User:Soaper1234/Jez

Jez Andrews is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by Lloyd Everitt. He first appears in the thirtieth series episode "High Tide", broadcast on 12 March 2016.

Casting
In the 24-30 January 2016 edition of TVTimes, executive producer Oliver Kent revealed that actor Lloyd Everitt had joined the cast of Casualty as paramedic Jez Andrews. Jez is introduced to fill the space left by Kathleen "Dixie" Dixon (Jane Hazlegrove), who left in January 2016. On 24 February, further details about Jez and Everitt's casting were announced, alongside the casting of Jason Durr as David Hide and Jaye Griffiths as Elle Gardner. Kent billed the three new castings as "wonderful" and said that they would "be embarking on their own brilliantly vibrant, bold and gripping stories". Everitt began filming in November 2015. On his casting, Everitt commented, "I feel honoured to be joining such a successful show and look forward to bringing a different essence to a programme that's synonymous with British culture and television. It's actually the first programme I remember watching when I was a child at my Nan's house - there's a great beauty to that."

Development

 * WELSH CASUALTY STARS LLOYD UP FOR NATIONAL TV AWARD.
 * These incredible 'doodles' show how dyslexic Casualty actor Lloyd Everitt learns his script

Characterisation and introduction
Cheeky, easy-going and full of banter, Jez is a fresh-faced, newly-qualified paramedic with bags of energy. Jez doesn't take life too seriously, which means he gets on well with everybody and loves a good flirt. It's just a shame that this enthusiasm isn't always applied to his job... Jez is billed as a "young, ludicrously handsome and very openly bisexual" paramedic. A press release described him as "cheeky" and relaxed. A BBC Online reporter said that Jez can be uncontrollable in dangerous situations and as somone who is adapting to life as an adult, he can be careless, childish, egotistical and sloppy, although he is very "naïve" with "a lot to learn". They added that Jez's relaxed attitude is beneficial in an emergency situation, which could help him become a professional paramedic. Jez's backstory states that he was born in 1993, making him approximately 23 years old when he arrives.

Jez is introduced in the thirtieth series episode "High Tide", broadcast on 12 March 2016.

Friendships
Jez works closely with his paramedic partner, Iain Dean (Michael Stevenson), who is described as being Jez's "partner in crime". Kent dubbed their friendship as "unlike anything we've seen before".

Kent confirmed in an interview with TVTimes that a friendship would be established between Jez and Max Walker (Jamie Davis). Shortly after his arrival, Jez moves out of his family home and into Max and Robyn Miller's (Amanda Henderson) house.

Mickey Ellisson

 * Inside Soap interview 10-16 June 2017

Departure
Everitt departed his role as Jez in 2017 and Jez departs in the second episode of the thirty-second series. Everitt's departure was not announced prior to transmission to surprise the audience. Everitt stated that he enjoyed portraying Jez and said, "To tap into that easygoing, fun-loving character was a joy." He added, "By the end of his journey, I discovered more sides to him, which were important to play." Dafydd Llewelyn, a show producer, paid tribute to Everitt on Twitter following the broadcast of his final episode.

In his final episode, Jez's home is petrol bombed by an unknown assailant while Robyn and her baby are inside. They are saved, but Mickey discovers that Denise is responsible for the attack. Mickey decides to go travelling and Jez joins him after struggling to cope with the death of a baby, who he failed to save.

Reception

 * The National Television Awards 2017 – winners in full