Casualty favourite Dylan Keogh has been thrown into the centre of a big, new storyline which has seen him vow to expose the ED’s latestClinical Lead Patrick Onley.
The story will be taking several twists and turns over the coming weeks, as it becomes clear that Dylan has every right to be suspicious.
Digital Spy recently caught up with Will Beck, who plays Dylan, for an exclusive about the juicy plot, cast exits, recent show changes – and much more.
Dylan is obviously back in the ED after a few weeks away. How is he feeling about everything that’s happened?
“I think it’s funny because when I’m filming it, it might feel like one thing and then what I see, it tends to be something a little bit different. You’re not quite sure from the other side how it’s coming across, but he looks pretty indifferent by the day.
“I was watching the episode when it went out last Saturday and it’s really nice to see Dylan fired up. I think it’s fair to say that Patrick really has touched a raw nerve with this kind of implicit criticism that Dylan wasn’t up to the job. Dylan is determined to get to the bottom of, apart from everything else, why this guy seems to have it in for him.
“Patrick has only just arrived and he has zeroed in on Dylan as being the target for his frustrations. I think we will probably discover that Patrick is maybe projecting a few things onto a few different people.”
We see in today’s episode (May 5) that Dylan is right as Patrick is posing a dangerous threat to patients. What made Dylan so convinced of this in the first place?
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
“With the penicillin allergy case, Dylan felt especially aware that Patrick had cast the blame onto somebody else, and I think Dylan was conscious that there was something inexplicable in what had happened.
“And then when that documentary went to air, Dylan suddenly became aware that Patrick had had some contact with that patient. He knows, given the way that Patrick vilified him at the mortality meeting that followed the death, that Patrick knew something that he wasn’t letting on.
“It is just this wonderful morsel of information that, to Dylan, becomes something that he just cannot move on until he’s explained it.
How far will Dylan go to expose Patrick? Are there more twists to come with this story?
“When it comes out, I think it surprises even Patrick. That is really key to the story and it goes in a slightly different direction than the one it might appear at first. Dylan will always go to the point where he thinks he’s got the answer, and then, rather frustratingly, he’ll stop and go looking for the next unresolved question.
“When he left, he meant it, and when he came back, he meant it. Since he’s back, he’s already gone to one extreme and I think he’s now pretty dogged in this pursuit of Patrick. He’s very much aided and abetted by Stevie as well.”
Him and Stevie become a bit of a detective duo – has that been fun to play?
“It’s been really lovely to play. Stevie has been in the show for a couple of years, but in reality, we’ve had very few scenes together. I do think they make an entertaining combination. Those storylines are good fun to play. Detective work is something that we see on screen all the time and we are trying to do it in different way and in the context of our show, which is great fun. “
This story has also touched on Dylan’s neurodivergence. What are your thoughts on this? And is it something you think they should be exploring with Dylan?
“It is something that we have talked about since the start. From the earlier days when Dylan was on screen, which was over 10 years ago now, it was something that people were speaking about and I do really think it’s important to address these things.
“I do think they have to be addressed with sensitivity though – not only those people who know themselves to be of a certain diversity, but for those people who perhaps either don’t wish to or haven’t had the opportunity to give their own individuality a name.
“I think that the really interesting thing about the way that the writers chose to tackle this with Dylan was that they went straight in on the accusation from Patrick, and they gave it a name.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
“Dylan was then left to ask himself the question very directly and I think it was an opportunity for him to explore a question that he’d denied himself the opportunity of exploring. My instinct is that it’s not an uncommon situation to be in.
“One knows that they are somehow differently talented, differently sighted, and sometimes, someone’s psychological pathways seem to be different from other people’s. In exploring that, what one finds is their individuality rather than a diagnosis.
“But even in that diagnosis, there can be company and support. There are increasing opportunities for an understanding that these things are something to be celebrated as much as they may be rather disarming things to deal with at first.”
Sadly, Patrick brought this up in quite an accusatory way. How has that impacted Dylan?
“He did and the unfortunate truth is for anybody with a divergence in that way is that there will be people who will zero in on it and use it against them. It seems so prominent to Patrick and, because of that, the criticism was shocking and insulting and personal.
“I think it is important to recognise that people can be unpleasant about those things, and ultimately, Patrick misunderstands, misconceives and abuses the idea of a diagnosis. But what Dylan then does with it is ultimately to his advantage. I think the exploration of one’s psychology in general is something that, as a society, we’re learning to celebrate a great deal more.”
This latest block ‘Breaking Point’ has been exploring the mental-health struggles of not only patients but the staff at Holby. Is it important that the show can continue to stay relevant in this way?
“Definitely. I think, regrettably, when we talk about these things, they tend to sound political. I don’t mean it in any political way whatsoever but it is about the observation that Covid and the economic difficulty has had an impact that so many people are feeling. If you ask a person now how they are feeling, they will share with you their stories in ways that just weren’t there 10 or 15 years ago.
“I think mental-health pressures, and especially in an environment like the NHS and the frontline of care, have become, unfortunately, very much the norm. I would say that the value in exploring it is that it’s offering people the opportunity to understand that they’re not alone, and an emergency medicine consultant, as much as one of their patients, can be going through something very similar.”
There’s loads of speculation on who the whistleblower is, do you think fans will be surprised?
“I can say that I was surprised [by the outcome]. Of course, there will be people who have guessed or did know, but I was surprised.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
“It has been nice that it was kept a secret internally as well. It will be a surprise to everybody. And I am not ruling myself out by the way! I personally think it’s Connie…[laughs]”