There’s no denying our viewing habits have changed a lot over the past decade.

Binge watching a series on Netflix or Apple TV seems to be far more appealing for many now than spending six weeks watching a solitary drama unfold on the BBC or tuning into the soaps nearly every single evening.

And this is putting the genre in jeopardy.

In the past two years alone, we’ve seen staples like Holby City and Doctors axed and learned that Hollyoaks will be reducing the number of episodes it airs a week.

So it’s understandable why fans will be asking the same question – what about the other soaps?

While the likelihood of Casualty, EastEnders, Emmerdale or Coronation Street being taken off air is slim for now, it certainly leaves them all with uncertain futures.

In a world where streaming services can be accessed at the touch of a button, how do you entice someone to watch weekly episodes of a show that’s been on air for well over 30 years over watching an entire drama in one sitting?

The answer is simple: You take risks. Which is exactly what Casualty did tonight.

In the latest outing of the medical drama we saw the staff at Holby City Hospital learn they are the subject of an investigative documentary, which was structured in a similar way to that of BBC One’s Panorama.

Airing since 1953, Panorama sees experts offer insights into ongoing investigations and worldwide issues. In the real world, one of the most recent instalments – titled ‘NHS Patients Going Private: What Are The Risks?’ – saw Monika Plaha shine a spotlight on waiting lists and investigate the safety record of one of the UK’s biggest private healthcare providers.

Tonight’s Casualty opened with a staff member at the hospital having their identity hidden to protect themselves from everyone else knowing they’ve become a whistleblower.

The instalment featured body camera footage of patients arguing with doctors and nurses, beds in corridors, parts of the hospital looking damaged and uncared for.

It was everything we sadly know all too well. In fact, you almost forgot it was about a fictional emergency department.

The rumours that circulate around the hospital after this clever twist ultimately are about the whistleblower. Though, as it stands, we have no idea who it is.

It could be Rash (Neet Mohan), a doctor who often expresses his frustration behind the people in suits barely helping the people in scrubs.

There’s Siobhan (Melanie Hill) and also Patrick (Jamie Glover), two newcomers who haven’t worked at Holby ED for very long, but have been in the industry long enough to grow tired at the lack of change.

And while speculation will be rife both among fans, this certainly wasn’t the first time Casualty has stepped away from the usual format to highlight the reality of NHS hospitals up and down the country.

The award-winning coronavirus episode saw staff members exhausted after working day in day out with bruises on their faces from PPE.

In 2022, an improvised episode focused on paramedics being pushed to breaking point, and in 2023 a special instalment to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS highlighted the various emergency services with real-life medical professionals commenting on the teamwork involved to save patients every single day.

Whenever a drama blurs the lines between fiction and reality, it’s almost guaranteed to create a discussion among the audience. Just look at shows like ITV’s Mr Bates vs the Post Office – it allowed many people to learn about the story and the severe injustice for the first time ever.

Even more recently, Netflix’s Scoop provided a look – albeit a tense one – into the BBC securing the interview with Prince Andrew and what impact it had on him and the Royal Family afterwards.

The point is, in a world of AI developing at a scary rate and fake news being pumped into the world quicker each day, we crave the truth.

While this unique episode of Casualty was, ultimately, a fictional plot, it highlighted the risks of a staff member being a whistleblower and a hospital building literally falling to pieces.

By peppering a fake story with elements of reality we were suddenly watching something with so much more power behind it. And I for one, am all for it.