Casualty - Smoke and Mirrors - 10:45 am Thursday, August 6 on U&Drama

Michael French (Actor) .. Nick Jordan

Born: September 17, 1962 in Bow, London

Best Known For: Playing EastEnder David Wicks and Casualty's Dr Jordan.

Early-life: Born Michael Clark on September 17, 1962, to parents David and Sheila. He's the son of a greengrocer and has two sisters - Helen and Jane. He was interested in the stage from an early age and was a keen member of a local drama club. He later trained at the Mountview Theatre School, and was a 'blue coat' entertainer at the Holiday Club International in Majorca.

Career: Michael spent 10 years appearing on stage and working as an air steward before his big break came in 1993 when he landed the part of David Wicks in EastEnders. He stayed in Walford for three years before leaving to appear in Crime Traveller (he returned briefly in 2012 to mark the death of his on-screen mother, Pat Evans). More TV roles followed in The Gentleman Thief, Born and Bred, and The Fabulous Bagel Boys. He also featured in radio plays and did video game voiceover work. Between 1998 and 2013 he had various stints playing Dr Nick Jordan in Casualty and sister programme Holby City. He returned briefly to EastEnders in 2012 to mark the death of his on-screen mother, Pat Evans. He rejoined EastEnders as a regular character in September 2013.

Quote: On playing Nick Jordan: 'I want it to show in my eyes that I know what this guy is going through. I've got to be as real as I possibly can.'

Trivia: On the West End stage, French has appeared in West Side Story, Chicago, Joseph, and Les Miserables.

Derek Thompson (Actor) .. Charlie Fairhead

Born: April 04, 1948 in Belfast

Best Known For: Playing nurse boss Charlie Fairhead in Casualty.

Early-life: Born in Belfast on April 4, 1948. He began his showbusiness career at the age of 10 in a close harmony group with his twin sister Elaine (she is 10 minutes younger than him). The siblings then went on a roadshow touring the variety theatres of Britain and landed a record deal, eventually having a hit with One Little Robin in a Cherry Tree when they were 12. They appeared in the 1965 film Gonks Go Beat and formed a trio called Odin's People with Larry Johns. Derek decided to concentrate on acting at the age of 19.

Career: Thompson got a job as a stage manager and went on to do repertory and fringe theatre. His first professional role was in Romeo and Juliet at the Ludlow Festival and he made his TV debut in the police series Softly, Softly. Other early work included roles in The Gentle Touch, The Long Good Friday and Yanks. Although his main love has always been the stage, he was delighted at being offered the part of Charlie in Casualty. First appearing in 1986, he is the longest-serving actor in the show and has faced many emotional scenes and delicate issues. His famous alter ego has crossed over into sister show Holby City, and in the short-lived spin-off series HolbyBlue.

Quote: 'Playing Charlie for as long as I have means it's hard to tell what parts of me have become part of his personality.'

Trivia: A keen swimmer, Thompson also loves sailing and taking long walks.

Sunetra Sarker (Actor) .. Zoe Hanna

Born: July 25, 1973 in Liverpool

Best Known For: Casualty.

Early-life: Sunetra was born in Liverpool on June 25, 1973. Her father is a doctor. She went on to study Information Systems for Business with French at Brunel University. Her breakthrough as an actress came in 1988 when she was cast as Nisha Batra in Brookside. She stayed with the soap for two years but returned to play the same character 10 years later between 2000 and 2003.

Career: Following her first stint on Brookside, Sarker starred in London Bridge, Cold Feet and Playing the Field. Bigger roles came in No Angels and The Chase. In 2007, she was cast as Dr Zoe Hanna in Casualty, a role she continues to play. In 2014, she was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

Quote: On signing up for Strictly Come Dancing: 'I don't quite know what I've let myself in for. But the chance to swap my stethoscope for sequins was just too tempting.'

Trivia: In 2014, Sarker appeared with her son, Noah, on game show Big Star's Little Star.

