Barney Walsh will be at the centre of a storyline about male sexual abuse in ‘Casualty’.
Barney Walsh will be at the centre of a storyline about male sexual abuse in ‘Casualty’
The 26-year-old actor, who has played nurse Cameron Mickelthwaite on the BBC show since last year, is set to explore his character’s traumatic past after childhood friend Bobby arrives at Holby City Hospital accusing new board member Jamie Cleveland (played by Ryan Hawley) of assaulting him as a child – bringing up dark memories of the abuse the nurse suffered as a teenager.
Barney 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.”
‘Casualty’ series producer Liza Melody 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.”
The series of episodes tackling the abuse storyline, which are titled ‘Storm Damage’, will begin with Cameron opening up to Clinical Lead Siobhan McKenzie (Melanie Hill) about the abuse he suffered as a teenager at the hands of Jamie.
‘Casualty’ producers brought on the charities SurvivorsUK and We Are Survivors in an effort to ensure the upcoming storyline was handled considerately.
We Are Survivors founder and Chief Executive Officer Duncan Craig – who worked with the writing team on the scripts for the episodes – said he was “genuinely so proud” of Barney and the production for having the courage to run a storyline focusing on male victims of abuse.
He added: “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.”