Exclusive: Casualty's George Rainsford teases Ethan return after anniversary cameo

Casualty star George Rainsford has teased the idea of reprising his role of Ethan Hardy again in the near future, after his surprise cameo in the medical drama’s 40th anniversary episodes.

With Holby ED struggling to cope after an explosion at St James’ Hospital, familiar face Ethan returned to lend a hand alongside original and much-loved character Charlie.

While speaking exclusively to us about his current stage role in a new production of The King’s Speech, George reflected on the intention behind his recent return to Casualty.

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"It’s interesting because in a sense, it was a cameo," he explained, "but the producers were really keen for it to not be for the sake of just popping up. They wanted to see that the character has gone off and lived his life for a bit.

"There was a conversation about whether Ethan’s Huntington’s disease had developed a little bit symptomatically. It was great fun and like seeing a load of old friends."

During the anniversary episodes, Charlie reminded Ethan that there was more than one way to be a doctor, potentially leaving his story unfinished. But would George ever make a more permanent return to the show?

"We teased a possible future in the anniversary," he revealed. "I’ve always said, and I said to the producers then, that I think there are stories still to tell for Ethan, and he’s got relationships with characters who are still in the show.

"At the moment, there’s a narrative shift with the move to Wales and they’re busy with making that transition. But that’s not to say that beyond July next year, I wouldn’t be free to do something…"

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Regardless of whether or not we’ll see Ethan in the ED again, George told us that he has great memories of the show and still keeps in touch with his co-stars off screen.

"I see Rich [Winsor, who played Ethan’s brother Cal] a lot," he shared. "I went to Amanda Henderson (Robyn)’s 40th birthday recently, and Rich was there too, as well as Eli Lawless (Stevie) and Will Beck (Dylan).

"I also keep in touch with Neet [Mohan, aka Rash]. It’s a really happy place to be and it was an incredibly long time to spend doing one job. I’ll always think of Casualty fondly."

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Away from the ED, George is currently playing King George VI in a stage adaptation of The King’s Speech, starring alongside Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis. After a successful month-long run in Cirencester, the cast and crew are preparing to take the play around the UK next year.

"It’s definitely one of those roles where I couldn’t say no," George told us. "It’s a very dramatic period of history, but at the heart of the play is just a very human story. My character goes on such a journey and his story is so moving, so there is lots to get your teeth into."

Details of The King’s Speech UK tour and how to get tickets can be found here. To read our full exclusive chat with George, pick up the latest issue of Inside Soap.

Casualty will return to BBC One next year. The 40th anniversary episodes are available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

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