Charlotte Salt (Actor) .. Sam Nicholls

Oliver Coleman (Actor) .. Tom Kent

Amanda Henderson (Actor) .. Robyn Miller

Daniel Anthony (Actor) .. Jamie Collier

Gemma-Leah Devereux (Actor) .. Aoife O'Reilly

Alex Walkinshaw (Actor) .. Adrian `Fletch" Fletcher

Born: October 05, 1974 in Barking, Essex

Best Known For: Playing Smithy in The Bill.

Early-life: Alex Walkinshaw was born in Barking, Essex, on 5 October 1974. A keen swimmer as a child, he used to train five days a week and compete in various competitions, finding it helped his asthma. An energetic, extroverted child, he studied drama as an outlet for his creativity. After studying drama at his secondary school, Alex soon found he had a real talent and joined a Saturday drama class. Encouraged by his teachers, Alex was elated to be accepted into the Sylvia Young Theatre School and later the London Dance Studios.

Career: His first TV appearance was at the age of 12 as an extra in Grange Hill. From 1992 to 1993 he appeared in the sitcom Side by Side. He first appeared in The Bill as a guest star in 1992, 1993 and 1995, before joining as a regular cast member in 1999. He played PC Dale Smith, better known as 'Smithy'. He left the show in 2001, only to return in 2003 when his character was promoted to Sergeant. After a spell in Waterloo Road, Walkinshaw joined the cast of Casualty in 2012 as senior staff nurse Adrian Fletcher. He took his character to Holby City in August 2014.

Quote: On his move from Casualty to Holby City: 'I was really quite nervous when I first started, but everyone has been so welcoming and friendly that I feel my transition has been fairly smooth.'

Trivia: In 2007, he took part in The Weakest Link and won £9,450 for Essex-based charity called 'Kids in Need'.

Christine Tremarco (Actor) .. Linda Andrews

Jane Hazlegrove (Actor) .. Kathleen `Dixie" Dixon

Matt Bardock (Actor) .. Jeff Collier

Suzanne Packer (Actor) .. Tess Bateman

Born: June 20, 1958 in Abergavenny, Wales

Best Known For: Playing Tess Bateman in Casualty.

Early-life: Born Suzanne Jackson in Abergavenny, Wales, on June 20, 1958, she is the older sister of former Olympic hurdler Colin Jackson. She showed an interest in acting from an early age and played lead roles in a number of school plays.

Career: Packer's first break as an actor came in 1990 when she began playing Mick Johnson's wife Josie in Channel 4 soap Brookside. She took a break from acting to complete a degree in teaching at Goldsmiths College and after graduating in 1996, she taught drama in London. After marrying American actor Jesse Newman, she moved to New York, where she taught drama. When their marriage ended, Packer relocated to Cardiff and quickly landed an audition for Casualty. She made her first appearance as Tess Bateman in the medical drama in 2003 and has remained on the show ever since.

Quote: 'Being nearly five years older, I was responsible for Colin — something I took on quite naturally.'

Trivia: She appeared with her brother in a celebrity edition of Pointless in 2011. They were eliminated in the first round.

Michael Obiora (Actor) .. Lloyd Asike

Rachel Shelley (Actor) .. Yvonne Rippon

Rebecca Newman (Actor) .. Ally Hunter

Dearbhla Molloy (Actor) .. Diana Hart

Cai Bridgen (Actor) .. Neil Redd

Niamh Walsh (Actor) .. Hannah Spence

Troy Glasgow (Actor) .. Richie Baxter

Kyle Summercorn (Actor) .. Ryan Tavistock

Richard Signy (Director)

Steve Bailie (Writer)

Nikki Wilson (Series producer)

Johnathan Young (Executive producer)

Casualty: Smoke and Mirrors

10:45 am - 11:45 am, Thursday, August 6 on U&Drama (20)

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Smoke and Mirrors
Episode 18

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