Bbc Casualty pulled from screens tonight in schedule shake-up

Fans of casualty expecting the usual Saturday evening episode on 21 February will find the show off air as the channel makes room for rugby coverage. The series is taking a short mid-series break — described elsewhere as a week-long break or brief hiatus — and is due back the following Saturday, 28 February.

Casualty pulled from screens

The programme will not air on its regular night because the broadcaster has scheduled Six Nations Rugby Union coverage of Wales versus Scotland. One published schedule gives the rugby broadcast a 4pm start with kick-off forty minutes later; another published listing states coverage will commence at 6pm and conclude at 7: 15pm. The match is listed as part of the third round of fixtures and is set to take place at Principality Stadium, with Gabby Logan and John Inverdale on commentary duty.

Evening line-up changes and timings

After the rugby slot the schedule is shuffled: Gladiators is moved into a later slot, with one listing putting it at 7: 15pm, followed an hour later by Michael McIntyre's Big Show, and new drama The Walsh Sisters — based on Marian Keyes's novels — at 9: 15pm ahead of the news. The reshuffle is the reason the medical drama is off air for the week.

Return date and streaming details

Viewers are told the series returns next week, on 28 February. One timetable lists the return transmission at 8: 30pm on Saturday, February 28, while streaming options remain the same: episodes are available to stream from 6am on the day of transmission on the channel's iPlayer service, where episodes are released at 6am on the day of broadcast.

Plot focus: CQC reinspection and tensions

The episode due on the show's return centres on a reinspection by the CQC (Care Quality Commission). It follows newcomers and established staff through a tense inspection that will influence whether the department has a future or if staff will have jobs to return to. Matty Linlaker (Aron Julius) is a newcomer who filed a report that triggered the CQC involvement, and Flynn Byron (Olly Rix) prepares for another visit from the CQC.

Holby has, in recent months, been portrayed as having found itself in hot water, with several avoidable deaths and questionable workplace practices taking place. Ceri arrives unexpectedly in the evening for the reinspection after consultants Stevie and Dylan have left; Flynn had believed the CQC were not due that day and is shocked by her appearance. Ceri is later impressed by the changes Flynn has made since her last visit, and at one point has a flashback to when she last worked in an ED during COVID, though she tries not to show vulnerability.

Resident mistakes and clinical risks

The return episode, titled 'Learning Curve', follows a series of risky decisions on shift. Kim Chang (Jasmine Bayes) continues to push herself physically — jogging into work, struggling with an eating disorder, making herself sick and celebrating a notification showing she has hit 500% of her daily movement goal — but her vision begins to blur while treating patients. Kim suggests teaming up with Matty for the remainder of the shift while the CQC watch; the residents treat a patient with a head injury and Matty is keen to perform a lumbar puncture. With Flynn occupied, he is confident they can perform the procedure without supervision, but Kim's worsening vision leads her to read out the wrong instructions from her phone, accidentally giving Matty incorrect orders and raising the prospect of harm to the patient and consequences for the inspection.

Clashes, arrests and Siobhan's setback

Tensions among colleagues continue to play out. Teddy Gowan (Milo Clarke) and Jacob Masters (Charles Venn) are at loggerheads over PC Ashley Sullivan's (Hannah Traylen) wrongful arrest of Blake Gardner (David Ajayi); Teddy is angry that Jacob made a complaint against Ashley for arresting his son, while Jacob stands by his action. Teddy insists that Ashley is not racist, and after a callout the pair start to make amends. Teddy tells Ashley Jacob will drop the complaint if she apologises to him, though whether events unfold that way is left uncertain.

Elsewhere, Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill) suffers another setback following her sexual assault. She is told the police have made an arrest after the rapist's DNA was found on her uniform, but DI Hughes later reports the suspect, Chris, was a patient. Cam realises he asked Siobhan to treat Chris when he was in the ED, a detail that could undermine the evidence and complicate Siobhan's pursuit of justice. Content warnings for the storyline note that it contains discussion of topics including rape.

There are also personal revelations: Dylan tells Matty he is his biological dad; Dylan assumes Matty will want to change mentors, but Matty is happy to carry on and calls Dylan a 'perfectly adequate mentor', later admitting he has not told his mum about Dylan. Dylan remains purposely detached and reluctant to get too close to his son.

For viewers, the short hiatus means waiting until Saturday 28 February for the next instalment of casualty, with streaming available from 6am on the day of broadcast and the return transmission listed in some schedules for 8: 30pm that evening.

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Michael Adams is the Soaps Editor; he joined the team from another outlet and has prior experience working on the sets of Coronation Street and Emmerdale. unclear in the provided context.

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