Casualty exclusive with William Beck
It may be considered an unlucky number by some, yet when William Beck joins What To Watch for an exclusive interview, it’s clear the Casualty star feels like he’s won the jackpot since landing the role of idiosyncratic doctor Dylan Keogh thirteen years ago.
Soon after his introduction to the BBC1 medical drama in 2011 the senior medic became an integral part of Holby ED’s medical team, with his brilliant diagnoses, off-beat friendships and perfectly timed one-liners.
“Sometimes I think ‘Wow, I’m still playing him after this amount of time,’ which was never something that was envisaged,” shares William, now the show’s longest-serving cast member since the departure of Derek Thompson as nurse Charlie Fairhead earlier this year.
“The truth is that the bit between ‘action’ and ‘cut’ has never been the same. The fascinating thing about Dylan is he just gets more and more complex. It's a strange thing, but I genuinely don't know who Dylan is yet, and so that’s why I'm invested and still here. I’m extremely lucky!”
This week in Casualty episode The Longest Shift, the ever-endearing Dylan takes centre stage in a bitter battle with Patrick Onley (Jamie Glover) for the heart of Holby ED, which is facing a major scandal under the calculating and self-serving clinical lead’s leadership. But the big boss isn’t going down without a fight!
Here, William tells us about Dylan’s pact with consultant Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless), his favourite storylines, what lies ahead for his character, and how he nearly ended up following a very different career path…
What can you reveal about Dylan’s pact with Stevie to expose Patrick?
“Dylan and Stevie form a sparky little team of two to try to uncover what’s going on with him. Patrick is a fascinating character, and Jamie plays it brilliantly, so you’re constantly in two minds as to what his motivations are. He’s an actor brave enough to keep it pretty ambiguous. It gets very peculiar because the relationship between Dylan and Patrick is unusually toxic and in a really specific way…”
Their animosity began when Patrick disparagingly suggested Dylan may be autistic and questioned his medical abilities, resulting in Dylan taking extended leave. What was going on for him while he was off work?
“When Dylan went on leave he called into question his mental health because of the accusations Patrick made. I think this is the first time Dylan has had to confront the question of his personality, although he’s always been dimly aware that people refer to him as being grumpy or rude or whatever. That it’s been directly correlated and conflated by Patrick as detrimental to Dylan’s ability to be a doctor, inflamed real panic in him, because without medicine it’s difficult to know what there would be for him.”
Can you hint at what lies ahead?
“Between you and I, Dylan comes back fighting! When somebody like Patrick gets into a position of power, suggesting that he shouldn’t be entitled to practice, it gets under Dylan's skin. Dylan is furious and indignant at this implication he’s not good at his job. He's allowed to make it of himself, but I don’t think someone else is allowed to make it of him.”
How do you feel about Dylan being central to this tense storyline?
[Laughing] “I always want to be at the centre of things. You have to share it out, but I really like it when it’s my turn!”
You mentioned that others sometimes see him as grumpy. What do you think about Dylan’s interactions with people in general?
“The wonderful thing about him is he’s really interested in people. He doesn't always know what to do about it, but he’s himself by force of personality or the nature of events in Holby - one of the least fortunate cities in Britain!”
You have been involved in so many standout storylines over the years. What have been your favourites to work on?
“I loved the stories that went alongside Dylan’s struggle with alcoholism [in 2017]. Particularly the story with [on-off alcoholic girlfriend] Ciara Cassidy, played by Belinda Stewart-Wilson. Also, the story with his dad Brian Carroll [Matthew Marsh] and of course, working with Sharon Gless [The Cagney & Lacey star played Dylan’s medical mentor Zsa Zsa Harper-Jenkinson on four occasions between 2017 and 2020 - see below for our fun interview with Sharon Gless]. That was a proper ‘Is this really happening?!’ pinch yourself moment.”
We’re afraid to ask, but will his sobriety be threatened during this period?
“Dylan always will be an alcoholic and anything like this has the potential for him to come unstuck and he knows that. He’s taken a lot of time to address his long term mental health, but I don't know how he's going to cope with this…”
Can you share any teasers about what the future holds for Dylan?
“The only thing I can say is these upcoming episodes are dealing with the pressures of the staff who work within the NHS and it really, really kicks off, before coming to a satisfying conclusion. I also know there’s something really exciting in the offing because we’re shooting it at the moment!”
We’re looking forward to Stevie and Dylan teaming up because both characters are the source of acerbic one-liners on the show. How will that play out on screen?
“Those scenes are just brilliant and very funny. They are some of my favourite bits. When you’re given the opportunity to punctuate a scene with something funny, it’s always good fun and more like a competition. Or should I say, an audition, because Eli used to be a stand-up comedian and is hilarious. She always keeps it going, so it is hard not to enjoy playing keepy-uppy with her. Hopefully anyone sitting down to watch Casualty will be engaged on all sorts of different levels.”
With the departure of Derek Thompson you’re officially one of the longest serving cast members now. Do you feel a responsibility to uphold the original values of Casualty?
“With Derek leaving, it’s a reminder of his remarkable achievement and that of [Casualty’s creators] Jeremy Brock and Paul Unwin, and all those people who put together the show in the first place.
“I've always said Casualty is like a Rolls-Royce and it has a Rolls-Royce time slot. It's a gift for writers, performers and the production team - and the job is always to show that the respect it deserves. I’ve been on it a long time, I can’t even count how many years, but it wouldn’t be hard to do it all again.”
Were you a fan of the show while you were growing up?
“Yes, I may be one of the few who’s capable of remembering when the show first aired! I remember watching the very first episode in my grandparents’ house and being terrified of Casualty in the way that people talk about being terrified of Doctor Who! Yet it was compulsive viewing.”
Maybe it was your destiny to star in it one day! Did you always want to be an actor, or did you consider other professions?
“If you can believe it, I trained as a doctor briefly - and before that I was expecting to become a professional sportsman. This is quite leftfield but I played golf competitively and was offered a scholarship to a college in North Carolina. I had a moment of clarity that made me reconsider and, because my dad was a doctor, I applied to medical school. But I rapidly realised the dedication and hard work of the people around me and felt I was taking up a place. I met someone who said I ought to be an actor, I was besotted with that idea, applied to drama school, and here we are!”
Catch William Beck in Casualty episode The Longest Shift on Saturday, May 4 2024 at 8.30 pm on BBC1.
More Casualty reading
Sharon Gless reveals the contents of deleted Casualty scenes
William Beck: ‘Dylan and Ciara’s story is the definition of tragedy’
Jamie Glover on taking over from Nigel Harman as Holby ED’s ‘tough love’ clinical lead
Exclusive interview: Derek Thompson on 38 years of playing Casualty nurse Charlie Fairhead
