Cam Mickelthwaite's career is under threat following a harrowing shift in Casualty episode Sinking Ships - Day 1, the first installment in new 12-part chapter Storm Damage airing on BBC2.
Picking up eight weeks after the Breaking Point finale, a ferocious storm rages through Holby City, causing untold damage.
Away from the ED, Stevie Nash’s head is turned by a handsome fireman during a high-pressure rescue.
Meanwhile, on the wards, Dylan Keogh comes to the attention of new psych liaison nurse Sophia Peters, played by EastEnders star Kellie Shirley!
Full Casualty spoilers for Sinking Ships - Day 1 below…
Cam Mickelthwaite in a storm
Cam Mickelthwaite (Barney Walsh) struggles to get to work during a prophetic red weather warning this week in Casualty.
The newly qualified Band 5 nurse is on the phone to his father — offering a rare glimpse into his parental relationships — when he misses the bus to Holby ED by seconds.
Now, running late, Cam’s anger turns to relief when his boss, clinical nurse manager Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill) spots him and stops to give him a lift.
They don’t get very far, however, as they’re stopped by an unsettling accident — new mum Abigail Donaldson (Elin Lloyd Harries, Pobol y Cwm) is in shock as a shop sign has fallen on her daughter’s pram.
It’s pretty clear to Siobhan and Cam that baby Chloe has a nasty head injury, so they move mum and child inside the store in order to shelter from the storm and start treatment…
Race against time
Paramedics Jan Jenning (Di Botcher) and Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) arrive on the scene and transport Chloe and Abigail to Holby ED for urgent treatment.
Yet, despite the team’s best efforts, the infant girl dies.
As consultant Dylan Keogh (William Beck) breaks the sad news, distraught Abigail is supported by psych liaison nurse Sophia Peters (Kellie Shirley, In the Long Run, EastEnders).
Meanwhile, everyone on the team is left reeling - especially Cam, who is then approached by Sophia about speaking to Abigail, as he was instrumental in Chloe’s treatment.
Career chopping block
Deeply affected by the baby girl’s death, Cam hesitates at first, but later has a change of heart.
Despite Siobhan’s blatant order not to, Cam opens up to grieving Abigail and reveals why he believes he contributed to Chloe’s death!
Abigail is inconsolable and the fall out is instant, as the new clinical lead is forced to take immediate action.
Will Cam be fired?
Revealed — Holby ED’s new clinical lead
With the departure of Patrick Onley (Jamie Glover), there’s been a new clinical lead appointed to the department.
*Drumroll please*
Siobhan is the new boss at Holby ED!
Check out Jamie Glover’s reaction when we revealed the news to him.
Dylan in the dog house
With the red weather warning in place and Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) working a HEMS shift, Dylan Keogh does his best to brace the ED team for the fallout from power disruptions, travel incidents and significant risk to life in Holby City.
Yet, he can’t help but be distracted about the plight of his best friend, Dervla the Dog!
As the shift becomes increasingly tougher, Dylan is left utterly perplexed when the new face on the wards, Sophia, becomes exasperated with him…
Does Sophia have good reason to be cross with Dylan, or is she lashing out for reasons of her own?
Stevie’s steamy shift
As the storm worsens, Stevie Nash is at the scene of a car crash with HEMS colleague Suze Chen (Amy Chung) attempting to rescue impaled driver Louise Smithson (Sarah Mhlanga, The Pentaverate).
The rescue of the badly injured woman is made all the more difficult by Louise’s angry passenger and mother-in-law, Bev (Paddy Navin, London’s Burning, Doctors).
Fortunately, twinkly-eyed firefighter Rich Walker (Michael Keogh, Four Lives, Secret Invasion) is available to support Stevie as she struggles to safely extract Louise while battling some inner demons. There’s electricity in the air, and it’s not just because of the thunderstorm, as tension sizzles between them!
It’s rare that Stevie opens up to anyone about a deeply personal matter, but there’s just something about Rich that she trusts — until they swap phone numbers and she notices a ring on his wedding finger.
Will the spark fizzle out as quickly as it flared up?
Also in Casualty this week
Rash Masum (Neet Mohan) is back at work on light duties after his attempt to end his life, and not everyone is able to act naturally around the newly returned medic.
Well meaning Tariq Hussein (Manpreet Bachu) is particularly suffering from an extreme case of foot-in-mouth and keeps getting Rash’s back up.
Anxious and worried, Tariq opens up to Rida Amaan (Sarah Seggari). Will she be able to help the conflicted cousins?
Speaking of Rida, she lightens the mood in this week’s intense episode with a rather novel version of bingo!
Heavily pregnant doctor Nicole Piper (Sammy Dobson) confides in Ngozi Okoye (Adesuwa Oni) that she still hasn’t heard from Rosie Cornwall (Nicola Chegwin) following her amniocentesis test results.
And Cam is surprised to learn that his former youth mentor Jamie Cleveland (Ryan Hawley, Emmerdale, Silent Witness) is a recently appointed board member at Holby Hospital…
Speaking to What To Watch, Barney Walsh who plays Cam, teases: “Jamie is someone who was a kind of mentor to him growing up, and it’s very interesting for Cam to see him again. We will allude to Cam’s past and explore the reasons why he’s such a shy, timid character…”
Barney's Storm Damage interview in full
Casualty episode Sinking Ships - Day 1 airs on BBC2 on Saturday 15 June 2024 at 8.20pm. The episode is available on BBC iPlayer from 6am.
If you’re affected by any of this week’s Casualty storylines support and information is available from BBC Action Line https://www.bbc.co.uk/actionline/
