Jamie Glover — Casualty exclusive with spoilers
The introduction of new characters on Casualty tends to fall into a few tried and tested camps.
There are the baptisms by fire, the rule-breakers, the divisive heroes, action-packed stunts, the entertaining comedy cringe intros, and the quieter debuts, where we get to see Holby ED life through the eyes of the newbies, such as with Adesuwa Oni as Ngozi Okoye and Melanie Hill as Siobhan McKenzie recently.
This week, in a clever twist on the classics, viewers will make the acquaintance of new Holby ED clinical lead Patrick Onley (Jamie Glover, Waterloo Road, The Crown) through the eyes of established doctor Rash Masum.
In the first of a special double-bill for the show’s latest 12-parter Breaking Point, Rash (Neet Mohan) returns to work after his father’s death and must become accustomed to a number of personnel changes, from the departure of Charlie Fairhead (Derek Thompson) to the recruitment of his cousin, junior doctor Tariq Hussein (Manpreet Bachu).
All the while, clinical lead Patrick Onley is observing Rash and his colleagues in the chaotic ED, with a view to putting his stamp on his new workplace.
Here, in an exclusive chat, Jamie Glover tells us more…
Jamie, welcome to Casualty! How did the new role come about?
“I was asked, which is always lovely. I was very happy and didn't didn't have to think twice! I started filming in September [2023] and it’s a lovely storyline to kick it off.”
Did anyone give you advice before joining the show?
“The only person I spoke to about it was Nigel Harman, who played the ED's previous clinical lead Max Cristie. He’s a pal and he gave me a heads up about it. He was quite right in saying that everybody's lovely and they'll look after you, which is exactly what happened.”
Nigel Harman— Holby highlights and Casualty exit
Patrick has an interesting introduction, doesn’t he?
“Yes, and what I really liked about it when I read it, is that Patrick’s first episode is Rash’s first episode back. There's no big ‘Oh look, here's Patrick the new arrival!’ He’s been working at Holby ED for a week or two, is already part of the fabric and it's Rash that's playing catch up and wondering ‘who is that?’ It’s a really nice way of doing an introduction, as suddenly there's this guy who's just there and he's clearly in charge.”
How would you describe him?
“He’s a really interesting character because he’s quite old school in both good and bad ways. He very much thinks ‘You get the job done with the facilities, personnel and funding you have, crack on with it and make it work.’ That might mean, sometimes, taking shortcuts or doing things slightly off the book. He's happy to cut a few corners if it means getting the job done and gets into a few tussles with people, thanks to his approach!”
What appealed to you about playing him?
“I really liked the fact that he just wants to get the job done and insists that people do things his way. If they do, then he’s as loyal as they come and will back them to the hilt, but he does expect loyalty. I like the grey areas of what that brings - it’s admirable in many ways, but problematic and others. And that's, that's like all of us, isn't it? We're all a bit complex.”
Can we expect conflict and drama in your first scenes?
“Yes, Patrick immediately has a run in with Rash! I don't know how much I'm allowed to say but you probably know that Rash is in quite a delicate place when he comes back to work after taking some time out. He probably needs an arm around the shoulder, but Patrick's way of dealing with it is to say ‘throw yourself into the work because we need you’. He pushes him hard when he should be throttling back. It’s tough love.”
Have you enjoyed working closely with Neet Mohan, who plays Rash?
“Neet is wonderful. He’s an absolute diamond and I love working with him. He’s very alive and in the moment, very thoughtful and always very well prepared. He’s great!”
What can you tell us about his medical background?
“Patrick is extremely accomplished and has been around the block. His speciality was trauma surgery, but he’s reached the point where he thinks that a 12-hour operation is a younger man’s game, which is why he’s taken up the clinical lead position at Holby ED.”
Will we learn more about his past as time goes on?
“Not much, no, because he's not got much baggage. I think this is how he's ended up here. He's work driven, and he has a couple of failed marriages and some older children who’ve left home. I suspect he doesn't have much of a personal life."
Might we see romantic sparks at work?
“I’m not saying anything! At this point it’s more professional sparks. There are going to be a few fireworks with clinical nurse manager Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill), while senior consultant Dylan Keogh (William Beck) and Patrick are like two rams who lock horns. There’s respect between them, but a battle over who’s in charge too. Patrick can be quite black and white and uncompromising. He will just call it as he sees it, and I like that. He's not afraid to put people's backs up and I think that's to be admired, really, but maybe I would say that!”
Is Patrick more of a suit man or a scrubs guy?
“He’s a scrubs guy. But you do see him in a suit. An interesting thing about him is he's very good with management but he’s good with the people on the floor too. He'll tell people what they need to hear. He'll say the right thing to the suits upstairs, but then also be on the side of the team downstairs. There is a grey area there that he's not admitting to and it’s the grey area that he lives in that sometimes puts people's backs up, because on the floor they say ‘Well whose side are you on?’ I think he would slip that question and say I'm on both sides.”
Patrick joins Holby Hospital around the same time as junior doctors Nicole Piper (Sammy T. Dobson) and Tariq Hussein (Manpreet Bachu). What is the dynamic like between them?
“Patrick's the boss so they're not going to be mates, but it's no secret that some of the junior doctors look up to Patrick and he quite enjoys that. I think they love him because he gives them a lot of responsibility. Maybe, in some people's eyes, a bit too much responsibility! But they love him for it, because they're getting to be doctors. It’s been lovely working with both Sammy and Manpreet.”
Does this feel like a new era for the ED?
“It certainly feels like there's a buzz in the air. The scripts are very good, the storylines are interesting and all of the characters are engaging. There’s a terrific storyline later down the track that, I have to say, is really beautifully done by everybody involved…”
Casualty introduces Breaking Point with a double-bill airing on BBC1 on Saturday 23 March from 8.25pm. Read our full spoilers here!
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