Casualty newcomer Michael Keogh is thrown in at the deep end from his very first episode in the long running BBC medical drama when his firefighter character Rich Walker is sent to a serious incident in the middle of a storm and flash flood. Viewers will first meet him in tonight’s episode (June 15) when he works the scene with Steve Nash (played by Elinor Lawless) who is there in her capacity as a Critical Care Doctor.

As he helps her through the difficult call out it is clear sparks are flying between the pair. While the scenes are sure to delight viewers as fan favourite Stevie appears to be getting a romantic interest they were “challenging” to shoot due to the extremes of weather being portrayed.”’

Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk Michael explained: “We have a few rain effects so it was very, very cold. So we were fighting through the cold and the wet was a challenge.”

However he had nothing but praise for his co-star enthusing: “I mean, Elinor, she’s an incredible actress and it is a real privilege to work with her. She gave so much and she made it very easy to work with.”

Michael is a familiar face to television viewers having appeared in shows such as Peaky Blinders, where he played an Asylum Nurse, and inhabiting several small roles in Emmerdale between 2003 and 2008. He also made a previous appearance in Casualty back in 2016 as a character called Rob Davies.

Asked if he was nervous about fan reaction to this role given the popularity of Stevie’s character he says he was more excited than anything else.

“You know, I remember watching it [Casualty] when Brenda Fricker was in it when I was younger. I was just in awe of her as an actor.

“So I was really, really looking forward to the challenge. I looked at Ellie’s previous work and it was phenomenal. So it was just more excited, as opposed to being nervous,” he confessed.