Casualty exclusive: Olly Rix explains why new recruit Flynn Byron is a force to be reckoned with

“I was invited to lunch with Casualty’s executive producer and we had a lovely collaborative discussion about the character. Afterwards I sat down and watched recently aired episodes to have an idea of the current iteration of the show, and I was taken aback by the tone, the writing, how well it’s shot and the cast, so it was an easy decision!”

“You see him days before he’s due to be deployed and, psychologically, he's in a very specific space of being battle-ready and capable of extreme compartmentalisation. This deeply affects his relationships with his neglected wife Claire [played by Doctor’s Elisabeth Hopper] and children Poppy and Millie [played by Lola Grace Maurice and Elsie Antonia Maurice]."

“When the collision takes place the episode switches from conventional filming to point-of-view filming and you get to see who Flynn really is, from the way he reels off information to the ambulance call operator, to doing multiple things at the crash site in a calm, collected way. Even on death's door, covered in blood and an absolute mess, he’s making clinical assessments about what's going on around him.”

“It’s an amazing starting point for a new character - he crashes into this well-known world from a very different perspective, and you get a unique insight into his interior self and inner monologue and how he copes with being a patient. To film these scenes I was built into a rig and operated the camera - I’d never done anything like it before!”

“I spoke with some incredibly generous, actively-serving Special Forces members about leaving their families, near death experiences and how physically strong you have to be to move casualties on a battlefield while sustaining enemy fire, or in a hostage situation, or trying to stem bleeding while being thrown around in the back of a helicopter. They were great and did a lot of physical training and simulations with me to get a sense of how noisy, distracting and overwhelming it is.”

“I have to be careful about spoilers, but there’s definitely been some reinvention here. Tonally there’s a level of grit and realism across this miniseries that we carry forward very deliberately. Flynn’s a great way to do that, because he’s from a world that’s gritty and dark and allows us to introduce those aspects of the NHS at the same time.”

“Initially, he’s an extremely flinty and exacting boss, so, even though he respects his colleagues, his approach leads to interesting conflicts. He has to learn he’s in a civilian context now and not barking orders to soldiers. You will see a bit of delight from other characters when he makes strong decisions that don’t work out!”

“He has a bit of conflict with everybody, but without giving too much away, Flynn and his father-in-law – surgeon Russell Whitelaw, played by Robert Bathurst – loathe each other! There’s also a fiery back and forth between Flynn and consultant Stevie Nash [Elinor Lawless]. They knew each other when they were medics at university, so there’s history there. She brings out his roguish, boyishness!”

“Yes, it’s extraordinary and it really feels as though you're in a hospital! With all the gloves, hand sanitiser and everything else, it even smells like a hospital. Even the prosthetics feel as though they’re real - fortunately I’m not squeamish!”

“I didn’t know anybody when I joined, but I’ve made good friends. It's a wonderful show to be part of and Flynn is about to go on a big, exciting journey.”