotomy. That leads him to Holby ED because he won’t leave her side. When he gets there, they’re understaffed and need some help. Max jumps in with both feet and hits the ground running!”

[Laughing] “Yes, that's what I like about these shows — we don’t go through the process or paper work. You turn around and Max is in scrubs and running the place!”

“Yes, and it was nice to be asked! Because the show is filmed in Cardiff and I live in London, I talked it through with my agent and my family. Then I had a meeting [with the Casualty team] and that was that. It was very straightforward! Of course, I still had to read some scenes. I suppose they had to check that I could walk and talk and all of that. I passed the test!”

“Partly Casualty’s history. It’s breathtaking that it’s 36 years old. Also, working on a medical drama was always on my wish list because it’s a specific skill set to pull off as an actor. 

“There’s a bit of a link going back to my EastEnders days too, with Jon Sen and Liza Mellody [Casualty’s executive producer and series producer have both previously worked on the soap]. It feels like we have similar DNA running through us. It all clicked into place!” 

“I had a great sit-down with a doctor who was actually a clinical lead and is one of the research assistants here at Casualty. They helped me out, especially with the emotional side of being a leader in the NHS at this time. 

“Also, one of my friends is an Intensive Care Unit nurse and has been really useful. It’s been interesting to find out that, depending on what department you’re in and what your speciality is, everyone has a different way of doctoring. Max’s root style reveals itself as the episodes go on.”

“Medical jargon is like learning a language! It’s getting easier, but in my first scenes I was struggling, sweating and tense. You’ll probably notice as the episodes go on I’m relaxing a bit more. Now I look forward to the speeches in a masochistic way! I'm not always sure what I’m talking about, but hopefully it looks as though I do!”

“Well, it’s slightly different for us because we know how it works, so it loses its gore-ishness. What you're not seeing is someone behind the shot, on the floor with a massive syringe squirting blood!

“So far I’m not squeamish, although, last week I filmed a scene where there was a severe bleed that squirted into my face. That was quite an experience! I had to carry on, covered in blood, while people around me were laughing!”

“It’s really good craic. We have a laugh on set. When there’s a cast meal I just know it’s going to be thunderous because when we all sit down together it’s hilarious. I very much look forward to them - although whoever’s filming first thing [the next day] may be a bit slow!”

“It’s really exciting and has evolved constantly since I’ve been here. It will come through that he was a paediatrician who became a general surgeon and then, eventually, clinical lead. He has a natural affinity with people who are vulnerable and defenceless. They strike a chord within him which may, or may not, be revealed as we go along. The only person who knows him is Dylan, but that’s from when they were at university together 20 years ago.”

“They were both top of their class, so there’s a rivalry there. Max enjoys goading Dylan - he’s just too easy to wind up. There are quite a few good one-liners! 

“What I love about these two is that they’re chalk and cheese - one is head, and the other is heart. Yet, underneath it all, there’s a deep respect. They work brilliantly together in a high-pressure environment.

“As long as Dylan reacts the way he does, Max is going to take the mickey. There’s a childishness to two grown men of a certain age in positions of great responsibility acting like schoolboys. It’s good fun. There are some good tussles coming your way!” 

"Yes, Max does get involved a bit, shall we say...!"

“You’ll have to wait and see! Max appears to get on with Faith (played by Kirsty Mitchell), but we don’t know his relationship status. He’s an enigma. If you’re fishing for relationship information, I’m going to take the fifth!”

“I think paramedic Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson). They seem to get on straight off the bat. There’s no airs and graces. Max, coming from a working class background, doesn't need all the social niceties; he just likes to crack on. He gets on with people, but [initially] is more trying to work out the lay of the land and suss the place out.”

“Knowing what's coming, it’s going to be an exciting ride! Max doesn’t mince his words or walk slowly. He’s very direct and he strides. There’s a storyline that’s coming your way that’s really interesting. What we’re about to film now is high drama!”