Exclusive: Barney Walsh set for heartbreaking BBC Casualty storyline as actor breaks silence on tough scenes

Casualty has confirmed a heartbreaking storyline for Barney Walsh’s character Nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite.

In upcoming scenes, the BBC One soap will reveal and explore the impact of the sexual abuse Nurse Cameron experienced as a teenager. In the current set of episodes, which are titled Storm Damage, Cameron is haunted by his past when Bobby, who is an old friend from their time in a youth group together, turns up at Holby City Hospital accusing new board member Jamie Cleveland, played by Ryan Hawley, of abusing him as a child.

And in upcoming scenes this Saturday, viewers will see Cameron bravely open up to Clinical Lead Siobhan McKenzie, played by Melanie Hill, about the abuse he too was subjected to by evil Jamie. As part of the hard-hitting storyline, Casualty have worked closely with the charities SurvivorsUK and We are Survivors to ensure that the storyline has been handled sensitively.

Talking about the upcoming scenes, actor Barney, 26, who has played Nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite since 2023, said: “Research shows that one in six men are survivors of sexual abuse, so this is a very important story for us to tell. This storyline will see Cam having to confront the demons of his past, something he has desperately tried to avoid for many years and face up to the realisation that he experienced abuse

“We want to help anyone who might be affected by abuse, and to highlight that survivors of abuse are not alone, there is always help and support available to them. It’s been a privilege to bring this storyline to screens.” Meanwhile, Liza Melody, who is Casualty’s Series Producer, added: “Viewers have been aware that Cam’s past has come back to haunt him with the arrival of Bobby and Jamie at Holby, but now the audience will discover just why Cam has been struggling so much. We hope this storyline will help to challenge the perceptions, the stigma, and the shame experienced by male survivors.”

We Are Survivors Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Duncan Craig OBE, has worked closely with the storyline team and read through each of the scripts checking to ensure that Cam and Bobby’s voices as victims/survivors have been accurately represented.

Talking about the storyline and upcoming scenes, Duncan said: “I was so pleased to be contacted by the BBC again and this time to be asked by Casualty to support the development of this storyline. I am genuinely so proud of Barney, and the team for being brave enough to highlight the silence of male victims and the need for male survivors’ stories to be heard. We know that when drama tells stories of male survivors, more people call helplines, contact us for support, and finally find a space to breathe.”

Meanwhile, SurvivorsUK Helpline Manager, Laura Nulty, said of the storyline: “Cam’s storyline reflects the experience of many male survivors of sexual abuse that we speak to every day at SurvivorsUK; men trying to process what has happened to them in the past, whilst navigating the situation within their present life. The mixture of emotions Cam feels towards Jamie shows the complex relationships some survivors can have with their abuser.

“It takes an average of over two decades for a male survivor to tell someone else about what happened to them, which is why it’s so important that stories like these which highlight abuse and its long-lasting insidious impacts are displayed. The more that male survivors see their own stories portrayed, the more people come forward to services like ours and the closer we come to ensuring survivors can live a better life free from shame and stigma.”

Casualty, which won Best Soap at the BAFTA TV awards for the second year in a row earlier this year, is known for exploring difficult and thought-provoking subjects in a sensitive and appropriate manner – with recent episodes exploring Rash Masum’s mental health battle.

Casualty has confirmed a heartbreaking storyline for Barney Walsh’s character Nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite. In upcoming scenes, the BBC One soap will reveal and explore the impact of the sexual abuse Nurse Cameron experienced as a teenager. In the current set of episodes, which are titled Storm Damage, Cameron is haunted by his past when Bobby, who is an…