Casualty fans were left distraught after a beloved character was written out in Saturday night’s episode. The long-running BBC medical drama, which premiered on 6 September 1986, returned to our screens on Saturday evening, with viewers recalling that Cassie Woods (Charlie Ann Upton) had been hospitalised following a brutal assault a few weeks prior.

The character, who first appeared in June, is the foster sibling of Dr. Nicole Piper (Sammy T Dobson), who spent a significant portion of the episode delving into her past in her native Newcastle. Travelling north to visit Tina Piper, her estranged mother, Nicole was admitted after Tina mistook her for the district nurse who had come to assist her mother-in-law.

Initially ejected from the house when her true identity was revealed, Nicole conversed with Ngozi (Adesuwa Oni) back at Wyvern’s hospital, who disclosed that her sister’s condition had deteriorated. Despite this, Ngozi urged Nicole to spend the night in Newcastle.

The following day, Nicole returned to her mother’s home, and a sequence of flashbacks unveiled the harsh upbringing she had suffered before being placed into care, as her father was violent towards her mother. Nicole then found out that her mother was diabetic, not a drug addict as she had initially believed, and was saddened to learn that she could have been removed from the care system at any point.

In heartbreaking scenes, Cassie’s life support was switched off

Tina then revealed to Nicole that she had experienced a ‘diabetic coma’ and by the time she regained consciousness, she had already been admitted to emergency care. Additional revelations emerged when Nicola learnt that her mother had been wed for 22 years and her mother-in-law, Ruth, was the woman she had pretended to visit when she entered the house, reports the Mirror.

Meanwhile at Holby, it emerged that Cassie had sustained devastating brain injuries, with doctors concluding that withdrawing her life support was the only option available. A disagreement arose when Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) insisted that Cassie’s mother, Vicky, ‘needed more time’ to accept the situation, though the medical staff were puzzled when he called her Claire, his former partner’s name.

It subsequently came to light that Doctor Lauren’s initial patient, from whom life support was removed, was Flynn and Claire’s infant son, as he tearfully confided to Dr Dylan Keogh (William Beck): “She just wanted more time with him. I pushed her into making a decision more he was ready.”

The entire situation had sparked a debate about the appropriate moment to discontinue life support, and ultimately secured additional time for Vicky. In Newcastle, Tina informed Nicole that it was impossible for her to care for both of them.

Dr Nicole Piper (Sammy T. Dobson) was in tears at the end of Saturday night’s episode after being dealt with a tragic death

Following this, Nicole received the devastating news from the hospital and began her journey back. Later in the evening, she returned to the ward and was reunited with Cassie’s mother at the bedside.

She expressed: “Cassie would be really pleased that you’re here.” Through her tears, Vicky responded: “She’d be really pleased that you’re here too.”

No further words were exchanged before Cassie was taken off life support. In a state of shock, Nicole re-entered the hospital corridor where she was enveloped in a group hug by her colleagues.

The episode proved to be an emotional rollercoaster for fans of the long-standing drama, which is set to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026. Many took to social media to express their sadness over the episode.

One viewer commented: “Everyone hugging Nicole. That actually broke me.”

Another posted: “Poor Nicole [crying emoji]” and a third added: “What an episode, poor Flynn @Olly_Rix poor Nicole @sammytdobson[crying emojis] #BBCCasualty #Casualty.”