S7 E24 (27 Feb 93) : Boiling Point by Peter Bowker
Episode Summary
Duffy and Andrew are at ‘Children’s World’ restaurant, with their son – who’s fourth birthday it is. Charlie receives an invitation to Duffy’s wedding, scheduled for the following day. Sandra is also planning her second honeymoon with husband, David. Charlie is feeling better after his nervous breakdown, and Maxine asks Charlie for a reference – she is applying to be a Project 2000 Nurse.
It’s Rob’s last day – as a surprise, the staff send him into CRASH believing there is a patient with a snake bite – the sheets are uncovered to reveal an inflatable doll with Rob’s head on it. They give him a bottle of wine and a record token. Rob is shocked to find Simon has also bought him a present – a personalised diary.
On a housing estate, an old man, Ray, is brutally beaten at his son, Gordon’s (and his wife Elspeth) home. Gordon gets his neighbours, part of a vigilante group, to tour the estate with baseball bats. They meet the youths, and a big fight erupts. Gordon attacks one of the youths, Steve, who injures his back. The father, Errol, of one of the other youths, John, is stabbed by the gang leader, Terry. Josh and Jane are one of the crews to arrive, they are not happy with the scene and rush to take victims Errol and Gordon away. The youths follow the ambulance as it arrives at Holby, they take Steve in and cause a disturbance. Terry even threatens Ray again – Ray later dies of a suspected heart attack.
They then break into the hospital basements and start a fire in the lifts. Maxine sounds the alarm, and waiting patients are pushed out, as an ambulance is petrol bombed by the jubilant youths. It blasts reception and CRASH, where Mike is attempting surgery on Errol, who has a collapsed lung. The staff stagger into the grounds – but Rob lingers trying to bring Ray’s dead body out with him. A second explosion brings the roof down on top of him. Outside Mike fails to save Errol’s life, John feels awful. Fireman fight the blaze and bring Rob out – Mike suspects Rob may survive, but his legs are seriously crushed. Duffy is upset and feels it is the end for the Holby A&E department – Charlie tries to comfort her.
Patients
* Ray McCauley – old man, beaten and robbed in son’s house. He dies after suffering a heart attack.
* Gordon McCauley – suffers broken arm and facial injuries after being set upon by youths.
* Errol Walmsley – security man, part of vigilante group – stabbed in chest by Terry (gang leader) – his son John, is also part of the other gang. Errol suffers a collapsed ling and pericardial tampinard, and dies outside, with all Mike’s attempts.
* Steve – (part of youth gang) injures his back, after Gordon hits him with baseball bat
* Man with head injuries
* Woman with hemotemesis
First Scene/words
Duffy, Andrew and their son, Peter, are at ‘Children’s World’ restaurant.
Andrew : There you go mate.
Duffy : Oooh! (Andrew does Thunderbird music) No no, no more for me Parker!
Andrew : As you wish my lady! To one of perfect judgement and exquisite taste!
Duffy : Mmm and no job if I don’t get a move on.
Andrew : Run woman run, I’m only after you for your money!
Duffy : Well you’re in for a big disappointment then aren’t you….(they kiss) Andrew…. you got my hand in the baked beans!
Andrew : Sorry!
Last Scene/words
Duffy and Charlie outside hospital;
Duffy : So much of our lives in here Charlie, so much of us and it’s all gone
Charlie : It’s not gone, the work doesn’t disappear just ‘cos the building’s gone Duffy. Come on everything we’ve done still counts for something
Duffy : Oh we’re finished Charlie!
Charlie : Duffy, Duffy don’t talk like that, the damage can be repaired, come on mark my words I’ll have the builders in first thing in the morning.
Duffy : Oh now, will you listen to yourself, no-one’s gonna throw money at this, stop kidding yourself Charlie, it’s the end of the road
Charlie : It’s not the end of the road Duffy, not while I’m standing in the middle of it, they’ll have to run me right over! Come on Duffy, come on, you’re tired.
Notable Facts
* Matt Bardock (CASUALTY’s Jeff Collier) plays Terry.
* Michael Angelis plays Gordon McCauley.
* Kelly George (Grange Hill) plays Steve.
* Joseph Kpobie (Eastenders) plays John Walmsley.
* The BBC thought the episode too violent to be shown before the watershed, and warned viewers before it was shown at 9.30pm.
* 700 people jammed the switchboard to complain about the violent nature of the programme.
* CASUALTY made a replica set of Holby A&E to set on fire.
* This episode received CASUALTY’s highest viewing figures at the time, with 17.02 million.