Richard Curtis has taken a break from the Vicar of Dibley and films starring Hugh Grant to co-write a very special episode of CASUALTY, to be screened as part of Red Nose Day.
On choosing to write for CASUALTY he revealed ‘It seemed a tremendous opportunity for us to cover UK issues, especially as one of the mottos of Comic Relief is ‘catch them before they reach casualty’.
‘It’s a proper episode, but it just so happens that all the hospital staff are celebrating Red Nose Day,’ he adds.
On how the plot for the episode came together he said, ‘I came up with the basic structure of the story – all the cases are normal but represent areas where Comic Relief spends money. The CASUALTY writer Gary Parker and I worked out a plot, and we each took responsibility for certain bits. It was very much the way I worked with Ben Elton on Blackadder.’
He also added he had much respect for the cast and crew on the show, ‘It was very ‘family’. I was picked up by the producer at the station and taken to the studio, which is infact a huge warehouse. It’s a very curious place. We all emerged with a tremendous respect for the way they work, the speed and efficiency with which they get things done’.
