Charles Venn is dressed in his Casualty character’s green paramedic uniform when he joins What to Watch and other press for a chat on the set of BBC’s medical drama.
It’s a sunny summer afternoon in July and we’ve just been treated to a tour of the show’s utterly wonderful, expansive and impressively realistic hospital set in Cardiff when we’re joined in the Holby ED reception area by the actor, who plays Jacob Masters, and he is beaming from ear to ear and ready to spill the beans on the upcoming drama in the current 12-part miniseries Supply and Demand.
An essential part of the show since making his debut in 2015 as a nurse, in his time on the series, he’s had a fair few romances, and was promoted to clinical nurse manager before he quit Holby ED and started a new career as a paramedic in 2023.
His latest storyline, however, is shocking even by Casualty standards, with circumstantial evidence pointing to the medic being a morphine thief!
Here Charles tells us more about this explosive storyline…
Charles Venn - Q&A
Charles, viewers are set to see Jacob’s best friend, Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson) accuse him of stealing morphine. What’s his reaction?
“It’s a liberty and from his close mate of all people - Jacob was best man at Iain’s wedding! But it's an awkward one for Iain because of the pressure from [his wife] Faith [Kirsty Mitchell].”
How will we see Jacob cope with the accusations?
“At this point his main focus and overriding agenda is dealing with getting his son Blake’s [played by David Ajayi] medication. It's one of those situations where you say to yourself, ‘You know what? I'll get around to that after I've dealt with this.’ At the same time he’s worried about his professional integrity, but he has faith that he’ll be fully exonerated and can walk with his head held high. When it comes to rumours, unfortunately, his reputation could be tarnished.”
What repercussions will this have on Iain and Jacob’s working dynamic?
“First and foremost, they want to remain professional no matter what. But you’re going to see the stress and strain that this casts on Jacob. It definitely affects his mood and his general behaviour around the team.”
This year marks 10 years since you started on Casualty. What does working on the show mean to you?
“You know an actor’s job and his life is always nomadic in that sense that, wherever the gig is, is where you go. If anyone told me that I was going to do 10 years on Casualty, I would have said, ‘Hey, I'll take that!’
"You're talking about a show that's very much an institution; it's synonymous with the BBC, it’s one of their flagship shows, and so to be part of that is an absolute honour - and long may it continue, as far as I'm concerned! To be considered a household name of sorts because you’re associated with this wonderfully successful show, the number one medical drama on British television, it's a beautiful feeling. So, yes, 10 years in the game - amazing!”
Looking ahead, Jacob and Iain’s friendship seems unsalvageable. What are your hopes for the future?
“You want to believe that they’ll figure it out eventually, like brothers. It's that whole thing of you might not be happy, it may take a minute, but deep down you want to resolve it, and you just hope you do get around to it at some point and it's a case of not if, but when.”
That sounds hopeful. Do you think it’s time Jacob has some romance back in his life too?
“Yes it’s high time! At this particular point, there are a lot of important storylines that are happening right now, especially this one currently. He’s dealing with a lot. But yeah, I think once the dust settles, he might want to go out there and have a cheeky romance. He deserves it.”
Finally - and this is a super serious question - who do you think would win in a fight, Iain or Jacob?
[Laughs] “Don’t be fooled by Jacob’s age, he can still move these hands! Of course, I would say that I reckon Jacob would knock Iain’s head off, but at the same time, Michael would probably say that Iain could knock Jacob's head off. Let’s call it a draw!”
Casualty airs on Saturdays on BBC1 and BBC iPlayer. See our Casualty guide for details of upcoming episodes.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
