Tonight’s Casualty saw popular new junior doctor Alicia Munroe hand in her notice to clinical lead Connie Beauchamp. Humiliated by her mentor Lily Chao one time too many, Alicia finally cracked during a harrowing shift.
But while we don’t know what happens next to Alicia, or whether Chelsea Halfpenny will be returning to the long-running medical drama, what we do know is, there are repercussions for Lily!
Star Crystal Yu reveals what’s in store for Lily over the coming weeks…
How do Lily’s colleagues react next week when they discover Alicia’s quit Holby ED - and possibly her entire medical career?
“Lily gets rather isolated by the rest of her team in the hospital and they accuse her of bullying Alicia. It’s rather sad because, if you remember, Lily in her own past accused her mentor, Ash (Patrick Robinson), of bullying her. So there’s a bit of a cycle here!”
Will we see Lily exhibit remorse over how she treated Alicia?
“Yes, she feels guilty about it, but then she says ‘you know what? This was just me being Alicia’s mentor. I never had it easy when I was being mentored so why should Alicia’s life be any easier?’"
Which, we imagine, doesn’t go down well?
"It’s easier for Lily to brush things aside and carry on as if nothing has happened. But it obviously doesn’t work; everything becomes rather explosive when it’s discovered Alicia’s left because she can’t take it any more."
Lily’s behaviour is closely connected with her father’s death. Is her past catching up with her?
“We’ve never really explored Lily’s past [until now] but she’s never had someone saying ‘well done you, that was really good work’ or ‘I’m really proud of you.’ So she’s always seeking that approval. When it comes to Alicia, Lily doesn’t really know how to give approval because she’s never received any herself."
It's a sad story for both Lily and Alicia…
“Lily's had to work bloody hard just to get to where she is without emotional support from the people around her. That’s why she’s constantly seeking her father’s approval - she just wanted someone to say ‘you were good and I’m proud of you.’ It’s a real shame she’s never had that, and this really came across with Alicia.”
What repercussions are there for Lily now she’s been labelled as a bully?
“Lily really needs to make amends with her colleagues. All her colleagues, including her only friend, Ethan, saw how Lily treated Alicia. She really has to try hard to earn their trust, especially Ethan who almost blanks her out of his life because of how she was towards Alicia!”
Read our interview with Crystal Yu and Chelsea Halfpenny HERE.
