Casualty star confirms big Flynn and Stevie story upon TV return: ‘It’s the beginning’ | Soaps

Casualty star Olly Rix has teased what’s to come for Flynn Byron and Stevie Nash (Elinor Lawless) in the wake of the milestone anniversary episodes, confirming a shift in the pair’s dynamic following their near-death experience.

The long-running medical drama celebrated four decades with a bang, in episodes Olly branded a ‘very self-aware thank you’ to fans.

After a major incident was declared following an explosion at neighbouring hospital St James, it was all hands on deck at Holby ED, with the staff run off their feet like never before.

Flynn, who celebrated his own 40th birthday, was coincidentally at the site of blast at the time of the atrocity and wasted little time in jumping in to assist.

The Clinical Lead was later joined by Stevie, who left the ED after a call out for a HEMS doctor, and the duo worked together to get patient Ahmed back to Holby.

With pandemonium hitting the streets and looters making the journey a difficult one, tragedy struck as Indie (Naomi Wakszlak) was forced to swerve, with the ambulance subsequently veering off-road and left teetering on a cliffside.

Indie managed to get out of the vehicle with Ahmed in tow but Stevie and Flynn weren’t so lucky, with the ambulance plummeting into the icy water below.

Stevie and Flynn – who are experts when it comes to acting swiftly in life-or-death situations – attempted to formulate a plan but, with water gushing in and little to no oxygen left, it really wasn’t looking good.

‘The characters often survive and achieve the outcome that they’re after but I like that we resisted making it easy’, said Olly of the intense underwater sequence, admitting that he found this particular scene ‘heartbreaking’.

‘My favourite part of both episodes is when Stevie says “I’m so scared”. And Flynn just says “I know”. It’s this sense that he can’t do anything about this apart from try his best. It’s such a flawed situation. There was no guarantee that they’d come out of it. That idea of complicated non-linear heroism is something this show does really well.’

After arming themselves with a plan, Stevie and Flynn made a break for the surface. In harrowingly brilliant scenes, helmed by exceptional performances from stars Elinor and Olly, Stevie waned and lost consciousness, much to the horror of Flynn.

‘Flynn has that realisation [that she might not make it] underwater when he essentially has to watch her drown, and he swims back to grab her and just races to the surface,’ said Olly, breaking down the intense moments.

”I think when he’s on the shore with her, he’s just focused on the job in hand and trying to bring her back. I don’t think he has to countenance losing her because he can’t.

‘There’s no mental space. He has to just move in that moment and try what he can, and of course he’s also bleeding out at the same time. Maybe there’s a split second but it’s snatched away from him.’

While attempting to resuscitate Stevie, Flynn too lost consciousness but the pair were ultimately located by Indie and transported back to Holby, where their colleagues and friends worked tirelessly to ensure their survival.

But with Stevie and Flynn having fought off death together, what’s next for them? There was a shift in their dynamic last season when both characters came to realise that there was something of a spark between them, though neither have yet acted upon it.

‘Part of the fun of Flynn and Stevie’s dynamic is that everybody sees it but them,’ said Olly with a smile. ‘They are the last to realise it’.

‘In this moment in the 40th – in a life or death situation where they realise that one half of this equation might not make it – perhaps that reorientates them going forward and makes them fully understand the depth of what is there.‘

‘I’m not going to give too much away, but that’s the beginning of their story, not the end of their story,’ he said.

Consider us intrigued.

Teasing what’s to come for Casualty beyond the 40th, Olly concluded: ‘The residue of what happens is left on every person who walks through those doors. It’s inevitable that it’s carried forward.

‘It’s certainly carried forward for Stevie and Flynn in the way that I just mentioned, in the sense of what it might have revealed to them about their relationship’.

Casualty’s 40th anniversary specials are now available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

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