Despite being the most critically acclaimed and award winning show on British television for three decades, why do most doctors skirt around ‘Casualty’. Most doctors seem to find ‘Casualty’ to be an unrealistic drama, exaggerating the mingling of the doctors with the lives of their patients. Most docs find themselves becoming relentless critics of the show, with many arguing that the laid-back nature of the doctors in the ED casts a blind eye over the stressful and life-consuming reality that is the genuine ED. In a decade, old interview with the Telegraph one of the key hospital trustees threw a lot of shade ‘Casualty’s’ way. Blaming the hit show for putting young people off pursuing a career in medicine, the then director of the trust continued to say that the show added a frivolous and unprofessional nature into the job that was untrue of the medical fraternity.

As a young student who is an avid fan of the show and was at one point keen on a profession in medicine I can confidently say that I was not put off by ‘Casualty’.  Quite the contrary, in fact, I was first attracted to the career by this show. The glamour and importance of working in such an impactful and “happening” place once seemed to be one of the most attractive careers on offer to a thirteen year old me. As I started my research into the career I was put off by the mundane reality shown to me on various ‘trial days’ and many NHS career path websites. This in turn begged the question that what is it that’s making so many students turn their back on the field? Is it really TV shows with high TRP’s but low reality value or is the highly drab and boring way the job is projected by the NHS themselves?