In the closing scenes of Casualty episode No Good Deed David Hide summoned up the courage to open the police evidence box containing his son Ollie’s belongings and was faced with a chilling sight.
So, what exactly did David find among his son’s things? We talked to Jason Durr, who plays heartbroken David Hide, and have answers!
Warning: Major spoilers below for Casualty episode No Good Deed, which aired on BBC1 on Saturday, July 16 2022 and is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
David has been on an intense, emotional journey in the wake of Ollie (Dunkirk and Dolittle star Harry Collett) and his friend Rob (Inside No. 9 star Noah Valentine) orchestrating a deadly school shooting.
Now the ED nurse is public enemy number one in Holby, receives a daily barrage of death threats, and has been attacked by a mob outside his home. He’s also split from his wife, Rosa — played by Jacey Salles.
Speaking exclusively to What To Watch Jason explains: “Poor David has been put through the mill with this difficult storyline. He feels very alone with Rosa gone, his son dead, and blames himself for Ollie’s crime.”
Distraught David is just as desperate for answers as everyone else. Why did Ollie and Rob do what they did? But with both teenagers now dead, David remains just as baffled, bewildered and horrified by their incomprehensible and murderous motives as everyone else.
In this most recent Casualty outing, however, David was brought ever closer to the truth. A truth which caused him to physically recoil in horror!
During the action-packed episode David was caught up in an explosion at his new flat, which he believed was targeted at him. Heroically he helped evacuate injured residents, and then quietly returned to the unstable building for something irreplaceable — a police evidence box with Ollie’s belongings…
On his way out, David realized new neighbor Callum Jones (Little Boy Blue’s Robbie O’Neill) was injured in the basement, and with the help of paramedic Jan Jenning (Di Botcher) attempted to rescue him.
However, the ceiling collapsed and all three became trapped. With Callum passed out and the future uncertain, David opened up to his paramedic pal. He confessed to the enormous guilt he feels for not realizing something had gone badly wrong with Ollie, and that he doesn’t understand why his son did the things he did.
In nail-biting scenes, compassionate Jan — who’s son, Ross West, is in jail for being a drug dealer and causing untold misery for others — helped David realise that the truth lay somewhere in between the Ollie that David loved and the Ollie who committed such heinous crimes.
David opened up further, explaining to Jan that he hopes there may be some answers in Ollie’s box of things, although he hasn’t been able to open it. Yet…
What’s in the box? Keep reading. We’ve got answers, courtesy of talented Casualty star Jason Durr!
Once rescued and brought to the ED, David made the monumental decision to examine the evidence box, which was being stored in Charlie's office.
In the closing scenes David carefully opens evidence bags and is brought to tears as he flicks through a school project called ‘My Family’ that contains happy photographs of them together. But this moment of connection with his son is short lived.
When David opens Ollie’s Social Studies copybook he’s presented with sight so dreadful it causes him to drop the book in horror.
Jason Durr reveals: “David discovers from very dark diary entries, detailing Ollie’s troubles — his isolation, his anxiety, and anger.
“In that moment David is horrified at the notes and brutal images he sees, and realizes the extent of Ollie’s mental despair.”
David has been through a lot in his lifetime, but nothing compares to this. Many Casualty fans are concerned that the popular ED nurse may never be able to recover from these events, and are worried about David’s mental health as well as the physical danger of death threats.
Could these revelations push David over the edge?
Jason says: “After being physically attacked and receiving threatening phone calls, he’s understandably paranoid, but is desperately trying to keep going.”
Not only must David somehow learn to come to terms with everything that’s happened, he now must accept his future is irreversibly changed. When What To Watch asked Jason whether future Casualty episodes will reveal what led to Ollie and Rob’s actions, the talented star made a shocking revelation:
“No, as in real life, the motivation behind this kind of crime is often never fully understood, and any answers die with the perpetrators.”
Jason Durr has played popular and complex ED nurse David Hide in Casualty since 2016. He’s also starred in Sharpe, Jupiter Moon, Heartbeat, Above Suspicion, Marple, Midsomer Murders, Lewis, and New Tricks.
Harry Collett has played Ollie Hide in Casualty since 2016, and is due to star in Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, as Jacaerys Velaryon.
The series premieres in the US on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 21 and in the UK on Monday, August 22 on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV. House of the Dragon also stars Emily Carey — who played Ollie Hide’s friend Grace Beauchamp in Casualty — as Alicent Hightower.
Could the answers to Ollie's actions be found in these archive interviews with Jason Durr?
