Casualty star Olly Rix teases possible Flynn-Stevie romance after 40th anniversary special

Asked whether Flynn and Stevie could become a couple, Rix said the decision is not his. “That's one for the producers,” he said. “But I think there's something there that they're the last to see. The audience has seen it. The producers and the writers have seen it. I think it's sort of been there from the off, and it's taken a moment like this to reorientate them, and perhaps to get them to realise that there is a real depth to that relationship. I think there's a lot more to come... I'll say that much.”

TechRadar's review of the double episode describes the special as opening with a hospital explosion and using one large-scale emergency to involve the whole cast, instead of the show's usual pattern of one main story with smaller stories in the background. Flynn and Stevie are among the characters working in makeshift emergency rooms during the crisis.

Rix also praised his scenes with Lawless, who plays Stevie. “Ellie and I work very nicely together anyway and we've always improvised well,” he said. “We're quite free in the way we do scenes together, and that was encouraged and embraced in the filming of these specials. I had a great time. I hope it shows.”

TechRadar's writer noted an underlying tension between Flynn and Stevie and suggested that if the show does pair them, the romance would probably develop slowly. The special episodes are available now on BBC iPlayer.