
Casualty is a popular BBC medical drama that has been running since 1986. The show is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, located in the fictional county of Wyvern in southwest England. Despite its realistic portrayal, Casualty is not filmed in a real hospital. The show is primarily filmed at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales, which features a custom-built set designed to resemble an NHS hospital. Exterior shots are filmed in various locations across Cardiff, Bristol, and the rest of Wales. The realistic portrayal of the hospital setting has led many fans to believe that the show is filmed in a real hospital.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is Casualty filmed in a real hospital? | No, it is not filmed in a real hospital. |
| Where is it filmed? | BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales. |
| Where was it filmed previously? | Bristol, England. |
| Is the hospital real? | No, it is a fictional hospital called Holby City Hospital |
| Is the city real? | No, Holby is a fictional city in the UK. |
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What You'll Learn
- Casualty is filmed at BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales
- The show is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, in the fictional county of Wyvern
- The exterior shots were filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks
- The set is custom-built to look like an NHS hospital
- The show's creators visited Bristol Royal Infirmary for research

Casualty is filmed at BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales
The BBC medical drama Casualty is filmed at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff Bay, Wales. The show is not filmed in a real hospital, but on a custom-built set designed to resemble an NHS hospital. The exterior shots seen throughout the programme are filmed in Cardiff and the wider South Wales area.
The show is currently set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, located in the fictional county of Wyvern in the southwest of England. The hospital is based on the Bristol Royal Infirmary, where the original scriptwriters spent time observing in the 1980s to garner ideas for Casualty.
From the show's inception until Series 26, episode 16, exterior shots of the city were filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks such as the floating harbour and Clifton Suspension Bridge. In 2011, the show moved to a new filming location in Cardiff, and the first episode aired in 2012. The new set houses both interior and exterior sets, as well as production offices.
The show's realistic portrayal of a hospital has led many fans to believe that it is filmed in a real hospital. The medical drama explores the lives of those working in the hospital's Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department, providing an intimate look at the staff and patients within the fictional setting.
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The show is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, in the fictional county of Wyvern
The TV show Casualty is not filmed in a real hospital. The show is set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, in the fictional county of Wyvern, in the southwest of England. The medical drama is shot at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, which is a custom-built set created to look like an NHS hospital. The exterior shots we see throughout the programme are filmed in Cardiff and wider South Wales.
Holby City Hospital is a fictional hospital within the fictional city of Holby, based on the real city of Bristol. The original scriptwriters of Casualty spent time observing the Bristol Royal Infirmary in the 1980s to garner ideas for the show. Holby City is filmed at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, which is also where EastEnders is filmed.
Casualty and Holby City are both set in the same fictional Holby City Hospital but are filmed in different locations. Holby City focuses on the lives and careers of medical staff and patients on the hospital's surgical wards, while Casualty focuses on the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department.
The show's interior sets were initially built at the BBC Television Centre in London, but a permanent interior set was later constructed in a warehouse in Bristol, close to where the exterior shots of the hospital were filmed. In 2011, the show's production moved to Cardiff, with a custom-built studio and backlot set at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff Bay.
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The exterior shots were filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks
The popular BBC medical drama Casualty is not filmed in a real hospital, although its sets are designed to look convincingly like one. The show is currently set in the fictional Holby City Hospital, located in the fictional county of Wyvern in the southwest of England.
The exterior shots of the hospital were, for many years, filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks such as the floating harbour and Clifton Suspension Bridge. Bristol was chosen as it was the real-life inspiration for the fictional city of Holby. The interior sets were built in a warehouse on Kingsland Trading Estate in the St. Philip's area of Bristol, close to where the exterior shots were filmed.
In 2008, the BBC announced that it was considering moving filming to Cardiff, and in 2009, the move was confirmed. Since 2011, Casualty has been filmed at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales, on a custom-built set designed to look like an NHS hospital. The show occasionally still ventures out to Bristol for exterior shots, as well as to other locations in Cardiff and Wales.
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The set is custom-built to look like an NHS hospital
The attention to detail in the set design contributes to the show's overall authenticity and realism. The creators of the show, script editor Jeremy Brock and theatre director Paul Unwin, conducted extensive research by spending time in the A&E department of Bristol Royal Infirmary. This firsthand experience inspired the creation of the fictional Holby City Hospital, which serves as the primary setting for the show.
The custom-built set at Roath Lock Studios enables the production team to have greater control over the filming environment. By having a dedicated space designed specifically for the show, the crew can efficiently set up equipment, lighting, and props, facilitating a smooth and efficient filming process. The set's design also allows for flexibility in shooting different scenes, accommodating the dynamic nature of a medical drama.
The set design of Casualty's custom-built hospital plays a crucial role in enhancing the show's visual aesthetics and production value. The set designers meticulously craft the hospital environment, paying attention to the smallest details to ensure a convincing and immersive experience for viewers. From the layout of the emergency department to the signage and medical equipment, every element is carefully considered to replicate the look and feel of a real NHS hospital.
The custom-built set also offers advantages in terms of accessibility and convenience for the cast and crew. Having a centralised filming location reduces the need for frequent location changes, making it easier for the production team to manage logistics and ensuring a more streamlined filming process. Additionally, the set's proximity to other production facilities and resources can further streamline the overall production process.
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The show's creators visited Bristol Royal Infirmary for research
The creators of Casualty, script editor Jeremy Brock and theatre director Paul Unwin, visited Bristol Royal Infirmary to research the show. Brock and Unwin spent time in the hospital after both having been hospitalized and becoming "deeply concerned by what they saw". They met charge nurse Peter Salt, who was appointed the series medical advisor and became the template for the character Charlie Fairhead.
The show was conceived as a response to the political climate of the Margaret Thatcher era. As young socialists, Brock and Unwin aimed to create a "television revolution" that would be feminist and anti-racist. They pitched their idea to the BBC in 1985, and the show first aired in 1986.
The fictional Holby City Hospital, where Casualty is set, is based on Bristol Royal Infirmary. Exterior shots of the city were filmed in Bristol, featuring iconic landmarks such as the floating harbour and Clifton Suspension Bridge. From Series 2, a permanent interior set was built in a warehouse on Kingsland Trading Estate in the St Philip's area of Bristol, close to where the exterior shots of the A&E and hospital were filmed.
Since 2011, Casualty has been filmed at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, Wales, on a custom-built set created to look like an NHS hospital.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Casualty is not filmed in a real hospital. It is filmed at the BBC Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff, which is a custom-built set created to look like an NHS hospital. Exterior shots are filmed in Cardiff and the wider South Wales area.
Holby City Hospital is set in the fictional city of Holby, in the fictional county of Wyvern in South West England.
Before moving to Cardiff in 2011, Casualty was filmed at the BBC Studios in Bristol.
The BBC decided to move Casualty's filming location to Cardiff to align the setting with the production location. The show's fictional hospital will be based in Wales from 2027.











































