Casualty Christmas Special first look images released

The BBC has published images from this year’s emotional festive episode.

The BBC has unveiled a sneak peek and guest cast details for Casualty’s upcoming Christmas special, All I Want for Christmas. This standalone festive episode, which breaks from the usual format, will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer this December, promising the signature drama and emotional intensity fans expect from the BAFTA-winning series.

Produced in Cardiff by BBC Studios Drama Productions, the episode celebrates the life-saving power of blood donation. Set on Christmas Day, the ED team grapples with a critical blood shortage. While Stevie (Elinor Lawless) fights to save lives on the front line, Iain (Michael Stevenson) takes a perilous risk to secure the hospital’s supply.

First-look images reveal paramedics, played by Charles Venn and Milo Clarke, braving icy conditions, with one shot showing an ambulance navigating a snowy road. Another photo captures Iain looking stunned in his vehicle, framed by the glow of a nearby Christmas tree.

The special will feature guest appearances from Lucy-Jo Hudson (Wild At Heart, Doctors), Tristan Sturrock (Poldark, The Crown), Joseph Charles (Breathtaking, Solo: A Star Wars Story), Zoe Brough (Outrageous, Father Brown), Katy Carmichael (Malpractice, Spaced), and Valerie Antwi (DI Ray, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), alongside the show’s much-loved regular cast.

Adding a powerful layer of authenticity, the episode incorporates real-life testimonies from individuals whose lives have been impacted by UK blood donation, along with interviews with key workers from the nation’s blood service.

Rebecca Ferguson, BBC Drama Commissioning Editor, describes the special as “tense, thrilling, and super-charged with emotion.” Roxanne Harvey, Executive Producer for BBC Studios Drama, praises it as “a life-affirming episode” with “ambitious production values and outstanding performances.”

All I Want for Christmas, written by Erin Kubicki and directed by Steve Hughes, will be followed later in December by the launch of a new Casualty series. Fans can catch up on previous episodes on BBC iPlayer.