Casualty actor Will Beck tells What's on TV why Dr Dylan Keogh is back this week after a two-year break…
How does it feel to be back?
"It feels strange but very similar. There are one or two changes in the ED, the most significant one being Connie [Amanda Mealing] is now Clinical Lead. Dylan finds her attractive in a professional way. There’s a spark of recognition between the two of them, but there’s always the opportunity for them to clash. I think she’s someone he may have been aware of during his time at Holby before, of course, when she was working upstairs, but to be on the end of her as the Clinical Lead at the ED is a rollercoaster ride all of its own.
"Dylan’s not very good at being told what to do, and it’s fair to say they have a few tussles over cases, but on the whole they muscle through together - for now. I’m intrigued to know where that’s going to go!"
Has Dylan got over the fact that his ex, Sam, is with Tom now?
"Dylan’s at a much better place now than when we last saw him. Sam [Charlotte Salt] and Tom [Oliver Coleman] are very happy together, and I think that’s all Dylan ever wanted for Sam, happiness - perhaps less so for Tom! They’re long gone now and I think he feels the coast is clear and he can come back. There’s always the possibility that skeletons might come emerging from cupboards, and we’ll see how much he’s got over Sam entirely."
What can we expect from Dylan this time around?
"There’s a bit more about his back story – where he lives and who he lives with, his domestic arrangements. From the stories point of view we get a good opportunity to see how Dylan reacts to walking into a hospital that’s suffering from budgetary cuts and understaffing at times. He's given more responsibility than he might have had in the past."
Can you tell us more about Dylan’s domestic arrangements?
"I can’t say too much, but Dylan is still nautical at heart. He lives on the high seas – Holby is renowned for its marina! Dylan’s slightly complicated personal life has now intertwined two females. One of them, unfortunately, is a dog… but the other one isn’t. So we get to see swiftly what that’s all about."
Do you think Dylan will rekindle his friendship with Zoe?
"I think it would be strange if Dylan and Zoe [Sunetra Sarker] were not to maintain their friendship. It was based very much on a professional level of understanding, and she plays a part in his return to the ED. With Dylan I always like to imagine nobody is too instrumental to his life. He seems to muddle through, wander in and wander off as much as he feels like at any one time. Zoe is an attraction at Holby for him, but he’s been elsewhere in the interim. He’s seen many things and many places while Zoe, of course has had her own traumas since Dylan’s been away."
Do you still find it a challenge to play Dylan?
"The job is always challenging and with the hours we work here, trying to balance this job and a relatively normal family life – that’s quite challenging. But there’s no better challenge than the one that enables you to do the thing you enjoy doing the most. I’m enormously fortunate to do this for a living, I’m very well aware of that and very grateful for it."
Casualty continutes on BBC1, Saturday, November 1.
